Asahi Kasei AWP LCA study
Background for the LCA analysis
•
•
•
Global demand of reducing Greenhouse Gas（GHG) emission
First introduction to the flexo printing industry on the FTA 2007 (Montreal, Canada)
Brand owners are the drivers with the aim to improve their environmental impact
and drive costs out by reducing energy.
Timberland shoe box packaging
Asahi Kasei LCA methodology for the
investigation and calculation
International Accounting Standards
The basic prerequisite for being able to measure and jointly manage greenhouse gas
emissions is to have a scientifically substantiated, transparent and internationally
coordinated assessment framework both on the corporate and the product level. And,
for the full product life cycle: that is, from manufacturing to use to disposal. Today
these assessment standards are under development under the following working
document: PAS 2050:2008 (Specification for the assessment of the life cycle
greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services)
•There are several calculation software packages used around the world such as Gabi,
SimaPro, or LCA-Pro（JPN). As there is no global accounting standard today
•Conversion ratio of CO2 emission in relation to the Ajinomoto Company material data
base was used.
•Asahi Kasei E-materials calculation was based on the ISO14040/14044 using JEMAI*
methodology
* JEMAI:Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry
LCA Scope from “cradle to grave”
Material / Production
Laser imaging
A
Time(min)
E（KWH）
@plate dimension
Usage [plate making]
Main exposure
Drying
Plate processing
B
C
Time(min)
E（KWH）
@plate dimension
Fresh washing solution
Post exposure /finishing
D
Time(min)
E（KWH）
@plate dimension
Plate
Disposal [plate]
Processor
E
Time(min)
E（KWH）
@plate dimension
Time(min)
E（KWH）
@plate dimension
Solid Waste
Disposal
Plate
Waste water
Feed：l/sqm
Feed back：l/sqm
Recycle ratio: %
Detergent W300
Detergent
Na2CO3
Mixture
Filter
Flow：l/sqm
Filtration
Distillation
Waste polymer
Water
Time(min)
E（KWH）
@plate dimension
Waste polymer: kg/sqm
Recycle water
Recycle W300
Waste：l/sqm
Waste Detergent
Na2CO3
Waste polymer kg/sqm
Asahi Kasei LCA study
CO2 contribution % by item
100%
90%
80%
waste plate incineration
70%
waste cloth incineration
60%
waste solid drain
incineration
waste solution incineration
filtlation
50%
distillation
40%
post exposure
drying
30%
rinsing
20%
10%
0%
AWP (DEF)
Solvent system
Thermal system
Asahi Kasei AWP LCA study
Product Carbon Foot Print
20
CO2 Emissions [kg-CO2/sqm] @ 1.14mmthickness
18
waste plate incineration
waste cloth incineration
waste solid incineration
waste solution incineration
filtlation
distillation
post exposure
drying
rinsing
processing
main exposure
lassr imaging
transportation
production+packing
materials
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
AWP (DEF)
Solvent system
Thermal system
AWP LCA conclusion
• AWP water wash technology shows the lowest
product carbon footprint from “cradle to grave”
among the studied technologies
• AWP can reduce natural resources by re-using
the wash water during plate processing
• AWP´s low product CO2 footprint results in a
total process cost reduction
• Asahi will continue its sustainable approach
for
its future product development