Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Construction Materials for Drywall Application: Plastic Waste and Natural Fiber Composite Versus Conventional Gypsum Board

ABSTRACT: Metallized biaxially oriented polypropylene (met-BOPP) is a flexible packaging material whose aluminium layer hinders mechanical recycling. This study presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a met-BOPP composite reinforced with cellulosic fibers, comparing its environmental performance to that of gypsum plasterboard, a conventional material widely used in drywall systems. The functional unit was defined as the production of 1 m² of board. Primary data were obtained experimentally, and secondary data were sourced from the Ecoinvent 3.6 database, using OpenLCA 2.5 software and the ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) impact assessment method. The results revealed substantially lower potential environmental impacts for the composite board compared to the gypsum plasterboard across several categories, with net environmental credits equivalent to 208% of the gypsum impact in Global Warming Potential, 460% in Marine Ecotoxicity, and 207% in Non-carcinogenic Human Toxicity. The environmental gains of the composite alternative result from the recycling of the post-consumer plastic waste used. A sensitivity analysis using a pure cut-off modelling, in which the met-BOPP waste enters the system burden-free and no valorization credits are granted, confirmed the environmental advantage of the composite in terms of GWP, showing a 90.8% reduction in GWP compared with gypsum plasterboard. These findings support met-BOPP composite panels as a promising low-carbon alternative for the construction sector, aligned with circular economy principles.