Search About Corbion Sustainability Life Cycle Assessment Share this page Contact Twitter LinkedIn Enable our customers to make conscious choices What is a Life Cycle Assessment? Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology for the systematic and quantitative evaluation of the environmental performance of a product through all stages of its life cycle, from raw material extraction through production, use and disposal (“cradle to grave”). An LCA can be used as scientific basis to identify improvement opportunities, to compare different products and support decision making in new product and process development. Environmental impacts that are typically evaluated in an LCA study include greenhouse gas emissions, water use, land use and use of non-renewable energy LCA at Corbion Corbion also uses LCA to enable our customers to make conscious choices and we aim to perform cradle-to-gate LCAs for 50% of our products by 2020. Using this data, we can work side by side with customers to support them on the improvement of their environmental footprint and on the substantiation of their sustainability claims. Carbon footprint lactic acid production Thailand We have performed an LCA for our lactic acid production process in Thailand. This LCA has been peer reviewed according to ISO 14040/44 standards*. Based on this study, we have derived LCAs for all products produced in Thailand. The infographic below shows the total impact (kg CO2 per ton lactic acid) and the impact per step in the chain. Sugar cane fields During the growing of the sugar cane, CO2 is absorbed by the sugar cane plants from the air. CO2 emissions are related to direct emissions on the field due to the release of N2O during fertilizer application (N2O is a significant contributor to climate change) and to land use transformation from forest, perennial crops or other annual crops to sugarcane. Also important is the energy consumed by farming machinery. Sugar mill At the sugar mill, sugarcane is crushed to obtain a sugar-rich juice which is purified into sugar. This process generates two main by-products: bagasse (the pressed sugarcane) and molasses. Bagasse is efficiently incinerated with heat and electricity production. With this energy the sugar mill is energetic self-sufficient and the electricity surplus is sold to the Thai grid. Overall this stage has a negative carbon footprint, because the production of electricity avoids the use of fossil fuels and related CO2 emissions. Lime production Lime is produced by burning of lime stone, to convert calcium carbonate (limestone) into calcium hydroxide (lime). This process releases CO2 and therefore has a significant contribution to the overall carbon footprint. Lactic acid plant This stage includes the conversion of sugar to lactic acid. The main impacts on the carbon footprint are related to the energy use (electricity and steam). In the process, lime is needed to control the pH of the fermentation. The lactic acid process generates several valuable by-products, such as gypsum, which are re-used as a soil conditioner in agriculture. LCA end-of-life options for different applications of bioplastics packaging Together with Total Corbion PLA, we have performed an LCA to compare the environmental impact of different end-of-life options of PLA food packaging including the weight of the food waste left behind when thrown away by the user. For more information see the PDF below. * Environmental footprint of Lactic acid and Lactide from Thailand, Corbion 2017 LCA approach for Corbion’s product portfolio: Lactic acid derivative plants, Corbion 2017 Subscribe Contact Life Cycle Impact Assessment Of Polylactic Acid Pla 2019 Lca Of Bioplastics Packaging Home Contact us Privacy Cookie policy Legal entities Disclaimer Twitter LinkedIn Cookie use Corbion uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue we assume that you consent to receive all cookies on all Corbion websites. Yes, I agree No, I don't agree