Abstract
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a useful tool to assess impacts of cradle-to-grave chains of products/services. In the Riskcycle framework, the focus is on additives. Additives are usually minor constituents of products, but depending on their specific properties they can be important in the total scope of impacts of such products. In the LCA literature, additives are hardly visible. Most case studies of products containing additives do not mention them. The reasons for this are unclear, but are at least partly due to the fact that information on additives is not included in standard LCA databases. This is true for both life cycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) databases. Therefore, it is difficult to conclude whether or not additives indeed are important contributors to environmental impacts over the life cycle.
In the Riskcycle project, we have addressed these knowledge gaps for two categories of materials: plastics and paper (printed matter). Case studies have been conducted for products containing those materials (Larsen, 2012, Case study on printed matter, Hdb Env Chem; van Oers and van der Voet, 2012, LCA case study cushion vinyl floor covering and DEHP, Hdb Env Chem). A coherent attempt has been made to derive LCIA factors for toxicity for a large number of plastics- and paper-related additives (Åström et al., 2012, Are chemicals in products good or bad for the society? – the economic perspective, Hdb Env Chem. doi:10.1007/698_2012_184). In this chapter, we summarize and generalize these findings and try to establish a coherent framework for LCA studies of products containing additives. In this framework, we distinguish three relevant levels that have to be part of such LCA studies: the product level, the material level and the additive level. We also establish the relation of LCA toxicity assessments with risk-based approaches.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
van Oers L, van der Voet E (2012) LCA case study cushion vinyl floor covering and DEHP. Hdb Env Chem (this volume)
Larsen HF (2012) Case study on printed matter. Hdb Env Chem (this volume)
ISO 14040 (2006) Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework. International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), Geneve
van Oers L, van der Voet E, Grundmann V (2012) Additives in the plastics industry. In: Bilitewski B, Darbra RM, Barceló D (eds) Global risk-based management of chemical additives I – production, usage and environmental occurrence. Hdb Environ Chem 18:133–150, Springer, Heidelberg
Åström S, Lindblad M, Westerdahl J, Rydberg T (2012) Are chemicals in products good or bad for the society? - The economic perspective. Hdb Env Chem. doi:10.1007/698_2012_184
Ross S, Evans D (2003) The environmental effect of reusing and recycling a plastic-based packaging system. J Cleaner Prod 11(5):561–571
Wollny V, Dehoust G, Fritsche UR, Weinem P (2001) Comparison of plastic packaging waste management options: feedstock recycling versus energy recovery in Germany. J Ind Ecol 5(3):49–63
Arena U, Mastellone M, Perugini F (2003) Life cycle assessment of a plastic packaging recycling system. Int J Life Cycle Assess 8(2):92–98
Arvanitoyannis IS, Bosnea LA (2001) Recycling of polymeric materials used for food packaging: current status and perspectives. Food Rev Int 17(3):291–346
Madival S, Auras R, Singh SP, Narayan R (2009) Assessment of the environmental profile of PLA, PET and PS clamshell containers using LCA methodology. J Cleaner Prod 17(13):1183–1194
Bovea MD, Gallardo A (2006) The influence of impact assessment methods on materials selection for eco-design. Mater Des 27(3):209–215
Eggels PG, Ansems AMM, van der Ven BL (2001) Eco-efficiency of recovery scenarios of plastic packaging. R 2000/119. 2001. Apeldoorn, TNO MEP
Vercalsteren A, Spirinckx C, Geerken T (2010) Life cycle assessment and eco-efficiency analysis of drinking cups used at public events. Int J Life Cycle Assess 15(2):221–230
Garrido N, Alvarez del Castillo M (2007) Environmental evaluation of single-use and reusable cups. Int J Life Cycle Assess 12(4):252–256
Le Borgne R, Feillard P (2001) End-of-life of a polypropylene bumper skin. Int J Life Cycle Assess 6(3):167–176
Duval D, MacLean HL (2007) The role of product information in automotive plastics recycling: a financial and life cycle assessment. J Cleaner Prod 15(11–12):1158–1168
Günther A, Langowski HC (1997) Life cycle assessment study on resilient floor coverings. Int J Life Cycle Assess 2(2):73–80
Potting J, Blok K (1995) Life-cycle assessment of four types of floor covering. J Cleaner Prod 3(4):201–213
Asif M, Muneer T, Kubie J (2005) Sustainability analysis of window frames. Build Serv Eng Res Technol 26(1):71–87
Tiberto F, Nicoleta AS, Marco T (2012). Recycled paper-paperboard for food contact materials: contaminants suspected, migration models and healthy concerns. In: Beiträge zu Abfallwirtschaft/Altlasten. Schriftenreihe des Institutes für Abfallwirtschaft und Altlasten. Technische Universität Dresden. Band 87 Proceedings RISKCYCLE Conference: risk-based management of chemicals and products in a circular economy at a global scale. 8–9 May 2012, Dresden, pp 69–73
Pfaff K (2012) Re-use of recycled materials in food contact applications in the perspective of consumer protection. Platform presentation (overheads) at the RiskCycle Conference: risk-based management of chemicals and products in a circular economy at a global scale. 8–9 May 2012, Dresden, Germany (www.wadef.com/projects/riskcycle/)
Larsen HF, Hansen MS, Hauschild M (2006) Ecolabelling of printed matter. Part II: life cycle assessment of model sheet fed offset printed matter. Working Report No. 24. Danish Ministry of the Environment, Environmental Protection Agency, Copenhagen
Pihkola H, Nors M, Kujanpää, Helin T, Kariniemi M, Pajula T, Dahlbo H, Koskela S (2010) Carbon footprint and environmental impacts of print products from cradle to grave. Results from the LEADER project (Part 1). Espoo 2010. Vtt Tiedotteita – Research Notes 2560
Larsen HF, Hansen MS, Hauschild M (2009) Life-cycle assessment of offset printed matter with EDIP97 – how important are emissions of chemicals? J Cleaner Prod 17:115–128
Rydberg T, Westerdahl J, Hallberg E, Öman A, Andersson PL, Haglund P, Holmgren T, Fuhrman F, Molander S, Tivander J (2011) Emissions of additives from plastics in the societal material stock – a case study for Sweden. In: Bilitewski B, Darbra RM, Barceló D (eds) The handbook of environmental chemistry – Global risk-based management of chemical additives I: production, usage and environmental occurrence, pp 1–12. DOI: 10.1007/698_2011_107
Tukker A, Kleijn R, van Oers L, Smeets E (1996) A PVC substance flow analysis for Sweden. Part II: mass flows and emissions by PVC chain section. TNO report STB/96/48-II, TNO, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
Pacyna JM (2009) SOCOPSE Source control of priority substances in Europe: material flow analysis for selected priority substances
Andersen LK, Nikolajsen MH (2003) Life cycle assessment of chemicals at the Brdr. Hartmann A/S. Thesis elaborated at the Danish engineering education at the Technical University of Denmark. Supervisor: Michael Hauschild. Report No. IPL-048-03. DTU, Lyngby, Denmark, 2003
Huijbregts M, Hauschild M, Jolliet O, Margni M, McKone T, Rosenbaum RK, van de Meent D (2010) USEtox™ User manual. http://www.usetox.org/(2010-04-07)
Andersson H, Westerdahl J, Rahmberg M, Rydberg T (2011) Ecotoxicological impacts of emissions of additives in the societal stock of plastic products assessed using QSAR based interim USEtox™ characterisation factors. Manuscript
Rahmberg M, Andersson H, Westerdahl J, Rydberg T, Andersson PL (2012) Towards QSAR based USEtox™ characterisation factors for as-sessing ecotoxicological impacts of emissions from plastic additives. Extended abstract, RISKCYCLE conference, Dresden, May 2012
Huijbregts M, Margni M, van de Meent D, Jolliet O, Rosenbaum RK, McKone T, Hauschild M (2010) USEtox™ Chemical-specific database: organics. http://www.usetox.org/(2010-04-07)
OECD (2012) Introduction to emission scenario documents
COHIBA (2012) Control of hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea region (COHIBA). http://www.cohiba-project.net/
Holmgren T, Persson L, Olofsson U, Andersson P, Haglund P (2010) Predictive emission model for organic compounds added to materials in consumer goods. Extended abstract, SETAC Milan 2011
Westerdahl J, Rydberg T, Molander S, Tivander J, Fuhrman F, Andersson PL, Haglund P Holmgren T (2010) Emissions of chemicals from the economy wide stock of plastic material – a first model iteration for Sweden. Extended abstract, SETAC Milan 2011
Ecoinvent (2011) Ecoinvent database version 2.0. http://www.ecoinvent.ch/
Lindeboom R (2009) An inventory and assessment of options for reducing emissions: DEHP
Jönsson, Å., A. M. Tillman, and T. Svensson (1997) Life cycle assessment of flooring materials: Case study. Building and Environment vol. 32, no. 3, p. 245–255
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
van der Voet, E., van Oers, L., Rydberg, T., Westerdahl, J., Larsen, H.F. (2012). Life Cycle Assessment of Additives: Methodology and Data. In: Bilitewski, B., Darbra, R., Barceló, D. (eds) Global Risk-Based Management of Chemical Additives II. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 23. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2012_185
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2012_185
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-34571-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-34572-2
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)