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PE Americas March 4th, 2009

PE Americas March 4th, 2009. Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Oxo-degradable and Conventional Polyethylene Carrier Bags. Background Introduction to LCA Goal and Scope of LCA Baseline of study LCA results – Top level view LCA results - Main conclusions

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PE Americas March 4th, 2009

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  1. PE AmericasMarch 4th, 2009 Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Oxo-degradable and Conventional Polyethylene Carrier Bags

  2. Background • Introduction to LCA • Goal and Scope of LCA • Baseline of study • LCA results – Top level view • LCA results - Main conclusions • Impact of Revert additive production • Detailed results • Environmental categories explanation Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Oxo-degradable and Conventional Polyethylene Carrier Bags

  3. Background • Study commissioned by Oxobioplast • Additive information from Wells plastic (UK) • Study performed by PE Americas in collaboration with Five Winds • Study critically reviewed by: • Paul Firth [The Green Standard] • Edgar Rojas [The California Integrated Waste Management Board] • Rita Schenck [The Institute for Environmental Research and Education] • Study carried out according to the guidelines established by the ISO 14040 standards 03.03.2009 3

  4. Introduction to LCASystems based approach Raw Materials Product Manufacture Materials Manufacture Transportation & Distribution End Disposition Recycling Use 4

  5. Goal and Scope of LCAOverview of Approach “comparison of environmental burdens over the life cycle of PE carrier bags with Reverte additive and PE carrier bags without the Reverte additive”

  6. Baseline Overview of Approach • Degree of mineralization of PE carrier bag with additive – 80% • Aerobic conditions account for 5% of the decomposition process, with the remainder of decomposition taking place under anaerobic conditions. During the aerobic phase, the primary gas produced is CO2 alone. • Under anaerobic conditions, the carbon content is converted into CO2 and CH4 in equal proportions. • The net impacts of methane emissions are modeled as per the breakdown given above. The carrier bag system is given a credit equivalent to the amount of energy recovered, when methane emissions from landfills are captured for energy recovery. • In the absence of data on littering rates in the US, a 1% rate was used as a reference for the evaluation. A sensitivity analysis with littering rates varying from 0.1% to 10% was also carried out.

  7. LCA resultsTop level view

  8. LCA resultsMain conclusions • The additional environmental burdens associated with the production of the Reverte additive from cradle to gate (raw material extraction, production of components and final mixing) are not significant in the context of the life cycle of the PE bags. • The main environmental impacts of polyethylene bags with the Reverte additive, when compared with polyethylene bags without the additive, occur at the end of life of the PE bags with Reverte, and are related to the by-products of microbiological digestion of the degraded polymers. • PE bags with Reverte additive have a lower life cycle environmental profile when compared with the same bags without Reverte, in terms of primary energy demand, air acidification and post consumer waste generation. This is mainly due to microbiological digestion of the PE polymers (transforming the polymers into biomass, methane and carbon dioxide) and the recovery of methane for energy production in some US landfills. • The additional emission of greenhouse gases (mostly Carbon dioxide) due to the microbiological digestion of the degraded polymers is reflected in a comparatively higher Global warming potential for PE bags with Reverte. This might be reduced in the future with increase of flaring and energy recovery systems in US landfills. • The difference in life cycle environmental impacts for PE bags with Reverte and polyethylene bags without the additive is not significant in the areas of Eutrophication, smog creation, generation of industrial waste, biological oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand. In those environmental impact categories the life cycle environmental impact of both types of bags is equivalent.

  9. LCA resultsEnvironmental impact of revert additive production (cradle to gate)

  10. LCA results Global Warming Potential by life cycle stage

  11. LCA resultsPrimary energy demand per life cycle stage

  12. LCA resultsLife cycle air acidification potential

  13. LCA results Life cycle Eutrophication potential

  14. LCA resultsLife Cycle Smog creation

  15. LCA resultsLife cycle solid waste generation

  16. LCA resultsInfluence of littering rate on global warming potential results for PE carrier bag with additive

  17. Introduction to LCA Global Warming Potential (GWP) Effect: Increased warming of the troposphere due to anthropogenic greenhouse gases e.g. from the burning of fossil fuels. Reference Substance: Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Reference Unit: kg CO2-Equivalent Source:IPCC(Intergovernmental Panel on Climatic Change) 17

  18. Introduction to LCA Acidification Potential (AP) NO X SO 2 H SO 2 4 4 HNO 3 Effect: Increase in the pH-value of precipitation due to the wash-out of acidifiying gases e.g. Sulphur dioxide (SO2) and Nitrogen oxides (NOx). Reference Substance:Sulphur dioxide (SO2) Reference Unit: kg SO2-Equivalent Source:CML, (Heijungs, Centrum voor Milieukunde Leiden), 1992 18

  19. Introduction to LCA Eutrophication Potential (EP) N O NO 2 X NH 3 Air pollution Fertilisation NO - 3 NH + 4 Waste water PO -3 4 Effect: Excessive nutientinput into waterand landfrom substances such asphosphorus und nitrogenfrom agriculture, combustion processes and effluents. Reference Substance: Phosphate (PO4-) Reference Unit: kg PO4- Equivalent Source:CML, (Heijungs, Centrum voor Milieukunde Leiden), 1992 19

  20. Introduction to LCA Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential (POCP)- Summersmog Hydrocarbons Nitrogen Oxides Dry and warm climate Ozone Hydrocarbons Nitrogen Oxides Effect: Formation oflow levelozone by sunlight instigating the photochemical reaction of nitrogen oxides with hyrocarbonsand volatile organic compounds (VOC) Reference Substance: Ethylene (C2H4) Reference Unit: kg C2H4 -Equivalent Source: Udo de Haes et al., 1999 20

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