4. Profile of BDE flows in New Zealand
The graph below contains estimated quantities of BDE in various sources of the New Zealand environment. The estimates have been made using the source stated in the Method section.
A number of assumptions have been made in developing this profile.
Assumptions used and sources of information
Articles likely to contain BDE- review of New Zealand and international literature and survey of New Zealand manufacturing companies. This work enabled a percentage of finished product imports containing BDEs to be estimated.
Percentage of BDE per articles derived from finished goods sample and XRF analysis. The analysis provided data for “percentage of BDE” in homogenous parts of finished consumer articles for the data base.
Weight per article- physical weighing of homogenous parts of sampled articles.
Percentage of imported goods likely to contain BDE- assessment based on surveying and interviewing of manufacturing companies and review of literature for example, Polymers New Zealand mass balance survey of imported virgin resin polymer of various forms (PET, HDPE, PVC, L/LLDPE, PP, PS, EPS, Other e.g., ABS, SAN). This data was used to develop an estimate of goods and uses that are likely to require flame retardant.
Lifetime of articles- assessment of individual imported finished goods based on literature.
Volume “disposed” and “in use”- Excel based formula to derive values from assessment of lifetime per article, import and landfill data.
Volume Recycled- Excel based formula based on literature estimates of recycling and also derived from “in-use” and disposed” estimates.
Volume disposed in landfills- Excel based formula derived from other database values and verified against literature estimates. This data require estimates to be made on the likely change in BDE content over three periods in the analysis:
- 1988 – 1994 (1988 is the start of StatisticsNZ trade records)
- 1994 – 2004
- Post 2004 (since 2004 a number of major polymers manufacturers have limited the use of
BDEs in line with moves in the EU & North America).
The graph below illustrates the estimated flow of BDE from various sources and is in line with quantities estimated by interview participants and international literature. Note that all bar-sections are annual quantities except the ‘pink’ section for ‘cumulative landfill total’
From 2006 onwards a decline in all yearly quantities is seen except in the ‘Being Recycled’ group, a dubious development.
Graph 1 Estimated quantities of BDE in various sources in the New Zealand environment
Note: all figures in the chart are annual tonnages, except for the landfill figures which represents the cumulative tonnages of BDEs present in landfills. The annual ‘in-use’ tonnages comprises the net amount in any one year made up from (i) the imported goods still in use PLUS (ii) the products made in NZ and still in use in NZ (i.e. both (i) and (ii) are accumulated over the product lifetimes) MINUS (iii) any exports and (iv) articles disposed to land.
Read a description of this image
This graph illustrates the quantities of BDEs estimated to have accumulated in New Zealand since 1978. The y-axis of the graph ranges up to 1200 tonnes in intervals of 100 tonnes. The x-axis displays the accumulated amount as columns at 2-year intervals from 1978 to 2008. The accumulated quantities of BDEs rise steeply during the 1990’s to reach an estimated maximum in 2008. Most visible from the mid-1990s, seven different data-categories are colour coded to show the annual tonnages of BDEs (a) being recycled; (b) in landfills (as a cumulative total); (c) entering landfill in any one year; (d) in use (as a cumulative total that increases and then decreases); (e) exports; (f) used in NZ-made products; (g) imported in finished goods. The annual ‘in-use’ tonnages comprises the net amount in any one year made up from (i) the imported goods still in use PLUS (ii) the products made in NZ and still in use in NZ (i.e. both (i) and (ii) are accumulated over the product lifetimes) MINUS (iii) any exports and (iv) articles disposed to land.
