enespa as part of an Innosuisse study

Theory and Practice Combined

9. December 2024

Specialist Corporate Communication

How can the economic, social and environmental aspects of plastic-to-oil recycling be demonstrated? How can they be made quantifiable? These and many other questions have been intriguing us in recent years. Luckily, we had the good fortune of meeting Professor Joachim Vogt in 2022. He had been asking himself the same questions – and the idea for an Innosuisse study was born.

Recognised by Innosuisse

As a professor at ZHAW , Joachim Vogt is always interested in projects that combine theory with practice and academia with industry while aiming to create mutual benefits. He first met and got to know Cyrill Hugi and enespa at an SME event addressing technological developments. This represented the start of a partnership. A joint research project was conducted to make the economic, social and environmental aspects of plastic-to-oil recycling tangible and assessable.

It soon became clear that the project met the study standards of Innosuisse, the Swiss Innovation Agency, making it eligible for funding. In addition to innovation, a study eligible for Innosuisse support must also offer added value for the economy, society and the environment. In the autumn of 2023, Innosuisse announced CHF 15,000 of financial support for our study. It was time to get started.

Insights into the base data

Now it was time for Joachim Vogt and his colleagues to get down to business. When compiling the base data, some concerning scenarios came to the fore, such as the projected tripling of global plastic production by 2060 or the correlation between economic growth, production and plastic usage.

Notwithstanding this, there are some rays of hope. For instance, if existing mechanical and chemical recycling technologies were to be expanded, almost 80% of the plastic waste entering the environment annually could be recycled by 2040. Further, combining bio-based plastics with raw materials from chemical recycling could make production virtually CO₂ neutral.

The search for quantifiable measures

«To analyse the entire value chain, we reviewed criteria catalogues of evaluation companies that specialise in the oil industry, plastic production and plastic recycling. Our main focus was firmly on », Joachim Vogt explains. A total of 279 quantifiable measures, or metrics, were examined. Out of these, 75 were identified as relevant to the plastic-to-oil industry and were investigated in more detail. «We discovered that there were no metrics specifically associated with plastic-to-oil recycling. And this was our starting point.» Joachim Vogt developed ten quantifiable measures and assigned a performance index, i.e. an evaluation scheme, to each one. «Emissions reduction, energy consumption, recycling efficiency of input material and savings in resources, like crude oil and electricity; these and many other factors can be measured in a standardised manner using key performance indicators.» The effects of plastic-to-oil projects on the ESG criteria can be derived from assessing the ten quantifiable measures.

Economic impacts of plastic-to-oil recycling:

Job creation
Increasing market value of recycled oil
Cost savings in waste management

Environmental impacts of plastic-to-oil recycling:

Processing plastic waste leads to less plastic ending up in nature
Less emissions than with incineration
Using recycled oil in plastic production results in a better emissions balance than using crude oil (extraction, transport and processing)

Social impacts of plastic-to-oil recycling:

Less pollution
Improved health
Greater quality of life

Evaluation of projects

In August 2024, after working on the project for almost a year, Joachim Vogt and Cyrill Hugi presented the results of their study. «The study demonstrates the depth and complexity of the topic. The challenges facing plastic recycling processes, especially the pyrolysis process, become apparent», Joachim Vogt says.

The study acts as a tool for customer engagement. Cyrill Hugi explains: «We can now use the resulting key performance indicators to demonstrate what we can offer the customer on a project-specific basis, how they benefit from this and how this positively impacts their ESG score.» For instance, it can be clearly shown that our system solution effectively enhances the raw material cycle and the economic efficiency of plastic recycling thanks to the high purity of the pyrolysis oil and the low process emissions. Finally, the findings from the study help us to gain greater awareness of our day-to-day operations, identify opportunities for improving sustainability and enable us to pro-actively drive these improvements forward.

The 10 quantifiable measures (KPIs)

1. Amount of recycled plastic

This metric includes the total weight of plastic waste transformed into oil annually. Records on operating data and waste generation are used as the data sources. This KPI can also be applied to ensure compliance with the EU Waste Framework Directive and similar regulations in other countries.

2. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

This metric includes greenhouse gas emissions compared to standard disposal methods. Emission tests and industry-standard emission factors are used as the data sources. This KPI can also help to meet national greenhouse gas reduction targets and guarantee compliance with the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).

3. Energy consumption

This metric measures the total energy consumed divided by the amount of oil extracted. Records on energy consumption and production are used as the data sources. This KPI can also be harmonised with global standards, such as ISO 50001.

4. Life cycle analysis

This metric includes the environmental impacts of the recycled oil, taking into account the entire life cycle. Studies on the life cycle assessment and industry data are used as the data sources. This KPI can support compliance with the EU Ecolabel and similar schemes that evaluate the environmental footprint of products throughout their life cycle.

5. Waste management efficiency

This metric includes the efficiency of handling by-products and waste materials. Records on waste management and environmental impact are used as the data sources. This KPI can support compliance with regulations aimed at reducing landfill use and promoting waste hierarchy practices, such as the EU Landfill Directive.

6. Water consumption

This metric includes the total water consumption divided by the volume of oil produced. Water consumption meters and monitoring systems are used as the data sources. This KPI can also help to ensure compliance with local water management regulations and standards as well as with wider reaching initiatives like the EU Directive.

7. Type of recycled plastic

This metric includes all types of recycled plastics together with their categorisation and percentage distribution. Records on waste input and recycling process data are used as the data sources. This KPI can help to ensure compliance with directives that demand detailed reporting on the types of processed waste, such as the EU Waste Framework Directive.

8. Conservation of resources

This metric includes the impacts on the conservation of natural resources through recycling. Industry equivalent rates and operating data are used as the data sources. This KPI demonstrates compliance with regulations focused on resource efficiency and the sustainable management of materials.

9. Impacts on biodiversity

This metric includes the impacts of business activities on the local biodiversity. Environmental compatibility assessments and biodiversity studies are used as the data sources. This KPI can help to demonstrate compliance with habitat protection regulations.

10. Environmental pollution control

This metric includes efforts to control pollutant emissions. Emission tests and reports on compliance with environmental regulations are used as the data sources. This KPI demonstrates compliance with pollution regulations, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and various other local and international regulations to minimise emissions and waste water.

Calculation example for the index score

Standardisation of the KPI

Use these values for each KPI:

1. Amount of recycled plastic: 3,500 tonnes
2. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions: 10,000 tonnes of CO₂e
3. Energy consumption: 1.5 kWh per litre of oil
4. Life cycle analysis (GWP): 2 kg CO₂e per litre of oil
5. Waste management efficiency: 85%
6. Water consumption: 5 litres per litre of oil
7. Type of recycled plastic: 40% LDPE, 40% HDPE, 10% PS, 10% PP
8. Conservation of resources: 4,000 tonnes of new material saved
9. Impacts on biodiversity: 3 projects initiated
10. Environmental pollution control: 95% conformity rate

Normalised values

Use these values for each KPI (scaled from 0 to 10):

1. Amount of recycled plastic: 7
2. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions: 8
3. Energy consumption: 6
4. Life cycle analysis (GWP): 7
5. Waste management efficiency: 9
6. Water consumption: 5
7. Type of recycled plastic: 8
8. Conservation of resources: 7
9. Impacts on biodiversity: 6
10. Environmental pollution control: 9

Weighted score

Weighted score = score × weight

1. Amount of recycled plastic: 7×0.1=0.7
2. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions: 8×0.1=0.8
3. Energy consumption: 6×0.1=0.6
4. Life cycle analysis (GWP): 7×0.1=0.7
5. Waste management efficiency: 9×0.1=0.9
6. Water consumption: 5×0.1=0.5
7. Type of recycled plastic: 8×0.1=0.8
8. Conservation of resources: 7×0.1=0.7
9. Impacts on biodiversity: 6×0.1=0.6
10. Environmental pollution control: 9×0.1=0.9

Index Score

This results in an overall index score of 7.2.

Author

Dominik Dörig

Specialist Corporate Communication

Contact Media Relations

Armed with a degree in Organisational Communication and Journalism, Dominik Dörig gained valuable experience working at an agency. He brought his experience in marketing, public relations and event management into the SME sector. After a decade working as a communications manager and management assistant, he joined the Marcom team at enespa in Appenzell in the autumn of 2023.

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Theory and Practice Combined

Recognised by Innosuisse

Insights into the base data

The search for quantifiable measures

Evaluation of projects