Page 64 - Plastics News February 2026
P. 64
IN THE NEWS
Hence, the complete and accurate plastic life carbon footprint.
cycle evaluation should be based on functional
performance and not on material weight. In case of B2B packaging manufacturers, LCA is
a tool-based decision support in the choice of
End-of-Life Management material, optimization of design, and adherence
to the extended producer responsibility regula-
The last process involves mechanical recycling, tions.
chemical recycling, energy recovery through in-
cineration and landfill disposal. The end-of-life LCA Study of Plastic Products in Industrial Ap-
treatment has a great impact on the total carbon plications
footprint of plastic products.
Plastics are commonly used as components in
Recycling can compensate the effects of pro- complex assemblies in industrial markets like au-
duction of virgin material but the rates of con- tomotive, aerospace, construction and electron-
tamination, availability of infrastructure and the ics. With a plastics study of LCA applied to us-
systems used to collect the wastes affect the ing the products in industries, the material is not
real world results. viewed in isolation but in terms of its contribu-
tion to the overall efficiency of the system.
Life Cycle Analysis of Plastic Packaging
As an example, engineered plastics can be used
Packaging is one of the most examined uses of in place of metal, thus decreasing the weight of
plastics in the world. The plastic packaging life a vehicle thus lowering the lifetime emissions.
cycle analysis tends to draw a comparison be- Plastic insulation materials can help greatly low-
tween plastic and other alternatives like paper, er the energy used in the operation in the dec-
aluminum, or glass.
ades in construction.
Although plastics have been criticized because The request of Environmental Product Declara-
of the visibility of waste, LCA studies have often tions (EPDs) as standardized LCA-based state-
demonstrated that plastic packaging media can ments of environmental performance by indus-
potentially offer a lower emission of greenhouse trial buyers is growing. Those suppliers who
gases than other heavier materials due to lower invest in high capabilities of plastic life cycle as-
transportation weight and material use.
sessment have an upper hand in the tender pro-
The most common factors that are usually in- cess.
vestigated by an environmental life cycle as- Key Metrics in Plastic Life Cycle Assessment
sessment of plastic packaging material are the
barrier performance, food preservation advan- Although LCA is a range of environmental indi-
tages, spoilage reduction and the recyclability. cators, several measures are especially applica-
As an illustration, multilayer films can make re- ble to the stakeholders of B2B.
cycling more difficult, yet increase shelf life and
minimise food waste which in turn has a large The carbon dioxide equivalents of greenhouse
gas emissions are used and form the foundation
64 PLASTICS NEWS February 2026
