Review of life cycle assessment on polyolefins and related materials

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a sustainability measurement tool that identifies the environmental impacts of a product. The uniqueness of the LCA lies in its methodology, which aggregates all environmental burdens throughout the product's life cycle, providing many variables for optimisation of the product (or process). Having occupied a major market share, the environmental impacts associated with the manufacturing and disposal of polyolefins are quite high. The main theme of this paper is to review the reported LCA studies on polyethylenes and polypropylenes including recycled plastics, biobased materials, which are competing with polyolefins, and polyolefin composites. The widely claimed green product 'recycled plastic' is analysed in detail from an LCA perspective, and key points, which determine its sustainability, are discussed. The environmental impacts associated with the manufacturing of polyolefins and their bioalternatives are highlighted. The few published studies of polyolefin composites on different applications are also discussed.