USING INPUT-OUTPUT-ANALYSIS TO ESTIMATE ECONOMY-WIDE DISCHARGES

Life-cycle assessment models attempt to quantify the environmental imp lications of alternative products and processes, tracing pollution dis charges and resources use through the chain of producers and consumers . Present life-cycle assessments must draw boundaries that limit consi deration to a few producers in the chain from raw materials to a finis hed product. We show that this limitation considers only a fraction of the environmental discharges associated with a product or process, th ereby making current assessments unreliable. We propose an approach th at uses economic input-output analysis and pollution discharge data an d apply the model to automobiles, refrigerators, and computer purchase s, and to a comparison of paper and plastic cups.