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2004/02/25: Wired up with Propylene Carbonate |
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- BASF Eco-Efficiency Analysis compares the solvents propylene carbonate and cresol
- First eco-efficiency label attests to environmental benefits at no added cost
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Coated wiring is used in numerous applications, including electrical motors, transformers and electrical monitoring and measuring devices. The coating is for electrical insulation and also protects the wire from heat and mechanical stress, abrasion, chemical reactions, and degradation processes. A recent eco-Eco-Efficiency Analysis comparing cresol, the solvent commonly used for wire coating, with an alternative solvent called propylene carbonate shows that propylene carbonate is more eco-efficient than cresol. In other words, propylene carbonate generates significantly less environmental impact than cresol for the same total cost. What's more, propylene carbonate is the first product to be labeled with a BASF eco-efficiency label.
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Comparison shows that propylene carbonate is more ecologically efficient than cresol
BASF conducted an Eco-Efficiency Analysis comparing cresol and propylene carbonate for coating copper wires and weighed the economic and environmental advantages and disadvantages of the two solvents. The differences are minimal with respect to consumption of energy and resources, emissions, and surface requirement. The main difference between the solvents relates to the associated toxicity and hazard potential for factory personnel. This is a significant factor as small amounts of the solvents are released in the environment during solvent manufacture and the coating process. The important difference is that, unlike cresol, propylene carbonate is non-toxic. Cresol is therefore classed as a class 2 water contamination hazard while propylene carbonate merits a class 1 rating corresponding to the lowest water contamination potential. Propylene carbonate is more eco-efficient than cresol because it causes less impact while generating similar overall costs. That is why propylene carbonate was issued the new ecoefficiency label. An expert from Michigan State University (Prof. David Shonnard) tested and corroborated the Eco-Efficiency Analysis presented here in a critical review process. In addition, a software package was developed which allows customers to factor individual elements into the equation, allowing companies to independently determine the ecoefficiency of the two solvents on the basis of in-house data. The software is available from BASF upon request.
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Eco-efficiency label: product meets sustainability criteria
Propylene carbonate is the first product to receive the new eco-efficiency label. The label is a symbol of quality issued by BASF to products that meet very specific criteria: 1) The product outshone at least one rival product in a certified Eco-Efficiency Analysis; 2) The result was confirmed by an independent expert; 3) The main outcomes of the study were published. BASF is the first company to introduce a label of this kind. There are plans to extend the labeling system to retail consumer products.
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Eco-efficiency analysis grades product sustainability
Eco-Efficiency Analysis is a tool used by BASF to study the sustainability of BASF products and processes according to ecological and economic criteria. The method was developed by BASF in 1996 in collaboration with Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and is based on an idea by Prof. Stefan Schaltegger from the Chair of Business Administration, University of Lüneburg, Germany. An eco-efficient solution is one that meets the customer's requirements while representing an optimum ratio of total cost to environmental benefit. The BASF Eco-Efficiency Analysis is thus the first certified method for measuring the sustainability of products and processes. To date, more than 210 Eco-Efficiency Analyses have been conducted, both for BASF units and external clients.
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