Greenhouse Gas Reduction Potential of Novel CO₂-Derived Polylactic-co-glycolic Acid (PLGA) Plastics

The data were collected for a research project that lead to the publication of Gonella, S., Huijbregts, M. A. J., de Coninck, H., de Gooyert, V., & Hanssen, S. V. (2025). Greenhouse gas reduction potential of novel CO₂-derived polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) plastics. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 13(16), 5798–5807. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c06463. To reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of plastics, fossil feedstocks need to be replaced by alternative carbon sources, such as recycled plastics, biomass, and captured CO₂. The study assessed the potential life-cycle GHG reductions of polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) produced using captured carbon dioxide (CO₂) and biomass. This material could replace fossil- or bio-based plastic bottles, mulch and film. The full life-cycle GHG footprint of 1 kg of PLGA used in these applications was determined, taking into account different CO₂ sources, the GHG intensity of energy and end-of-life scenarios modelled for the Netherlands. The GHG footprint of PLGA was then compared to that of commonly used fossil and bio-based plastics. The READ ME file provides more detailed information on the data included in this collection and complements the Supplementary Information available as an appendix to the published paper.