Carbon footprint of synthetic rubber (SBR)
Our calculator counts 3.90 kg CO₂e for every kilogram of synthetic rubber (SBR) in a product made in India. Below is where that figure comes from, how sure we are of it, and what it adds up to in finished products: 879 products in our catalogue, from 61 brands, contain synthetic rubber (SBR).
Where the figure comes from
The factor is Synthetic rubber (SBR), for EU. Source: PlasticsEurope (I. Boustead), Eco-profiles of the European Plastics Industry: Polybutadiene, March 2005, data year 2005.
Status: Contested. Published, but sources disagree or the scope is non-standard; includes every screening proxy. Sensitivity analysis is mandatory.
An emission factor is the greenhouse gas emitted per unit of something, here per kilogram of material up to the point it is ready to be made into a product. Read emission factors explained, or see every factor and source in our methodology.
From material to product
A kilogram of synthetic rubber (SBR) is only the start. Making it into yarn, fabric, a sheet or a part, dyeing or finishing it, making the product, and packing and moving it all add emissions. So does the use and disposal of the product, for a whole-life figure.
That is why products with the same material can have quite different footprints: the weight, the factory's energy and the processes matter as much as the material itself.
Use your own data
If your mill or supplier can give you a footprint for the synthetic rubber (SBR) you buy, use it: it describes your material rather than a typical one, and raises your primary data share. Then footprint your product with your own data, or start from a product link.
Questions
What is the carbon footprint of synthetic rubber (SBR) per kg?
Our calculator uses 3.90 kg CO₂e per kg of synthetic rubber (SBR) for products made in India, taken from PlasticsEurope (I. Boustead), Eco-profiles of the European Plastics Industry: Polybutadiene, March 2005 (data year 2005). Other studies give other values, because farming or production methods, energy and system boundaries differ.
Does the material's footprint equal the product's footprint?
No. The material is one part. Spinning, weaving or forming, dyeing, making the product, packaging, transport, use and disposal are added on top, and offcuts mean more material is bought than ends up in the product.
How reliable is this emission factor?
Its status in our library is “Contested”: Published, but sources disagree or the scope is non-standard; includes every screening proxy. Sensitivity analysis is mandatory. A supplier's own data for the material, such as a mill's footprint, replaces it when available.