Polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE): Emissions
Why coal-to-olefins PE emits 4-6 t of CO2e a tonne
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. Emission intensity 1.90 t CO2e per t range about 1.6-2.3 for cracker-based PE; about 4-6 from coal-to-olefins (indicative) · cradle-to-gate, global average; ethylene about 1.6 t CO2e per t (ethylene tile) x 1.02 plus polymerisation Global emissions per year 115 Mt CO2e per year 2024 · about 1.9 t x about 60 Mt (indicative)Per t of LDPE or LLDPE pellets, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: derived from ethylene tile; cross-check: German BAfA factor 1.92 t CO2e per t LDPE (Informationsblatt CO2-Faktoren v3.3 via Climatiq, 2025); Plastics Europe eco-profiles about 1.8-1.9 (indicative). Global total: derived (indicative).
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Feedstock 85% Production / process 12% Movement 3%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feedstock | about 1.6 t CO2e per t (1.02 t ethylene at about 1.6 t CO2e per t) | 85% | Cracker furnace fuel, upstream oil and gas, methane leakage | Ethane-based ethylene is lower; coal-based much higher | ethylene tile (indicative) |
| Production / process | about 0.2-0.3 t CO2e per t | 12% | Electricity for compression (high for LDPE at 1,500-3,000 bar) and extrusion; steam | Falls sharply with renewable power | indicative (basis: 0.4-1.1 MWh per t at 0.4-0.7 t CO2 per MWh) |
| Movement | about 0.05 t CO2e per t | 3% | Container shipping and trucking of pellets | About a third of output crosses borders | indicative |
| Use | not applicable | – | No direct emissions in use | Film packaging can cut food waste; its main harm in use is short life and leakage | n/a |
| End of life | about 3.1 t CO2 per t if incinerated; near zero fossil CO2 in landfill; about 0.4 t CO2e per t of waste mechanically recycled | – | Fate of film waste | Globally only about 9% of plastic waste was recycled in 2019; about 19% was incinerated, about 50% landfilled and 22% mismanaged (indicative, OECD Global Plastics Outlook 2022). Thin, multilayer and food-soiled film has the lowest recycling rate of any packaging (EMF 2016, indicative). Paired LCAs of mixed plastic waste put mechanical recycling at about 0.40 kg CO2e per kg of waste versus 0.60-0.65 kg for pyrolysis (supplementary data, RSC Green Chemistry 2024, D4GC03127J). | stoichiometric; OECD 2022 (indicative); RSC Green Chem 2024 |
Other environmental impacts
Film, sachets and carry bags are the most leaked plastic items into land and sea; farm mulch film fragments into soil microplastics. Pellet (nurdle) spills, such as X-Press Pearl in 2021, harm coasts. Additives and inks complicate recycling.
Levers to cut emissions
- Decarbonise ethylene, which is about 85% of the footprint: electric cracking (BASF/SABIC/Linde demonstrator, Ludwigshafen, 2024) targets up to 90% lower process CO2 (ethylene tile).
- Run LDPE compressors and extruders on renewable power: cuts the 0.2-0.3 t CO2e per t process share.
- Mechanical recycling of clean film (stretch film, bags, liners): about 0.4 t CO2e per t of waste versus 1.9 t for virgin (RSC Green Chem 2024; derived).
- Design mono-material PE laminates (e.g. machine-direction-oriented PE replacing PET/PE) so flexible packs become recyclable (indicative).
- Bio-ethylene or pyrolysis-oil feed under mass balance; Pyrolysis capacity was forecast to reach about 2.1 Mt/yr in 2025, but completed plants often run far below nameplate; Lux Research called the outlook 'grim' (Waste Today, 2025). ExxonMobil's Baytown site passed 113,000 t/yr with a third unit in Feb 2026 and targets 200,000 t/yr by end-2026 (Polimerica, Feb 2026).
India
India's PE is made on naphtha and dual-feed crackers with coal-heavy power, so its footprint is at or above the global average (indicative). The main policy lever is EPR: CPCB reports 4.13 Mt of plastic waste in 2022-23, but EPR certificate fraud (nearly 7 lakh questionable certificates) undermines the system (Business Standard via Drishti IAS, Sep 2026).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanically recycled LDPE/LLDPE (PCR film) | about 0.4-0.6 t CO2e per t (indicative) | food-grade not available for most film; non-food recyclate often trades at or below virgin in Asia (indicative) | EU mechanical recycling 7.7 Mt of all plastics in 2024 (Plastics Europe); India Category II flexible packaging needs 10% recycled content in 2025-26, 20% by 2027-28 | Plastics Europe via Chemical Week 2025; greensutra 2026; RSC Green Chem 2024 |
| Bio-based PE from sugarcane ethanol | negative to low cradle-to-gate with biogenic carbon credit (indicative) | about 30-50% (indicative) | Braskem, Brazil, about 260 kt/yr (indicative) | ethylene tile (indicative) |
| Chemically recycled (pyrolysis) PE under mass balance | about 0.6-0.65 t CO2e per t of waste for pyrolysis before cracking (RSC Green Chem 2024) | high; not published | ExxonMobil Baytown above 113 kt/yr (Feb 2026), target 200 kt/yr end-2026; Europe made only about 110 kt chemically recycled plastic in 2024 | Polimerica Feb 2026; Plastics Europe via Chemical Week 2025 |