Publication: Life cycle sustainability modelling of plastic packaging under a circular economy approach
Abstract
Günümüzde plastik atıklarını döngüsel ekonomi çerçevesinde değerlendirmek büyük önem taşımaktadır. Aynı şekilde, çevresel sorunları önlemek amacıyla giderek daha fazla kullanılan esnek plastik ambalajların da değerlendirilmesi büyük önem arz etmektedir. Çok katmanlı yapısından kaynaklanan geri dönüşüm zorluklarını aşmak için, bu çalışmada, PET / Metalize PET / PE ve PP / Metalize PP / PP bileşenlerinden oluşan esnek ambalajlar için bir yaşam döngüsü değerlendirmesi yapılmıştır. Bu değerlendirme, Elif Plastik Ambalaj Sanayi ve Tic. A.Ş.-Huhtamaki Flexibles İstanbul Araştırma ve Geliştirme Merkezi tarafından sağlanan verilerle gerçekleştirilmiştir. Türkiye için en uygun esnek ambalaj yapısını belirlemek için farklı senaryoların farklı yöntemlerle karşılaştırılmasıyla SimaPro 8.1.1.16'da yapılan bu çalışmada, iki esnek ambalaj incelenmiştir. Her iki ambalaj için de Cumulative Energy Demand (CED), CML-IA ve ReCiPe yöntemleri kullanılarak bir LCA gerçekleştirilmiştir. Mevcut sistemle karşılaştırılan farklı geri dönüşüm oranlarına sahip hammadde kullanılmış dört senaryo ve güneş enerjisinden elektrik elde edilmesi durumunu içeren beşinci senaryo karşılaştırılmıştır. Genel olarak, en büyük çevresel etkinin mevcut sistemde olduğu bulunmuştur. Ancak, yenilenebilir bir enerji kaynağı olmasına rağmen, güneş enerjisi senaryosunun neredeyse aynı etkiye sahip olduğu görülmüştür. Geri dönüştürülmüş hammadde içeren senaryolar incelendiğinde, geri dönüştürülmüş hammadde oranı arttıkça çevresel etkinin azaldığı açıkça görülmektedir. Bu nedenle, birçok açıdan en uygun senaryonun %75 geri dönüştürülmüş hammadde kullanımı olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Plastik türlerindeki farklılıklar nedeniyle sonuçlarda belirgin farklılıklar bulunmuştur. Gerçek verilerle yürütülen bu çalışma, esnek ambalaj literatürü için çok önemlidir; ancak esnek ambalajın çevresel faydalarının artırılması için plastik türünün değiştirilmesi, elektrik üretiminin kaynağının değiştirilmesi ve geri dönüştürülmüş hammadde kullanarak atığın azaltılması için bir tablo sunulmuştur.
Evaluating plastic waste within the framework of the circular economy is of great importance today. Similarly, it is crucial to evaluate flexible plastic packaging, which is increasingly used to prevent environmental problems. To overcome the recycling challenges posed by their multi-layered structure, this study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) of flexible packaging made from PET/ Metalized PET/ PE and PP/ Metalized PP/ PP components. This assessment was carried out using data provided by Elif Plastik Ambalaj Sanayi ve Tic. A.Ş.-Huhtamaki Flexibles Istanbul Research and Development Center. In this study, conducted in SimaPro 8.1.1.16, different scenarios were compared using various methods to determine the most suitable flexible packaging structure for Turkey. Two types of flexible packaging were analyzed. An LCA was performed using the Cumulative Energy Demand (CED), CML-IA, and ReCiPe methods for both types of packaging. Four scenarios using raw materials with different recycled raw material rates compared to the existing system, and a fifth scenario involving electricity generation from solar energy were compared. Overall, the greatest environmental impact was found to be in the existing system. However, it was observed that the solar energy scenario, despite being a renewable energy source, had almost the same impact. When the scenarios involving recycled raw materials were examined, it was clearly seen that the environmental impact decreased as the proportion of recycled raw materials increased. Therefore, in many respects, the most optimal scenario was found to be the use of 75% recycled raw materials. Due to the differences in plastic types, significant variations were found in the results. This study, conducted with real data, is very important for the flexible packaging literature; however, it presents a framework for enhancing the environmental benefits of flexible packaging by changing the type of plastic, altering the source of electricity production, and reducing waste through the use of recycled raw materials.
Evaluating plastic waste within the framework of the circular economy is of great importance today. Similarly, it is crucial to evaluate flexible plastic packaging, which is increasingly used to prevent environmental problems. To overcome the recycling challenges posed by their multi-layered structure, this study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) of flexible packaging made from PET/ Metalized PET/ PE and PP/ Metalized PP/ PP components. This assessment was carried out using data provided by Elif Plastik Ambalaj Sanayi ve Tic. A.Ş.-Huhtamaki Flexibles Istanbul Research and Development Center. In this study, conducted in SimaPro 8.1.1.16, different scenarios were compared using various methods to determine the most suitable flexible packaging structure for Turkey. Two types of flexible packaging were analyzed. An LCA was performed using the Cumulative Energy Demand (CED), CML-IA, and ReCiPe methods for both types of packaging. Four scenarios using raw materials with different recycled raw material rates compared to the existing system, and a fifth scenario involving electricity generation from solar energy were compared. Overall, the greatest environmental impact was found to be in the existing system. However, it was observed that the solar energy scenario, despite being a renewable energy source, had almost the same impact. When the scenarios involving recycled raw materials were examined, it was clearly seen that the environmental impact decreased as the proportion of recycled raw materials increased. Therefore, in many respects, the most optimal scenario was found to be the use of 75% recycled raw materials. Due to the differences in plastic types, significant variations were found in the results. This study, conducted with real data, is very important for the flexible packaging literature; however, it presents a framework for enhancing the environmental benefits of flexible packaging by changing the type of plastic, altering the source of electricity production, and reducing waste through the use of recycled raw materials.
Description
Keywords
Ambalaj sektörü, Çevre ekonomisi, Çevre politikası, Döngüsel ekonomi, Economic aspects, Ekonomik yönleri, Environmental economics, Environmental policy, esnek ambalaj, flexible packaging, life cycle assessment, Package goods industry, Plastics industry and trade, Plastik endüstrisi ve ticareti, yaşam döngüsü analizi circular economy