Environmental Solutions from Heritage Plastics

8/9/2019 Environmental Solutions from Heritage Plastics

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Meeting present needs, without compromising the Earths future.

Advancing Additive Technology

environmental solutions


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Corporate Headquarters

1002 Hunt Street

Picayune, MS 39466 USA

800.245.4623 Voice

601.798.1946 Fax

www.heritage-plastics.com

2008 Heritage Plastics, Inc. All Rights Reserved

environmentalsolutions


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SustainableDevelopment

Development that meetsthe needs of the present,

without compromising

the ability of future

generations to meet

their own needs.

As defined by The WCED (WorldCommission on Environment andDevelopment)

Definitions

LCA (Life Cycle Analysis)Determines the full environmental impact of a product,analyzing its original production, its upstream supplieroperations and its downstream customer useand disposal.

LLDPE (Linear Low Density Polyethylene)General purpose polyethylene (plastic) commonly usedin blown film applications.

Source ReductionDecreasing the amount of materials or energy usedduring the manufacturing or distribution of productsand packages. Source reduction is one of the EPAs topconcerns in regards to sustaining the environment.

Greenhouse Gas (Global Warming)

Gases which absorb outgoing terrestrial radiation, suchas water vapor, methane, CFCs, carbon dioxide andnitrous oxide, thereby raising the temperature of the earth.

Carbon FootprintThe amount of greenhouse gas generated duringa products entire life cycle including raw materialproduction, manufacturing, transportation, distribution,use and disposal.

PetrochemicalChemicals derived from sources of petroleum or

natural gas.

Solid WasteA mass of over 230 million tons of garbage generatedby the US annually with the majority divertedto landfills.

Carbon Number or CO2 eq (Carbon dioxide equivalent)Commonly used measurement of the most prevalentgreenhouse gases and their Global Warming Potential(GWP) by relating them back to CO2 (carbon dioxide).For example, CO2 has a GWP of 1 while N2O (nitrous oxide)

has a GWP of 310.

References

LCAs conducted follow the National Risk Management Research Laboratories (NRMRL) Life CycleAssessment: Principles and Practices in conjunction with the US Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA)

Resin carbon emission numbers were derived from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory(NREL) US Life Cycle Inventory Databases and the European Union Life Cycle Data System(ELCD)

Common Reference comparisons used the EPAs Greenhouse Gas Equivalences Calculator;

www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html


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Heritage Plastics: Products that help!

Our Commitment To ASustainable Environment!Helping Create Sustainable Products

For decades, plastic products have assisted in providing a clean, healthy and efficient livingenvironment for millions of people. Everything from a plastic bag to a milk carton; from astyrofoam cup to a park bench contribute to an endless list of plastic products whose benefitsare immeasurable.

Heritage Plastics produces natural reinforcement additive compounds that reducepetrochemical usage, energy usage and the carbon footprint (greenhouse gas emission)in the manufacturing of plastic products.

COMMITMENT

Source Reduction:

Any change in the

design, manufacture,

purchase, or use of

materials or products(including packaging)

to reduce their

combined impact on

the environment.

Reducing Petrochemical Usage

We have developed additives that reduce as much petrochemical usage as

possible in a products life cycle, while enhancing the products function in

everyday life.

Reducing Energy Usage

Through formulations that make use of abundant natural mineral resources,

our additives reduce the amount of energy used to manufacture products.

Reducing Carbon Footprint (Greenhouse Gas Emission)

By facilitating source reduction and manufacturing process efficiencies, our

additives have a profound positive impact on the amount of greenhouse

gas that is generated throughout a products life cycle.


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EDUCATION LCA(Life Cycle Analysis)Determining True Environmental Impact of a Product

LCA determines the true environmental impact of a product. The analysis not onlylooks at a given company process, but also looks upstream at supplier operationsand downstream to customer use and product disposal.

Through the LCA, the environmental impact of a products life can be measured in threekey environmental impact areas: its petrochemical usage, its energy usage, and itscarbon footprint (greenhouse gas emissions). These key areas are affected by LCA factors:raw material production, raw material transportation, manufacturing process and disposal.See Figure 1.

LCA Factors

Raw Material Production

Where are the raw materials from?

What is their carbon footprint?

Raw Material Transportation

How are the raw materials transported?

What distance did they travel?

Manufacturing Process

How much energy is used?

How energy efficient is the equipment?

Where does waste water content go?

How much scrap and landfill waste is generated?

Product End of Life

Is the product recycled, reclaimed or landfilled?

Key Environmental

Impact Areas

Petrochemical Usage

Energy Usage

Carbon Footprint

TotalEnvironmental

Impact


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CarbonFootprint

PetrochemicalUsage

EnergyUsage

Figure 1: LCA: Determining the true environmental impact of a product.

LCA Factors

Raw Material ProductionRaw Material Transportation


Products End of Life

Your Product



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RESPONSIBILITY It Starts With UsOur Products LCA (Life Cycle Analysis)

We believe thoroughly addressing the LCA factors is the best way to evaluate theenvironmental sustainability of any given product.

Our additives improve the environmental life cycle of products and have their ownsustainable life cycle history as well.

Applying the LCA factors to our Mineral Additive Products: See Figure 2


Where are the raw materials from?What is their carbon footprint?

Raw Material TransportationHow are the raw materials transported?What distance did they travel?

Manufacturing ProcessHow much energy is used?

How energy efficient is the equipment?Where does waste water content go?How much scrap and landfill waste is generated?

Product End of LifeIs the product recycled, reclaimed or landfilled?

Association of PostconsumerPlastics Recyclers

SUSTAINABLE PACKAGINGCOALITIONMember of:


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ReducedCarbonFootprint

Reduced

PetrochemicalUsage

ReducedEnergyUsage

Raw Material ProductionOur products are highly concentrated calcium carbonate additives. Calciumcarbonate is a mineral that is created by a geological process knownas the "carbonate cycle," yielding massive amounts of calcium carbonatedeposits worldwide. The greenhouse gas emissions associated withthese minerals are minor compared to polymers (plastics). Polymersaccount for a minor fraction of our products and recycled polymersare considered where appropriate.

Raw Material TransportationThe greenhouse gas emissions generated by the transport of rawmaterials is significant. We have minimized the transportationfactor associated with the production of our products by locatingour plant only a few hundred yards from the raw material source.For all other raw materials used, large volume via rail is thepreferred mode of transport in order to minimizefuel consumption.


Our plants use state-of-the-art, high-output automatedcompounding equipment. This helps minimize the energyrequired to produce our products, and results in such highefficiencies that greenhouse gas emissions, waste water, scrapand landfill needs are kept to an absolute minimum.

Product End of LifeWe work with our customers to show them how to reduce energy inputsand optimize their products design. The addition of our additives does notadversely affect a products recyclability. Our BioTuf976 product is used to create

compostable products that help divert organic waste from landfills and into compostingoperations across the country.


Figure 2: LCA of Mineral Additive Products from Heritage PlasticsThe life cycle of our products shows reductions in all three environmentalimpact areas: petrochemical usage, energy consumption andcarbon footprint (greenhouse gas emissions).

Our AdditiveProducts


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INNOVATION Products With Sustainable OpportunitiesWe offer a sustainable product for every plastic application.

Our Sustainable Products

Product Application

HM10-Max Polyolefin Films

PolyMax Rigid Packaging

PolyCal Extrusion Coating

HiCal Injection Molding

StyroCal Sheet/Thermoforming and Injection Molding

BioTuf 976 Film, Sheet/Thermoforming and MoldingCompostable Compound


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Environmental benefits of our products

ReplacesOur products replace petrochemical-based plastics in polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene-based packagingand packaging components.

ReducesOur additives reduce dependency on petrochemical-based products, in addition to lowering the energy used duringprocessing, and reducing the carbon footprint (greenhouse gas emissions) of the overall package.

ReusableMineral-reinforced plastics are ideal for heavy-duty applications, including pallets and dunnage trays which may be used repeatedly.

RecyclablePlastic products containing our additives may be recycled.

SafeHeritage Plastics products are FDA approved for food contact (CaCO 3 on GRAS list).

BioTuf 976 100% compostable compound

This compound is 100% biodegradable and compostable and is ASTM D6400-certified for compostability.


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A Simple Real World ExampleBlown Film Application: Producing A Plastic Trash BagThe LCA after replacing 20% of the original input material with Heritage's HM10-Max

REAL WORLD

LCA Test Results

Once we added HM10-Max to the formulation,

everything changed. The test data revealed

profound positive results. The enhanced

performance properties alone that HM10-Max

provided affected every one of the LCA factors.

Not only were we able to replace 20% of the

petrochemical material with HM10-Max, the

extra strength it provided allowed us to

manufacture a thinner bag with even greater

performance properties than the original.

Frank Ruiz

Frank Ruiz: A polymer chemist since 1976,

Frank is an expert in the use and development

of mineral reinforcement concentrates.

As a pioneer in the use of mineral additives

for commodity polyolefin and polystyrene

applications, Frank helped develop manufacturing standards

and polymer blend formulations that now make possible

the production of the thinnest plastic bags we have ever

known, possessing outstanding performance properties.

Frank also pioneered the BioTuf compostable can liner

for Heritage Bag Company. BioTuf liners are used to help

divert organic waste from landfills and into composting

operations across the country.

CarbonNumber,CO2eqlb/ton

700

650

600

550

500

450

400

350

300

250

200

0.85 Mil 20% HM10-Maxin LLDPE

MD Tear TestDart Impact Test

Force(g)

1.0 Mil 100% LLDPE

By using HM10-Max the performance of the film (bag)is maintained at lower gauges (thickness). This meansless plastic will be used for the same product function.

Performance Comparison using HM10-Max

233

232

231

230

229

228

227

226

2650

2600

2550

2500

2450

2400

2350

2300

Reduction in Power Required Using HM10-Max

LLDPE Blown Film with20% HM10-Max

100% LLDPE

LLDPEBlownFilm

Use of HM10-Maxaccounted for asignificant reduction in the powerused to process the film (bag), savingapproximately 2,000 kwh per1,000,000 pounds processed.

0.85Mil1.0Mil 0.85

Mil1.0Mil

Petrochemical Displacement Using 20% HM10-Max

The displacement of petrochemicalbased-LLDPE plastic alone, reducedgreenhouse gas emission byapproximately 7%.

ConversionPowerkwh/ton

Film UsingHM10-Max

LLDPEBlownFilm

Film UsingHM10-Max

LLDPE Blown Film with20% HM10-Max

LLDPE Blown Film


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ReducedCarbonFootprint

Reduced

PetrochemicalUsage

ReducedEnergyUsage

Blown Film20% HM10-Max

replacing 20%of original

input material

Real World Facts*This analysis is based on 1 mi llion pounds of LLDPE (polyethylene)

processed per year, used in typical blown film application.

1 million poundsLLDPE

(polyethylene)

200,000 poundsreplaced with

HM10-Max =

Taking 25cars off the

road for 1 year !

=

Burning 15,385fewer gallons

of gasoline!

=

Eliminating theneed for 315

barrels of oil!

* See page one for data references.

Figure 3: LCA after replacing 20% of the original input material with HM10-MaxBy replacing 20% of the original input material with HM10-Max, all three environmentalimpact areas were radically reduced:



LLDPE bags are typically produced with 100% prime polyethylene resin. The displacement ofpolyethylene alone with HM10-Max reduced the greenhouse gas emissions by approximately7%. The ability of HM10-Max to improve the physical properties of the film provided an equalperformance bag at a significantly reduced gauge. HM10-Max (as with all our concentrates)works well with recycled polymers synergies that continue to minimize the environmentalimpact associated with raw materials.

Raw Material TransportationWe have minimized the transportation factor associated with the production ofHM10-Max by locating our plant only a few hundred yards from the raw

material source.

Manufacturing ProcessUsing HM10-Max to displace a portion of the polyethylene can also generatesignificant power savings. In this study, a power savings of approximately2,000 kwh per 1,000,000 pounds processed was realized. These findingsare considered conservative. Processing efficiencies were also improved includinggreater throughput and less scrap.

Products End LifeThe use of HM10-Max will not adversely affect a films ability to be recycled.If the film does go intoa landfill, the use of our additive effectively displaces a significant volume of the landfilled plastic stream.

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Environmental Solutions from Heritage Plastics