Manufacturing
Carbon footprint of plastic parts any process, with the data you have.
The footprint of a plastic part is calculated from the resin, weight, process (injection, extrusion, machining, thermoforming or 3D printing), machine energy, scrap and transport. Xain derives it from drawings and technical sheets and issues a certificate per reference, without depending on each supplier to reply. Any material can be measured.
How the result is built
- Material
- Process
- Transport
- Certificate with a registration number
By process
How is it calculated by process?
The resin is almost always what weighs most; then come process energy, scrap and transport. The process tree assigns a physical factor to each node and, when in doubt, applies the most conservative one.
Injection moulding
Resin, energy per cycle, flash and sprues.
Extrusion
Resin or compound, line energy and trimmings.
Machining
The blank, machine energy and chips removed.
Thermoforming and 3D printing
Sheet or filament, process energy and scrap. Calculated with the same methodology in line with ISO 14067.
Plastic parts manufacturers get more and more footprint requests from automotive, packaging, electronics and consumer goods customers. Usually the per-part figure does not exist. Xain calculates any material and process; it is not limited to one polymer or one method.
What weighs most in a plastic part’s footprint?
Almost always the resin: producing it carries emissions that depend on the polymer and on whether it is virgin or recycled. Then come process energy, which varies by method, the scrap that is discarded or recovered, and transport of the resin and the finished part.
How does the calculation adapt to the data?
If there is no manufacturing detail, average physical factors in line with ISO 14067 are used. If process data are available (recycled content, energy origin, plant consumption), they are incorporated and the result is more precise.
What do companies in the sector usually buy?
Resin and compounds, masterbatch, metal inserts, packaging and transport services. Those purchases are the plant’s Scope 3; to measure them, see Scope 3 of purchased goods.
What does the methodology verification say?
Xain’s methodology is ISO 14067-certified. The LRQA verification covers, for plastics, injection, extrusion and machining. Thermoforming and 3D printing are calculated with the same methodology in line with ISO 14067. You can read how it works at ISO 14067.
Frequently asked questions
What companies usually ask before getting started.
What data does an injection-moulded part need?
The resin type, part weight, process, cycle time or machine consumption if you have it, scrap percentage and inbound transport. With drawings and the technical sheet, default values are the starting point.
Does recycled plastic count?
Yes, if it can be evidenced. Primary data on recycled content replaces the generic virgin-resin factor.
What if I do not have manufacturing detail?
Xain adapts the calculation to the available data: without detail it uses average physical factors in line with ISO 14067; if you provide recycled content, energy origin or other process data, it incorporates them and the result is more precise.
Keep reading
Manufacturing
How to calculate the footprint of industrial parts and products: material, process (including its energy) and transport, from documents you already have.
Product footprint
Certify your product’s carbon footprint with an ISO 14067 method verified by LRQA, from your technical documentation, with registration and traceability.
Physical factor
A physical, or activity-based, factor expresses emissions per physical unit: kgCO2e per kilo of material, per kWh of energy or per tonne-kilometre of transport.
Tell us what you want to measure
One product, a catalogue or your purchases. We reply with the next steps.
Contact Xain