Polymer additives: Emissions

How additives help recycled plastic replace virgin polymer

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 5.00 t CO2e per t range about 3-8 · indicative: multi-step fine-chemical synthesis with solvent use and batch steam; no public LCA found

Per t of additive, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: indicative.

Share of footprint by lifecycle phase

Feedstock 50% Production / process 45% Movement 5%

Footprint by lifecycle phase

Phase	Intensity	Share	Main sources of emissions	Notes	Source
Feedstock	about 2.5 t (indicative)	50%	phenol, acrylates, PCl3, metals	Share indicative.	indicative
Production / process	about 2.3 t (indicative)	45%	batch reactors, solvents, drying	Share indicative.	indicative
Movement	small	5%	container freight	Share indicative.	indicative
Use	net benefit	–	longer product life; clarifiers cut moulding cycle time	At 0.1-0.3% loading the additive footprint per tonne of plastic is about 5-15 kg CO2e (indicative).	indicative
End of life	not published	–	travels with the plastic	Re-stabilisation allows more cycles of mechanical recycling.	indicative

Other environmental impacts

Additive leaching from plastics into the environment; lead and organotin toxicity; PFAS persistence.

Levers to cut emissions

Stabilisers designed for recyclate to allow more recycling loops
Bio-based slip agents and antioxidants (tocopherol)
Lead-free and PFAS-free formulations
Lower-carbon steam at batch sites

India

No Indian footprint data found; India's EPR recycled-content targets will raise demand for recyclate stabilisers.

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
Recycling stabiliser packages	enables recyclate that avoids virgin polymer at about 1.5-2 t CO2e/t (indicative)	not published	BASF, Songwon, Clariant and Milliken sell recyclate additives (indicative)	indicative

For a climate investor The climate angle is enabling: additives that let recycled polyolefins reach virgin-like quality, and lead- and PFAS-free substitutes. Opportunity in India lies in local antioxidant and stabiliser capacity as polymer output grows, but Chinese oversupply has cut margins, as Songwon's 2025 results show.