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 Al, PVC, PVDC, PE Production Wood Pulp Cardboard Production Film Manufacture Wrap Use End of Life Landfill Incineration Recycle Wrap Manufacture Tube & Box Manufacture Input OutputHuman Health Recycling Bauxite Petroleum Raw Material Extraction ManufacturingUseEnd of Life

8. Electrolysis Emulsion Polymerisation Reaction Calendering MiningExtraction PVC Food Wrap Production Rock Salt Methane Plasticizer PVC Food Wrap Cl 2 Chlorination VCM Stabilizer

9. Emulsion Polymerisation Reaction Calendering MiningExtraction PVDC Food Wrap Production Electrolysis Cl 2 Chlorination Vinyl Chloride Chlorination Vinylidene Chloride PVDC Food Wrap Rock salt Methane

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

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

12. Cost Comparison

13. Weight Distribution

14. Material Consumption

15. Energy Consumption 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 PVC (Reynolds Plastic Wrap) PVDC (Saran Wrap) PE (Handi Wrap) Al (Reynolds Alum. Foil) Energy (MJ) feedstock precomb.+ comb. 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. GWP 100 Relative to CO 2 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?