"Carbon Footprint of Recycled Solvents at the sectoral level compared with virgin solvents" study

As a members of the ESGR (European Solvent Recycler Group) we are proud to share the “Carbon Footprint of Recycled Solvents at the sectoral level compared with virgin solvents” study in which we have participated. This comparative report illustates the annual CO2-footprint of organic solvents recycled in Europe by ESRG members in relation to the CO2-footprint of virgin solvents. A Life Cycle Assessment following the ISO 14044 methodology was used as a tool to estimate the CO2- footprint of both types. The findings suggest that recycling 309 kt of used solvents each  year can save 618 kt CO2 eq. per year. This is equivalent to annually avoiding the Greenhouse Gas emissions of 280,000 diesel cars.

This study follows on from an ESRG-analysis undertaken in 2014 illustrating the environmental impacts of typical recycled and virgin materials. This showed that the carbon footprint of recycled organic solvent substances can be 46-92% lower than that for the respective virgin material.
The new study as well as the analysis from 2014 can be found at www.esrg-online.eu together with a range of associated useful information.

Download the study here.