Análisis de la huella de carbono de productos hechos a base de material reciclado de la empresa ecuaplastic S.C.

Abstract

The objective of this degree project was to analyze the carbon footprint of products made from recycled material and to develop a carbon footprint calculator for Ecuaplastic S.C.

As a first stage, it was chosen jointly with Ecuaplastic S.C. 3 stars products for the analysis and based on these, 3 functionally equivalent products were chosen in the same way, but made from virgin raw material to be able to make a comparison. The scope of the study was defined by carrying out a lifting of the production systems considering as study limitations the extraction of raw material (only for Ecuaplastic S.C.), transport to the user, use of the product and final disposal.

The second stage consisted of making an inventory of GHG emissions of the analyzed products. Once the carbon footprint was determined, a comparative analysis was carried out to find the products with the highest emissions and identify processes in which GHG must be reduced. As a third stage, a carbon footprint calculator was developed with the “Excel” tool that would allow Ecuaplastic S.C. select the products from its catalog and it will automatically calculate the carbon footprint for the products to be sold and compare them with their respective products equivalently.

It was concluded that the products of Ecuaplastic S.C. represent a better contribution to the environment, this within the limits established in this study, because, compared to products made from virgin raw material, they produce a lower amount of GHG emissions.