Green Care Performance Calculator

Background Information and Calculation Method

The Green Care Performance Calculator determines the reduction in resource input (petroleum and plastic) and the lowering of CO₂ (carbon dioxide) emissions achieved with the materials used in the Green Care Professional brand cleaning products. The brand products are manufactured using renewable energies in accordance with circular economy principles and the company’s commitment to integral sustainability along the entire value chain. (You’ll find detailed information at: green-care-professional.com/circular-economy/

Specifically, the circular design of our Green Care Professional products is based on the return of the materials to the biological cycle (=bottle contents) and the technical cycle (=packaging). Each product makes its own contribution to the total footprint reductions in the calculation.

The Biological Cycle Principle

The circularity of biological materials within a product life cycle follows Nature’s material flow design. Products are made from regenerative materials, ideally from plants, then used in accordance with regulations, and returned to Nature after use. As they are biodegradable, the materials become nutrients for a new generation of plants.

In keeping with this principle, formulations for the Green Care Professional brand, which contain  renewable ingredients and plant-based surfactants, are ultimately biodegradable (as confirmed by OECD 302B biodegradation test).

The Technical Cycle Principle

In the circular management of technical materials, products made from synthetic materials of a defined composition (e.g., plastics) can be sorted by type and recycled many times without loss of technical properties. Here too, all materials become secondary raw materials for a new generation of products . Instead of consuming resources (and producing waste), the process results in a  continuous utilization of resources.  

In accordance with this guiding principle, the plastic packaging for the Green Care Professional brand is 100 percent recyclable and is made of 100 percent high-quality recyclate. Our packaging consists mostly of recyclate obtained from household waste collection systems such as the Yellow Bag. Through the use of state-of-the-art sorting technology, recyclers can forward the plastic materials in nearly undiminished purity and quality into the next product life cycle.

Calculation of the Savings

The Green Care Performance Calculator is based on a sound calculation that takes into account all relevant data to determine how much petroleum, plastic and CO₂ (carbon dioxide) can be avoided with Green Care Professional as compared to conventional cleaning products. Consideration is given to both the packaging and the bottle contents, i.e., the formulation of the product.  

The calculated reductions in resource input and emissions come from the comparison with identical but conventional products which are made without recyclate and without renewable ingredients. That means we compare our recyclable and 100 percent recycled packaging to containers of the same size which are not made from recyclate. In addition, we compare our product formulations to identical formulations whose ingredients are not renewable, but are instead fossil-based. 

Reductions at packaging level

Our packaging made from high-quality recyclate lowers the use of petroleum and plastic (and waste generation) and reduces CO₂ emissions compared to an equivalent conventional product with disposable packaging. Every time recycling is successful, our packaging prevents plastic (waste) and avoids the use of the equivalent amount of petroleum needed to manufacture new (virgin) plastic packaging. Furthermore, it avoids the equivalent amount of CO₂ emissions which would result from incineration of the packaging in a linear material flow design (take-make-waste). The calculation method is explained in more detail in the following paragraphs. Calculations are based on  actual packaging quantities.

• Reduced petroleum: Typically, the manufacturing of plastic packaging requires petroleum. The amount of oil needed is proportional to the packaging quantity. We’ve decided to be very conservative in our calculation and for the sake of transparency, we use a  one to one (1:1) conversion factor from plastic to petroleum (1 kg plastic requires 1 kg petroleum). The actual reduction, however, could be greater.  
  
• CO₂ avoidance: Plastic packaging is generally incinerated after use. The burning (=complete oxidation) of plastic (and petroleum) leads to the formation of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Burning 1 kg of petroleum produces 3.14 kg of CO₂. Therefore, reusing 1 kg of plastic results in a reduction in the ecological footprint of at least 3.14 kg of CO₂ emissions compared to a similar product with a linear material flow design.
  
• Reduced plastic & recycling cycles:  Each reuse of plastic material prevents the production of plastic waste equal to the quantity of packaging. We record the weight of all packaging components and their share of recyclate. For these purposes, we assume that our packaging can be recycled just once even though it could be recycled several times. Conservatively calculated, each packaging unit can save a maximum of  plastic equal to its use weight or can result in  a maximum equivalent reduction in petroleum (factor 1) and CO₂ emissions (factor 3.14). 

Reductions at bottle contents level (formulations)

Our formulations are based on renewable, plant-based input material instead of commonly used raw materials such as petroleum from fossil sources. Additionally , the degradability of the formulations is documented by the OECD 302 test, which proves that the materials are fully mineralized after use. That process creates nutrients for a new generation of plants and avoids environmental pollution (such as CO₂ from the burning of petroleum).  Depending on the proportion of regenerative carbon in our formulations, a Green Care Professional product significantly reduces petroleum and CO₂ emissions compared to an  identical, but completely petrochemical product. Thanks to the use of renewable, regenerative materials in the manufacturing of our products, petroleum use is avoided  compared to conventional products. The biodegradation of renewable raw materials at the end of a product cycle is carbon dioxide-neutral and therefore results in lower CO₂ emissions than a conventional petroleum-based cleaning product.  The calculation method is explained in more detail in the following paragraphs.

• Reduced petroleum: For the calculation, the reduction in petrochemical carbon realized through the use of renewable plant-based raw materials was entered for each formulation. That value was multiplied by a factor of 1.17, which is the mass ratio of petroleum to carbon. This (very low) factor does not consider any conversion losses of petroleum in the production of similar active ingredients based on petrochemicals. Therefore, the actual reduction of crude oil compared to conventional products may be much higher.
  CO₂ avoidance: As with packaging, the reduction in petroleum results in a proportional avoidance of CO₂ emissions to the end of each product cycle. The Emission avoidance  is recalculated by multiplying the oil savings by a factor of 3.14.

Total Ecological Footprint Savings

The Green Care Performance Calculator adds up all the environmental impact reductions (ecological footprint) achieved by the circular design of our Green Care Professional brand products within a defined product mix. With the calculator, customers and end consumers can determine the reductions for Green Care Professional products as compared to conventional products. 

The calculator displays additional information about the proportion of Type 1 Ecolabel-certified (EU Ecolabel, Nordic Swan, Austrian Ecolabel) and Cradle to Cradle™ certified products in the selected product range.

Note

The Green Care Performance Calculator considers only the  material-related positive effects of the circular design of Green Care Professional products. Other reductions or eliminations of additional environmental impact, e.g., through the use of renewable energy instead of fossil fuels for product manufacturing, are not included in the calculation.