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
Manufactur
e

Wrap
Manufactur
e

Output

End of Life
Wrap
Use
Human
Health

Wood

Cardboard

Pulp

Production

Tube & Box

Manufacture

Recyclin
g

Landfill
Incineratio
nRecycle

PVC Food Wrap Production

Mining

Rock Salt

Electrolysis

Extraction
Stabilizer
Plasticizer

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

Additives

Extrusion

Polyethylene Food Wrap

Ethylene

Polymerisation

Aluminum Foil Production

Mining

NaOH

Limestone Bauxite

Al oxide
Manufacture

Aluminum Foil Wrap

Mining
Cathode/Anode
Manufacture
Na-Al-Ca
Fluoride
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
(Reynolds
Plastic Wrap)

PVDC
(Saran
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

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 (contd)

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 (contd)

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
cardboard

600

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 (contd)
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 (contd)
Reuse or recycle aluminum foil
Avoid use of heavy duty foil
Minimize contact of PVC/PVDC wrap
with food

Which would you choose?