A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) provides insight into the exact environmental impact of a product, across a wide range of environmental impact categories. Examples of these categories include contributions to climate change, land use, and water consumption. In this article, we compare the complete environmental impact of the materials PVC and PET. Knowing the environmental impact of both materials can inform your choice between them. Read more about the results of this comparison.
For both materials, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), we have calculated the environmental impact for 1 kg of material using environmental data from Ecoinvent. This calculation solely considers the impact of the materials themselves; the impact arising during the production or transport of a potential final product is not included.
The impact categories of an LCA
When conducting an LCA, the environmental impact is determined in the broadest sense. The various effects on the environment are grouped into what we call 'impact categories'.
We determine with the client which impact categories are relevant for the specific product, and thus considered in the LCA. Learn more about the different impact categories in our article: https://nl.hhc.earth/knowledge-base/theres-more-than-carbon-impact-categories-overview
Below is a table showing the environmental impact of PVC and PET across all impact categories.
The environmental impact of both materials
In the chart below, the environmental impact of both materials is displayed side-by-side for each impact category. For each category, the material with the highest impact is represented as 100%, and the impact of the second material is compared as a percentage of that.
The impact category contribution to climate change, "Climate Change," is perhaps the best-known impact category. This category reflects the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the functional unit of the LCA, in this case, 1 kg of each material. PET has a greater environmental impact in this category than PVC; 3.50 kg CO2-eq vs. 2.55 kg CO2-eq.
The table and chart show us that it varies by impact category which material has a greater environmental impact.
For example, in terms of land use, PET also has a greater environmental impact than
PVC.
Land Use:
PET = 2.52 Pt
PVC = 1.97 Pt.
However, when we look at water use, PVC has a greater impact than PET.
Water Use:
PET = 0.68 m3 depriv.
PVC = 1.02 m3 depriv.
In the following impact categories, PVC has the greatest environmental impact: Ecotoxicity, freshwater, Human toxicity, cancer, and Water use.
And PET has the greatest environmental impact in the impact categories: Climate change, Particulate matter, Eutrophication, marine, Eutrophication, freshwater, Eutrophication, terrestrial, Human toxicity, non-cancer, Ionising radiation, Land use, Ozone depletion, Photochemical ozone formation, Resource use, fossils and Resource use, minerals and metals.
Conclusion: which material should I choose?
Many organisations use the Climate Change impact category as the main reference when they want to understand or communicate the environmental impact of a product. However, as you've read in this article, there are many more environmental impact categories than just this one. And it can vary by impact category which option is the most sustainable choice.
In this example, we see that PET has a higher environmental impact in 13 of the 16 impact categories compared to PVC.
Besides environmental considerations, factors such as cost, product functionality, and consumer preferences also play a role in the final material choice. PVC and PET have different properties. For instance, PET is naturally a sturdy type of plastic with good barrier properties against oxygen and water vapor. This makes PET a popular choice for beverage and food packaging.
LCA results can help you optimize your product design and improve manufacturing processes, so you meet not only the economic and functional requirements set for your final product but also environmental standards.
If you want to learn more about LCAs, and what these insights could mean for you, consider scheduling a meeting with one of our LCA experts.
.webp)