10
Environmental impact (kg CO2e) 1,400
CPX tank (incinerated) 1,200
CPX tank (recycled) 1,000
Stainless steel tank 800
Fibreglass tank 600 400 200 0
Total
Raw material
Production
Transport
Waste treatment
P O LY E T H Y L E N E – A G O O D E N V I R O N M E N TA L C H O I C E Helping to reduce the environmental
conduct an independent investigation and
footprint is important for Cipax. All types of
comparison, and the results were pleasing for
production have an impact on the environ-
us,” continues Lars-Erik Andersson.
ment, so anything that helps to reduce this
In order to produce a fair comparison in
impact will generate positive effects for our
the analysis, it was assumed that all the stor-
shared environment.
age tanks are produced in the same place and
“For us, it is valuable to understand our
delivered to an average European customer.
products’ footprint compared to the same
Furthermore, the stainless steel tank consisted
types of products made from other materials
of 72% recycled steel, which is the average
available on the market. This knowledge also
recycling level in the sector. Depending on
helps us in our sustainability work,” says Lars-
what has been stored in a Cipax polyethylene
Erik Andersson, CEO of Cipax.
tank, it can either be recycled or incinerated,
To get a clear picture of the current
which has also been presented separately in
situation, Cipax therefore commissioned the
the report. In all cases, Cipax’s tanks have the
consultancy company Ramboll, in collabora-
lowest environmental impact in respect of
tion with WSP, to perform a life cycle analysis
climate, acidification, eutrophication, ground
on one of its standard products, a storage
level ozone and primary energy consumption.
tank made from the recyclable plastic material polyethylene. “It was important for us that the report
“The report shows that polyethylene is a better alternative than both stainless steel and fibreglass from a sustainability perspec-
was independent and reviewed,” considers
tive. Polyethylene has a significantly lower
Lars-Erik Andersson. “In a life cycle analysis,
environmental impact, and in the case of pol-
you are monitoring the product’s entire life
yethylene that is recycled, the climate impact
cycle and its total environmental impact
is five times lower than that of stainless steel
– from raw material extraction to waste
and almost four times lower than fibreglass,”
management. The task for Ramboll was to
concludes Lars-Erik Andersson.
2 019 / X A N O
The full life cycle analysis can be found in the report “Comparative LCA of storage tanks”, produced by Ramboll and verified by WSP. The study conforms to the applicable LCA standards, ISO 14040-44. A life cycle analysis is an accepted method for calculating the environmental impact of products and services by quantifying emissions throughout a product’s entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to waste management. A summary of the report can be found at http://www.cipax.com/quality-environment.
