This document discusses sustainability and life cycle analysis (LCA). It provides examples of using LCA to compare materials like steel, aluminum, and composites. LCA examines the environmental impacts of a product over its entire lifecycle from raw material extraction to end of life. Studies show composites can provide opportunities in areas like transportation, construction, and infrastructure by reducing weight and improving recyclability compared to other materials. Market forces and collaboration are driving increased focus on sustainability.

2. LCA for Composites and Its Impact on
Sustainability
Dhruv Raina
Senior Manager, Product & Supply Chain Sustainability
Owens Corning
Dallas Convention Center | Dallas, Texas, USA

3. Agenda
• What is Sustainability?
• Life Cycle Analysis
• Global Macro Trends
• Opportunities for Composites
– Why now?
• Sustainability at Owens Corning
• Sustainability Strategies
– Greening Processes and Products
– Life Cycle Analysis

4. I
What is Sustainability?
Dallas Convention Center | Dallas, Texas, USA

5. Pallet
© freeimages.com (wood pallet), Courtesy of RM2 (composite), iStockphoto.com
(background)
?

6. © freeimages.com

7. © Oisin Conolly / unsplash.com

8. Pallet
© freeimages.com (wood pallet), Courtesy of RM2 (composite), iStockphoto.com
(background), freeimages.com (waste), Oisin Conolly / unsplash.com (deforestation)
?

9. Complex Systems
People
Products
Planet
Our People & Products Make the World a Better Place

10. II
Life Cycle Analysis
Dallas Convention Center | Dallas, Texas, USA

11. What is LCA?

12. LCA is Life Cycle Assessment

13. What does an LCA do?

14. LCA determines the environmental
impacts of a product through its
lifecycle

15. A LCA for a car would follow the product
from its cradle to the grave…

16. From extraction of raw materials…

17. Through production of the product…

18. LCA follows the products use and its
disposal at its end of life

19. III
Global Macro Trends
Dallas Convention Center | Dallas, Texas, USA

20. LCA evaluates which materials in or
process in the production chain
contribute to…

21. Global Warming
© stockvault.com

22. Global Warming
© stockvault.com
Ozone Depletion

23. LCA can help reduce cost
© stockvault.net

24. LCA can help you market your
products!

25. Net Positive
Net Positive is a new way of doing
business that puts back more into society,
the environment and the global economy
than it takes out.

26. Wood vs. Composite Pallet
0
100
200
300
400
Milliers
Wood Pallet Composite Pallet
-21%
0
2 000
4 000
6 000
8 000
10 000
Milliers
Wood Pallet Composite Pallet
-50%
GWP (CO2 emissions, kg)Primary Energy Demand (MJ)
Comparative Life cycle assessment of Wood & Composite Pallets, RM2 & Pure Strategies (2015)
100k Pallet Trips; 899 composite pallets and 4,400 wood pallets

27. Building Facade

28. IV
Opportunities for Composites
Dallas Convention Center | Dallas, Texas, USA

29. Opportunities for Composites
© iStockphoto.com (urban infrastructure), splashbase.co (clean water), The Creative Advantage (clean energy)
URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE
Provide housing & infrastructure to a growing population in developing
and third world countries
CLEAN WATER
Provide basic infrastructure to deliver clean water to 7+ billion people
CLEAN ENERGY
Produce energy with no emissions of CO2 from wind, tidal, solar and
geothermal and participate in Energy Storage Devices
INDUSTRIAL LIGHT WEIGHTING
Reduce the mass of transportation devices to generate less thermal
energy and emissions

30. Mining and Metals Outlook: 2050
• Volumes are unlikely to grow in line with GDP growth
• Cost-effectiveness with strategic sustainability
• Circularity
• Governments, circularity and life cycle assessments
Roland Haslehner and Benjamin Stelter, Mining and Metals in a Sustainable World 2050 (2015)

31. Aluminum Value Chain
2,380 kg of CO2
522 kg of CO215,400 kg of CO2
18,300 kg
of CO2/Ton
Reginald B.H. Tan, Hsien H. Khoo, An LCA study of a primary aluminum supply chain, Journal of Cleaner Production,
Volume 13, Issue 6, May 2005, Pages 607-618

32. Aluminum Innovation
• Molten Metal to Coil
– 20 minutes vs. 20 days
– ¼ size of conventional mill
• Flexible process
• 30% stronger
• 40% greater formability
ALCOA Press Release, September 14, 2015, Accessed on October 7, 2015 at;
http://www.alcoa.com/global/en/news/news_detail.asp?pageID=20150914000289en&newsYear=2015

33. V
Sustainability at Owens Corning
Dallas Convention Center | Dallas, Texas, USA

34. Recent Accomplishments
• National Safety Council’s Green
Cross for Safety (2014)
• Dow Jones Sustainability World
Index (6th year)
– Building Products Industry Leader in
2015 (3rd year)
• Best Places to Work for LGBT
Equality in Human Rights
Campaign 2015 survey

35. VI
Sustainability Business Strategy
Dallas Convention Center | Dallas, Texas, USA

36. Sustainability Business Strategy
• Operations Sustainability
• Product and Supply Chain Sustainability
• Innovation and collaboration
• Employee safety, health and engagement and
community vitality

37. Sustainability as Long Term Strategy?
Viewing
Compliance
as
Opportunity
Making
Value
Chains
Sustainable
Designing
Sustainable
Products
and
Services
Developing
New
Business
Models
Creating
Next-
Practice
Platforms
Nidumolu, R., Prahalad, C.K., Rangaswami, M.R., Why Sustainability is now the key driver of innovation, Harvard Business Review, 2009

38. Vehicle Light weighting: A Greener,
Composite Solution
Dallas Convention Center | Dallas, Texas, USA

39. Life Cycle Analysis
• Goal: Steel, Aluminum and Tough Class A
(TCA) Ultra Lite
• Functional Unit: Car Decklid
 Steel – 27 lbs
 TCA Ultra Lite – 15.86 lbs
 Aluminum – 13.88 lbs

40. Life Cycle Analysis
Raw
Materials
Manufacturing
Processing
Decklid
Manufacture
Vehicle Use
Recycling/
Disposal
Energy Consumption
Global Warming Potential

41. Energy consumption
(Megajoule)
Lighter weight of Al = Less
energy, use phase
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
Steel Aluminum TCA Ultra
Lite
Production
Use

42. Global Warming Potential
(CO2 emissions, kg)
0
100
200
300
400
Steel Aluminum TCA Ultra Lite
Production
Use
Recyclability
reduces Al
footprint

43. Example 1:
LCA of Australian automotive door skins
Energy Consumption (MJ) GWP (CO2 emissions, kg)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Steel Aluminum GFPP
Use Production
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
Steel Aluminum GFPP
Use Production
Puri, Compston, Pantano (2009), Life cycle assessment of Australian automotive door skins, International Journal of Life Cycle Assess (2009)
14:420–428

44. Example 2: LCA-based selection for a sustainable
lightweight body-in-white design
Energy Consumption (MJ) GWP (CO2 emissions, kg)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Aluminum Composite
Use Production
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Aluminum Composite
Use Production
Mayyas et. al. (2012), Life cycle assessment-based selection for a sustainable lightweight body-in-white design, Energy 39 (2012) 412-425

45. Conclusions
• Energy consumption
Manufacturing phase < Use Phase
• Material weight matters
• End of life options

46. Summary
• Market forces lead us to Sustainability
• Composites is already a solution for world challenges
– Automotive - Fuel economy, Recyclability
– Construction - Green building, Energy Efficiency,
Durability
– Infrastructure - Health/Safety, Access
• Recyclability is a driver in several markets
• Collaboration