Jan. 18, 2010 — The GreenTeam Inc., a strategic environmental consulting firm, completed an independent life cycle assessment (LCA) performed on KYDEX® thermoplastic sheet. The GreenTeam conducted the LCA screening and product comparison for retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. An LCA screening estimates the environmental impacts of extracting the raw materials from a product, producing and distributing the product, use of the product, and disposal.
KYDEX® sheet is a proprietary compounded thermoplastic product manufactured by
Kydex LLC, and available in specialised grades used in a wide range of industries. HPL is a composite layered product made by various manufacturers and used in a variety of hard surface building and fixture applications.
In its analysis for Wal-Mart, the GreenTeam used HPL LCA data supplied by the International Committee of Decorative Laminates Industry and performed an LCA for KYDEX® XD and KYDEX® HD using data provided by the manufacturer and databases within SimaPro LCA software. Specifically, the GreenTeam compared data on environmental impacts of sheet constituents according to selected TRACI (Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts) indicators. Based on the LCA estimates comparing HPL with KYDEX® XD and KYDEX® HD sheet used in a variety of retail applications, the GreenTeam report concluded, “Use of KYDEX® sheet is expected to result in less negative environmental impacts than HPL. Particularly, global warming potential, ozone depletion, energy use, and solid waste generation are better for KYDEX® sheet than HPL.”
Please visit this page for the full press release on the analysis, and chart of results comparing KYDEX and HPL decorative sheet.
About KYDEX
KYDEX, LLC, is a U.S.-based manufacturer of proprietary thermoplastic sheet products marketed worldwide under the trademark KYDEX®. The company’s headquarters, major manufacturing operation, customer service, and R&D facilities in Bloomsburg, PA, USA, are certified to the ISO 9001:2000 quality management system and the ISO 14001 environmental management system. Technical service, customer service, and sales representatives provide technical advice on designing and manufacturing components with KYDEX® sheet products.
About KYDEX
Kydex LLC is a U.S.-based manufacturer of proprietary thermoplastic sheet products marketed worldwide under the trademark KYDEX®. The company’s headquarters, major manufacturing operations, customer service, technical service, custom color matching, and R&D facilities are located in Bloomsburg, Pa., and certified to the ISO 9001:2000 quality management and ISO 14001 environmental management systems.
