Plastics are sometimes portrayed as environmentally poor because most are synthesize from oil or natural gas, implying a larger embodied energy and carbon footprint than other materials. Is this an accurate portrait? Use the data from Appendix A, Table A10 and A2 to compare the carbon footprint of three of the materials most widely used in household products: polypropylene, aluminum and carbon steel. Use mean values of the values in the tables.

Data From Appendix A10

Data From Table A2

Table A.10 Embodied Energy, Carbon Footprint and Water Demand