Household Food Wraps Life Cycle Assessment

1. Household Food Wraps Life Cycle Assessment Betsy Boatner Rob Frederick Hyung Chul Kim Yasmin Ullah April 12, 1999

2. Goal Definition Conduct a life cycle assessment of: • PVC (Reynolds Plastic Wrap) • PVDC (Saran Wrap) • PE (Handi-Wrap) • Al (Reynolds Aluminum Foil)

3. Overview • Introduction • Life Cycle Inventory Analysis • Life Cycle Impact Assessment • Life Cycle Interpretation

4. INTRODUCTION

5. Performance Characteristics Consumer objective: coverage • Ability to seal/enclose • Cling • Resist tearing • Hot/cold, clarity, and gas permeability are outside of the scope

6. LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY

7. System Boundary Raw Material Extraction Manufacturing Use End of Life Input End of Life Landfill IncinerationRecycle Bauxite Petroleum Al, PVC, PVDC, PE Production Film Manufacture Wrap Manufacture Wrap Use Output Human Health Wood Pulp Cardboard Production Tube & Box Manufacture Recycling

8. PVC Food Wrap Production Mining Extraction Stabilizer Plasticizer Rock Salt Methane Emulsion Polymerisation Reaction Chlorination Electrolysis Cl2 VCM Calendering PVC Food Wrap

9. PVDC Food Wrap Production Mining Extraction Rock salt Methane Chlorination Electrolysis Chlorination Vinyl Chloride Cl2 Emulsion Polymerisation Reaction Vinylidene Chloride Calendering PVDC Food Wrap

10. PE Food Wrap Production Oil Well Drilling Refinery Water Steam Cracking Ethylene Oil Stabilizers Additives Polymerisation Rolling Extrusion Polyethylene Food Wrap

11. Aluminum Foil Production Mining Mining Cathode/Anode Manufacture Limestone Bauxite NaOH Na-Al-Ca Fluoride Carbon Al oxide Manufacture Electrolysis Al metal Rolling/ Annealing Casting Aluminum Foil Wrap

12. Cost Comparison

13. Weight Distribution

14. Material Consumption

15. Energy Consumption 70 60 feedstock precomb.+ comb. 50 40 Energy (MJ) 30 20 10 0 PE PVC PVDC Al (Reynolds (Reynolds (Saran Wrap) (Handi Wrap) Plastic Wrap) Alum. Foil) • Aluminum production has high electricity demands

16. Air Emissions of Criteria Pollutants

17. Water Emissions Suspended Solids Nitrogen

18. Water Emissions (cont’d) Salts and Acids Metals

19. Water Emissions (cont’d) Total Organic Carbons

20. Transportation Energy • Cardboard tube for plastic wrap weighs more than for aluminum

21. End of Life • Aluminum foil has 9% recycle rate • Scrap aluminum foil is worth $1050 per ton / $0.85 per roll

22. LIFE CYCLE IMPACT ASSESSMENT

23. Critical Volume • Pollutants included are Fl, Cl, NH3, Pb, Hg, HCl, CO, SOX, NOX, Hydrocarbons, and Dust/Part.

24. GWP100 Relative to CO2 • Greenhouse gases included are CO2, N20, CH4, and Halon-1301.

31. Health Concerns: Aluminum Production & Recovery Production - Link between aluminum smelting & asthma & chronic airway disease - Acid mine drainage Recycling - Neurobehavioral, rheumatic, & respiratory impairments* (Al, Mn, VCM)

32. LIFE CYCLE INTERPRETATION

33. Report Card

34. Recommendations • Examine changes in manufacturing techniques to reduce migration • Conduct more research on migration and health effects • Investigate alternative plasticizers (e.g., polymerized, benzoic acid based) • Recover and utilize chlorine discharges

35. Recommendations (cont’d) • Reuse or recycle aluminum foil • Avoid use of heavy duty foil • Minimize contact of PVC/PVDC wrap with food

36. Which would you choose?