JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #61 - November/December 2010 - 20

BUSINESS
Trend
Aluminium from ore Other forestry wood 50%-GF composites Sustainablymanaged wood Steel from ore Virgin plastic Glass

Tab. 2: Carbon label for various raw materials in France

g…/… Composites and the carbon label

Raw material

Kg carbon (equivalent per kg)

0.87 2.89 0.28 0.64 0.46 0.5 0

Density (kg/m3)

7,800 600 600

2,700 2,500 1,000 1,500

Kg carbon (equivalent per m²/mm thickness)

6.79 7.80 0.70 0.64 0.69 0.30 0

case of France, the orders of magnitude are as in table 2 (ADEME V5 emission factors guide).

This table illustrates the intrinsic influence of the raw material. The last column demonstrates the direct and favourable influence of a low product density. Note the case of wood which, in a sustainablymanaged forest, has a carbon label of zero since, during its growth, it absorbs the CO2 that it will emit at the end of its life cycle. Production processes The manufacturing process may use energy from various sources. The following table illustrates the CO2 emissions produced per kWh according to the fuel source used.
Electricity, France Household waste Kerosene Coal LPG Gas ~ 15 267 343 206 231 149

Tab. 3: Carbon label for fuels

jec composites magazine / No61 November - December 2010
Mode of transportation Fuels g CO2/kWh

Heavy fuel oil

Gasoline

271

264

Note the case of electricity in France, for which the carbon label value is very low on account of it being produced from nuclear energy; the same does not apply if it is produced from fossil fuel power plants. During the manufacturing phase, other emissions are taken into account, such as personnel movements, buildings, etc. Mode of transportation The last link in the manufacturing chain is the transportation of the product to its destination, with the emissions depending on the mode of transport. For example:
Plane Train Boat 0.0062 0.0010 0.6000

Tab. 4: Carbon label for transports

Truck (20 t)

Kg C equ. / T / km

0.0710

Marketing method In the marketing process, the travel of sales reps, the manufacturing of brochures, participation in trade fairs, etc., are all parameters of varying magnitude that are taken into account in order to produce a comprehensive analysis. In conclusion, all these values – which remain purely indicative since they depend on numerous parameters that are difficult to quantify with precision – are nonetheless significant. They make it possible to bring to light the stand-out items, with a view to attempting to minimise them. This method makes it possible to allocate to a product its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. This in turn allows the user of the manufactured product to know just how the products that he or she uses are contributing to CO2 emissions. This may therefore encourage the user to prefer one solution over another.
- Power - Emissions excluding power - Freight - Movement of persons - Packaging materials - Other raw materials - Waste products and waste water - End-of-life packaging - Amortization of buildings and equipment 1,000 T 200 T 4,000 T 500 T 1,600 T 2,000 T 100 T 700 T 300 T

Analysis

When carrying out a Bilan Carbone® carbon inventory for a company, you start by defining the scope of the study, then you take into account everything that will contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Once this accounting is set up, you seek to identify the most important items that need to be addressed in order to make the company eco-responsible. In an example taken from the November 2005 brochure of ADEME dealing with the Bilan Carbone®, the following GHG emission items are given for Company "X":

Even if maritime transport produces relatively low levels of greenhouse gases, manufacturing products close to their place of use is once again becoming a favourable criterion.

Raw materials are the second-largest emissions item after freight. Therefore, one way of reducing your carbon inventory would either be to use less of the raw materials, or to use raw materials with a

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

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