|
5,00E-04
4,00E-04
|
Acidification
UPSTREAM _ Raw Material Production
|
8,00E-02 |
Climate Change
UPSTREAM _ Raw Material Production
|
|||||||||||
UPSTREAM _ Packaging Production |
6,00E-02 |
UPSTREAM _ Packaging Production |
||||||||||||
3,00E-04 |
UPSTREAM _ Raw Material Transport |
UPSTREAM _ Raw Material Transport |
||||||||||||
2,00E-04 mol H + eq |
UPSTREAM _ Packaging Transport
CORE _ Energy Consumption
|
4,00E-02
Kg CO 2 eq
|
UPSTREAM _ Packaging Transport
CORE _ Energy Consumption
|
|||||||||||
1,00E-04 |
CORE _ Waste Generation and Transport |
2,00E-02 |
CORE _ Waste Generation and Transport |
|||||||||||
DOWNSTREAM _ Distribution |
DOWNSTREAM _ Distribution |
|||||||||||||
0,00E + 00 |
PC-based EIC |
PLA-based EIC |
DOWNSTREAM _ EIC End-of-Life |
0,00E + 00 |
PC-based EIC |
PLA-based EIC |
DOWNSTREAM _ EIC End-of-Life |
3,00E-05 |
Freshwater Eutrophication
UPSTREAM _ Raw Material Production
|
5,00E-09
4,00E-09
|
Particulate Matter
UPSTREAM _ Raw Material Production
|
|||
UPSTREAM _ Packaging Production |
UPSTREAM _ Packaging Production |
|||||
2,00E-05 |
UPSTREAM _ Raw Material Transport |
3,00E-09 |
UPSTREAM _ Raw Material Transport |
|||
UPSTREAM _ Packaging Transport |
UPSTREAM _ Packaging Transport |
|||||
Kg P eq 1,00E-05 |
CORE _ Energy Consumption
CORE _ Waste Generation and Transport
DOWNSTREAM _ Distribution
|
2,00E-09
disease incidence 1,00E-09
|
CORE _ Energy Consumption
CORE _ Waste Generation and Transport
DOWNSTREAM _ Distribution
|
|||
0,00E + 00 |
PC-based EIC |
PLA-based EIC |
DOWNSTREAM _ EIC End-of-Life |
0,00E + 00 |
PC-based EIC PLA-based EIC |
DOWNSTREAM _ EIC End-of-Life |
Italian technology plast / October 2026 |
raw materials, packaging and distribution of the finished product, have a limited impact on the categories considered. |
Although the structure of the various contributions is essentially similar for both solutions, the“ Climate change” category highlights a signifi- |
cant difference. In this case, the end-of-life of the polycarbonate EIC cards plays a more significant role in determining the overall impact, contributing more than that observed for PLA. This difference is primarily attributable to the different end-of-life destinations of the two products: polycarbonate cards are disposed of as municipal waste and primarily sent to landfills, while PLA cards are destined for industrial composting plants. A further difference emerges in the raw material production phase. Indeed, polycarbonate production has a higher environmental impact than corn-based PLA, contributing more to the impact categories considered. This is primarily due to the fossil origin of polycarbonate and the high energy intensity of the processes required for its production. Differences, albeit less marked, are also observed in the product manufacturing phase. The production of PLA cards shows slightly lower impacts than the corresponding polycarbonate solution thanks to the lower temperatures required during the sheet lamination process. This translates into reduced energy requirements |
052 |
www. plastmagazine. it |