LCA Links!

PRESS RELEASE: PU Europe presented on May 20th, 2010, a generic Environmental Product Declaration for Polyurethane (PU) insulation boards to increase the transparency of construction products markets.

Background:An environmental product declaration (EPD) is a communication tool that provides quantified information on the potential environmental impacts of a product or process based on information from a life cycle assessment (LCA) over its entire lifetime or a part of it. An important advantage of using EPDs is the possibility to add LCA-based information in the supply chain. This feature makes EPDs particularly valuable for the building sector where the final building is based on a large number of materials, construction products, semi-manufactured products and processes. The EPD for PU was established through a third-party verified system based on the future CEN standard prEN 15804 and covers the cradle-to-gate phase of the product.

On behalf of PU Europe, Shpresa Kotaji (Huntsman Polyurethanes and PU Europe Life Cycle Assessment expert) commented, “With the publication of our EPD, we do not only respond to an increasing market need, we also want to pro-actively increase market transparency and facilitate sustainable material choices at the building level.”

It is indeed important to know that EPDs for construction products cannot simply be compared on the basis of a weight unit. Comparisons can only be performed at the level of the building so as to establish how much of a product is needed to meet certain design requirements and how material choices affect the overall building design in terms of ancillary materials, component weight and thickness, building footprint etc.

The PU industry will further step up its efforts to optimise production technologies and processes. “We can expect these efforts to lead to significant improvements in the overall environmental balance of PU insulation products over the next few years”, Kotaji concluded.

The environmental product declaration is available HERE

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on May 20th, 2010, joined academic, business, government and environmental leaders in announcing the formation of the first-in-the-nation, non-profit Green Products Innovation Institute (GPII).  The Institute will be headquartered in San Francisco, California and dedicated to developing comprehensive chemical standards for every day products that are safe and healthy for humans and the environment.

Companies will be able to come to the GPII to get advice on how to “green” their products are and how to improve them. It is a combination of third party C2C certification based on the MBDC method which has now been released to the public domain.  The Governor backs it along with companies such as Method, Aveda, Wal-Mart, Herman Miller, Google (YouTube) and Shaw Carpets. Mike Volkema – Chairman of the Board, Herman Miller spoke at the announcement and said 100% of its products will be certified C2C.

The full press release can be found HERE

ARLINGTON, VA, May 25, 2010 (News Release) – The Aluminum Association posted today a comprehensive and transparent life-cycle analyses (LCA) of aluminum cans.

Major findings include:

• Reduction in overall carbon footprint of the aluminum can by 44 percent
• 30 percent less energy usage
• Reduction in package weight of 15%
• 68 percent total recycled content, the highest of any beverage package material

“The data shows that we are using significantly less material and less energy to produce same-size beverage cans as compared with 17 years ago,” said Steve Larkin, president of the Aluminum Association. “The aluminum industry has made tremendous gains in sustainability. The aluminum can is more sustainable than ever.”

The study is publicly available at www.aluminum.org/lca.

The Aluminum Association has issued a public challenge to the recent PET Resin Assocation LCA study.  A key aspect is the use of 1995 aluminum production data from the US LCI database versus more up-to-date information production information and recycling data that is publicly available.

The main position by the Aluminum Association regarding appropriate use of LCA is as follows:

“Also at issue with the PET study is the use of an LCA study to make comparative analyses of other materials, which is not the standard use of an LCA. LCA studies are traditionally used for self-education and to look for opportunities to increase efficiency within a product stream and not to look comparatively across products.”

“Traditionally, LCA studies have not been used to attack other products, since that’s not the intent of an LCA. We’d like to see the LCA study continue to be used as a tool for self-improvement, not for PR stunts. After our initial review, we do not believe that this study will withstand scrutiny from LCA practitioners.” Steve Larkin, Aluminum Association President concluded.

Details of the Aluminum Association challenge can be found on their website HERE.

The Aluminum Association will be hosting a teleconference and webinar to discuss the Life Cycle Analysis of the aluminum can on May 25th at 10 AM EDT.

Details to attend the teleconference can be found HERE.

The independent study of aluminum cans was peer-reviewed and undertaken in part to respond to Wal-Mart’s packaging scorecard.

May 26, 2010 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CDT

This free one-hour webinar introduces UL Environment’s services related to: Environmental Claims Validation, Sustainable Product Certification and Energy Efficiency Certification.   The webinar will assist customers with identifying the new and existing market drivers including regulations surrounding energy efficiency programs, recent consumer and market research in the green building environment, and coming trends.  It will also review the value of third-party certification.  The webinar is a sales pitch but should be of key interest to those looking for verification services related to the green marketing claims.

 The topics covered in this webinar are:

• An overview of key market drivers, including:
  • green building codes,
  • requirements to use green building programs,
  • shifts in the marketplace towards standards and key energy efficiency regulations in North America for High Tech,
  • Lighting,
  • HVAC and
  • Appliance Products
• How UL Environment’s services will streamline compliance with these regulations
• How to obtain the various, ECV, SPC and EEC Marks, and differences between them
• Bundling the new Marks with other UL and ULE Services
• The value of third-party certification

Objectives

• Identify UL Environment service offerings
• Recognize changes in energy efficiency regulations
• Analyze key trends in the sustainability marketplace
• Recognize the value of third-party certification

Target Audience -  Customers selling the following product types in North America:

• Roofing
• Insulation
• Suspended Ceiling Materials
• Drywall, Mineral board, Fiberboard
• Fenestration
• Masonry Products
• CFLs
• Dishwashers
• Refrigerators and Freezers
• TVs/Monitors
• Computers
• Servers
• External power supplies

To sign up for the webinar, visit the UL University Website HERE

Press Release from BASF January, 28th, 2010: http://www.basf.com/group/pressrelease/P-10-137 

Eco-efficiency analysis confirms that formic acid salts are cost efficient and easy on the environment 

Using cesium and potassium formates in completion fluids that stabilize boreholes in gas production is more eco-efficient than the application of brines based on zinc bromide, calcium bromide and calcium chloride. This is the result of an eco-efficiency analysis performed by BASF. Formates are salts of formic acid, a BASF intermediate.

The scientific study compared which of the products is better suited from the economic and ecological point of view to be used in completion fluids for stabilizing boreholes. In a life-cycle assessment, formates outperformed the bromides named above as well as calcium chloride as a lower-cost, environmentally more benign alternative. Formates achieved superior results also with respect to waste disposal: while waste bromide brine needs to be disposed of at considerable cost, formate brines are biologically degradable, which allows on-site disposal.

Completion fluids are used in gas production after the initial drilling operation to stabilize the well. Pressure in the well may exceed 1,000 bar. Special-purpose liquids are used to balance this pressure to prevent uncontrolled blowout of water or gas and a breakdown of the well bore. To achieve this the fluid must be of exceptionally high density – water-soluble salts like potassium and cesium formates have this density.

BASF Eco-Efficiency analysis background:

The BASF eco-efficiency analysis is a strategic tool for examining the cost and environmental impact of products, processes and entire system solutions. This method allows BASF to optimize its product portfolio for the requirements of a development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Sustainable Development). To date, BASF experts have completed more than 400 eco-efficiency analyses, including third-party projects in which they shared BASF expertise with others. The eco-efficiency analysis developed by BASF and certified by German technical surveillance association TÜV seeks to compare products or processes that target identical customer benefits. This involves an overall study of alternative solutions. In a life-cycle assessment, the total cost and the ecological impact are determined, a special process is then applied to aggregate the findings and visualize them clearly. The eco-efficiency analysis as an overall process was certified in 2002 by “TÜV Rheinland,” the Rhineland technical surveillance association. The ecological assessment underlying the eco-efficiency analysis is based on DIN EN ISO 14040 and 14044.

Formic acid – an all-rounder

BASF’s customers use formic acid in a wide range of applications. The acid helps to keep certain feeds fresh and free of salmonellae, removes paints and rust from metallic surfaces and descales kettles and boilers. In breweries and wineries it disinfects kegs, casks and barrels; applied as an auxiliary in the pharmaceutical and crop protection industry it regulates pH values and acts as a dirt remover and disinfectant. Formic acid salts, the so-called formates, serve as high-class deicing agents and valuable auxiliaries in oil production.