Environmental Impact Analysis of the Production of Flax Fibres to be Used as Composite Material Reinforcement

The present study quantifies the environmental impacts of the production of hackled flax fibres destined for reinforcement of composite materials and compared with those for the production of glass fibres. The ecological advantages of flax fibres production over glass fibres are shown. Most of the environmental indicators used (climate change, acidification, non-renewable energy consumption ...) are favourable to flax fibres. However the eutrophication indicator remains high, mainly due to the use and production of fertilizers. Possible optimisation is studied by means of reduction of mechanical extraction steps and chemical products use. A sensitivity analysis highlights that the calculation method used (CML2000 modified) is robust. The hypothesis of carbon dioxide sequestration influences the climate change indicator. The choice of allocation method, by weight or by economic value, has also a strong influence on the environmental impacts. Globally, the production of flax fibres appears to be an environmentally attractive alternative to glass fibres.