Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Analysis of Embodied
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Analysis of Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Prepared for the OUS Sustainability Conference February 28, 2011 Corvallis, Oregon David Allaway. david@deq. state. or. us 503 -229 -5479
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Today’s overview • Materials matter – the big picture • An introduction to life cycle analysis (LCA) • What LCAs tell us about the environmental impacts of materials. . . and opportunities to reduce them • Questions and discussion throughout
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials DEQ Priority Toxics Focus List (Draft) Lead Naphthalenes Dioxins & Furans Ammonia PAHs Ethylbenzene Malathion Nonyphenol, 4 - (& ethoxylates) Hexachlorocyclohexane Tetrachloroethylene Toluene (HCH), gamma- (Lindane) Phthalates Trichloroethylene Benzene Dichlorobenzene, 1, 4 - (Dichlorobenzene-p) Chlorothalonil Pentachlorophenol Formaldehyde Manganese Copper Diazinon Arsenic Trifluralin PBDEs Bisphenol A 2, 4 -D Triclosan Mercury (and methylmercury) Pendamethalin Silver Diuron Carbaryl Permethrin Cadmium Glyphosate Propoxur (Baygon) Chromium Nickel Diethyltoluamide, N, N- (DEET) Chlorpyrifos Atrazine Dieldrin Methoxychlor Hexachlorocyclohexane, beta- (beta-BHC) PCBs Aldrin Hexachlorobenzene Chlordane (and metabolites) Heptachlor (& Heptachlor epoxide) Hexachlorocyclohexane, alpha- (alpha-BHC) DDT (and metabolites) Trichlorophenol, 2, 4, 5 - (2, 4, 5 -T)
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials DEQ Priority Toxics Focus List (Draft) Toxic Chemicals In Current Consumer Products Lead Naphthalenes Dioxins & Furans Ammonia PAHs Ethylbenzene Malathion Nonyphenol, 4 - (& ethoxylates) Hexachlorocyclohexane Tetrachloroethylene Toluene (HCH), gamma- (Lindane) Phthalates Trichloroethylene Benzene Dichlorobenzene, 1, 4 - (Dichlorobenzene-p) Chlorothalonil Pentachlorophenol Formaldehyde Manganese Copper Diazinon Arsenic Trifluralin PBDEs Bisphenol A 2, 4 -D Triclosan Mercury (and methylmercury) Pendamethalin Silver Diuron Carbaryl Permethrin Cadmium Glyphosate Propoxur (Baygon) Chromium Nickel Diethyltoluamide, N, N- (DEET) Chlorpyrifos Atrazine Dieldrin Methoxychlor Hexachlorocyclohexane, beta- (beta-BHC) PCBs Aldrin Hexachlorobenzene Chlordane (and metabolites) Heptachlor (& Heptachlor epoxide) Hexachlorocyclohexane, alpha- (alpha-BHC) DDT (and metabolites) Trichlorophenol, 2, 4, 5 - (2, 4, 5 -T)
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials DEQ Priority Toxics Focus List (Draft) Other Product-Related Toxics Lead Naphthalenes Dioxins & Furans Ammonia PAHs Ethylbenzene Malathion Nonyphenol, 4 - (& ethoxylates) Hexachlorocyclohexane Tetrachloroethylene Toluene (HCH), gamma- (Lindane) Phthalates Trichloroethylene Benzene Dichlorobenzene, 1, 4 - (Dichlorobenzene-p) Chlorothalonil Pentachlorophenol Formaldehyde Manganese Copper Diazinon Arsenic Trifluralin PBDEs Bisphenol A 2, 4 -D Triclosan Mercury (and methylmercury) Pendamethalin Silver Diuron Carbaryl Permethrin Cadmium Glyphosate Propoxur (Baygon) Chromium Nickel Diethyltoluamide, N, N- (DEET) Chlorpyrifos Atrazine Dieldrin Methoxychlor Hexachlorocyclohexane, beta- (beta-BHC) PCBs Aldrin Hexachlorobenzene Chlordane (and metabolites) Heptachlor (& Heptachlor epoxide) Hexachlorocyclohexane, alpha- (alpha-BHC) DDT (and metabolites) Trichlorophenol, 2, 4, 5 - (2, 4, 5 -T)
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials DEQ Priority Toxics Focus List (Draft) Toxic Chemicals In Current Consumer Products Lead Naphthalenes Other Product-Related Toxics Dioxins & Furans Ammonia PAHs Ethylbenzene Malathion Nonyphenol, 4 - (& ethoxylates) Hexachlorocyclohexane Tetrachloroethylene Toluene (HCH), gamma- (Lindane) Phthalates Trichloroethylene Benzene Dichlorobenzene, 1, 4 - (Dichlorobenzene-p) Chlorothalonil Pentachlorophenol Formaldehyde Manganese Copper Diazinon Arsenic Trifluralin PBDEs Bisphenol A 2, 4 -D Triclosan Mercury (and methylmercury) Pendamethalin Silver Diuron Carbaryl Permethrin Cadmium Glyphosate Propoxur (Baygon) Chromium Nickel Diethyltoluamide, N, N- (DEET) Chlorpyrifos Atrazine Dieldrin Methoxychlor Hexachlorocyclohexane, beta- (beta-BHC) PCBs Aldrin Hexachlorobenzene Chlordane (and metabolites) Heptachlor (& Heptachlor epoxide) Hexachlorocyclohexane, alpha- (alpha-BHC) DDT (and metabolites) Trichlorophenol, 2, 4, 5 - (2, 4, 5 -T)
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Traditional Sector-Based View of U. S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions (2006) Residential 5% Commercial 6% Agriculture 8% Electric Power Industry 34% Industry 19% Transportation 28% Source: US EPA (2009)
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Matter: Systems-Based Geographic Emissions Inventory (2006) Provision of Materials: Non-Food Goods 29% Building Lighting and HVAC 25% 42% Transportation of People 24% Provision of Materials: Food 13% Use of Appliances and Devices 8% Source: US EPA (2009) Infrastructure 1%
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Systems-Based Emissions Inventory, Geographic Emissions Adjusted for Imports and Exports (2006) Building Lighting and HVAC 21% Provision of Goods 37% 49% Transportation of People 22% Provision of Food 12% Use of Appliances and Devices 7% Infrastructure 1% Source: Joshuah Stolaroff/Product Policy Institute (2009), based on EPA (2009) and Weber & Matthews (2007)
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials OUS Emissions FY 2008, by Scope Category Including Embodied Emissions in Supply Chain Total Emissions (MT CO 2 e) 250 000 200 000 150 000 100 000 50 000 0 Scope 1 Source: Good Company (2009) Scope 2 Scope 3 required by ACUPCC Scope 3 supply chain
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials OUS FY 2008 Emissions Embodied in Goods and Services (Draft) Other Goods & Services 29% Building Construction & Services 43% Commercial Printing 6% IT 7% Source: Good Company (2009) Resale Merchandise 15%
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials A Note RE: OUS Supply Chain Emissions • By nature, these emissions estimates are very rough. . . a “sense of scale” – But just because they’re imprecise doesn’t mean they should be ignored! • Over time, estimates will likely become more precise, and product-specific
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Impacts vs. Attributes Examples of Impacts • Emissions of VOCs • GHG emissions • Use of non-renewable resources Examples of Attributes • Recyclability • % recycled content • Biodegradable • Impacts are more challenging to evaluate. . . requires life cycle assessment.
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) • The science of estimating environmental impacts across the “life cycle” of a product (or service) • A powerful tool for understanding impacts, where/how impacts occur, and how to reduce them • Far from perfect; potential for abuse; rapidly evolving • Two basic approaches: – Process LCA – Input/output LCA
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Process LCA: A Partial Example
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Process LCA ISO 14040 series provides standards on conducting process LCAs:
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Process LCA • Inventory analysis: accounting of energy and material flows • Impact analysis: conversion of those flows into “impact categories”, such as: – – – Acidification Ecotoxicity Eutrophication Global warming Ozone depletion Smog – Human Health • Cancer • Non-cancer • Respiratory effects
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Some Process LCA-Derived Tools • Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) http: //www. bfrl. nist. gov/oae/software/bees/ • Waste Reduction Model (WARM) http: //www. epa. gov/warm/ • Recycled Content Tool (Re. CON) http: //www. epa. gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/ calculators/Re. Con_home. html • Comparative Packaging Assessment Tool (COMPASS) https: //www. design-compass. org/
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Input-Output LCA
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Input-Output LCA (continued) • Traditional (economic) input-output analysis estimates financial flows through the supply chain • Estimate emissions intensities (direct emissions/dollar) for different industries – Single-region or multi-region – Most common tool: www. eiolca. net • Life cycle emissions = (emissions/dollar) x (dollars)
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials OUS FY 2008 Emissions Embodied in Goods and Services (Draft) – Input-Output LCA Other Goods & Services 29% Building Construction & Services 43% Commercial Printing 6% IT 7% Source: Good Company (2009) Resale Merchandise 15%
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials So, what do LCAs tell us? ?
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials: What Are We Looking For? • In the absence of readily-available life-cycle data (impacts), buyers and sustainability champions often turn to attributes such as: – – – Local Energy-efficient Recyclable Recycled content Bio-based Biodegradable • How well do these attributes actually correlate with “low impact” or “sustainable”?
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Less is best! (Usually) • “Reduce, then reuse, then recycle” – A hierarchy of preferences • All equally effective at diverting materials from landfills – But that’s not where the big impacts occur!
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials For Materials, “Upstream” Emissions Dominate Provision of Materials 42% Freight 7. 1% Landfills & Wastewater 2. 2% Building Lighting and HVAC 25% “Upstream” Processes 32. 2% Transportation of People 24% Use of Appliances and Devices 8% Infrastructure 1%
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Tellus Institute Packaging Study (1992): Human Health Impacts
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Tellus Institute Packaging Study (1992): Human Health Impacts (continued) Note: These costs are per-ton, not per-package!
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials DEQ’s Life Cycle Analysis of Water Delivery • 3 basic systems: Full study at: http: //www. deq. state. or. us/lq/sw/wasteprevention/ drinkingwater. htm
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Normalized impact (baseline w/62% recycling = 100%) Recycling, Recycled Content, and Lightweighting Example: PET Water Bottles “Baseline” = PET, half-liter, 13. 3 grams, 0% post-consumer recycled content (PCR), on-site molding, purified municipal water (reverse osmosis, ozone and uv), 50 miles to retail, 5 miles home-to-retail, co-purchase w/24 other products, no chilling, 62% recycling rate.
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Normalized impact (baseline w/62% recycling = 100%) Recycling, Recycled Content, and Lightweighting Example: PET Water Bottles “Baseline” = PET, half-liter, 13. 3 grams, 0% post-consumer recycled content (PCR), on-site molding, purified municipal water (reverse osmosis, ozone and uv), 50 miles to retail, 5 miles home-to-retail, co-purchase w/24 other products, no chilling, 62% recycling rate.
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Normalized impact (baseline w/62% recycling = 100%) Recycling, Recycled Content, and Lightweighting Example: PET Water Bottles “Baseline” = PET, half-liter, 13. 3 grams, 0% post-consumer recycled content (PCR), on-site molding, purified municipal water (reverse osmosis, ozone and uv), 50 miles to retail, 5 miles home-to-retail, co-purchase w/24 other products, no chilling, 62% recycling rate.
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Normalized impact (baseline w/62% recycling = 100%) Recycling, Recycled Content, and Lightweighting Example: PET Water Bottles “Baseline” = PET, half-liter, 13. 3 grams, 0% post-consumer recycled content (PCR), on-site molding, purified municipal water (reverse osmosis, ozone and uv), 50 miles to retail, 5 miles home-to-retail, co-purchase w/24 other products, no chilling, 62% recycling rate.
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Disposal vs. Recycling 120% Not a meaningful difference Normalized impact (purchase + disposal = 100%) 100% 80% 60% Standard Oregon purchase* + disposal 40% Standard Oregon purchase* + 100% recycling 20% y to r ira es p R G lo ba l. W l Ef ar m fe ct in g s Po Po te te nt ia io m pt su on C gy er En nt ia l nt ia te Po ci xi ot o Ec ci ar C ty ic no ge n ca tio n id ifi Ac Po Po te te nt ia l l 0% *Half-liter bottle; 0% recycled content; 13. 3 grams; local water
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Disposal vs. Recycling vs. Prevention Normalized impact (purchase + disposal = 100%) 120% 100% 80% 60% Standard Oregon purchase* + disposal Standard Oregon purchase* + 100% recycling 40% Tap water in reusable bottle** (1 use and wash/day for 1 year) 20% l Po te s Po fe ct in g Ef ar m *Half-liter bottle; 0% recycled content; 13. 3 grams; local water R es pi ra to r y l. W lo ba G te nt ia io m pt su on C gy er En nt ia l nt ia te Po ci xi ot o Ec ci ar C ty ic no ge n ca tio n id ifi Ac Po Po te te nt ia l l 0% **Average of aluminum/PET/steel; no recycling; high-water use dishwasher
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials 120% 100% 80% 60% 40% "Best" single-use PET* "Best" tap water** 20% ar l nt ia *Not currently on market. 9. 8 grams; 25% recycled content; very short transport; minimal processing of water; 100% recycling. to r y l. W R es pi ra lo ba G te Ef fe ct m in g s Po su on C gy er Po te m pt io nt ia l nt ia te ty ci xi ot o Ec En C ar ci id ifi no ca ge n tio n ic Po Po Po te te nt ia l l 0% Ac Normalized impact (“best” single-use PET = 100%) Best Case Recycling vs. Best Case Prevention **Steel reusable; used 5 years; used 2 times/day; washed weekly in efficient, full dishwasher; 100% recycling
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials DEQ’s Life Cycle Analysis of E-Commerce Packaging • Full study at: http: //www. deq. state. or. us/lq/pubs/docs/sw/ packaging/lifecycleinventoryshort. pdf
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials DEQ’s E-Commerce LCA: Materials Evaluated *Different levels of post-consumer content also evaluated.
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials E-Commerce Results: Petroleum
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials E-Commerce Results: Natural Gas
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials E-Commerce Results: Coal
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials E-Commerce Results: Atmospheric Particulates
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials E-Commerce Results: Atmospheric NOX
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials E-Commerce Results: Atmospheric Mercury
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials E-Commerce Results: Biological Oxygen Demand
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials E-Commerce Results: Waterborne Suspended Solids
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Lbs CO 2 e*/10, 000 packages Void Fills in E-Commerce Packaging (Boxes) *on a cradle-to-distribution center basis
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Mass Matters! • Weight of materials used is a critical factor: – All bags evaluated have lower burdens than boxes (in most categories) because of their much lower weight. – This confirms (indirectly) the relative ranking of waste prevention and recycling in the waste management hierarchy. • When comparing dissimilar materials, recyclability and recycled content do not always correlate with reduced GHG emissions: – BUT, once you’ve chosen a packaging material, increasing post-consumer content and recycling opportunities typically reduce emissions.
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials What about degradable products? • When wastes degrade (in a landfill), they produce methane • Methane is 23 – 72 times more potent of a GHG than CO 2 • Many landfills use some of the methane to produce energy • But no landfill captures 100% of its methane Photos: EPUD
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials DEQ Drinking Water Study: Greenhouse Gas Impacts of 3 Bottled Water Systems 1105 1464 Lbs CO 2 e per 1, 000 gallons 1120 Assumes no cross-contamination between PET and PLA
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials For goods that use energy, energy efficiency is very important Provision of Goods 29% Building Lighting and HVAC 25% Use of Appliances and Devices 8% Provision of Food 13% Source: US EPA (2009) Transportation of People 24% Infrastructure 1%
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials GHG/Product Life Cycles Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials pounds CO 2 e per ton of product Is local better? EPA (2006)
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials pounds CO 2 e per ton of product Production emissions typically dominate (transportation doesn’t) EPA (2006), DEQ (2009)
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Imported vs. local rice? Pretty and Ball (2001), DEQ (2009)
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Carnegie Mellon University: “Meat vs. Miles”
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Input-Output LCA Example: Average US Household Food Consumption Total GHG emissions by supply chain tier (c) associated with household food consumption in the United States. Food groups are aggregates of 50 commodities. Published in: Christopher L. Weber; H. Scott Matthews; Environ. Sci. Technol. 2008, 42, 3508 -3513. DOI: 10. 1021/es 702969 f Copyright © 2008 American Chemical Society
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Country of origin matters (but not for the reason most people think) 160 Carbon Intensity of Industrial Energy, 2003 (US = 100) 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Shui & Harriss (2006) US China
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Embodied Energy (MJ per bag) Products are more impactful than packaging Sightline Institute (2007)
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials So, Which Product Attributes Are Most Important (from a GHG perspective)? • • Energy efficiency Energy use Waste prevention Country of origin Life cycle assessment results trump attributes Less important • Recyclable • Recycled content • Bio-based • Biodegradable (unless discharged to water) • Local • Packaging attributes
Embodied Emissions in Purchased Materials Thank you! Questions? David Allaway. david@deq. state. or. us 503 -229 -5479
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