Life Cycle Assessment of a PE pipe system for ... - BureauLeiding

Table of ContentsTABLE OF CONTENTSTable of Contents ___________________________________________________________________IChapter 1 Introduction _____________________________________________________________ 1Chapter 2 Goal and scope definition _______________________________________________ 32.1 Definition of goal of the study _____________________________________ 32.2 Definition of scope of the study ____________________________________ 3Chapter 3 Life cycle inventory _____________________________________________________ 73.1 Data requirements ______________________________________________ 73.2 Data collection procedures ________________________________________ 8Chapter 4 Life cycle impact assessment ___________________________________________ 94.1 Method _______________________________________________________ 94.2 The environmental profile of the PE pipe system for water distribution _____ 10Chapter 5 Final conclusions _______________________________________________________ 13Chapter 6 Critical review statement ______________________________________________ 156.1 Introduction _________________________________________________ 156.2 Review Process ______________________________________________ 156.3 Scientific Background _________________________________________ 166.4 Critical Review Findings _______________________________________ 166.5 Conclusion __________________________________________________ 17List of references __________________________________________________________________ 19I

Chapter 1 Introductionconstruction works” are used (CEN TC 350 draft framework documents, 2008 – 2009).An overview of these categories can be found in the clean version of the prEN15804(Sustainability of construction works – Environmental Product Declarations – Core rulesfor the product category of construction products).The design of this report complies with these 4 phases of the LCA, whereby the variouschapters describe each phase of the LCA. All relevant ISO guidelines were implementedwhen compiling this ‘Third Party Report’ (ISO 14044, paragraph 5.2).2

Chapter 2 Goal and scope definitionCHAPTER 2GOAL AND SCOPE DEFINITION2.1 Definition of goal of the studyTEPPFA wants a cradle to grave LCA consistent with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 series ofstandards to assess the environmental performance of TEPPFA plastic piping systems.This LCA-study aims to examine the PE pipe system for water distribution (utilities), togather and assess comprehensive and reliable information regarding the environmentalperformance of this PE pipe system, generated over its entire life cycle. In the sametime, this study helps to provide a reliable database for the development of an ISO14025 Type III Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) on the European level forthe PE pipe system for water distribution (utilities). The CEN framework (TC 350 –Sustainability of construction works) and more specifically the work performed withinthe technical committee TC 350 (CEN TC 350 framework documents, 2008-2009) isused for this project.The intended audience of the LCA-study of the PE pipe system for water distribution(utilities) is the TEPPFA member companies and its National Assciations in the firstplace and external stakeholders (like governments, professionals, contractors) at thesecond stage. For the latter, TEPPFA expects to use the information from this study inaggregated manner for public communications, to develop marketing materials forcustomers and to provide data to customers for the purpose of developing LCIs andEPDs within the building and construction sector.Since TEPPFA wishes to publicly communicate the results of the LCAs a critical reviewand 3 rd party report are performed. This critical review is performed by Denkstatt.2.2 Definition of scope of the studyThe scope of the study is defined in the functional unit. The functional unit is closelyrelated to the function(s) fulfilled by the to-be-investigated product. The function of thePE pipe system for water distribution is to transport (supply) a certain amount of waterfrom the exit of the water plant to the water meter of the building. In consultation withTEPPFA, its steering committee and the Application Group (AG) Utilities the definition ofthe function and the functional unit of the PE pipe system was discussed. The basicassumption was that the definition of the functional unit should represent the functionof the PE pipe system over its entire life cycle: raw material extraction, materialproduction, production of the pipes and fittings, the construction phase, the use phaseand the processing of the waste at the end of life of the PE pipes and fittings. Thefunctional unit of the PE pipe system has been defined as: “the below groundtransportation of drinking water, over a distance of 100 m (from the exit of the waterplant to the water meter of the building), by a typical public European PE pipe waterdistribution system (Ø 110mm) over its complete life cycle of 100 years, calculated peryear”.3

Chapter 2 Goal and scope definitionIn order to define the design of the PE pipe system in terms of the functional unit thefollowing considerations have been made:• The complete PE pipe system for water distribution is considered;• The pipe material consists of black polyethylene MRS (minimum requiredstrengths) 10 MPa (PE 100) with blue stripes (in accordance with EN 12201);• The pipe has a diameter: ø 110 mm (as a representative for the typical pipediameter from the exit of the water plant to the water meter of the building) and awall thickness of 6,6 mm;• Standard dimension ratio is SDR 17;• The 110 mm pipes are calculated as average weight per metre calculated fromactual sales across a market in sizes 20 mm to 1000 mm;• Two types of fittings are considered in the LCA: electrofusion and buttwelding. Thepopularity of fittings in “average” pipe of functional unit has been calculated fromactual sales data. The average ratio by weight of fittings to pipe is approximately10% (calculated from an actual water supply contract);• Flow capacity of a 110 mm SDR 17, PE100 pipe of average roughness at 1,5 m persecond (EN 805 advises that “in practice it will be desirable to avoid unduly high orlow velocities. The range 0,5 m/s to 2,0 m/s may be considered appropriate);• Most common components used in functional unit (accounting for 80% of totalweight): tapping Tee, coupler, flange (inc. nuts, bolts, washes and gaskets), 45elbow, 90 elbow;• The reference service life time of the PE pipe system is considered to be 100 year(Source: Ulrich Schulte and Joachim Hessel, 2006).The life cycle of the PE pipe system for water distribution has been divided in thefollowing different life cycle phases:• Production of raw materials for PE pipes;• Transport of PE pipe raw materials to converter;• Converting process for PE pipes (extrusion);• Production raw materials for PE fittings;• Transport of PE fitting raw materials to converter;• Converting process for PE fittings (injection moulding);• Production of galvanised steel components (raw materials + converting process);• Production of EPDM gaskets (raw materials + converting process);• Transport of complete PE pipe system to the trench;• Installation of complete PE pipe system in the trench;• Use of the complete PE pipe system during 100 years of reference service life time;• Maintenance of the complete PE pipe system during 100 years of reference servicelife time;• Transport of complete PE pipe system after 100 years of reference service life time;• End-of-life waste treatment of complete PE pipe system after 100 years ofreference service life time.4

Chapter 2 Goal and scope definitionThe following underlying principles are adopted when system boundaries areestablished:• The infrastructure (production of capital goods like buildings, equipment) is notconsidered in this study for what concerns the converting plants of the PE pipes andfittings. For all other processes (production of basic materials, additives, energy,transport, etc.) the impact of capital goods is included in the analysis. For examplethe impact of the pipelines for natural gas are considered, as well as the impact ofthe production of transport modes (e.g. trucks) and transport infrastructure (e.g.roads).• Accidental pollution is not considered in this LCA;• Environmental impacts which are caused by the personnel of production units aredisregarded. This, for example, concerns waste originating from canteens andsanitary installations. Environmental measures relating to waste processingprocesses (combustion kilns, for example) are taken into consideration in the LCAstudy. Greater focus is placed on the final processing, and thus the end destinationof generated waste flows.• To model different waste treatment processes during the LCA-project we used theend of life (EoL) approach for incineration and landfill; and the recycled contentapproach for recycling:• For incineration and landfill this means that the impacts (as well as thebenefits: for example the energy recovery during waste incineration) of theamount of waste that is treated by waste treatment facilities, is assigned tothe producing process (this means the process that causes the waste, so thePE pipe system for water distribution LCA). Waste that is incinerated withenergy recovery is considered as part of the system under study. This meansthat emissions and energy consumption related to waste treatment areincluded in the LCA. For waste incineration the avoided electricity productiondue to energy recovery of waste incineration is taken into account.• For waste recycling the credits of recyclates (secondary raw materials that canbe used as input materials, so less virgin raw materials needed) areconsidered as soon as they are actually used (assigned to the product lifecycle that uses the recyclates). This means that transport to the recyclingplant is included. The recycling process itself and that fact that fewer rawmaterials are needed when the produced recyclates (product of the recyclingprocess) are used as secondary raw materials are allocated to the life cyclewhere the recyclates are used.Only for some processes there was a need to use so-called ‘cut-off’ rule where the inputon mass basis is lower than 1%:• Transportation of the different packaging waste flows to the respective treatmentfacilities;• The production of the packaging materials to pack the raw materials for PE pipesand PE fittings in order to be able to easily transport them from the producers tothe converters.For the TEPPFA project VITO uses the different environmental impact categoriespresented in the draft documents prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 350(Sustainability of construction works – Environmental Product Declarations – Core rulesfor the product category of construction products – presented in the draft prEN15804(CEN TC 350 framework documents, 2008-2009).The results of an LCA depend on different factors. Sensitivity analyses assess theinfluence of the most relevant and most uncertain factors on the results of the study.The results of these sensitivity analyses are compared to the basic scenarios.Sensitivity analyses don’t make the basic data of a study more reliable, but allow to5

Chapter 2 Goal and scope definitionassess the effect of a change in inventory data on the results and conclusions of thestudy.For this project we decided not to put a lot of effort in sensitivity analyses, since itappears from the life cycle impact assessment of the PE pipe system for ultilityapplications that the data and the uncertainty on the data for the most important lifecycle phases (raw materials for PE pipes and transportation of these raw materials toconverters) are thoroughly discussed during the workshops. These data are based onEuropean averages established through PlasticsEurope (PE raw materials for pipes -mainly caused by the PE resin production) or based on company-specific knowledge onthe way the raw materials are transported to the TEPPFA member companies (averagesof different individual datasets from different TEPPFA member companies). To put a lotof efforts into sensitivity analyses on other life cycle phases having a less importantcontribution to the overall environmental profile was not efficient to our opinion. Forthis project additional sensitivity analyses will not have much added value.6

Chapter 3 Life cycle inventoryCHAPTER 3LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY3.1 Data requirementsThe objective is to compose a dataset that is representative and relevant for a typicalEuropean PE pipe system for utility applications. The data that are used in this LCAstudy are not case-specific, but reflect the average European representative situation.The production processes run according to European standardised norms andequipment and thus they are very similar across Europe. Since the LCA study on the PEpipe system is performed for an anticipated European average, European manufacturerdata are used. The TEPPFA member companies represent more than 50% of theEuropean market for extruded plastic pipes.All data relates to the existing situation in Europe, using existing production techniques.Data are as much as possible representative for the modern state-of-technology. Assuch Europe in the period 2000-2008 is considered as the geographical and timecoverage for these data.The used data are consistently reported and critically reviewed, so that they can beeasily reproduced. If in this document is referred to “a pipe system”, this means thepipe system representing the average at the European level, and not one specific pipesystem. Calculations of the amounts of PE pipes, PE fittings, galvanised steel andstainless steel components and ethylene propylene dipolymer (EPDM) gaskets (neededper 100 m of an average European pipe system for water distribution) are based on aconsensus within the AG Utilities. They are based and calculated on the 100 m of pipesystem (see Table 1).Table 1: PE pipe system for water distribution (utilities) in relation to the functional unitPE pipe systemAverage inkg/100 m -life time 100 yrAverage inkg/FU -excl. pipe leftover)Average inkg/FU -incl. pipe leftoverAverage PEpipe leftover duringinstallation(2%)(kg/FU)PE pipe 217 2,17 2,2134 0,0434PE fittings 15,84 0,1584Bolts, ring, washers, nuts(galvanised steel)19,5 0,195Alloy 0,15 0,0015Steel cutter 0,88 0,0088EPDM gaskets 0,2 0,002 10007

Chapter 3 Life cycle inventoryFor each life cycle phase an overview is generated of all environmental flows whichconcern the functional unit:Data on the raw materials for PE pipes and fittings are coming fromPlasticsEurope (the association of plastics manufacturers) and the PE100+ association.PlasticsEurope represent the European plastics manufacturing chain.Data on extrusion and injection moulding processes are collected within theframework of a project that has been carried out by TNO in commission ofPlasticsEurope. In this framework TNO collected the environmental inputs and outputsrelated to the extrusion of PE pipes and injection moulding of PE fittings. The TEPPFAand VITO experts critically reviewed the proposed datasets for the two convertingprocesses and formulated questions and remarks to TNO. Then TEPPFA and VITOexperts prepared a revised version for European average datasets for PE fittingsinjection moulding and PE pipe extrusion. The revised datasets have been used withinthis LCA study. The datasets also included transport of raw materials to converters andpackaging of produced products (pipes and fittings).Data on other pipe system components are coming from the TEPPFA experts(amounts that are needed for the functional unit) and from publicly available LCAdatabases (LCI data per kg of component that is part of the PE pipe system).Application specific data are dealing with all life cycle phases from the transportationof the packed PE pipe system to the customer to the final EoL treatment scenario. Inthis framework VITO prepared an application-specific questionnaire in closeconsultation with the TEPPFA experts. The collection of application specific dataencompasses the identification of different kind of scenarios for transport toconstruction site, construction process and demolition process and the EoL treatment.3.2 Data collection proceduresWherever possible, data collection is based on data derived from members of TEPPFA,TEPPFA experts, representative organisations for the raw material producers, dataderived from suppliers and data from public LCA databases. TEPPFA supplied, withlogistical support from VITO, all environment-related data for processes which takeplace within the converting factories and during the application itself (transport totrench, installation, demolition after 100 years of service life time, transport to EoLtreatment, and EoL treatment itself). The data collection process was discussed duringseveral workshops with the TEPPFA member companies.Summarised, the data inventory collection process appealed to:• inquiries (based on specific questionnaires) of relevant actors being therepresentative organisations of the raw material producers, the different membercompanies of TEPPFA and their suppliers;• simultaneously literature sources that discuss similar issues are consulted;• if needed, specific data supplied by the TEPPFA member companies and relevantfor Europe are used;• for the background processes, generic data from literature and publicly availabledatabases are used (more general data, representative for Europe);• for aspects where no specific or literature data are found an assumption is made,based on well-founded arguments.8

Chapter 4 Life cycle impact assessmentCHAPTER 4LIFE CYCLE IMPACT ASSESSMENT4.1 MethodDuring impact assessment, the emission- and consumption-data of the inventory phaseare aggregated into environmental impact categories. The use of raw materials, energyconsumption, emissions and waste are converted into a contribution to environmentalimpact categories. The result of the impact assessment is a figure or table in which theenvironmental themes (environmental impact categories) are presented, describing theenvironmental profile of the selected functional unit “the below ground transportation ofdrinking water, over a distance of 100 m (from the exit of the water plant to the watermeter of the building), by a typical public European PE pipe water distribution system(Ø 110mm) over its complete life cycle of 100 years, calculated per year”.For this project VITO uses the different life cycle impact categories presented in thedraft documents prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 350 “Sustainability ofconstruction works (CEN TC 350 draft framework documents, 2008 - 2009):• Abiotic depletion;• Acidification;• Eutrophication;• Global warming;• Ozone layer depletion;• Photochemical oxidation.The optional declaration on ionising radiation is not being considered in this study. AnLCA calculates the potential contribution of the pipe systems life cycle to the differentenvironmental impact categories. Radiation often relates to electricity consumption, butmeanwhile we know that the contribution of electricity production to radiation isnegligible. For this reason we do not consider radiation as an environmental impactcategory in this LCA study.For performing the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) VITO uses the LCA softwarepackage “SimaPro 7.3.0” for performing the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) andgenerating the environmental profile of the PE pipe system for water distribution.In discussing the results of the individual profile of the PE pipe system for waterdistribution it is important to know whether or not a process has a significantcontribution to an environmental impact category. For that the ISO framework (ISO14044 - Annex B) is used. According to the ISO 14044 Annex B the importance ofcontributions can classified in terms of percentage. The ranking criteria are:A: contribution > 50 %: most important, significant influence;B: 25 % < contribution ≤ 50 %: very important, relevant influence;C: 10 % < contribution ≤ 25 %: fairly important, some influence;D: 2,5 % < contribution ≤ 10 %: little important, minor influence;E: contribution < 2,5 %: not important, negligible influence.9

Chapter 4 Life cycle impact assessment4.2 The environmental profile of the PE pipe system for waterdistributionThe environmental profile shows the contribution of the various steps in the life cycleper environmental impact category. For each environmental impact category, the totalcontribution of the PE pipe system is always set at 100% and the relative contributionsof the various subprocesses are visible.Table 2 and Figure 1 present the environmental profile for the PE pipe systemfrom the cradle to the grave for drinking water distribution applications (expressedper functional unit). This environmental profile shows the contribution of the varioussteps in the life cycle, per environmental impact category. For each category, the totalcontribution of the PE pipe system is always set at 100% and the relative contributionsof the various life cycle phases are visible.Analysis of the environmental profile of the PE pipe system learns that for allenvironmental impact categories the production of the raw materials for the PEpipes has an average contribution between 13% and 68% depending on the impactcategory considered. For the depletion of the ozone layer and eutrophication, theinstallation phase becomes relatively more important. A more detailed analysis of theproduction of the raw materials for the PE pipes shows that production of the highdensitypolyethylene resins (HDPE) makes the greatest contribution. However, forozone layer depletion, the contribution of PE raw materials for pipes is primarily derivedfrom the production of the carbon black pigment (colouring of the pipes).The influence of the production of the raw materials for the PE fittings is for mostimpact categories little important or even negligible (contribution between 1% and 5%of the total impact per environmental impact category).The transportation of the PE raw materials for pipes and fittings from rawmaterial producer to the converters has an insignificant impact on the environmentalprofile of the PE pipe system. The contribution is for all impact categories lower than2,5% (negligible influence), except for the category ozone layer depletion where thetransportation of the PE raw materials for pipes accounts for 3% of the totalcontribution (minor influence).The contribution of the production of the EPDM gaskets is insignificant (sincecontribution is lower than 2,5% for all environmental impact categories).The contribution of the production of the galvanised steel components is fairlyimportant for the category eutrophication (11%). The contribution also has a minorinfluence in the 5 other categories (between 3,5% and 10%).Extrusion of PE pipes accounts for a percentage between 4,5% and maximum 8,5%for most environmental impact categories considered in this study. According to AnnexB of the ISO 14044 guidelines (ISO, 2006) a contribution between 2,5 % and 10 % isof little importance or has a minor influence in the total environmental profile. Anexception is the contribution to eutrophication, which is fairly important (22,5%).The impact from the injection moulding process of PE fittings is not very importantsince the contribution is lower than 2,5% for all environmental impact categories butone. It accounts for 7% of the impact in the category eutrophication (minor influence).Furthermore analysis of the environmental profile of the PE pipe system shows that thecontribution of the transportation of the complete PE pipe system to the trenchaccounts for an environmental burden for most environmental impact categories10

Chapter 4 Life cycle impact assessmentbetween 1% and 2,5% (which is considered to be of negligible influence), withexception of the contribution to the depletion of the ozone layer, where thetransportation of the pipe system to the trench leads to a little important contribution(6%).The influence of the installation phase of the PE pipe system at the trench is mostimportant for the ozone layer depletion category (contribution of 62%) and veryimportant for the categories euthrophication (contribution of 44%), acidification(contribution of 42%) and global warming (contribution of 28%). For the other impactcategories, the installation phase results in a contribution between 15% and 21% whichis considered to be fairly important.The contribution of the transportation of the disassembled PE pipe system to anEoL treatment facility after 100 years of service life time (in case the PE pipe systemdoes not stay in the ground) is not important since its contribution is for allenvironmental impact categories lower than 0,7% (negligible influence).The contribution of the EoL treatment of the PE pipe system (incineration orrecycling in case the PE pipe system does not stay in the ground (trench) after 100years of service life time) is not important since its contribution is for all environmentalimpact categories lower than 1,3% (negligible influence, both the benefits from theincineration with energy recovery as well as the impacts related to landfill).Table 2: Environmental profile of the PE pipe system for water distribution for utilityapplications (cradle-to-grave) in absolute figures per functional unitImpact category Abiotic depletion Acidification Eutrophication Global warmingOzone layerdepletionPhotochemicaloxidationLife cycle phases kg Sb eq kg SO2 eq kg PO4--- eq kg CO2 eq kg CFC-11 eq kg C2H4-eqProduction of raw materials for PE pipes 0,07466 0,01460 0,00125 4,31483 0,00000007 0,00137Transport of raw materials for PE pipe toconverter0,00075 0,00040 0,00011 0,10142 0,00000002 0,00001Extrusion PE (pipe) 0,00527 0,00325 0,00214 0,71205 0,00000003 0,00013Production of raw materials for PE fittings 0,00552 0,00108 0,00009 0,31889 0,00000001 0,00010Transport of raw materials for PE fittings toconverter0,00006 0,00003 0,00001 0,00769 0,000000001 0,000001Injection moulding PE (fittings) 0,00149 0,00097 0,00068 0,19495 0,00000001 0,00004Production of galvanised steel for bolts, ring,washers, nuts0,00392 0,00170 0,00103 0,48186 0,00000002 0,00023Production of EPDM gaskets 0,00008 0,00002 0,000007 0,00553 0,000000002 0,000001Transport of complete PE pipe system totrench0,00143 0,00060 0,00016 0,20109 0,00000003 0,00002Installation of PE pipe system 0,01709 0,01634 0,00421 2,48451 0,0000003 0,00049Operational use of PE pipe system 0 0 0 0 0 0Maintenance of PE pipe system 0 0 0 0 0 0Transport of complete PE pipe system to EoL(after 100 years of service life time)EoL of PE pipe system (after 100 years ofservice life time)Product stageConstruction process stageUse stageEnd of life stage0,00015 0,00007 0,00002 0,02065 0,000000003 0,000003-0,00051 -0,00021 -0,00020 0,11545 -0,000000002 -0,00001Total 0,10991 0,03886 0,00951 8,95893 0,0000005 0,00240A: contribution > 50 %: most important, significant influenceB: 25 % < contribution ≤ 50 %: very important, relevant influenceC: 10 % < contribution ≤ 25 %: fairly important, some influence11

Chapter 4 Life cycle impact assessmentRelative contribution of different life cycle phases (%)100%80%60%40%20%EoL of PE pipe system (after 100 years ofservice life time)Transport of complete PE pipe system to EoL(after 100 years of service life time)Maintenance of PE pipe systemOperational use of PE pipe systemInstallation of PE pipe systemTransport of complete PE pipe system totrenchProduction of EPDM gasketsProduction of galvanised steel for bolts, ring,washers, nutsInjection moulding PE (fittings)Transport of raw materials for PE fittings toconverterProduction of raw materials for PE fittings0%-20%Extrusion PE (pipe)Transport of raw materials for PE pipe toconverterProduction of raw materials for PE pipesEnvironmental impact categoriesFigure 1: Environmental profile of the PE pipe system for water distribution (utilityapplications) from the cradle-to-the grave (per functional unit)12

Chapter 5 Final conclusionsCHAPTER 5FINAL CONCLUSIONSThe conclusions of the study concern the LCA-results for the PE pipe system, from thecradle to the grave: from the primary extraction of raw materials to produce theethylene monomers, up till the final disassembling and EoL treatment of the PE pipesystem at the end of its service life (100 years).The environmental profile consists of various environmental impact categories. Theyrelate to the functional unit which has been selected for this study, namely “the belowground transportation of drinking water, over a distance of 100 m (from the exit of thewater plant to the water meter of the building), by a typical public European PE pipewater distribution system (Ø 110mm) over its complete life cycle of 100 years,calculated per year”.The environmental impact of the PE pipe system primarily originates from theproduction of the raw materials for the PE pipes and the installation of the PE pipesystem at the trench. A more detailed analysis of the production of the PE rawmaterials for the pipes and fittings shows that production of HDPE resins makes thegreatest contribution. The contribution of HDPE resins accounts for most impactcategories for more than 39% (except eutrophication -13%- and ozone layer depletion– less than 2,5%-) of the total environmental impact of the PE pipe system.A more detailed analysis of the installation phase of the PE pipe system at the trenchlearns that the contribution of the installation phase is mainly caused by the excavatingprocesses: digging up soil and backfilling soil and sand. Analysis of the environmentalprofile of the PE pipe system also shows that the converting processes (core business ofthe TEPPFA member companies) only have a minor influence on the total environmentalprofile, with an exception in the category eutrophication, where the extrusion of PEpipes has a fairly important impact. The other life cycle phases are little important,some have even a negligible influence on the total contribution to most environmentalimpact categories.It can finally be concluded that the environmental profile of the PE pipe system ismainly determined by the amount of raw materials (HDPE resins) that is needed toproduce the PE pipes and by the excavating processes related to digging up the soilfrom the trench and backfilling the trench with soil and sand. In addition the amountvirgin backfilling sand and the transportation of it from the mine to the trench also hasan important impact. The environmental profile can be optimised by reducing theamount of soil that needs to be digged up and backfilled again at the trench duringinstallation.For global warming (carbon footprint) the contribution of the PE pipe system for waterdistribution (expressed per functional unit, being the 100 meter of pipe system over itsentire life cycle, calculated per year), is comparable to the impact to global warmingrelated to the driving of a passenger car over a distance of 50 kilometers (Ecoinventdatarecord: transport, passenger car, petrol, fleet average/personkm – RER).13

Chapter 6 Critical review statementCHAPTER 6CRITICAL REVIEW STATEMENT6.1 IntroductionThe European Plastics Pipes and Fittings Association (TEPPFA) deems it important tohave an insight into the integral environmental aspects encountered during the lifespanof particular applications of plastic pipes. With this framework in mind, TEPPFAcommissioned a project which was carried out by the Flemish Institute for TechnologicalResearch (VITO) in Belgium.The aim of this project was to carry out a life cycle assessment (LCA) consistent with[ISO 14040, 2006] and [ISO 14044, 2006] to analyse the environmental aspects whichare associated with the 4 selected TEPPFA plastic pipe systems.Summarised the objectives of the overall LCA-project for TEPPFA were:• to analyse the environmental impacts of different applications of plastic pipesystems in selected application groups;• to investigate the relative performance of various plastic pipe systems at thesystem level in order to show that material choices can not be made at theproduction level only;• to use the results of the LCA-studies of the plastic pipe systems for business-tobusinesscommunication (via an EPD format);• in a later stage and when relevant, the environmental profiles of TEPPFA productscan be compared with other competing pipe systems.The 4 pipe systems for which the integral environmental impacts were calculated bymeans of an LCA are:• a PE pipe system for water distribution (utilities);• a PEX pipe system for hot and cold water (building);• a PP pipe system for soil and waste removal (building);• a PVC solid wall sewer pipe system (civils).Since TEPPFA plans to make the results of the LCA studies available for the generalpublic, according to [ISO 14040, 2006] and [ISO 14044, 2006] a critical review of theLCA study is required. This critical review was performed by denkstatt GmbH.6.2 Review ProcessThe critical review process of the 4 LCA studies described in section 1 wascommissioned by The European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association (TEPPFA). It wasestablished in the timeframe of December 2009 to September 2010.TEPPFA preferred to start the critical review of the study as soon as the first results ofthe life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) were ready to be able to influence the furtherdevelopment of the whole study from that moment on. After denkstatt had received the15

Chapter 6 Critical review statementfirst 2 draft LCA background reports (on PP and PVC pipe systems) from VITO(December 2009) TEPPFA organised a common meeting (16th of December 2009),which enabled all parties (TEPPFA, VITO and denkstatt) to discuss preliminary resultsand if necessary to adjust possible aspects before finalising the reports. Based on thediscussions at the meeting VITO improved all 4 draft LCA background reports anddelivered them to denkstatt. Based on those reports denkstatt prepared a detailed listof draft review comments on special issues on various assumptions and data, and a listof general questions to support comprehensibility of the report, accompanied byspecific recommendations for improvements of the studies. VITO then had the time toconsider suggestions made in the comments and compiled 4 draft final LCA backgroundreports as well as 4 draft final third party reports.denkstatt’s critical review statement summarises the findings of the critical review andis based on those draft final LCA background reports, dated August 2010. The criticalreview statement will be included in the final version of the 4 LCA background reportsas well as the 4 third party reports.6.3 Scientific BackgroundThe herein described critical review statement covers the study “Life Cycle Assessmentof a PE pipe system for water distribution (according to EN 12201)”. It is based on themain guiding principles defined in the international standard series [ISO 14040, 2006]and [ISO 14044, 2006]. Thus, it should be noted that it is not the role of this criticalreview to endorse or dispute the goal of the study and the related conclusions. The aimwas rather to examine that the:• methods used are scientifically and technically valid for the given goal and scopeof the study;• data used are appropriate, sufficient and reasonable in respect to the goal andscope of the study;• conclusions drawn reflect the goal and scope of the study and the limitationsidentified;• reports are transparent and consistent.•Therefore, the findings of this review are discussed in accordance to the abovementioned guiding principles.The critical review did not involve a review of the calculations made in the study so thatall the findings presented here are based solely on the draft (final) reports and thediscussions with the authors of the study and TEPPFA.6.4 Critical Review FindingsThis particular LCA-study aims to examine the PE pipe system for water distribution(utilities), to gather and assess comprehensive and reliable information regarding theenvironmental performance of this PE pipe system, generated over its entire life cycle.At the same time, this study helps to provide a reliable database for the developmentof a Type III Environmental Product Declaration [ISO 14025, 2006] on the Europeanlevel for the particular pipe system.The scope of the study was defined by the functional unit. The basic assumption wasthat the definition of the functional unit should represent the function of the PE pipesystem over its entire life cycle: raw material extraction, material production,16

Chapter 6 Critical review statementproduction of the pipes and fittings, the construction phase, the use phase and theprocessing of the waste at the end of life of the PE pipes and fittings. The functionalunit of the PE pipe system has been defined as: “the below ground transportation ofdrinking water, over a distance of 100 m (from the exit of the water plant to the watermeter of the building), by a typical public European PE pipe water distribution system(Ø 110mm) over its complete life cycle of 100 years, calculated per year”.Based on this goal and scope of the project the following conclusions can be drawnfrom the review process:• The widely accepted state-of-the-art methodology was adopted in thiscomprehensive LCA study and thus the study is scientifically and technicallyadequate. The authors of the study at VITO put a lot of effort into designing thesystem and gathering respective data to be able to give a thorough picture of thepipe system under investigation over its entire life cycle.• Quality of required data and data sources as well as data collection proceduresare appropriate, sufficient and reasonable. They are in accordance with the goaland scope of the study. Life cycle information of the different materials used weretaken from up-to-date literature and databases representing European conditionsor directly from the respective industries.• Within the study no sensitivity analyses were made, as according to the authorsthey would not have much added value. Keeping the goal and scope of the studyin mind, the given arguments are reasonable.• The background report is presented in a very detailed, well structured and alsovery transparent, consistent and logical manner. All assumptions, limitations andconstraints are well described. Detailed explanations and justifications are given,whenever necessary, especially when certain negligible issues were notconsidered in the calculations.• Most of the reviewer’s comments and recommendations to improve the study andto raise the clarity, transparency and consistency of the background report wereconsidered by the authors. In some cases assumptions made by VITO incooperation with the specific TEPPFA application group were discussed betweenVITO and the reviewer (e.g. regarding plausibility and representativeness withinthe given system boundaries). The reviewer accepts the chosen assumptions asthe result of expert judgement achieved in several workshops.• Additionally the authors compiled a third party report, where the results aresummarised in a very clear and focused manner. This allows an interested partyto get an overview of all results without reading the comprehensive backgroundreport, which due to its extensive size has rather to be considered as specificreference document for all the aspects examined.6.5 ConclusionThis study is an LCA according to ISO standards series [ISO 14040, 2006] and [ISO14044, 2006] and has fulfilled all necessary steps in an adequate and highly sufficientmanner within the given goal of the study. All methodological steps reported are inaccordance with this state-of-the-art approach.It can be concluded that this is a competent study, which gives a thorough pictureabout the environmental aspects of the plastic pipe system under investigation over itstotal life cycle from the cradle to the grave. The complete study has been established ina transparent, consistent and logical way.The third party report as the main document for the communication of the findings ofthis study presents the results in a clear, logical form, thus making it easy to17

Chapter 6 Critical review statementunderstand. I explicitly recommend that this information should be communicated tothe TEPPFA member companies and its National Associations as well as externalstakeholders.18

List of referencesLIST OF REFERENCESBertin Technologies, 2000The influence of PVC on the quantity of hazardousness of flue gas residues fromincinerationCEN TC 350 framework documents, 2008-2009prEN 15804: Sustainability of construction works – Environmental product declarations– core rules for the product category of construction products (draft, 2008)prEN 15942: Sustainability of construction works – Environmental product declarations– Communication format – Business to Business (draft, April 2009)Ecoinvent Data v2.2, 2010Swiss Centre for Life Cycle Inventories, Switzerlandwww.ecoinvent.orgEcolizer, 2005, http://www.ovam.be/jahia/Jahia/pid/1818?lang=null, website visited on02/02/2009EN 12201-1, Plastics piping systems for water supply. Polyethylene (PE). Part 1:GeneralEN 12201-2, Plastics piping systems for water supply. Polyethylene (PE). Part 2: PipesEN 12201-3, Plastics piping systems for water supply. Polyethylene (PE). Part 3 FittingsEN 12201-4, Plastics piping systems for water supply. Polyethylene (PE). Part 4: ValvesEN 805, Water supply. Requirements for systems and components outside buildingsEN 1295-1, Structural design of buried pipelines under various conditions of loading.Part 1: General requirementsEN 1610, Construction and testing of drains and sewersEurostat, 2006Packaging waste scenarios (EU27, 2006)Five Winds International & PE International, 2008Goal and Scope DocumentPrepared for TEPPFA, October 2008Hammond Geoff and Joones Craig, 2008Inventory of carbon and energy (Ice)Sustainable Energy Research Team (SERT)Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bath (UK)Indaver, 2007Sustainability Report 2007 from Indaver19

List of referencesISO, 2006* ISO 14025, (2006), Environmental labels and declarations -- General principles.* ISO 14040, (2006), Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Principlesand framework.* ISO 14044, (2006) Environmental management – Life cycle assessment –Requirements and guidelines.PlasticsEurope Ecoprofiles websitehttp://www.PlasticsEurope.orgSimapro 7.3.0 – LCA Software, 2011PRé consultants bv, Amersfoort, The NetherlandsTNO report, 2008Quality of PVC sewage pipes in the NetherlandsMT-RAP-2008-01066/mso / 2April 2, 2008 - Author(s) J. Breen - Assignor BureauLeidingUlrich Schulte and Joachim Hessel, 2006Remaining service life of plastic pipes after 41 years in serviceFachberichte3R International (45), Heft 9/2006 (5 pages)Windsperger et al., 1999Investigation of European Life Cycle Assessment Studies for Pipes made of differentmaterials for water supply and sewer systems - a critical comparisonContracted by TEPPFAInstitut für Industrielle Ökologie, St. Pölten, Austria20