How Green is That Product?

An Introduction to Life Cycle Environmental Assessment

Homework #4: Part 1
Goals: In Part 1 of this assignment, youll evaluate a published LCI report to do the following:

identify key goal and scope definition elements; and

interpret life-cycle inventory results.

Instructions: The questions below can be answered offline. When you complete the assignment, return
to the Week 4 course page on the Coursera website. Click on the Submit Homework Assignment
Answers button, which will allow you to enter your answers into a web form for automated grading.
Grading: Part 1 of Homework #4 is worth 45 points. The point values of each answer are listed below.
You can submit a maximum of 30 attempts. The highest scoring attempt that is submitted before the
deadline will count toward your official grade. Scores for each attempt will be available immediately
after submission of your answers.
Numbers: In this assignment, and throughout this course, numbers will be expressed using the U.S.
numeric convention where commas separate thousands and the dot (or decimal point) is the decimal
separator. For example, the number one thousand two hundred and one-tenth is written 1,200.1.

Identifying study definitions and conclusions (5 points each answer)

To answer these questions, youll need to download the following report by clicking on the link:
Franklin Associates (2009). Life Cycle Inventory of Three Single-Serving Soft Drink Containers: Revised
Peer Reviewed Final Report. Prepared for the PET Resin Association. Eastern Research Group. Prairie
Village, KS. http://www.container-recycling.org/assets/pdfs/LCA-SodaContainers2009.pdf
Specifically, review the executive summary and the study description and assumptions in Chapter 1.
Then, answer the following questions:
Question 1: What is the stated purpose of this study?

To determine the optimum waste management strategies for non-refillable single-serving soft
drink containers.
To evaluate the resource use, solid wastes, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with
common containers used for non-refillable single-serving soft drinks.
To promote the superiority of PET containers for use as non-refillable single-serving soft drinks.
To guide consumer decisions on single-serving soft drinks.

Question 2: Who is the intended audience of this study?

The LCA research community.

The general population of consumers.
The member companies of PET Resin Association.
Public policy makers.

Question 3: What is the functional unit of this study?

One non-refillable single-serving soft drink container.

One bottled soft drink.
The primary packaging of 100,000 ounces of soft drink.
8,333 aluminum cans, 12,500 glass bottles, and 5,000 PET bottles.

Question 4: What reference flows are chosen to meet the stated functional unit of this study?

One non-refillable single-serving soft drink container.

100,000 ounces of soft drink.
One bottled soft drink.
8,333 aluminum cans, 12,500 glass bottles, and 5,000 PET bottles.

Question 5: Which category accounted for the largest share of total energy requirements for the three
different types of container?

Process energy.
Transportation energy.
Energy of materials resource.

Question 6: Which statement is correct?

PET containers have the highest transportation energy, followed by glass, then aluminum.
Glass containers have the highest transportation energy, followed by PET, then aluminum.
Aluminum containers have the highest transportation energy, followed by glass, then PET.
Glass containers have the highest transportation energy, followed by aluminum, then PET.

Question 7: From which year are the inventory data for production of the PET resin?

2009
2003
2006
1997

Question 8: From what geographic region are the inventory data for production of the PET resin?

Europe
Europe and North America
United States
North America

Question 9: What process technology is assumed for the manufacture of PP closures?

Blow molding
Biaxially-oriented extrusion
Injection molding