PHA bioplastics: Emissions

Why life-cycle studies of PHA disagree so widely

What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint per tonne, split by lifecycle phase (feedstock, production, movement, use, end of life), the global total, other environmental impacts, levers and low-carbon routes, India's position, and where the investment opportunity lies.

Per t of PHA, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: not published (indicative). Global total: not published.

Footprint by lifecycle phase

Phase	Intensity	Share	Main sources of emissions	Notes	Source
Feedstock	not published	–	vegetable oil or sugar farming; land-use change risk for palm and soy oils	biogenic carbon uptake credited in some LCAs	indicative
Production / process	not published	–	aerated fermentation power, sterilisation, solvent extraction and drying	energy for extraction is often the largest process load (indicative)	indicative
Movement	small	–	container shipping		indicative
Use	not applicable	–	inert in use		not applicable
End of life	biogenic CO2, or methane if landfilled anaerobically (indicative)	–	composting, soil and marine biodegradation	degrades rather than persisting as microplastic, its main environmental benefit	indicative

Other environmental impacts

Lower persistence and microplastic risk than conventional plastics if leaked; land use for oils and sugar; solvent use in extraction.

Levers to cut emissions

Waste and by-product feedstocks (used cooking oil, wastewater, methane)
Solvent-free extraction
Renewable energy at fermentation sites
Target uses where leakage is likely (fishing gear, agriculture, coatings)

India

No production found. India's leakage-prone uses (agricultural film, food-service items, fishing gear) are where PHA's degradability would matter most (indicative).

Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.

Low-carbon routes

Route	Intensity	Cost premium	Status	Source
PHA from waste oils or methane	not published	not published	pilot to small commercial (indicative)	indicative

For a climate investor PHA solves a real problem, plastic that escapes collection, but the business has repeatedly failed at scale. What has to be true: costs fall towards PLA levels through yield and extraction gains, and rules reward home and marine degradability instead of treating PHA like any plastic. Diligence should focus on demonstrated unit costs, contracted offtake and staged capex; Danimer's $402 million of debt against $19 million of sale value is the cautionary benchmark.