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Plastic Coefficients
For Ecological Accounting

The Global Ecobrick Alliance maintains and publish coefficients for plastic consumption, production and CO2 equivalency for enterprises who are tracking and disclosing their plastic impacts.

In 2021 the GEA began a compendium of plastic generation coeffecients based on the extensive experience of our 400 trainers working with plastic around the world.

As of June 2022, this page and our listing here are still in development with the aim of formalizing our coefficients for the end of the year.

Additive Plastic Coefficients

Impacts that add plastic to the biosphere.

Plastic Production

Plastic generated outside of or sent outside of your facilities.

Take-out Coffee

The average plastic generated by one coffee to-go (including cup, lid, sugar packet lining, stirrer, etc.)

0.01 Kg plastic

Take-out Meal

The average plastic generated by a meal at a restaurant taken to go (including plastic used in the kitchen, for presentation, take out, drinks, etc.)

0.125 Kg per meal

Domestic Air Travel

The average amount of plastic generated by a single domestic air travel flight (ticket, stickers, food and drink service, snacks, meal, etc.).

0.550 kg per ticket

International Air Travel

The average amount of plastic generated by a single international air travel flight (ticket, stickers, food and drink service, snacks, meal, etc.)

0.750 kg per ticket




Plastic Consumption

Plastic generated within your facilities.

Propane Gas

Plastic involved in the consumption of one LPG tank (any size)

0.001 Kg of plastic per cannister

Laptop

The purchase and use of a laptop entails plastic generation (packaging, cables, casing, screen, keyboard, etc)

0.5 Kg over lifetime of use

Smart Phone

The purchase and use of a smart phone entails plastic generation (packaging, cables, casing, screen, keyboard, etc)

0.4 Kg over lifetime of use

Subtractive Plastic Coefficients

Impacts that remove plastic from the biosphere

Recycling

The global average for full recovery and ongoing reuse of recyled plastic is 9%. Enterprise's should track the percentage of their plastic production and consumption that is recycled and then multiply accordingly.

0.09 Kg per 1 Kg of recycled plastic

AES Plastic

Plastic that has been ecobricked and authenticated as having met the criteria of plastic sequestration, can be claimed as authenticated Ecobrick Sequestered Plastic.

1kg of AES plastic = 1 Kg of plastic removed from the biosphere

1 Brikcoin

A brikcoin on the GoBrik blockchain corresponds to a certain amount of plastic sequestered. This changes each year.

1 BRK = 0.098 Kg plastic

Plastic CO2 Equivalencies

Various flows of plastic have significant carbon emissions.


Recycling

Recycling plastic has various carbon emissions (transportation, reprocessing, etc.)

1kg recycled plastic = 0.689 Kg of CO2

Reference: Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet, Center for International Environmental Law p.59 (offsets not counted)


Incineration

When plastic is burned it's carbon molecules join with oxygen molecules to generate carbon dioxide.

1 kg plastic = 2.97 Kg CO2

Reference: Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet, Center for International Environmental Law p.59 (offsets not counted)


Landfilling

Plastic that is not recycled, incinerated or sequestered ends up in the earth, air and land.

1 Kg plastic = 0.065kg

Reference: Plastic & Climate: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet, Center for International Environmental Law p.59 (offsets not counted)




One-time CO2 impact of plastic

The GEA has calculated the one time impact of consuming 1 kg of consumed plastic.

1 Kg plastic = 6.06kg CO2

The GEA has calculated the net impact of 1 kg of consumed plastic over time.

1 Kg plastic = Data pending

Plastic Sequestration

Plastic that is kept out of industrial processing (i.e recycling, incineration and landfilling) has a substractive CO2e impact of:

1 AES Plastic = 6.05 CO2e



Do your own Regen Reporting

To do our own GEA ecological accounting we use an enterprise catalyst account on the GoBrik platform. It allows us to track our plastic consumption and ecobricking each month. You can do so too!

Our Catalyst Program for keen green enterprises enables you to generate ecological impacts for your company or project. New tools for carbon and biodiversity accounting are being added for 2022.


🚀 Catalyst Program

Learn more about our free program & platform.

Our 2020 Regenerative Report on our plastic transition eco bricking.

Annual Ecological Accounting

Every year we track, account and disclose our ecological impact in an annual Regenerativity Report.

Access Report

Ecological Accounting of grey and green impacts

Ecological Accounting

Accounting for our grey and green ecological impacts is a key component of regenerative enterprise.

See Ours
See how we account
For-Earth Enterprise through eco bricking

For-Earth Enterprise

The GEA commits to a not-for-profit business model that redistributes financial benefit towards ecological benefit. It does this by disclosing its carbon, plastic and biodiversity impacts and by ensuring that they are net-green.

Plastic has a CO2e Footprint

Plastic has a CO2e Footprint

If plastic is allowed to degrade or burn, its carbon breaks down and forms CO2 with the air. Burning 1 kg of polyethylene (PE) results in approximately 3.14 kg of CO2.

🔢 Calculations
Hover to learn more.