Comparing life cycle energy and GHG emissions of bio‐based PET, recycled PET, PLA, and man‐made cellulosics
Open accessAbstract
The purpose of this paper is to review the environmental profiles of petrochemical PET, (partially) bio‐based PET, recycled PET, and recycled (partially) bio‐based PET, and compare them with other bio‐based materials, namely PLA (polylactic acid, a bio‐based polyester) and man‐made cellulose fibers (cellulose fiber produced from wood pulp, i.e. Viscose, Modal and Tencel). Life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on polymers, fibers and bottles made from these materials are reviewed. Only non‐renewable energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are considered. The scope is cradle to grave excluding the use phase. The results show that both recycled and bio‐based materials offer important environmental benefits over single‐use petrochemical PET. Among the four PET product systems studied, recycled (partially) bio‐based PET has the lowest impacts, followed by recycled PET, (partially) bio‐based PET, and petrochemical PET. PLA and man‐made cellulose fibers produced in an integrated plant have lower impacts than both petrochemical PET and bio‐based PET. The impacts of recycled products are strongly influenced by the choice of the allocation method applied to open‐loop recycling. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd
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The choice of allocation method for handling open-loop recycling can strongly influence the preference of a recycled fibre compared to a virgin fibre.
“Moreover, Shen et al. (2012) show that the choice of allocation method for handling open-loop recycling can strongly influence the preference of a recycled fibre compared to a virgin fibre.”
From Environmental impact of textile reuse and recycling – A review (2018) · cites this paper as Shen et al., 2012
Recycled fibres do not necessarily have lower environmental impact compared to all types of virgin fibres.
“Shen et al. (2012) show that recycled fibres do not necessarily have lower environmental impact compared to all types of virgin fibres.”
From Environmental impact of textile reuse and recycling – A review (2018) · cites this paper as Shen et al., 2012
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References 24 · Cited by 146
- Authors
- Shen, L., Worrell, E., & Patel, M. K.
- Affiliations
- Utrecht University (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Patel, Martin K
- Venue
- Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2012-11
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 625-639
- ISSN
- 1932-1031 (ISSN-L)
- 1932-104X
- OpenAlex
- W1757201016
- Cited by
- 146
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 5
- FWCI
- 1.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Locations
- Biofuels Bioproducts and Biorefining (publishedVersion)
- Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Polymers and Plastics › Polymer crystallization and properties
- Keywords
- recycled PET, polylactic acid, rayon, modal verbs, lyocell, life cycle energy, greenhouse gas emissions, bio-based polymers, wood pulp fibers
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