LCA & EPD
The growing interest in environmental issues is creating new markets for products and services that are genuinely eco-compatible. This new economic parameter is the adoption of a series of instruments that measure, control and check the environmental performance.
Life Cycle Analysis LCA and more recently EPD, the Environmental Product Declaration are considered strategic for verifying the true environmental benefit of using biodegradable plastic polymers.
LCA - Life Cycle Analysis
Life cycle analysis is a method for analysing manufacturing processes, products and services, which favours studying systems from a global viewpoint. The only way to study production systems completely is the step by step examination of their performance i.e. the route covered by the raw materials through all of the transformation and transpor- tation processes until the final treatment. This approach is termed "from cradle to grave".
The role of LCA is essential in identifying the manufacturing processes that have the greatest environmental impact and then indicating the options for improvement in order to maximise the positive effects and reduce the negative effects on the environment.
EPD - Environmental Product Declaration
The EPD is an important voluntary instrument for qualifying companies that intend to take an active role in managing the environment factor. The EPD enables communication of the environmental contents of a product, objectively and transparently.
The presence of recognised rules used by a qualified and authoritative managing body which are based on a reliable validation system are essential elements for guaranteeing and protecting EPD use.
