Compostable Plastics versus Paper and Polyethylene – Life Cycle ...

Compostable Plastics versus Paper and
Polyethylene – Life Cycle Analysis
Robert Armstrong
Market Development Manager
BASF Canada
September 2006

BASF Vision 2015
Ensure Sustainable Development
We combine economic success with environmental
protection and social responsibility
We see sustainability as a long-term competitive advantage
We use our eco-efficiency and total cost of ownership tools
to identify the best economical and ecological solutions
We create value for our customers

The three “pillars” of sustainable
development
Ecology
EEA
Economy
TCO
Society
SEE
EEA = Eco-efficiency analysis
TCO= Total Cost of Ownership
SEE = Socio-eco-efficiency Analysis (SEEbalance)

Bio Terms Definition
Feedstocks
Biobased – Referring to the origin of the feedstocks of a product -
needs a percentage designation to be meaningful.
Renewable – Referring to the feedstocks being renewed in a certain
time frame (ex. Corn, wheat, bacteria, grass).
Sustainable – Generic term used to express the long term viability of a product,
process or market.
These terms are not equivalent
Disposal
Degradable – Process of fragmentation.
Biodegradable – Process of organic matter being consumed by
microorganisms and converted to energy and waste products.
Compostable – Specific biodegradable disposal in which moisture, oxygen and
heat content are professionally managed. Organic matter
biodegrades swiftly – in 180 days or less.

Biodegradability
In order for a material to be viewed as biodegradable or compostable,
it must meet established standard specifications.
EN 13432 GreenPla ASTM D-6400
Without certification programs, the credibility of biodegradable plastics
remains at risk, and thus growth in use is also at risk.
Why make Biodegradable polymers?

Waste Generation and Recycling 2003 - EPA
Organics/Compostables
= 40 - 65 %

Ecoflex ® Description
Ecoflex is a Copolyester polymer which is
fully biodegradable under composting conditions and in soil.
Ecoflex is processed on conventional blown film, cast film and
extrusion coating equipment designed for traditional polyolefins.
Ecoflex exhibits physical properties similar to low density
polyethylene as a thin film.
Compost
4 weeks
No predrying of Ecoflex is required.
2 weeks
Ecoflex has no biobased content.

Compostable Can
Liners
Lawn and Leaf Bags
T-shirt bags
Food Packaging

Ecoflex and Renewables
Ecoflex ®
Starch
Natural
Fibers
PLA
flexible,
soft, tough
films, flexible
packaging, paper coating
semiflexible,
impact resistant
flexible packaging,
molding, forming, bags
rigid,
low cost
rigid packaging,
loose fill, molding
Blends

Ecoflex ® and Renewables
Ecoflex ®
PLA
flexible,
soft, tough
films, flexible
packaging, paper coating
semiflexible,
impact resistant
flexible packaging,
molding, forming, bags
rigid,
lower cost
rigid packaging,
molding
New Compounding Technology

Polymer Performance
Comparison of Polymers
4.00
Modulus (MPa)
3.50
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
0.50
0.00
PHB PLA
PS
PET
PP
Ecovio ®
Starch
PBS
LDPE
0 200 400 600 800 1000
Elong. at Break (%)
HDPE
PCL Ecoflex ®
Standard Plastic
Biodegradable Plastic

Eco-efficiency Analysis
BASF strategic tool to help drive towards and measure
sustainability
Developed in Germany in 1996
Over 260 projects completed globally
Third-party certified by the German
Technical Monitoring Association (TŰV)
Validated
Ecoefficiency
Analysis
Method

Considers the Life Cycle
Extraction of
Raw Materials
Processes
Products
Recycling
Use of products
Disposal

Eco-Efficiency
The Ecological Component
Eco-efficiency analysis looks at the entire life cycle of a product,
beginning with extraction of raw materials through the disposal or
recycling of the product. An "ecological fingerprint," provides a picture of
the environmental effect of a product in six categories:
• Materials consumption
• Energy consumption
• Emissions to air, soil, and water
• Risk potential
• Toxicity potential
• Land use
Each of these categories embraces a
wealth of detailed information, some of
which comes from BASF’s in-house
records and some from public databases (Boustead database).

Development of Ecological Impacts
Parameters considered
Ecological fingerprint
Adverse Ecological
•Raw Materials
•Energy consumption
Land Use
Energy Consumption
1.00
Emissions
0.50
Relative environmental
impact
High
Product 2
•Land Use
0.00
•Emissions
•Toxicity
Raw Materials
Risk Potential
Toxicity Potential
BASF
Product 1
•Risk potential
Low
Metrics
These two diagrams are different ways to show
the same result: Product 2 has highest adverse
ecological impacts.

Ecology + Economics: The Portfolio
Social and statistical weighting factors are used
to develop a single value to describe the ecological
fingerprint for each product or process.
Each of these values is then
plotted against the total lifetime
cost for the alternative (derived
from an economic analysis) on the
Eco-efficiency profile.
The inverse plotting allows the
most Eco-efficient product to
move to the upper right quadrant of
the chart.

Consequences of Eco-Efficiency Analyses
Depending on
the position of
the analysed
product, different
strategical
recommendations
are
given.
Environmental Impact (normalized)
low
1,0
Develop
alternatives!
reduce
costs!
Bring to market!
reduce
environmental
impact!
high
high
1,0
costs (normalized)
low

Social Assessment Factors – N.A.
27%
20%
Energy
consumption
Raw material
consumption
Luftemissionen
emissions
Air
51% 50%
Greenhouse
warming potential
43%
8%
Land Use
19% Emissionen
Emissions
17%
9%
Toxicity
potential
Risk potential
Water
emissions
41%
Wastes
8%
Ozone depletion
potential
Photochemical
ozone creation
potential
Acidification potential
19%
25%
13%

Eco-efficiency Analysis
How to use Eco-efficiency Analysis
Strategic Decisions
• Investment decisions
• Technology decisions
• Site decisions
• Evaluate product portfolio
Marketing
• Product Differentiation
• Improved customer relations
Research and development
• Quantification of the most
important factors
• Develop sustainable
products and processes
Stakeholder and Government
Dialogue
• Communication with authorities
• Demonstration of Sustainability

Eco-Efficiency Study Results
Yard Waste Bags
Food Waste Bags

Biodegradable Yard Waste Bags
Customer benefit (CB)
BASF alternatives
Comparable alternatives
• Disposal of yard
waste using one
thousand
biodegradable
30-gal nominal
capacity bags
• Ecoflex ® /
Natureworks ®
PLA blend bag
(10%), 1.2 mils
thick, 33x36 in.
• Paper bag, 16x12x35,
2-ply, 70g/m2 each ply

Base Case: Biodegradable Bags for
Yard Waste
Customer
Benefit (CB):
Use of one
thousand 30-
gallon nominal
capacity
biodegradable
yard waste bag.
Environmental Impact (normalized)
0.5
1.0
1.5
low eco-efficiency
Portfolio
high eco-efficiency
Ecoflex®
Paper
In the Base
case
Ecoflex ® is
the most
eco-efficient.
1.5
1.0
0.5
Costs (normalized)

Costs
Total Costs
$/CB
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
Bag Price
Diesel Use - U.S.
0
Ecoflex
Paper
Fewer Ecoflex ® bags are needed since they hold slightly more than
nominal capacity. This results in less overall cost to the user.

Ecological Fingerprint
Energy consumption
1.00
Land Use
0.50
Emissions
Ecoflex
Paper
0.00
Materials Consumption
Health Effect potential
Risk potential
1,0 = worst position,
better results ordered
relatively

Comments to the Ecological Fingerprint
Ecoflex ® has advantages in almost all of the environmental
categories. The bags are lighter, meaning less material has to be
produced and transported.
Paper has a slight advantage in raw materials consumption since it
does not use petroleum-based feedstock.

Energy consumption
Primary energy consumption
MJ/CB
16000
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
Ecoflex
Paper
Diesel Use - U.S.
Energy-bag production
Bag Material
Ecoflex ® bags consume less energy over the lifetime, because they
are lighter, meaning that less material has to be produced and
transported.

Raw materials consumption
Resource consumption
kg/(y*Mio t) 1/2 /CB
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Ecoflex
Paper
Sand
Bauxite
Limestone
Iron
Phosphorous
Sulfur
NaCl
Lignite
Gas
Oil
Coal
The largest consumption of raw materials is in sulfur, oil and
gas.

Global Warming Potential
Global Warming Potential
500000
g CO2-equivalent/CB
400000
300000
200000
100000
0
-100000
-200000
Ecoflex
Paper
Diesel Use - U.S.
Energy-bag production
Bag Material
-300000
-400000
GWP results from bag production as well as diesel fuel used for
transportation. Paper has the advantage of carbon fixation during tree
growth.

Photochemical Oxidant Creation Potential
(Summer Smog)
Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential
g Ethene-equivalent/CB
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Ecoflex
Paper
Diesel Use - U.S.
Energy-bag production
Bag Material
POCP is most affected by diesel fuel used to transport the bags.

Acidification potential
Acidification potential
g SO2-equivalent/CB
9000
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
Ecoflex
Paper
Diesel Use - U.S.
Energy-bag production
Bag Material
AP primarily results from NO x
, and SO x
generated due to energy use in
production of the materials. The paper process also contributes to SO x
emissions. Diesel fuel consumption also has a large impact on AP.

Water emissions
Water Emissions
Critical waste water volume l /CB
80000
70000
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
Ecoflex
Paper
Diesel Use - U.S.
Energy-bag production
Bag Material
Paper water emissions are high due to the BOD and COD emissions
from the paper production process. Ecoflex ® has relatively high COD
emissions, primarily due to the PLA raw material production
processes.
Paper is significantly worse because more material is produced.

Solid Waste Emissions
Weighted Wastes
kg/CB
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Ecoflex
Paper
Diesel Use - U.S.
Energy-bag production
Bag Material
Solid waste emissions are primarily a result of the bag material production.

Health Effect Potential - Production
Production (Raw materials)
Health effects of production [Score]
350.00
300.00
250.00
200.00
150.00
100.00
50.00
Unglazed sack kraft
paper
Diesel
CaCO3
PLA
Ecoflex
Ecoflex ® has lower health
effect potential during
production because less
bag material is produced,
less diesel fuel is needed
for transportation, and
production is done using
closed systems.
0.00
Ecoflex
bags
Paper

Health Effect Potential –Use & Disposal
Use
Disposal
350
350
300
300
Health effects of use [Score]
250
200
150
100
Diesel use (MJ)
Health effects of disposal [Score]
250
200
150
100
Diesel use (MJ)
50
50
0
0
Ecoflex bags
Paper
Ecoflex bags
Paper
Diesel use has the biggest impact in health effect potential
during the use and disposal phases.

Evaluation of the risk potential: Production
30
Risk [Score]
25
20
15
10
Storage Accidents
Production Impact on the
Environment
Processing Accidents
Transport Accidents
5
0
Ecoflex bags
Paper
Paper requires considerably more material, increasing the
probability of transport accidents, while the severity of storage
accidents is slightly less for paper.

Evaluation of the risk potential: Use
1
1
1
1
Risk [Score]
1
1
0
Risk [Score]
1
1
0
0
0
Ecoflex
bags
Paper
0
0
Ecoflex
Paper
Accidents during retailer
handling
Transport Accidents
It’s assumed the risk during use and disposal is the same.

Evaluation of the Land Use
Area Use
600
Weighted Area Use m²y /CB
500
400
300
200
100
Diesel Use - U.S.
Energy-bag production
Bag Material
0
Ecoflex
Paper
Paper uses the most land for both bag material and diesel fuel production.

Conclusions
Approximately 150 million yard waste bags are sold in the US and Canada
each year, and the majority of those bags are paper bags.
The opportunity exist to convert this use to biodegradable polymer bags,
such as Ecoflex ® based bags.
The total number of bags can be reduced because of capacity
improvement.
10% reduction = 135 million bags ~ $4.5 million reduction
The curb performance could be enhanced because of toughness and
moisture resistance of the biodegradable polymer bags.
Diesel Fuel consumption is decreased because of less weight and space
needed for transportation.
The overall Environmental Impact of the bags could be significantly
reduced, while maintaining a high level of yard waste composting.

Compostable Food Waste Bag
Results
Customer benefit (CB)
BASF alternatives
Comparable alternatives
• Disposal of 15
kg of food waste
in a 20-gallon
plastic bin,
transported
50km from
source to
disposal site
• Ecoflex ® /
Natureworks ®
PLA blend liner
(8%), 33" x 44" x
0.001"
• Polyethylene liner,
33" x 44" x 0.001"
• Unlined

Compostable Food Waste Bag
Results
Customer
Benefit (CB):
Disposal of 15
kg of food
waste in a 20-
gallon plastic
bin, transported
50km from
source to
disposal site
Environmental Impact (normalized)
0.0
1.0
2.0
2.0
1.0
Costs (normalized)
0.0
In the Base
case
Ecoflex ® is
the most
eco-efficient.
Ecoflex® Polyethylene Unlined

Compostable Food Waste Bag
Results
Energy consumption
1.00
Land use
0.50
Emissions
Ecoflex®
Polyethylene
Unlined
0.00
Res. consumption
Health Effect potential
Risk potential

Compostable Food Waste Bag
Results
25
$/CB
20
15
10
5
Liner Disposal
Labor (Washing and Liner
Disposal)
Water & Detergent
Liner
0
1 2 3

Questions?
agricultural sheeting
with Ecoflex
For more information...
www.basf.de\ecoflex