Aluminum Foil Roll

Material Composition Assumptions

A standard household aluminum foil roll consists primarily of pure aluminum metal making up approximately 14.5 grams or 97% of the total product weight. The remaining composition includes trace alloying elements such as magnesium, manganese, and silicon totaling roughly 0.4 grams or 3% of the weight. Processing lubricants and oils may be present in negligible quantities during manufacturing but are largely removed from the final consumer product.

Manufacturing Geography

China serves as the primary manufacturing region for aluminum foil products, accounting for over half of global aluminum production capacity. The country’s electricity grid operates at an intensity of 555 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour, which significantly impacts the carbon footprint given that aluminum processing requires 15 megawatt-hours of electricity per ton of material. This energy-intensive production process makes grid composition a critical factor in determining overall emissions.

Regional Variation

Manufacturing Region	Grid Intensity	Estimated CCI Score	Adjustment vs Default
China	555 gCO2/kWh	42	Baseline
Middle East	490 gCO2/kWh	39	-7%
North America	385 gCO2/kWh	29	-31%
Europe	295 gCO2/kWh	22	-48%
Nordic Countries	85 gCO2/kWh	8	-81%

Provenance Override Guidance

1. Primary aluminum content percentage versus recycled aluminum content with supporting documentation from metal suppliers
2. Specific electricity grid composition and renewable energy certificates for the smelting and rolling facilities
3. Transportation distances and modes from bauxite mines to refineries and from smelters to rolling mills
4. Energy efficiency data for the specific hot rolling and thin rolling processes used in production
5. Waste heat recovery systems and process optimization measures implemented at manufacturing facilities

Methodology Notes

• The CCI score represents cradle-to-gate emissions for a standard 15-gram household aluminum foil roll including raw material extraction, processing, and manufacturing
• Scope 1 accounts for direct emissions from smelting operations while Scope 2 captures electricity-related emissions from energy-intensive rolling processes
• The functional unit is defined as one consumer-ready aluminum foil roll suitable for typical household food storage applications
• End-of-life recycling benefits are excluded from this assessment though aluminum maintains high recyclability rates
• Regional electricity grid variations can cause the carbon footprint to differ by up to three times between manufacturing locations
• Data gaps exist around specific alloying compositions and their associated emission factors for different foil grades