The term 'carbon footprint'2is on everyone's lips these days. But what exactly does it mean2and how is it calculated? Below, we look at these issues in more detail, focusing in particular on the2carbon footprint of polypropylene (PP), which has a high greenhouse gas potential, with a factor of 1.6 to 2.0.
What is a carbon footprint?
The arbon footprint,2also known as a greenhouse gas balance, measures the amount of greenhouse gases emitted directly or indirectly by the activities of a company, organisation or product over a given period of time. These emissions are expressed in CO equivalents in order to2compare the climate impact of different greenhouse gases.
Calculation of the CO2 equivalent
The CO22equivalent is a measure used to compare the climate impact of different greenhouse gases. Each greenhouse gas has an individual Global Warming Potential (GWP), which indicates the extent to which it contributes to global warming.2To express the emissions of different greenhouse gases in CO equivalents, the quantity of the respective greenhouse gas is multiplied by its GWP.2 CO2 is taken as the starting value, which is given a factor of 1.
CO2 equivalent of polypropylene (PP)
Polypropylene (PP) is a widely used plastic in many everyday products. However, the production of PP is associated with high greenhouse gas emissions. Depending on the production process and raw materials used, the CO22equivalent of PP is between 1.6 and 2.0 kg CO2 eq/kg.
e.g.:
The production of 1 kg of PP results in the emission of 1.6 to 2.0 kg of CO2 equivalents.2This means that 1 kg of PP has the same impact on the climate as 1.6 to 2.0 kg of CO2.2.
Reduction of the CO2 footprint of PP
The high carbon2footprint of PP poses a major challenge. To combat climate change, it is therefore important to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during the production and use of PP. This can be achieved through various measures, such as
- Use of bio-based raw materials: The use of bio-based raw materials, such as plant fibres, can significantly reduce the CO22footprint of PP.
- Verbesserung der Energieeffizienz: Optimising production processes can reduce energy consumption and2therefore CO2 emissions.
- Recycling of PP: Recycling PP saves energy and resources and reduces the need for virgin material.
The solution - GC pro as a CO2 upgrader
We are setting new standards in sustainability. The resource-saving approach of replacing virgin PP with sunflower seed hulls has already reduced the2 carbon footprint per compound to between 0.8 and 1.3 (depending on the formulation). Now we have added a new twist by offering formulations based on recycled material. These granules can be processed just as well as the other materials, but have the key advantage that they only have a CO22 equivalent of 0.6-0.8. This means that the GC per recycled pellet from us is almost three times better than that of virgin PP.
Conclusion
The arbon footprint,2equivalent are important tools for assessing the climate impact of companies, organisations and products. The high CO22-Äquivalent sind wichtige Instrumente, um die Klimawirkung von Unternehmen, Organisationen und Produkten zu bewerten. Das hohe CO2equivalent of polypropylene (PP) emphasises the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the production and use of PP. With the help of GC pro Compounds, the CO22 balance can easily be reduced, as the materials can be exchanged 1:1 with conventional plastics.