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Introducing the New Easy-To-Use (Bio)plastic LCA Tool
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Applicable Industries
- Packaging
- Plastics
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Material Handling Automation
- Predictive Quality Analytics
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
In recent years, sustainability-related issues concerning plastics, such as sourcing from non-renewable resources and end-of-life issues (recycling, reuse, littering, biodegradability), have gained significant attention. The plastics industry is under pressure to provide credible solutions to these problems. To bring about sustainable change in the plastics industry, accurate information in the form of standardized and credible Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results needs to be made available in a transparent way to as broad an audience as possible, including non-LCA experts.
About The Customer
The customer in this case study is the plastics industry at large. The plastics industry has been under increasing scrutiny due to the environmental impact of plastic production and disposal. Plastics have advantages over other materials, such as being lightweight and having superior forming and processing properties. They are widely used in applications such as packaging, transportation, mobility, housing, and infrastructure. Since their introduction in the 50s and 60s, world production of plastics has grown to roughly 335 million tons. Today, bio-based materials are also available for all major applications and processing steps and offer an alternative to fossil-based plastic products.
The Solution
Sphera, with the support of the Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites (IfBB, Hannover), has developed an easy-to-use LCA tool specifically for the assessment of (bio)plastic products. The tool is based on Sphera’s award-winning GaBi Envison Web platform, which allows access—through a standard web browser—to high-quality LCA models in the GaBi database. The (Bio)plastic LCA Tool covers the complete life cycle of (bio) plastic products and allows for a choice of different feedstocks, materials (e.g., PP, PE, PLA, PET, starch blends), standard and customized compounding and converting steps, transportation along the supply chain, and end-of-life options (incineration, landfill, recycling, composting, etc.). The tool allows for the comparison of different product scenarios and comparisons between petrochemical-based and bio-based plastics. The results are calculated for several environmental impact categories, such as the carbon footprint, and are displayed immediately in a customized PDF report.
Operational Impact
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