Aluminum Foil versus Plastic Wrap
 Aluminum Foil not always more “ecofriendly” as compared to Plastic Wrap
 Aluminum has a heavy manufacturing
footprint
 Energy to mine bauxite ore and
process
 Producing 1 ton of Al ingots requires
170 MBtu and 12 tons of CO2
equivalent
 Plastic Wrap -- Polyethlyene
 Producing 1 ton of polyethylene
pellets requires 17% of energy and
12% of greenhouse gases as
compared to Al
 Plastic Wrap no longer made from
polyvinyl chloride not all is LDPE
 Aluminum Foil loses when compared to
Plastic Wrap -- fossil fuel
consumption, green house gas
emissions, human and aquatic
toxicity

HOWEVER - the gap can be
narrowed:
 Reuse Al foil 3 to 6 times becomes
comparable to plastic wrap
 Use recycled Al foil – better than
traditional foil
 Important issue– keep food fresh –no
point in using disposable packaging if
you throw out the food that is wrapped
inside.
Reference:
http://www.slate.com/id/2250001/