JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #61 - November/December 2010 - 19

ccording to most scientists, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are the direct cause of global warming. With this in mind, and in the framework of the Kyoto protocol, the latest Copenhagen conference and, in France, the Grenelle Environment Round Table, significant research has gone into studying the impact of GHGs and the possibilities of keeping the formation of these gases to a minimum. Since all human activity generates, either directly or indirectly, greenhouse gas emissions, it is incumbent on every manufacturer to take an interest in their own contribution to these emissions and in the resulting economic consequences. Accounting for greenhouse gas emissions may take the form of an inventory which can be used in making decisions with a view to reducing these emissions. In France, the "Bilan Carbone®" is the standardised carbon inventory method developed by ADEME, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency, for this type of accounting. It

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Composites and the carbon label
RICHARD FILIPPI GENERAL MANAGER AS2C

Where does the composites industry stand with respect to carbon inventory issues? Is it useful for the manufacturers concerned to know their carbon impact in order either to use it in promoting their development, if it is favourable, or else to find ways of improving it if it is unfavourable? The answers to these questions are vital for anticipating the future and addressing the latest regulations, as well as for keeping one step ahead of the competition.
The carbon label
is based on the ISO 14064 standard, which defines the life cycle analysis principle. Furthermore, any process of eco-design, which is now becoming the rule (see standard ISO 14062), has to involve analysis of these emissions in order to select as far as possible the "low-emission" processes, while at the same time using products with a lowcarbon label. There are several types of greenhouse gases, with differing contributions to global warming (methane, for example, is 25 times more harmful than CO2). A simple unit allowing products to be compared has therefore been defined: the carbon equivalent. The carbon inventory is a standardised aid in the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions. This method is one of the tools needed for establishing life cycle analyses, the scope of which extends beyond greenhouse gas emissions alone. Due to the many uncertainties attached to the values used for making the calculation, this method nonetheless remains purely indicative. It helps you to pinpoint the critical emission items and to identify solutions for reducing them. manufacturing, marketing and end-oflife process. The label depends on several parameters, the main ones being the source of the raw materials, the production process, the mode of transportation and the marketing method. These emission factors, therefore, depend on the mode and place of production. For example, for the manufacturing of aluminium, the carbon labels may vary widely according to whether this involves recycled material or else material produced from metal ore, and according to the production location. The values for France, the USA and Australia (kg CO2 / kg product) are as follows:
Tab. 1: Carbon label for aluminium according to its geographical origin

The carbon label for a product reflects the greenhouse gas emissions generated throughout the product’s

No61 November - December 2010 / jec composites magazine
Aluminium from ore

Australia

France USA

2.89 3.90 6.30

recycled

0.67 0.70

The power production method involved in the manufacture of aluminium – nuclear power in France or coal in Australia – is taken into account.

Raw materials When a product is manufactured, raw materials or semi-processed materials are used. The following table presents various materials and their carbon label. In the

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #61 - November/December 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #61 - November/December 2010