Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a sustainability measurement tool
that identifies the environmental impacts of a product. The uniqueness of
the LCA lies in its methodology, which aggregates all environmental burdens
throughout the product's life cycle, providing many variables for optimisation
of the product (or process). Having occupied a major market share, the environmental impacts associated with the manufacturing and disposal of
polyolefins are quite high. The main theme of this paper is to review the
reported LCA studies on polyethylenes and polypropylenes including recycled
plastics, biobased materials, which are competing with polyolefins, and polyolefin
composites. The widely claimed green product ‘recycled plastic’
is analysed in detail from an LCA perspective, and key points, which determine
its sustainability, are discussed. The environmental impacts associated with
the manufacturing of polyolefins and their bioalternatives are highlighted.
The few published studies of polyolefin composites on different applications
are also discussed.
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