Carbon Footprint of Packaging Films Made from LDPE, PLA, and PLA/PBAT Blends in South Korea

Abstract

Bio-plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA) have been investigated as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics. In this study, the carbon footprint of packaging films made from LDPE, PLA, and PLA/PBAT blends was measured with three different waste scenarios based on the database of South Korea using life cycle assessment (LCA). The LCA followed ISO standards, and was a cradle-to-grave analysis. The functional unit was defined as 400,000 pieces of a film of 300 × 250 mm with thickness of 0.06 mm for packaging bag manufacturing. The waste treatments considered were incineration, landfill, and recycling applied with the present conditions of South Korea. Under the present analysis conditions, the PLA film with landfill was the most effective for reducing carbon emission. The PLA/PBAT with incineration was the worst case among the packaging films tested. Incineration was the worst choice of waste treatment in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. Generally, landfill may not be the best option in terms of sustainability but landfill was a better option for waste treatment than incineration. In addition, before bio-plastics are blended with other material, the blending material should first be evaluated for its environmental impact. The blended bio-plastics with PLA, such as PLA/PBAT, can be more inimical to the environment in terms of carbon dioxide emissions than existing materials, such as LDPE.

Hybridised sustainability metrics for use in life cycle assessment of bio-based products: resource efficiency and circularity

“…Its baseline competitor, BoPP, has a similar functional unit of one film (450 mm × 250 × 0.05 mm). [23][24][25] The second case study involves mulch films, where a similar comparative environmental assessment was undertaken between PLA-based mulch films and LLDPE (Linear-Low Density Polyethylene) mulch films. The functional unit chosen for the partially bio-based, biodegradable mulch film is the amount required to mulch 1 ha of agricultural land.…”

“…The baseline competitor, LLDPE mulch film, was synthesised from fossil-derived LLDPE, containing the same additives with an average thickness of 0.025 mm (to enable removal after use) and a density of 0.925 kg L −1 . 24 The starting material for the polymer resin (PLA), from which the two end-products are prepared, was assumed to be sourced from three different feedstocks which include glucose syrup derived from conventional corn, corn stover (a lignocellulose-rich agricultural residue) and sugar-beet pulp (a pectin-rich industrial by-product stream). Within the scope of this study, the starting material is glucose, which is then transformed into the building blocks of the polymer resin (i.e.…”

Additive Manufacturing: A Novel Method for Developing an Acoustic Panel Made of Natural Fiber-Reinforced Composites with Enhanced Mechanical and Acoustical Properties

“…Unfortunately, as per the carbon foot print report circulated by Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), it is found that net carbon emission in 2017 has increased by around 18% since 2014, from under 350,000 MT CO 2 e to 420,000 MT CO 2 e which has to be taken into an account [9]. e use of synthetic fibers will have environmental impacts like increased carbon footprint level during its entire life span [10], whereas bio-based polymers like PLA show lesser environmental impacts and proved to be an alternative for petroleum-based polymers [11].…”

Poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT)/Antimony‐doped Tin Oxide Polymer Composite for Near Infrared Absorption Coating Applications

“…The obtained polymer was used for the fabrication of NIR absorbing films utilizing commercial ATO nanoparticle dispersion in ethanol. The PBAT/ATO NIR absorbing film was fabricated by spray coating techniques and the film was optimized by varying the concentration of ATO in PBAT polymer matrix along with the corresponding surface and optical analysis . In addition, the feasibility of the NIR coating for outdoor application was investigated by fabricating PBAT/ATO/vinyl coated greenhouse and the performance was verified through comparing the efficiency of vinyl based bare greenhouse …”