Product Life Cycle Assessment

Life Cycle Flowchart

Adapted from Industrial Designers Society of America - Okala

Premanufacture

• Raw Material

Extraction

• Material Processing

Premanufacture: Raw Material Extraction

• All consumer products depend on the natural

environment for raw materials

• Some form of energy is required

• Typically produces large quantities of outputs

(wastes and emissions)

Premanufacture: Material Processing

• Often material-intensive

Premanufacture: Material Processing

• Often material-intensive

• Energy is required

Material Energy Cost

(MJ/kg)

Extracted from

Titanium 900 - 940 Ore concentrate

Aluminum 227-342 Bauxite

Polystyrene 87 - 115 Crude oil

Polyvinylchloride (PVC) 85 - 107 Crude oil

Paper 25-50 Standing timber

Glass 18-35 Sand, etc.

Wood 3 – 7 Standing timber

Premanufacture: Material Processing

• Often material-intensive

• Energy is required

• Processing often produces wastes and other

outputs

– Example: Aluminum refining waste products

• Red mud

• Greenhouse gases

• SPL – spent potlining

Manufacture

• Component Manufacture

• Assembly

Manufacture

• Additional energy and material required

• Various outputs created

Product Delivery

• Packaging

• Distribution

Product Delivery: Packaging

• Creates waste, emissions, and other releases

• Very short lifetime

• Large amount of material turned directly to waste

Product Delivery: Distribution

• Consumes large amounts of energy

• Creates large amounts of emissions

• Large distances between manufacturer and

consumer can create barriers to recycling

Use

• Installation & Use

• Maintenance

• Up-grading

Use

• Products remain at this stage as long as they

are usable or repairable

• Powered consumer products have a large

environmental impact

End of Life/Disposal

• Land Fill

• Incineration

• Material Recycling

• Component

Reuse

• Product Reuse

Why We Throw Things Away

Do consumers throw something away because it has stopped

working or because they want something different?

Industrial Designers Society of America - Okala

Reduce

Reuse

Recycle

Disposal

End of Life

most

favorable

least

favorable

Recycling

• Downcycling

– Converting waste materials into new materials of

lesser quality and reduced functionality

• Reduces consumption of raw materials

• Reduces energy usage

• Reduces the volume of waste material

• Reduces air and water pollution

– Examples:

• Office paper to toilet paper

• Plastic recycling

• Aluminum recycling

Recycling

• Upcycling

– Converting waste materials into new products of

better quality or higher environmental value without

degrading the material

• Reduces consumption of raw materials

• Reduces energy usage

• Reduces the volume of waste material

• Reduces air and water pollution

– Examples:

• Tires to steps

• Drink pouches into backpacks

• Skateboards into bookcases

• Fire hoses into belts, bags, and cufflinks

• Old clothes into quilts and blankets

• Toothbrushes into a welcome mat

Environmental Concerns

• Global climate change

• Human organism damage

• Water availability and quality

• Depletion of fossil fuels

• Loss of biodiversity

• Stratospheric ozone depletion

• Land use patterns

• Depletion of non-fossil fuel resources

• Acid disposition

Ecological DesignA method of design that is environmentally benign and

economically viable.

Economically

Viable

ECOLOGICAL

DESIGN

Environmentally

Benign

Economically Viable: Design is competitive in the marketplace.Environmentally Benign: Design demonstrates obvious or

measurable environmental benefits.Industrial Designers Society of America - Okala

Sustainable DesignDesign that is environmentally benign, economically

viable, and socially equitable.

Economically

Viable

SUSTAINABLE

DESIGN

Environmentally

Benign

Socially Equitable

Socially Equitable:

Design considers all

people participating in

production, use, disposal

, or reuse.

Industrial Designers Society of America - Okala

Design for Sustainability

Economically

Viable

SUSTAINABLE

DESIGN

Environmentally

Benign

Social Equity

• Sustainable product design involves . . .

– Minimizing the consumption of materials, energy, and

water

– Avoiding toxic or hazardous materials and processes

– Recycling or reusing materials

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

INPUTS OUTPUTS

Natural

Environment

• Identifies and quantifies the environmental

impacts of a product, process, or service

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Economically

Viable

SUSTAINABLE

DESIGN

Environmentally

Benign

• A technique used to assess the environmental

aspects and potential impacts of a

product, process, or service throughout the life of

a product

• LCA includes:

– Goal definition and scoping

– Inventory analysis of inputs and outputs

– Environmental impacts assessment

– Interpretation

ChemicalsSolvents

Biological Agents

Electricity Water

Fossil Fuels

Raw Material

Parts

Components

Finished Components

Finished Parts

Non-hazardous Outputs

Hazardous Material Outputs

Liquid

Gaseous

Solid

PROCESS

Product Life Cycle Flow Diagram

Life Cycle Stage Materials Energy Solid Liquid Gaseous Total

Premanufacture

Manufacture

Product Delivery

Use

End of Life/ Disposal

Total

Inventory Analysis

Score: 0 - 40: Poor environmental practices. Serious environmental concerns.

4: Excellent environmental practices. No serious environmental concerns.

Life Cycle Stage Materials Energy Solid Liquid Gaseous Total

Premanufacture 0 1 1 2 1 5Manufacture 1 1 1 1 1 5Product Delivery 3 2 2 4 2 13Use 2 1 3 3 1 10End of Life/ Disposal 1 1 1 3 2 8Total 7 6 8 13 7 51

Inventory Analysis – Desktop Computer and CRT

Score: 0 - 40: Poor environmental practices. Serious environmental concerns.

4: Excellent environmental practices. No serious environmental concerns.

0

4 2

1

Image Resources

Industrial Designers Society of America. (2009). Okala:

Learning ecological design. Phoenix, AZ

Microsoft, Inc. (n.d.). Clip art. Retrieved from

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx

Resources

Gutowski, T. G. Design and manufacturing for the environment. (2004).

Retrieved from

http://web.mit.edu/ebm/www/Publications/Gutowski%20Mech%20En

g%20Handbook%20Ch%20Dec%206%2020041.pdf

Scientific Applications International Corporation. (2006). Life cycle

assessment: Principles and practice. Retrieved from

http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/lcaccess/lca101.html.