Household Food Wraps
Life Cycle Assessment
Betsy Boatner
Rob Frederick
Hyung Chul Kim
Yasmin Ullah
April 12, 1999
Goal Definition
Conduct a life cycle assessment of:
• PVC (Reynolds Plastic Wrap)
• PVDC (Saran Wrap)
• PE (Handi-Wrap)
• Al (Reynolds Aluminum Foil)
Overview
• Introduction
• Life Cycle Inventory Analysis
• Life Cycle Impact Assessment
• Life Cycle Interpretation
INTRODUCTION
Performance Characteristics
Consumer objective: coverage
• Ability to seal/enclose
• Cling
• Resist tearing
• Hot/cold, clarity, and gas permeability
are outside of the scope
LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY
System Boundary
Raw Material
Extraction
Manufacturing
Use
End of Life
Input
Bauxite
Petroleum
Al, PVC,
PVDC, PE
Production
Film
Manufacture
Wrap
Manufacture
Output
End of Life
Wrap
Use
Human
Health
Wood
Cardboard
Pulp
Production
Tube & Box
Manufacture
Recycling
Landfill
Incineration
Recycle
PVC Food Wrap Production
Mining
Extraction
Stabilizer Plasticizer
Rock Salt
Electrolysis
Methane
Cl2
Chlorination
PVC Food Wrap
VCM
Calendering
Emulsion
Polymerisation
Reaction
PVDC Food Wrap Production
Mining
Extraction
Rock salt
Methane
Electrolysis
Cl2
Chlorination
PVDC
Calendering
Food Wrap
Vinyl
Chlorination
Chloride
Emulsion
Polymerisation
Reaction
Vinylidene
Chloride
PE Food Wrap Production
Oil
Well
Drilling
Refinery
Water
Steam
Cracking
Oil
Stabilizers
Rolling
Ethylene
Additives
Polymerisation
Extrusion
Polyethylene Food Wrap
Aluminum Foil Production
Mining
NaOH
Mining
Cathode/Anode
Manufacture
Limestone Bauxite
Na-Al-Ca
Fluoride
Al oxide
Manufacture
Aluminum Foil Wrap
Carbon
Electrolysis
Rolling/
Annealing
Al metal
Casting
Cost Comparison
$3.50
$3.09
$3.09
$3.00
$2.59
$2.50
$2.00
$1.65
$1.50
$1.00
$0.50
$0.00
PVC (Reynolds)
100 sq. ft.
PVDC (Saran)
100 sq. ft.
PE (Handi Wrap)
100 sq. ft.
Al (Reynolds)
75 sq. ft.
Weight Distribution
400
350
Tube
Box
Wrap
300
grams
250
200
150
100
50
0
PVC (Reynolds)
100 sq. ft.
PVDC (Saran)
100 sq. ft.
PE (Handi Wrap)
100 sq. ft.
Al (Reynolds)
75 sq. ft.
Material Consumption
1.4
Mass (kg)
1.2
1
0.8
crude oil/nat. gas
rock salt
limestone
bauxite
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
PVC
(Reynolds
Plastic
Wrap)
PVDC
(Saran
Wrap)
PE
(Handi
Wrap)
Al
(Reynolds
Alum. Foil)
Energy Consumption
70
Energy (MJ)
60
50
feedstock
precomb.+ comb.
40
30
20
10
0
PVC
PVDC
(Reynolds
(Saran
Plastic Wrap) Wrap)
PE
(Handi
Wrap)
Al
(Reynolds
Alum. Foil)
• Aluminum production has high electricity demands
Air Emissions of Criteria Pollutants
25000
20000
PM
VOC
CO
SOX
NOX
grams
15000
10000
5000
0
PVC (Reynolds)
PVDC (Saran)
PE (Handi-Wrap)
Aluminum
(Reynolds)
Water Emissions
Suspended
Solids
Aluminum (Reynolds)
PE (Handi-Wrap)
PVDC (Saran)
PVC (Reynolds)
0
4000
8000
12000
16000
grams
Nitrogen
Aluminum (Reynolds)
PE (Handi-Wrap)
PVDC (Saran)
PVC (Reynolds)
0
20
40
60
grams
80
100
Water Emissions (cont’d)
Salts and Acids
Aluminum (Reynolds)
PE (Handi Wrap)
PVDC (Saran)
PVC (Reynolds)
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
grams
Metals
Aluminum (Reynolds)
PE (Handi Wrap)
PVDC (Saran)
PVC (Reynolds)
0
20
40
60
80
grams
100
120
140
160
Water Emissions (cont’d)
Total
Organic
Carbons
Aluminum
(Reynolds)
PE (HandiWrap)
PVDC (Saran)
PVC (Reynolds)
0
50
100
150
grams
200
250
300
Energy (J/mile)
for functional unit
Transportation Energy
800
600
cardboard
wrap
400
200
0
PVC
(Reynolds
Plastic
Wrap)
PVDC
(Saran
Wrap)
PE
(Handi
Wrap)
Al
(Reynolds
Alum. Foil)
• Cardboard tube for plastic wrap weighs more than for aluminum
Weight (g) per functional unit
End of Life
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
recycled
incinerated
landfill
PVC
(Reynolds
Plastic
Wrap)
PVDC
(Saran
Wrap)
PE
(Handi
Wrap)
Al
(Reynolds
Alum. Foil)
• Aluminum foil has 9% recycle rate
• Scrap aluminum foil is worth $1050 per ton / $0.85 per roll
LIFE CYCLE IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Critical Volume
35,000
100 m3 of polluted air
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
PVC
PVDC (Saran)
(Reynolds)
PE (Handi
Wrap)
Aluminum
(Reynolds)
• Pollutants included are Fl, Cl, NH3, Pb, Hg, HCl, CO, SOX, NOX, Hydrocarbons, and Dust/Part.
GWP100 Relative to CO2
3,000
kg of CO2 equivalent
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
PVC
(Reynolds)
PVDC
(Saran)
PE (Handi
Wrap)
Aluminum
(Reynolds)
• Greenhouse gases included are CO2, N20, CH4, and Halon-1301.
Health Concerns:
Manufacturing of PVC/ PVDC
Dioxin
- carcinogen, potential endocrine disruptor & teratogen
- exposure linked to diabetes
- Vinyl Institute: 24.3 g/year
- Greenpeace: 283-565 g/year (Danish study in support)
- EPA: insufficient data to evaluate claims
Plasticizers
- DEHA: potential human carcinogen, teratogen, mutagen,
& endocrine disruptor
- DEHP: potential human carcinogen, teratogen,
& endocrine disruptor
- Swedish study: testicular cancer & PVC exposure
Health Concerns:
Manufacturing of PVC/PVDC (cont’d)
Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM)
- human carcinogen - rare liver cancer, documented
evidence from occupational exposure
- lung, spleen, & brain cancer, degenerative bone disease
Hydrogen Chloride Gas
- "meat wrapper asthma"
Equity
- mean percent non-white 57% higher than national average
in communities surrounding the 14 U.S. ethylene and/or
vinyl chloride feedstock facilities
Health Concerns:
Use of PVDC/PVC Food Wrap
Migration of Plasticizers: DEHA & DEHP
- plasticizer content: average 16.3%
- migration level varies depending on:
content, surface contact, length of contact,
fat content of food, & temperature
- numerous studies:
Consumers Union: 51-270 ppm (avg 153) in cheese
- FDA: risk from DEHA and DEHP de minimus – not regulated
- C.E.C.: DEHA migration limit of 18 ppm
Health Concerns:
End of Life of PVDC/PVC Food Wrap
Incineration
- Dioxin: hotly contested
- Vinyl Industry: Rigo study
- Greenpeace & others: strong criticism
- EPA: jury is out (to lunch)
Recycling Challenges
- Volume, storage, & collection infrastructure
- Additives act as contaminant preventing PVC recycling
- Cross-resin contamination:
* PVC & PET recycling: hydrochloric acid
* different plastic films indistinguishable
International Action
to Reduce & Eliminate PVC-Based Products,
with Focus on Food Packaging
- Environmental Guidelines for Sydney Olympics:
minimize and avoid use of PVC
- German Parliament: recommended complete phase out
- Switzerland: PVC containers are banned
- Denmark: reduction in PVC packaging to 85% of weight in
1987 by 2000
- Japan: law passed requiring manufacturers to recycle toxic
materials that produce dioxin when burned (2000)
*American Public Health Association: call for timed phase-out
Health Concerns:
Use of Aluminum Foil
Link to Alzheimers
- Evidence of aluminum in brains of patients with disease
- No evidence of direct correlation between disease &
aluminum
- Content ingested from foil and utensil innocuous;
water primary source - used in purification
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)
LIFE CYCLE INTERPRETATION
Report Card
Material Intensiveness
Energy
Health
Air Pollutants
Water Pollutants
GWP
Critical Volume
End of Life
PVC
+
+


+

-
PVDC




-
PE
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
-
Al


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
Recommendations (cont’d)
• Reuse or recycle aluminum foil
• Avoid use of heavy duty foil
• Minimize contact of PVC/PVDC wrap
with food
Which would you choose?