Carbon Footprint

The EcoDiaper

About the EcoDiaperThe EcoDiaper is a new innovation to protect the environment from the big and continuously growing pollution of plastic. The disposable diaper as we know it is usually based on Polypropylene and Polyethylene. Those two plastic materials are very common in the plastic industry but unfortunately are they neither compostable nor based on renewable sources. With those two problem formulations has the creator of the EcoDiaper worked on a solution that can provide all mothers with a new disposable diaper that is both based on renewable sources and is compostable.

What is GWP ?

“Global warming potential (GWP) is a measure of how much a given mass of greenhouse gas is estimated to contribute to global warming. It is a relative scale which compares the gas in question to that of the same mass of carbon dioxide (whose GWP is by convention equal to 1).”

Wikipedia.org

GWP – raw materialsThe primary production of raw materials

Raw materials Weight per diaper (g)

GWP100

kg CO2 eq/kg polymer * Total GWP100

Cellulose 37,27 1,20 0,0447Super Absorbent Polymers 11 3,70 0,0407

PLA 5,5 0,30 0,00165

Mater-Bi 3,71 0,30 0,001113

Hot melt 1,23 0,00 0,00

Polyethylene 1,12 2,60 0,00291

Filament yarn 0,15 0,00 0,00

Polypropylene 0,12 3,90 0,000468

Total 60,10,091579

KgCO₂eq/kWh

GWP - Transportation raw materials to factory

Emission GWP100 value (100 years)

Total GWP100 per emission

Total GWP100 for transport to retail

CO₂ 1KgCO₂eq/tripCO 3

CH₄ 25

Transport of components Distance Units Transportation

RAUMACEL TCF Cellulose 2315 km Truck 2315km

AHLSTROM SPUNBOND 2122 km Truck 2063,4 km/ train 58,6 km

Polycart, Mater-Bi backsheet 137 km Truck

TENOTEX TOPSHEET and Acquisition Layer 397 km Truck

Koester closure tape 923 km Truck

Pantex waist bands 394 km Truck

Henkel hot melt 385 km Truck

TISSUE 103 km Truck

Frontal tape 389 km Truck

SAP BASF 471 km Truck

external box 4,5 km Truck

Bags 273 km Truck

Asahi Kasei elastic yarn 1212 km Truck

Output from the factorywaste and by-products

W.I.P. has developed and mounted a system that gathers all material that otherwise goes to waste at the production line. This wasted material is collected at two places on the production line. At one place all the unused pulp is gathered and is reused for the diaper production.

The other place is where all the other wasted materials, pulp/SAP mix, PLA and paper are collected. Those by-products are sent to North Africa where they are recycled and used for diaper production for this region. The reason for sending these by-products to a diaper production in North Africa is to serve the African people with disposable diapers that are much cheaper than the regular disposable diapers that are available on this market. This is meant to be a help to African parents that otherwise do not have the economy to buy disposable diapers for their babies. The developing countries are not as far as the rest of the world in responsible disposal of household waste, therefore is it vital that this part of the world has the possibility to choose and use products that are environmental friendly. This way of recycling otherwise wasted material is why there is practically nothing that goes to waste from the production. W.I.P. produces app. 50.000 diapers per day and from that is generated app. 30 kg of waste output per day. These daily batches of 30 kg are divided into: 20 kg of mixed recyclables and 10 kg of pulp.

The primary packagingthe primary production of the packaging

Raw materials Weight per bag (g)

GWP100 kg CO2

eq/kg polymer Total GWP100

PLA XXX 0,30 XXXKgCO₂eq/packaging

*”Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the UK", 2005, ISBN: 1-84-432427-3, The Environment Agency, Source: http://www.ahpma.co.uk/docs/LCA.pdf

Raw materials

Weight primary packaging per diaper (g)

GWP100 kg CO2

eq/kg polymer Total GWP100

PLA XXX 0,30 XXXKgCO₂eq/diaper

The primary packaging is a PLA-plastic bag with 25-30 diapers

The associated packagingoutput per day

Packaging material Weight (g) Total GWP100

KgCO₂eq/

Output Total GWP100

Associated packaging KgCO₂eq/

The GWP per 1 diaper from associated packaging

Energy consumptionW.I.P. factory

W.I.P. produces only diapers for infants and therefore is the dividing of the production line into activities not necessary. There are no questionable places in the assembly line regarding the use of energy for the product involved. Everything on this production site is driven by electrical power.

• Production line – electrical power

• Premium packaging machine – electrical power

• Metal detector – electrical power

• Attached crane – electrical power

• Air conditioning + recycling system – electrical power

• Cardboard printer – electrical power

• Plastic wrapping machine – electrical power

• Crane lift – electrical power The facilities do not contain any activities that are driven by other power source than electricity.

Power consumptionW.I.P. factory

• W.I.P is currently using a “green power” supplied by the company Enel.

• W.I.P. is working on a solution based on 30% Solar Panels and 70% Green Power.

• Enel has two green energy sources in Tuscany that are used for green energy supply in this region:

- Hydro power and Geothermal power

GWP – Energy consumption70% green power & 30% solar panels

EmissionGWP100 value (100

years)

Total GWP100 per

emission kg/kWh

Total GWP100 for the

energy consumption of the W.I.P factory

CO₂ 1 44,000144,573 KgCO₂eq/kWh

CH₄ 25 0,000229

EmissionGWP100 value (100

years)

Total GWP100 per

emission kg/kWh

Total GWP100 for the

energy consumption of the W.I.P factory

Global Warming 1 46,866 46,866 KgCO₂eq/kWh

Total GWP100 for combined geothermal power and solar panel

Total GWP100 for combined hydropower and solar panels

Transportation to retailersFreight IT-DK-SE (by truck)

Total distance IT-DK-SE (km) 2769

Total fuel consumed (liter) 791,143 (=664.56 kg)

Emission GWP100 Total GWP100 per

emission

Total GWP100 for

transport to retail CO₂ 1 2086,72

2104,6 KgCO₂eq/tripCO 3 13.557CH₄ 25 4,320

Total GWP100 per one diaper Unit

0,0520 KgCO₂eq/diaper

Transportation to retailersFreight IT-DK-SE (by railway)

Total distance IT-DK-SE (km) 2769

Total GWP100trip per one diaper by railway Unit

0,0012 KgCO₂eq/diaper

The Total GWPall factors

Stages of life cycle Total GWP100 UnitAcquisition and primary production of raw materials 0,091579 KgCO₂eq/diaperTransportation of raw materials KgCO₂eq/diaperPrimary production of primary packaging KgCO₂eq/diaperDisposal of output from associated packaging KgCO₂eq/diaperDisposal of unusable waste from the production KgCO₂eq/diaperEnergy consumption of the W.I.P. factory 45,720 KgCO₂eq/diaperTransport to retailers stores (by truck) 0,0520 KgCO₂eq/diaperTransport to retailers stores (by railway) 0,0012 KgCO₂eq/diaper

GWP per 1 EcoDiaper

Total GWP100 from cradle to customer Unit

KgCO₂eq/diaper

Total GWP100 from cradle to customer (if road transport is used for distribution)

Total GWP100 from cradle to customer (if railway transport is used for distribution)

Total GWP100 from cradle to customer Unit

KgCO₂eq/diaper

ComparisonEcoDiaper VS. “commercial” diaper

Stages of life cycle Total GWP100 for the EcoDiaperTotal GWP100 for the commercial

diaper

Acquisition and primary production of raw materials

0,091579 KgCO₂eq/diaper 0,10787 KgCO₂eq/diaper

ComparisonEcoDiaper VS. “commercial” diaper

1 EcoDiaper 1 Commercial diaper0.08

0.085

0.09

0.095

0.1

0.105

0.11

EcoDiaper VS Commercial diaper

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