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Chemicals and Plastics

glass beakers

The industrial chemicals and plastics industries are unique in that the perception of their societal and environmental impacts is often direr than reality. While those within the industry are aware of its strict product stewardship practices and enviable safety and environmental records, this information is all too often poorly disseminated in the public sphere. 

Life Cycle Assessment can help to clearly quantify the relatively modest environmental impacts of modern chemical production technologies in ways that are easily understood by the non-practitioner and to show how favorably the chemical industry compares with other industrial technologies. Sustainability Return on Investment (S-ROI) can be used to engage all stakeholders and provide valuable insight into how those perceptions affect the bottom line. Air Products has a close relationship with us, including partnerships in the LCA Capability Roadmap process, the AIChE Institute for Sustainability, and intern referral.

EarthShift Global has worked with specialty and commodity chemical and resin manufacturers to provide life cycle assessments for a number of processes and products. We have provided LCAs for a variety of rubber or plastics fillers and associated compounding and molding processes. Our LCA analyses helped our clients to discover new insights into remediation and more effective ways to use recycled resins and to clarify some of the tradeoffs associated with the use of bio-based feedstocks.

Through the S-ROI methodology, we’ve helped chemical companies understand both the environmental and the social risks associated with low-level emissions. S-ROI has also helped these companies to uncover opportunities for new product development and to improve their understanding the corporate benefits of sustainability goals. In particular, EarthShift Global has worked over the years with Dow Chemical on its 10 year Sustainability Goals, helping the company understand the monetary value of its investments in these goals.

Our Chemicals and Plastics clients include: