This report focuses on renewable carbon in recycling scenarios and the key challenges in LCA and carbon footprint assessments. It examines system boundaries, allocation methods, and biogenic carbon accounting approaches, highlighting their influence on sustainability evaluations. The report emphasises the cut-off and avoided-burden approaches for recycling while recommending the -1/+1 method for biogenic carbon transparency. However, it also identifies contradictions between LCA results and broader sustainability goals, such as the EU waste hierarchy, which prioritises recycling. To address these inconsistencies, the report suggests integrating LCA with additional sustainability metrics like land use and recyclability. Ultimately, refining these methodologies will enhance the accuracy and reliability of environmental assessments for bio-based and recycled materials.

This report is the second report of a larger RCI project on LCA methodology, which includes two additional publications:

Report 1 of 3 – Renewable Carbon in LCA Guidelines
Report 3 of 3 – Non-technical Summary

Please find these additional reports by following the respective links at the bottom of this page.

DOI No.: https://doi.org/10.52548/QTVU8642

This Non-technical Summary (15 pages),highlights main insights into the project results and states key take-aways for policy-makers.

It compares several frameworks, such as ISO 14040, Product Environmental Footprint (PEF), and GHG Protocol, finding both commonalities and critical differences in areas like biogenic carbon accounting and recycling assessment. The study identifies significant methodological flexibility in existing frameworks, leading to inconsistencies in LCA results and challenges in standardisation. Key issues include differing treatment of carbon capture and utilisation (CCU), direct air capture (DAC), and allocation of environmental burdens in multifunctional processes. Policy recommendations emphasise the need for harmonisation, improved biogenic carbon accounting, and clear guidance on emerging technologies like DAC and mass balance attribution. Overall, the study calls for refining LCA methodologies to ensure fair comparison between renewable and fossil-based carbon solutions.

This report is the third report of a larger RCI project on LCA methodology, which includes two additional publications:

Report 1 of 3 – Renewable Carbon in LCA Guidelines
Report 2 of 3 – Renewable Carbon in Recycling Situations

Please find these additional reports by following the respective links at the bottom of this page.

DOI No.: https://doi.org/10.52548/ZEKY1803