Beware The Life Cycle Of 'Recycled'

Each product should have its environmental history printed on the label.

1 minute read

July 14, 2003, 1:00 PM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"I try to buy organically produced food as a form of economic pressure to remove pesticides and other drugs from the food system. But I recently noticed that my organic kiwi fruit comes all the way from New Zealand, flown in on jets that burn fossil fuel and contribute to global warming... Uncertainties about the relative environmental impacts of alternative choices can be truly reduced only by accounting for all the materials and energy used and waste generated during the entire life cycle of every product. Even a modest approximation of such a "life-cycle assessment," printed in simple terms on a product's label.. would give consumers the means to make a real difference with their everyday purchases."

Thanks to Chris Steins

Monday, July 14, 2003 in The Christian Science Monitor

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