Make a measurable change for the environment

With Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) calculations, it becomes easy for you to select the products that make a difference for the environment. Form a perfect combination of products to fit your sustainability vision and make a measurable change with your ABENA selections.

With LCAs, we can calculate the environmental impact of each step within our products’ life cycles. We can hereby compare different combinations of raw materials, packaging solutions, transportation methods, end-of-life handling (and the list goes on), when designing and developing your products. That provides a unique opportunity for our eco-conscious customers to choose products based on raw materials, functionalities and environmental footprint.

How do we calculate LCAs at ABENA?

Based on 16 impact factors, we calculate all resources extracted from the environment (for instance raw materials) to the emissions that go into the environment (for instance carbon dioxide) on the majority of products within our assortment.

The factors measured are:

  • Climate Change (CO2)
  • Ozone depletion 
  • Ecotoxicity for aquatic freshwater
  • Human Toxicity - cancer effects
  • Human Toxicity – non-cancer effects
  • Particulate Matter/Respiratory Inorganics
  • Ionising Radiation – human health effects
  • Photochemical Ozone Formation
 
  • Acidification
  • Eutrophication – terrestrial
  • Eutrophication – freshwater
  • Eutrophication – marine
  • Resource Depletion – water
  • Resource Depletion – mineral
  • Ressource Use - fossils
  • Land transformation
 

Source: Ecochain

The calculations are available upon request for the following product categories: Foodservice, Protective wear, Bed protection, Gloves, Skincare (wet wipes), Waste management, Incontinence products, Baby nappies, Female hygiene products, Fittings, Hygiene paper, Tabletop (paper supply), Cleaning (mops, cloth etc.).

Healthcare  Industries 

Standards for LCA

Our LCA method is standardized and we follow various internationally acknowledged methodologies, standards, software databases, and knowledge-exchange collaborations.

LCA for Experts (formerly GaBi)

This software delivers the data used for our life cycle calculations.

ISO 14040

This standard outlines the principles and framework behind the LCA calculations.

ISO 14044

This standard outlines the requirements and guidelines of the LCA calculations.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

This panel provides scientific assessments on climate change as well as options to mitigate the change.

Product Environmental Footprint (PEF)

PEF 3.0 is used to calculate the environmental impact factors within a product’s life cycle.

A part of ABENA’s 2030 vision

We seek to create real solutions that protect our planet. That is why we use life cycle assessments (LCAs) to identify new ways to reduce our customers’ and our own environmental impact.

Using LCA calculations allows us to work smarter and optimize the partnerships with our suppliers so we in collaboration can find the product combinations that make a concrete change for the environment.  

Learn more about the positive environmental impact we strive to meet by 2030.

Read more

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