In 2020, Selene decided to apply the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) methodology to assess and compare the environmental impacts associated with FFS (Form Fill and Seal) tube products used for bagging industrial products.

In particular, the standard FFS packaging comprised of 100% virgin polyethylene (PE) was compared with the FFS packaging obtained with the NextBag™ production process containing 50% PRP, the recycled PE produced in Selene’s facility in Capannori (Lucca) from the company’s process waste and from customers’ used bags recovered from collection centers (post-consumer waste).

The aim of the study conducted by Ergo S.r.l., a spin-off company of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, is twofold:

1. to provide results that can support the company in identifying the potential environmental benefits deriving from replacing virgin raw material with secondary raw material
2. to identify the main sources of impact associated with the products object of the study

The specific focus of the LCA study.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology that assesses the environmental burdens associated with a given product, process or activity, identifying and quantifying material and energy consumption and emissions into the environment.

LCA allows comparing different products having the same function, and identifying the most relevant impacts on which to focus reduction efforts.

In this case, the study focusses on assessing the comparison of the environmental impact of the FFS tube in virgin polyethylene (PE), with the new FFS tube obtained through the NextBag™ production process, that will initially entail 50% of Selene’s recycled material (a figure that can soon reach 80%).

The term “life cycle” refers to the fact that an overall survey of the issue is performed taking into consideration the product’s entire life cycle: from the extraction and converting of the raw materials, to production, transport and use, up to recycling and disposal. Basically, it is an overall quantification of the environmental burdens of the life cycle that takes place by metering consumption of raw materials, water and energy.

The study was performed pursuant to the principles and requirements of the following international Standards:

• ISO 14040:2006/Amd 1:2020 Environmental management - Life cycle assessment - Principles and framework Amendment 1 (ISO 2020)
• ISO 14044:2006/Amd 2:2020 Environmental management - Life cycle assessment - Requirements and guidelines Amendment 2 (ISO 2020)

The study was reviewed by a panel of independent third-party critical reviewers.

The software used for the LCA analysis was SimaPro 9 with Ecoinvent database v. 3.8.

Selene’s NextBag™ production process.

The Next Bag project focusses on circular production by implementing three distinct phases of the production chain:

1. Recovery of used packaging;
2. Recycling them;
3. Reusing the regenerated raw material.

1. Recovery of the pressed bags at customers’ facilities and at collection centers. The used material, properly sorted, selected, and stored at customers’ facilities and at collection centers, is periodically gathered and taken to Selene’s production facilities.
2. Recycling, washing, and regeneration of the raw material. After selection, the used packaging passes to the recycling process: grinding, washing in deinking plants with water-based detergents, rinsing, and drying. All the production phases are optimized and aimed at reducing waste as well as water and energy consumption. The washed “flake” then passes to the regranulation phase to become, after verifications by Selene’s Quality Recycling (SQR) lab, a Premium Recycled Polymer (PRP).
3. Reuse of the polymer to produce quality sustainable bags. The Premium Recycled Polymer (PRP) is used in the middle layer of all types of packaging, since its quality features are totally similar to 100% virgin polymers, ensuring durability, functionality and performance.

Assessment and interpretation of the environmental impacts of the LCA study.

Below is a report of the environmental performance of the functional unit chosen for the LCA study: 1 kg of FFS tube in the standard version (100% virgin PE polymer) versus the NextBag™ version (with 50% recycled PE polymer), intended for the automatic bagging of industrial products.

The boundaries of the system of products analyzed are of the “cradle to gate” type, i.e., from the moment they are produced until they reach the gates of the facility. The products analyzed are both intermediate products, and for this reason, it was decided to set the boundaries of the system from the extraction phase of the raw material to the moment the product leaves the facility. Transport to the filling site was thus excluded, as were the cutting, filling and sealing phases of the product analyzed, transport to the distribution center, use and disposal at the end-of-life of the product, and its packaging.

Table reports and compares the (characterized) results of the environmental footprint of the two types of FFS tube produced in the standard and NextBag™ versions.

The impact categories analyzed using the Environmental Footprint (EF 3.0) calculation method developed by the European Commission were the following: Climate change, Reduction of the ozone layer, Ionising radiation, Photochemical oxidant creation, Particulates/smog caused by the emission of inorganic substances, Toxicity for humans – cancerous effects, Toxicity for humans – non-cancerous effects, Acidification, Eutrophication – freshwater, Eutrophication – marine, Eutrophication – terrestrial, Ecotoxicity – freshwater environment, Land transformation, Depletion of water resources, Depletion of fossil resources, Depletion of mineral and metal resources.

The analysis of the results illustrated that all the categories considered showed an important reduction in environmental impact with the FFS tube containing 50% recycled PE.

Conclusions.

The results of the LCA study showed that the FFS NextBag™ tube is more sustainable from an environmental point of view compared to the standard FFS version produced entirely with virgin raw material.

Reducing the amount of virgin polymers can yield environmental benefits of 26% on average, with peaks in impact reduction of about 40% in the categories “Depletion of water resources” and “Depletion of fossil resources”.

In particular, regarding the carbon footprint (Climate Change category), the NextBag™ version presents an impact reduction of about 28%, with an absolute value of 2.40 kg CO2 eq compared to 3.34 kg CO2 eq emitted by the  standard version per kg of product.

In extreme synthesis, if every 1,000 t of FFS standard product with virgin polymers produces 3,340 t of CO2 eq., the same quantity of FFS with the NextBag™ process produces 2,400 t of CO2 eq. A difference of 940 t fewer emissions with FFS NextBag™ packaging.


Table. Total characterised results for FFS standard and NextBag™ tube. The environmental benefits are in green.