European Bioplastics criticises the EU methodology for life cycle assessments, which the industry association believes favours fossil-based over bio-based plastics.
In June, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission (EC) published its methodology for life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare the Environmental impact of fossil and bio-based raw materials for plastics production.
„Together with other bio-based industries, we support life cycle assessments as a valuable tool for measuring environmental sustainability. Unfortunately, the JRC's approach in this study lacks important elements that are crucial for a fair, comparative assessment of bio-based and fossil-based plastics. As a result, it clearly favours conventional plastics made from fossil resources.“ Hasso from Pogrell, Managing Director of European Bioplastics (EUBP)
Over the past three years, EUBP and other industry stakeholders have had the opportunity to contribute to the LCA methodology, which compares bio-based with fossil-based plastic products. Extensive expertise was made available in close dialogue with the JRC. However, the final method still favours fossil-based over bio-based plastics, which compromises many of the goals set out in the European Green Deal, according to the industry association.
Most problematic is the methodology's approach of ignoring the added value of biogenic carbon sequestration. This undermines the main advantage of bio-based products, remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in products, which replaces fossil carbon and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. „We strongly recommend including biogenic carbon as a mandatory component of any comparative life cycle assessment,“ says von Pogrell.
„Plastics are indispensable for modern life. We have the choice of whether we want to continue to obtain the carbon required for plastics from fossil resources or whether we are aiming for a transition to extract this necessary carbon from the atmosphere„, continues the Managing Director of EUBP. In order to enable an appropriate and balanced assessment, the EUBP the most important weaknesses of the methodology in a new Position paper which is supported by the European Bioeconomy Alliance, of which EUBP is a member.
SourceEuropean Bioplastics
