Life Cycle Assessment of Plastic Resin: A Case Study of the Petrochemical Industry in Thailand for the Production of HDPE Resin

Abstract

Life cycle sustainability is an important tool for assessing product performance based on the three pillars of environment, economy and society. This study examined the life cycle impact, cost and social implications of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) resin. Environmental assessment revealed nonrenewable energy as the greatest impact followed by carcinogens, respiratory inorganics and global warming while economically, the operational cost of HDPE resin production was significantly highest. The social impact assessment following the United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP)/ Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) guidelines demonstrated optimal performance for all indicators except for gender ratio and disabled employee criteria which were lower human rights indicators than other companies. The subcategory of occupational health and safety should be specified in future aspects, such as rate of disease from company operation. Energy efficiency and material acquisition should be improved to reduce the environmental impact and positively redress declining costs, leading to decrease in disease rate among workers in the local community. Results suggested that improving environmental impact would increase economic performance through optimal energy efficiency, while the social life cycle assessment indicator should mainly focus on health and safety in the event of disease arising from business operations.