Sustainability Assessment of Road Marking Systems

Environmental issues are becoming increasingly important in the domestic, business and public sectors. Due to population growth and growing number of megacities, Green Public Procurements concepts is also becoming an increasing trend in the road infrastructure sector.This study assessed the environmental impacts of road markings considering the whole life cycle from manufacturing to disposal. For the correctness of the study, an external expert panel reviewed the assessment. By using the LCA-Methodology based on DIN ISO 14040 and 14044, an objective comparison of the following line markings was performed: Solvent-borne paint; Water-based paint; Thermoplastic and Thermo Spray Plastic; Cold Plastic and Cold Spray Plastic. Typical material formulations in characteristic application scenarios have been modelled using the data of corresponding official approval test certificates held by a major local manufacturer of all evaluated technologies. Empirical data was used to determine a typical service life of the various road marking systems at a typical average daily traffic of 10,000–15,000 vehicles per day.The life cycle assessment results, i.e. considering the whole life cycle from manufacturing to disposal, showed that a global warming potential reduction of more than 50% can be achieved by a more durable road marking system.The study concluded that in order to access the actual environmental impact of road markings, a lifetime evaluation including, for instance, production, application, transport, service life, and disposal must be taken into consideration.