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Product Stewardship Institute – Life Cycle Analysis (2012)

A Case Study of Life Cycle Analysis:

The National Paint and Coatings

Association/Product Stewardship Institute

LCA of Managing Leftover Latex Paint

David Allaway, Oregon DEQ

[email protected]

November 1, 2012

mailto:[email protected]


Background

• Life cycle assessment (LCA) and cost benefit analysis

(CBA)

– One of 11 projects of the national paint dialog

• Work performed 2005 – 2009 . . .

. . . and not fully completed

• Funded by National Paint and Coatings Association (now

American Coatings Association)

• Tried to make major scoping and modeling decisions

using a consensus process between industry, government

• Scoping by Franklin Associates and ICF Consulting

• Work performed by ERG/Franklin Associates


Key Scoping Decisions

• Focus on latex (not oil-based) paint: how to manage it?

• Six options:

– Consumer-based reuse

– Consumer-based “dry and dispose”

– Collection-based reuse

– Collection based recycling (consolidation)

– Collection-based recycling (reprocessing)

– Collection-based “dry and dispose”

• Evaluation of both “pure” methods (where all paint can be

managed by each option) and “modified” methods

(hybrids)

• Also evaluated limited vs. expanded infrastructure


A Critical Variable: Displacement of Virgin

Paint

• Displacement:

– The percent of recycled paint produced and sold

or redistributed into domestic markets that

replace the purchase of virgin paint

– NOT “the percent of virgin paint sales that are

reduced as a result of sales of recycled paint”


-10000

-8000

-6000

-4000

-2000

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

Transport and use of recycled paint

Empty can recycling credit

Sorting/processing/intermediate transport/waste management

Collection and transport by generator

Draft Results: Greenhouse Gas Impacts

(Pure Methods)

kg

CO

2e

/10

00

ga

llon

s o

f le

fto

ve

r p

ain

t

309

3,823

8,917

1,645

Displacement*: 0% 0%

*Percent of recycled paint produced and sold or redistributed into domestic markets that replaces the purchase of virgin paint

Collection-

based recycling

(consolidation)

Collection-

based recycling

(reprocessing)


-10000

-8000

-6000

-4000

-2000

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000






(Pure Methods)

kg

CO

2e

/10

00

ga

llon

s o

f le

fto

ve

r p

ain

t

309

3,823

-17

8,917

4,440

1,645

Displacement*: 0% 50% 0% 50%


Collection-

based recycling

(consolidation)

Collection-

based recycling

(reprocessing)



(Pure Methods)

kg

CO

2e

/10

00

ga

llon

s o

f le

fto

ve

r p

ain

t

-10000

-8000

-6000

-4000

-2000

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000





309

3,823

-17

-3,856

8,917

4,440

-685

1,645

Displacement*: 0% 50% 100% 0% 50% 100%


Collection-

based recycling

(consolidation)

Collection-

based recycling

(reprocessing)



(Pure Methods)

kg

CO

2e

/10

00

ga

llon

s o

f le

fto

ve

r p

ain

t

-10000

-8000

-6000

-4000

-2000

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000





309

3,823

-17

-3,856

8,917

4,440

-685

1,645

Displacement*: 0% 50% 100% 0% 50% 100%


Collection-

based recycling

(consolidation)

Collection-

based recycling

(reprocessing)

So what is displacement actually? Metro (Portland) survey: 97%.


Another Critical Variable: Allocation of

Collection (Self-Haul) Impacts

• Study assumed a wide variety of collection

(drop-off) points

– Co-collection with oil-based paint (treatment of

latex collection costs as marginal to oil-based

paint collection costs)

– Co-collection with other HHW

– Co-collection with other recyclables/solid waste

– Trip-chaining

• Percentage of trip burdens allocated to dropping

off latex paint estimated at 17 – 38%



(Pure Methods)

kg

CO

2e

/10

00

ga

llon

s o

f le

fto

ve

r p

ain

t

-10000

-8000

-6000

-4000

-2000

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000





309

3,823

-17

-3,856

8,917

4,440

-685

1,645

Displacement*: 0% 50% 100% 0% 50% 100%


Collection-

based recycling

(consolidation)

Collection-

based recycling

(reprocessing)


Paint Study Outcomes

• Draft LCA report completed

• Draft CBA report not completed

• American Coatings Association stopped the

project, stating:

– “The draft report . . . (reinforces) the

importance of key input assumptions on LCA

(outcomes) . . . most notably the need for

viable markets for recycled paint products that

displace sales of new paint . . .”

– “. . . EPA-funded evaluation (of the Oregon

pilot project) . . . Will allow for refinement of

assumptions in future LCA and/or CBAs.”


A Few Other Considerations

(Not specific to paint)

• Boundaries and other assumptions can make

a big difference in outcomes!

• Look for:

– Clear statement of system boundaries

– Clear statement of cut-off rules (what’s

excluded because it is “too small”)

– Allocation (co-products)

– Treatment of biogenic carbon

– Treatment of recycling (and recycled content)

– Other key assumptions

• Look at contribution analysis to see where big

impacts are

– Critical review/ISO compliance


0 1 2 3 4

tap water

home/office delivery (HOD)

single use (Oregon)

single use (out of state)

0% P detergent

0.5% P detergent

8% P detergent

DEQ Drinking Water Study:

Life Cycle Eutrophication Potential

Pounds N equivalents per 1,000 gallons


An Accounting Wrinkle:

Recycling Allocation

• System 3 recycles its discards; System 4 uses them. Who “gets the credit”?

• If System 3 uses recycled content and recycles its discards, can it “get the credit” for both?

System

2

System

3

System

4

System

5


Thank You!

David Allaway

Oregon DEQ

[email protected]

(503) 229-5479

Toll Free in Oregon: (800) 452-4011

mailto:[email protected]

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