PEFerence project team to host free webinar on LCAs on June 22

In Germany, on June 22, the PEFerence project team will organize a free webinar with the title: “PEF – A Circular Bio-Based Polymer with Improved Properties – LCA”.

Within this free webinar, Ángel Puente (LCA expert at nova-Institute) will give an insite into the ISO-certified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of PEF (polyethylene furanoate) bottles performed in 2022. The presentation and Q&A session will take place online on June 22, 2023, 10:00–11:00 CET.

The PEFerence consortium aims to replace a significant share of fossil-based polyesters, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and packaging materials like glass and metal with 100 % bio-based furanics polyesters. PEFerence establishes a unique, industrial scale, cost-effective flagship plant to convert plant-based sugars into FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), the building block of PEF (polyethylene furanoate): a plant-based, fully recyclable plastic material with superior performance and significantly reduced carbon footprint compared to conventional plastics. PEF can be used in a wide range of applications such as bottles, packaging, films, fibres and textiles.

The chemical technology company Avantium (NL) partnered with nova-Institut GmbH under the framework of the PEFerence project, to perform a full cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the YXY® Technology, assessing the potential environmental impacts of PEF packaging solutions in comparison to conventional PET packaging. The LCA was performed according to the ISO 14040/44 standard methodology. A critical peer review of the study, including experts in incumbent technologies, was conducted in order to verify whether the LCA met the requirements for methodology, data, interpretation, and reporting. Within this webinar, Ángel Puente will give an inside into the performance of the LCA and the main aspects of the environmental sustainability of PEF-based bottles. Afterwards, Ingrid Goumans, Team Leader Technical Application Managers at Avantium, and Ángel Puente will answer live questions from the audience.