A transition of the plastics & rubber industry towards sustainability

BPRI 23-09-2010

FEDERPLAST.BE
Belgian association of manufacturers of plastic and rubber articles

MISSION STATEMENT By means of its membership relations and its networking within society Federplast.be supports the development of the plastics and rubber industry in Belgium to contribute to a sustainable future.

FEDERPLAST.BE
Belgian association of manufacturers of plastic and rubber articles

MEMBERS
Agoria & essenscia 236 full members (with production in Belgium) 18 affiliate members

EMPLOYMENT
22.950

TURNOVER
7.9 billion exports 70 %

Belgian plastics industry at the top in Europe

AMI Eurostat

Plastics converting evolution 2000 - 2007

Kg/Inh

140
%

120 100 80 60 40 20 0 -20

PL BE DE ES Europe NL FR UK

Belgian plastics industry at the top in Europe 2.2 % of the EU population 5 % of the EU plastics processing 10 % of the EU plastics production

World champion in plastics production

CIPAD 2006 Production of plastics/inhabitant

Plastics industry, n 1 in the trade balance of Belgium

million

Plastics continue to be a global success story

Mio t
250

2006: 245

Continuous growth for more than 50 years Plastics production ramped up from 1.5 Mio t in 1950 to 245 Mio t in 2006 Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is about 9.5 %

200

2002: 200

150

World

100

1989: 100

Europe (WE + CEE)

50

1976: 50 1950: 1.5

0 1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Includes Thermoplastics, Polyurethanes, Thermosets, Elastomers, Adhesives, Coatings and Sealants and PP-Fibers. Not included PET-, PA- and Polyacryl-Fibers

Source: PlasticsEurope Market Research Group (PEMRG)

The world in 2030

Prospective study by futurologist Ray Hammond for PlasticsEurope

6 key drivers of the future Worldwide population explosion and changing societal demographics Climate crisis & Environment Energy crisis Expanding globalization Disease prevention and longevity Accelerating, exponential technology development

The world in 2030

Prospective study by futurologist Ray Hammond for PlasticsEurope

In 2030, world population will have grown from 6,6 billions people to roughly 8 to 9 billions. How shall we feed such a population? How shall we secure the needs for healthcare? How shall we organize availability and distribution of drinkable water? How shall we organize waste and waste water treatment? How shall we secure the energy needs?

Prevention of food spoils & Higher crop yields

Plastics for Sustainability Plastic packaging prolongs the shelf-life of food. Up to 50% of agricultural food production is spoiled in underdeveloped countries, compared to 2% in the developed world with its intensive use of plastic food packaging. Farmers use plastics products for:
increased yields, earlier harvests, less reliance on herbicides and pesticides more efficient water conservation & irrigation silage (conservation of cattle feed) handling, transport and conservation of food crops

Energy economy
Plastics for Sustainability Thermal insulation in buildings, in refrigeration and in industrial installations Energy economy by weight reduction: transport means, packaging, luggage... Low energy lighting, monitors and displays based on organic electronics (OLED, LCP .) Electrical insulation in cables, batteries, appliances Energy economy by miniaturization of ICT appliances

Energy economy in transport

Plastics for Sustainability Plastics are light
Weight savings resulted in an average fuel consumption cut of 750 liters per life span of 150, 000 km On a year basis thanks to plastics, fuel consumption of cars is reduced by 12 Millions Tons and CO2 emissions by 30 Millions Tons.

Plastics allow aerodynamic and compact design (lower Cx) resulting in lower fuel consumption.

Energy economy in transport

Plastics for Sustainability The Airbus 380 has 22% carbon fibre plastic composites giving a 15% fuel saving

The % has grown up to 50% for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Enabling the positive energy home

Plastics for Sustainability

Central ventilation station with heat recuperation

PUR Roof Insulation Solar Panel EPS Insulation Latent Heat Storage Plaster Fuel Cell

PVC Triple Glazing

Quelle: BASF

New technologies for renewable energy

Plastics for Sustainability Wind energy: composite wind mill blades Solar energy panels: barrier sheet, encapsulation films, frames, Flexible organic solar cells Batteries and fuel cells for stocking of renewable energy Transparent plastic reactors for oil production from algae

Renewable energies are only feasible with plastics

Plastics for Sustainability

Renewable energies are only feasible with plastics

Plastics for Sustainability

Renewable energies are only feasible with plastics

Plastics for Sustainability

Conservation of resources
Plastics for Sustainability More with less: continuous increase of performance of materials and processing technologies Increasing use of renewable raw materials: Biopolymers : modified natural polymers and biotechnologically engineered polymers Natural reinforcement materials Wood-plastic composites Electronic data carriers make an economy of paper: CD/DVD, hard disks, memory sticks, electronic paper Recycling and design for recycling

Conservation of biodiversity
Plastics for Sustainability PVC windows, plastic decorative sheets and WPC terrace boards make an economy of tropical hardwood Synthetic elastomers and plastics reduced the need for transformation of tropical forests into natural rubber plantations 60% of worldwide textiles production is synthetic: it would not be sustainable to increase 2.5x the environmental burden of cotton cultivation and sheep herding

Sustainable water management

Plastics for Sustainability Drinking water pipelines: lesser installation costs, longer lifetime, less leaking Dual sewerage systems: more efficient waste water treatment Water infiltration systems Membranes for seawater desalination Membranes for sealing of water basins, landfills and polluted sites Water economy through design: avoiding death zones results in 2 L economy per washing cycle

Affordable healthcare
Plastics for Sustainability Syringes, catheters, blood & infusion bags, lenses, spectacles are made of plastics because of hygiene, security, comfort feeling and price Implants and artificial limbs Medical and pharmaceutical packaging

Affordable healthcare
Plastics for Sustainability

Future span of life time 120-130 years? Thanks to polymeric biocompatible solutions, it is possible to apply reconstructive solutions for bones and tendons and perform micro-sounds.

Increased security and protection

Plastics for Sustainability Protective equipment and clothing for sports, driving and professionals Safety features in cars and other transport means: airbags, headrests, safety belts ... Protective plastic packaging in the food chain: hygiene, traceability, MAP, tamper proof Child protective & elderly friendly packaging Insulating protection for electrical appliances Acoustic protection (open cellular foams)

Substitution of plastics would not be sustainable!

Denkstatt report, June 2010

Substitution of plastics in EU27+2 by other materials would result in an increase of Total materials mass x 3.7 Energy consumption + 57% (= 2400 million GJ/year) GHG emissions + 61% (= CO2 emissions of Belgium = 39% of EU15 Kyoto target) The use of plastics for thermal insulation, for food packaging and to produce renewable energy results in extraordinary use benefits. Carbon balance: Estimated use benefits 5-9 times higher than the emissions from production and recovery. Big potential for increasing carbon balance benefits: In 2020 use benefits could be 9-15 times higher. Polymers based on renewable resources are not per se better than conventional plastics based on fossil resources. (Depends on resource efficiency and end-of-life treatment)

The end of oil will not stop the use of plastics!

Plastics are made from hydrocarbons (ethylene, propylene, styrene, ...) These hydrocarbons are today obtained from oil because it is still the most economical feedstock Hydrocarbons can also be made from methane, coal and biomass (e.g. bio-ethanol) Some alternative renewable raw materials for plastics are: starch, cellulose, sugars, lactic acid, organic waste, vegetal oils, microorganisms .....

Oil use
87% is incinerated !

Transport 45% Others 5% Chemicals 4% Energy & Heating 42% Plastics 4%

Plastics = most sustainable use of oil !

Plastics borrow fossil hydrocarbons and return those afterwards into the fuel cycle
87%

extraction refining
feedstock production 9%

Oil
energy use

energy recovery

other

feedsto ck recy
plastic production 4%

cling

end of life use phase

ng cycli re erial mat

product production

Road map for a sustainable plastics cycle

Energy
) (Fossil fuels, renewables)

Fossil fuels represent today >99% of the raw material base Growing interest in the use of biomass as feedstock Increase in recycling and energy recovery of plastics waste The most eco-efficient raw materials and energy choices must be made !
Modified Crops

Resource Procurement for Plastics

Biomass

Oil & Gas

Recycled Feedstock

Monomers

Biodegradable Polymers

Traditional Polymers

Mechanical recycling

Energy recovery CO

Landfill

Feedstock recycling

Energy

Ovam - Plan C, 2008

Transition arena Sustainable Materials

WG Sustainable Plastics
Federplast.be, essenscia, UGhent, KUL, Ovam, LNE, PVC Info, Deceuninck, ExxonMobil Chem.

Today:
Raw materials: 99.9% fossil / 0.1% renewable Waste :13% landfill / 28% recycling / 59% incineration with energy recovery

Sustainable scenario for the future :

Raw materials: X% fossil / (100-X)% renewable Waste: 0% landfill / more than X% recycling / less than (100-X)% incineration with energy recovery

Plastics will become a carbon sink !

Post consumer plastics waste in Belgium

Evolution of recycling and energy recovery
%
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Recycling

Energy recovery

Bioplastics versus Biofuels

LCA based approach required Prof. Martin Patel, Utrecht University (EPN March 2008)
Energy gain from bio-ethanol used as a substitution for: 1. Biofuel: 9.5 GJ/ton 2. Petrochemical ethanol: 37.5 GJ/ton (4x more !) His conclusion: In a world of scarce agricultural land and forest resources, it is more effective to use biomass for production of chemicals compared to the use for biofuels

EU biofuel target: 10% in 2020 > feedstock need of the European plastics industry More sustainable scenario: biomass be used as raw material base for plastics and after this first use to be recycled or to be recovered as energy.

Ovam - Plan C, 2008 - WG Sustainable Plastics

6 transition paths towards a sustainable plastics industry 2030-2050 Raw materials base 1. Biopolymers and bio-feedstock (e.g. bio-ethanol) 2. CO2 as raw material Closing the loop 3. Higher functionality: prevention, monomaterials, ... 4. Better sorting, recycling and energy recovery technologies 5. Eco design & Design for recycling Transition management 6. LCA-based evaluation tool