Life cycle assessment of closed loops for industrial plastic packaging

Abstract

The project Closing the loop of industrial plastic aims to increase the circular use of materials from industrial plastic packaging through closed loop recycling. Within this project, a study has been made where the goal was to compare the climate change impact of four different scenarios for three case studies. The four main scenarios are Closed loop recycling, Closed and open loop recycling, Open loop recycling, and Incineration and the three case studies included in the study are Packaging made of expanded polystyrene (EPS), big bags made of polypropylene (PP) and film made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE). For all three case studies, the main conclusion is that the climate impact is lower for closed loop recycling than for all three alternatives mentioned above. Additionally, the study identifies the second-best option as a mix of Closed and open loop recycling, followed by Open loop recycling, and finally, Incineration