Navigating the Post-Industrial Recyclate Landscape Policy Implications, Market Dynamics, and Allocation Methodologies in Life Cycle Assessment
Publicerad
Författare
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
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Volymtitel
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Sammanfattning
This thesis explores the landscape of post-industrial recyclates (PIR), investigating
policy, market trends, environmental impact, and life cycle assessment (LCA) allocation
methods. The study takes the perspective of Borealis, a prominent player
in the petrochemical industry, with a special focus on two of their recycling plants
located in Germany and Austria.
The policy analysis evaluates existing policies regarding PIR alongside a foresightbased
scenario analysis. Findings reveal an absence of EU policy supporting PIR,
contrasting with the abundance of policy support for post-consumer recyclates. The
absence of policy support for PIR is likely due to its economic viability without such
support, suggesting that current policy norms will persist. This sentiment is echoed
by the scenario analysis, where no scenario indicated that PIR would require policy
intervention to remain competitive in the market.
The market analysis, which focused on the German market, identified younger demographics
as key drivers of sustainable consumption, offering opportunities for
PIR integration in sectors such as cosmetics, technology, and pet-related products.
Additionally, consumers tend to consider the environmental impact of their purchases
more when investing in expensive, long-lasting items, making furniture and
household equipment promising markets. The analysis also explored the German
automotive industry, where demand for recyclates is rising, although impending EU
regulation may limit PIR’s potential.
The LCA findings revealed a lower environmental impact for PIR compared to virgin
polypropylene (PP) across 14 out of 16 impact categories. System expansion
allocation yielded distinct outcomes as it accounts for the emissions avoided when
substituting virgin PP with PIR. Conversely, other methods - mass allocation, economic
allocation and the cut-off approach - yield similar results. While both mass
and economic allocation were deemed appropriate, mass allocation emerges as the
optimal choice, better reflecting real-world drivers behind plastic production and
waste generation.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
post-industrial recyclate, plastic, recycling, life cycle assessment, allocation, policy, scenario analysis, market analysis, circular economy.