FAQ

• What is green polyethylene?
  Answer:

  Green polyethylene is the term used for a polyethylene originating from a renewable raw material. The renewable raw material currently available for commercial production is sugar cane from South America. However, research is continuing in this area and studies are being carried out to develop other alternatives such as cellulose (from forests) and algae.

• What does it mean that a raw material is renewable?
  Answer:

  A renewable raw material is defined as a material with a rapid regeneration. A tree or a sugar cane are examples of renewable raw materials, ie they regenerate over a foreseeable period of time. Oil and gas are not renewable according to this definition as they take several million years to re-form.

• What is the term for polyethylene originating from raw material based on oil or gas?
  Answer:

  The term most commonly used is fossil polyethylene. There are also those who use the term "black polyethylene", but in Trioplast we use the term fossil polyethylene.

• In what respects do green and fossil polyethylene have different product properties?
  Answer:

  They do not. Fact is that they have exactly the same product properties as they are the same product, only with different origins. The polyethylene molecule is the same, hence the two materials have identical properties. This means that Trioplast, as the converters, as well as our customers, can continue using the same production methods and the same production or product equipment as previously.

• How is fossil respectively green polyethylene produced?
  Answer:

  Fossil polyethylene originates from raw material based on oil or gas. Oil or gas → ethylene → polyethylene. Green polyethylene is based on a renewable raw material, for example sugar cane. Renewable raw material → ethanol → ethylene → polyethylene.

• What are the advantages of using green instead of fossil polyethylene?
  Answer:

  As a plant (for example a sugar cane or a tree) grows, it absorbs carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere. When it is consumed (dies, decays, burns etc), CO₂ is released back into the atmosphere. If everything is balanced, we have a neutral circulation of CO₂. Therefore there will not be any increase in CO₂ which acts as a greenhouse gas and thereby has an impact on the earth's climate. This is the major advantage of using a renewable raw material in the production of polyethylene. On the other hand, carbon has been fixed for millions of years in oil and gas. As wefor example, pump oil, use it to make products and then burn it, CO₂ is released. This is a huge extra contribution of CO₂ which cannot be absorbed by the plants. In addition, the use of green polyethy lene strengthens the demand for alternatives to fossil raw materials and stimulates research and development.

• Is green polyethylene biodegradable?
  Answer:

  No. As an end-product, green polyethylene is the same material as a fossil polyethylene. It is not degradable in nature but should be reused as far as possible, and thereafter recycled into new products and energy. It is important to remember that because of their additives, biodegradable plastic materials destroy the value chain for recycling. Such materials should be disposed of at an adequate disposal plant.

• What is Triogreen?
  Answer:

  Triogreen is the Trioplast brand for the products that we, in consultation with our customers, choose to manufacture using green polyethylene. As green polyethylene and fossil polyethylene have the same properties, Trioplast can manufacture all types of films and products under the Triogreen brand.

• Does a green polyethylene film consist of 100% renewable raw material?
  Answer:

  As a number of additives are required in a polyethylene film, such as pigments for colouring, abrasives and antistatic agents, printing inks etc, it is currently not possible to manufacture a polyethylene film consisting of 100% renewable raw material. However, Trioplast’s ambition is to always work to maximise the content of green polyethylene, as far as technologically possible.

• Which products can be obtained in Triogreen?
  Answer:

  All products previously manufactured in traditional (ie fossil) polyethylene can be obtained in Triogreen (ie green polyethylene). The properties are still the same. The only present limitation involves which polyethylene varieties the producers have chosen to manufacture as green.

• How can one know if a polyethylene film is produced from green or fossil polyethylene?
  Answer:

  All matter containing carbon atoms can be tested by what is called the carbon-14 method. This method is based on the fact that a number of different types of carbon are present in all living things. Plants are continuously absorbing carbon from the air in the form of carbon dioxide which then becomes part of the tissue in animals eating plants or other animals. The carbon isotope C-14 (carbon-14) undergoes a radioactive decay process with a half-life period of 5 730 years. The carbon isotope C-12 (carbon-12), on the other hand remains stable. The distribution of these two isotopes in living matter is usually the same as in the atmosphere, but at the point in time when an organism ceases to absorb carbon (ie dies), the amount of C-14 starts to drop. By measuring the volumetric ratio between the carbon isotopes in a sample, one can determine when the organism died and thus decide its age. This also means that one can determine whether a polyethylene film sample originates from a raw material millions of years old (fossil), or from one that is only a few years old (green and renewable). Each batch of polyethylene purchased by Trioplast is delivered with a certificate that guarantees that the amount of green polyethylene is above the minimum limit.

• Why doesn’t Trioplast use green polyethylene exclusively?
  Answer:

  At present there is only one production facility in the world manufacturing green polyethylene on a commercial scale. The production facility is situated in Brazil and was started in the autumn of 2010. The annual production capacity amounts to around 200 000 tonnes of polyethylene, an amount that does not cover the annual requirement of Trioplast, let alone all the other stakeholders. Therefore green polyethylene is unique, but most certainly a step in the right direction, for Trioplast as well as for our environment. However, new facilities for the production of green polyethylene are being planned by different players around the world.

• For how long will it be possible to produce fossil polyethylene?
  Answer:

  There is probably no one who could give an exact answer to this question. Scientists believe that there will be an "oil peak" in the near future. Some mention a couple of years while others claim that it was passed in 2008. At the same time, with the development, especially in Asia, the need for oil- and gas-based products is increasing. Due to the present limited availability of green polyethylene, Trioplast will thus continue to manufacture products based on fossil polyethylene.

• Will green polyethylene completely replace the fossil product in the future?
  Answer:

  For us at Trioplast, green polyethylene represents a very important step for the future and something in which we strongly believe. It is crucial to us to actively and constantly look for long-term alternatives, and for the present time, green polyethylene is the best alternative to replace fossil material in the long run.

• What materials can serve as raw materials for green polyethylene?
  Answer:

  For the time being green polyethylene is only produced using sugar cane. This is due to the fact that the production facility is situated in Brazil, where the availability of and growing conditions for sugar cane are good. From a technological point of view it is however quite possible to manufacture green polyethylene from other raw materials. Many universities and ethanol and polyethylene producers are conducting studies and research to find alternative raw materials which, from a so-called life cycle and economical perspective, could be of interest to replace oil and gas as original raw materials. Depending on where one intends to produce the ethanol (which is one of the stages in the making of green polyethylene), different sources of raw material will most certainly come to use, such as algae, cellulose from trees, etc.

• What is a Life Cycle Analysis?
  Answer:

  To work out how much energy and other elements with environmental impact are brought about by a production, a so-called Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) can be carried out. The first step of an LCA is to define the scope, ie where in the chain to start and finish the analysis. If LCAs are carried out, then the outcome of the results can be compared and it can thus be decided, in an overall perspective, whether the raw material of a product is superior or inferior to another one.

• How is the sugar cane harvested?
  Answer:

  Sugar cane can be harvested both manually and mechanically. Our supplier of green polyethylene has set a goal to ensure that 100% of the ethanol comes from mechanically harvested plantations, the reason being that plantations with manual harvesting provides a poor working environment for the workers. The fields must first be burnt to remove snakes and inaccessible sugar cane leaves. After this the actual sugar cane stem is manually harvested with a machete and the stumps are subsequently burnt. Mechanical harvesting, on the other hand, implies the utilisation of combined harvesters which harvest the stem as well as the leaves. Today the stumps are incinerated but the goal is to make use of the stumps as well. The Brazilian producer of green polyethylene has placed utmost importance on the Code of Conduct which is in compliance with Brazilian legislation. In addition, a third party check-up ensures that international agreements are complied with.

• How does Trioplast ensure that the Code of Conduct is followed?
  Answer:

  Business is based on agreements and contracts and we visit our suppliers to ensure, to the utmost possible extent, that the supplier´s Code of Conduct is followed.

• Where is the sugar cane grown?
  Answer:

  The sugar cane destined to become ethanol and subsequently polyethylene in the Brazilian production facility is grown in the south east part of the country, around 2 000 km from the rainforest in northern Brazil.

• How big a sugar cane plantation is required for the production facility of green polyethylene?
  Answer:

  To get 200 000 tonnes of green polyethylene on a yearly basis, a growing area for sugar cane of around 26 km x 26 km is required. (Out of the total cultivable area in Brazil only 1% is currently used for the entire ethanol production, and the biggest portion by far is used for fuel).

• Is the growing of sugar cane competing with food production?
  Answer:

  Yes and no. The land currently used to grow sugar cane could produce food, or sugar used in food production. Our world is facing many challenges, everything from the production and distribution of food and energy, to the environment in which we live, to the utilisation of resources, to the availability of raw materials and so on. These are complex issues and there are many answers and interpretations. At Trioplast we are convinced that plastics and polyethylene will continue to serve an important purpose and for this reason we need continued research and development of raw material sources, production, utilisation and applications. The use of sugar cane is one step forward in the quest to find alternative raw materials. It is still only early days and new ways of resolving the challenges we have ahead of us will emerge through research. But in order to reach new openings and possibilities, we need to actively work with the issues and the possibilities that appear.

• What are Trioplast’s other initiatives to reduce environmental impact?
  Answer:

  At Trioplast we demand that our suppliers continuously work on reducing their environmental impact. As a large electricity consumer, we have decided to invest in green electricity. Almost all scrap polyethylene from our production is recycled, either directly on site or at another production unit within the group. Trioplast also purchases large quantities of recycled polyethylene from external suppliers. Together with our customers, we review and optimise the use of material as well as transports and packaging solutions. Our continuous work to improve the production processes results in, among other things, reduced energy consumption. Should you wish further information, please feel free to contact us!

• Can green polyethylene be recycled?
  Answer:

  Absolutely, and to ensure a minimal environmental impact, we recommend that it should be recycled. If the green polyethylene product can be used more than once, it definitely should be. If not, or when the product has served its time, it should be recycled in exactly the same way as a product made of fossil polyethylene, in order to make the most of the material as well as of the energy.