Eco-profile of high volume commodity phthalate esters
 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an increasingly important tool used by industry, governments and environmental groups to help establish environment related strategies.
The initial phase of an LCA is the collection of Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data which quantifies the material, energy and emission data associated with a functional system. Methodologies for LCA calculation are now relatively advanced and related ISO standards for LCI steps have been finalised: ISO 14040 - LCA: Principles and framework; and ISO 14041 - LCA: Goal and scope definition and inventory analysis. "Cradle to gate" life cycle inventory, from the extraction of raw materials from the ground to the gate of the factory where the product is manufactured, is also called an eco-profile.
In 1999, the European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates (ECPI) commissioned a study aimed at establishing the average European eco-profile of high volume commodity phthalate esters: Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), Diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and Diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP). The study was carried out by Eobilan, an independent LCA expert and member company of PricewaterhouseCoopers and was completed in 2000.
The information from the study can be used by downstream companies in preparing their own eco-profiles.
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