NEWS
LCA study shows effect of replacing plastics
Substituting plastics with other materials is worse for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in most cases, says a study by the Univer- sity of Sheffield in the UK. Research into the environ- mental impact of plastic products versus non-plastic alternatives published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology has found that in 15 out of 16 applications examined, plastic products resulted in lower GHG emissions than their alternatives. The study used life cycle assessments (LCAs) with varying focuses. Sheffield University said: “Even when focusing solely on direct life-cycle emissions, plastics maintain their advantage in nine out of 14 applications. Factors such as lower energy intensity during production and the weight
efficiency of plastics contribute to their reduced environmental footprint compared to alternatives like glass or metal.” “Not all alternative or
recycled products are better for the environment than the products they replace,” said Fanran Meng, assistant professor in sustainable chemical engineering. He said environmental policymaking needs to be based on LCAs to make sure that GHG emissions are not unintentionally increased through a shift to more emission-intensive alterna- tive materials.
He said: “Demand
reduction, efficiency optimi- sation, lifetime extension and reuse/recycling, are win–win strategies to reduce emis- sions effectively. Solely focusing on switching to alternative materials is not.”
n A study from Michigan State University also found that plastic offers the best LCA performance when used to package infant formula. A paper in Sustainable
Production and Consump- tion use LCA to compare three packaging systems that were used to deliver infant formula – including primary (plastic, composite and steel containers), secondary (corrugated box) and tertiary (pallet) levels. The primary package contributed significantly to the three systems in all evaluated categories. Plastic and steel both showed the highest impact in four of 10 impact categories. Overall results found that ranking of the packages within end-of-life methodologies favoured plastic packaging. �
www.sheffield.ac.uk �
www.msu.edu
Dow and P&G study dissolution
Dow and Procter & Gamble will use dissolu- tion technology to recycle a range of plastics with a focus on polyethylene (PE) and targeting post-house- hold waste, especially rigids, flexible and multi- layer packaging. The technology aims to deliver high quality post-consumer recycled polymer with a lower greenhouse gas emissions footprint than fossil-based PE.
“Our partnership with Dow helps P&G advance our objective to scale industry solutions as we help create a circular future where materials are recycled and remade instead of becoming waste,” said Lee Ellen Drechsler, senior vice president of corporate R&D at P&G. �
www.dow.com
Separator film plant planned for Canada
Asahi Kasei is to build a lithium-ion bat- tery separator film plant in Canada. The plant, in Ontario, will carry out base film manufacturing and coating of Hipore wet-process lithium-ion battery
(LIB) separators. Asahi Kasei has also concluded a basic agreement with Honda – for the two companies to make a joint investment in the plant. “Capturing market growth in North
America will be essential for us,” said Hiroyoshi Matsuyama, senior executive officer at Asahi Kasei. “This partnership with Honda allows us to improve lithium-ion-battery performance.” The total investment will be Y180 billion (around US$1.2bn). Production capacity will be approximately 700 million sq m per year of coated film. The plant is scheduled to begin operations in 2027. Manabu Ozawa, managing execu-
Asahi Kasei’s coated film plant is scheduled to open in 2027
8 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | May 2024
tive officer of Honda, added: “To achieve carbon neutrality, Honda is targeting 100% of global sales from EVs and FCVs by 2040.” �
www.ak-america.com
www.filmandsheet.com
IMAGE: ASAHI KASEI
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