Stengel Mike 1/22/08 Lifecycle Analysis of a Soda Can Extracting, harvesting, and processing raw materials o Most sodas contain caffeine, sometimes for flavor purposes. It is found naturally in over 60 plants, notably cacao beans, tea leaves, and kola nuts. Mostly, these products are foreign to the United States and must be imported from distant countries. o To sweeten the drink, sugar is added. Today, sugar cane is grown in Hawaii, California and Florida and then purified to obtain the sugar extract. Sugar-substitutes are artificially made and involve manufacturing. o Lately, natural additives have been more widely used among the soda industry due to health concerns. Examples include anti-oxidants and natural preservatives. o Aluminum ore (bauxite) is imported from Jamaica and Guinea. Manufacturing, processing, and formulation o Carbonated water makes up around 90% of a soft drink and consists of carbon dioxide. In liquid form, it is an inert and non-toxic gas and cheap to liquefy. o Bauxite is refined, smelted and casted by American aluminum producers. It is estimated that industry this reclaims ~60% of used cans. o WATER- must be purified or at least sterilized
o The manufacturing process uses a lot of energy to filter water, mix ingredients, carbonate, and package the cola in mass quantities o Labeling the product is usually done on paper or a plastic film o Manufacturing of aluminum can and soda at mass scale requires great supplies of electricity to power machines/ factory. Marketing, distribution, and transportation o From the manufacturer, the containers are packaged in cartons to be shipped to distributors o Transportation depends heavily on oil consumption, raising CO2 emission levels. o Producing commercials needs electricity. Product use or consumption o In the US, approximately 100 billion aluminum cans are produced per year o Refrigeration of soda consumes electricity Management of waste materials (disposal or recycling) o Recycling one aluminum soda can saves enough energy to power a TV for 3 hours. o In 2002, 53.8 billion aluminum cans were recycled out of 100.8 billion (53.3%) o An aluminum can can remain as such for 500 years.