Propylene: Emissions

Crackers, PDH or coal: very different footprints

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 1.50 t CO2e per t range about 1.0-2.0 for crackers and PDH; about 5-7 for coal-to-olefins · cradle-to-gate, global average (indicative) Global emissions per year 205 Mt CO2e per year 2025 · about 1.5 t x about 137 Mt (indicative)

Per t of propylene, cradle-to-gate. Intensity: indicative (basis: Chemistry World 2024 for cracking; IEA 2018; Plastics Europe eco-profiles). Global total: derived (indicative).

Share of footprint by lifecycle phase

Feedstock 33% Production / process 64% Movement 3%

Footprint by lifecycle phase

Phase	Intensity	Share	Main sources of emissions	Notes	Source
Feedstock	about 0.5 t CO2e per t	33%	Oil and gas production, propane export shipping, coal mining	Higher for imported propane and coal	indicative
Production / process	about 0.95 t CO2e per t	64%	Cracker and PDH furnace fuel, compression	PDH is endothermic; CTO adds gasification CO2	indicative
Movement	about 0.05 t CO2e per t	3%	Pipeline and shipping	small	indicative
Use	not applicable	–	Converted to PP and other products	carbon stays in product	n/a
End of life	about 3.1 t CO2 per t if PP is incinerated	–	PP disposal route	PP recycling rates are low	stoichiometric (PP is 86% carbon)

Other environmental impacts

Downstream plastic leakage from PP packaging; flaring at PDH and crackers.

Levers to cut emissions

Electric cracking and electric PDH heating (pilots only).
Using PDH by-product hydrogen as low-carbon fuel or for sale.
Coal-to-olefins with CCS or replacement by gas routes.
Mechanical and chemical recycling of PP.
Bio-propylene via bio-naphtha or bio-propane under mass balance.

India

India's propylene is mainly from refinery FCC units and naphtha crackers; no low-carbon propylene projects are announced (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
Bio-naphtha or HVO-derived feed in crackers	lower cradle-to-gate under mass balance (not published by plant)	high; bio-naphtha trades well above fossil naphtha (indicative)	Neste, Borealis, LyondellBasell supply ISCC Plus certified bio-PP	indicative
Electrified crackers	up to 90% lower process CO2	power-price dependent	BASF/SABIC/Linde demonstrator since April 2024	Chemistry World 2024

For a climate investor Propylene decarbonisation follows ethylene's: electric heating and clean hydrogen use. Because Chinese PDH has overbuilt, new low-carbon capacity is hard to justify on volume, so the opening is in recycled PP and certified bio-PP sold at a premium to brand owners. In India, growing PP demand and import dependence make recycled PP compounding a nearer-term opportunity.