Oral · Pages 229–237
Abstract
Research summary supplied by the authors
All defi nitions of a sustainable product have one point in common: a sustainable product must have a minimum environmental impact. Also, Cromogenia considers that a sustainable product must meet certain requirements, such as high biodegradability and high content of renewable raw materials, and must comply with restricted substances lists, such as the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) list. For this purpose and based on previous results, Cromogenia has developed a new biopolymer based on a high percentage of alternative raw materials (protein derivatives) in order to obtain more sustainable products. A life cycle assessment (LCA) of the new biopolymer versus a standard acrylic resin was conducted to determine the environmental impact. The biodegradability of both products was also determined by BOD5/COD ratio measurement. Both products were characterized by IR, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and Carbon-14 content. The new biopolymer showed higher biodegradability and higher renewable content than previous products. LCA allowed concluding that the new biopolymer reduces the environmental impact of 17 of the 19 impact categories analyzed; in particular, the carbon footprint was reduced by 57% vs. the standard acrylic resin. Our results showed that the new biopolymer meets the requirements of a sustainable product (high content in renewable raw materials, higher biodegradability, lower environmental impact (in particular, a much lower carbon footprint), and complies with the ZDHC restricted substances list.