Global Warming Potential

The environmental impact of a material is indicated in its carbon footprint and Global Warming Potential (GWP).

AMDC provides generic data for GWP and CO2 footprint values that are derived from various sources and assessments for materials, compounds, processing machines, and power consumption by country. With this, it helps you understand the impact of global warming as a result of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere and enables you to tailor the material accordingly.
  1. Select a material type in the filter pane.
    The search result is displayed with the list of materials that matches your selection.


    Figure 1. Filter Materials
  2. Select a material and click
    The Info tab displays general information about the selected material.
  3. Click LCA(CO2).
    The filtered material is selected as a compound material with its ratio in percentage, and the generic data of GWP and carbon footprint for the compound material are displayed.

    GWP and carbon footprint of a material
    Figure 2. GWP and carbon footprint of a material
    Note: To understand the assumptions based on which the system calculates the GWP and C02 footprint values, click the more information link.
  4. To customize a material, add different types of compounds such as Polymer, Fiber, and any Additive or Filler based materials. In this example, I choose Glass fiber as an additional compound.
    The generic data of GWP and CO2 footprint for the additional compound material is displayed.

    Selecting a Compound as Glass Fiber
    Figure 3. Selecting a Compound as Glass Fiber
  5. Specify the percentage of the material in the compound.

    Specify the Glass Fiber ratio in the compound
    Figure 4. Specify the Glass Fiber ratio in the compound
  6. Add a Processing type for producing the new material from the selected compounds. I select Add Drying processing.
    The power consumption value is displayed.

    Add Processing Types
    Figure 5. Add Processing Types
    Note: The Country field is enabled to select.
  7. Change the Country name from the list.
    The generic data of GWP and CO2 footprint for the selected country is displayed.

    Power Consumption by Country
    Figure 6. Power Consumption by Country
    Note: Add more processing types for understanding the amount of GWP and CO2 footprint effect of the material in the compound.
  8. Scroll down to view the pie chart of GWP and CO2 footprint values.

    GWP and CO2 footprint values in a Pie Chart
    Figure 7. GWP and CO2 footprint values in a Pie Chart
  9. Click Download to download the GWP and CO2 footprint values for the material compounds, processing types, and power consumption by country info in a PDF format.