Product Life Cycle Assessment

1. Product Life Cycle Assessment

2. Life Cycle Flowchart Adapted from Industrial Designers Society of America - Okala

3. Premanufacture Premanufacture • Raw Material Extraction • Material Processing

4. 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)

5. Premanufacture: Material Processing • Often material-intensive

6. Premanufacture: Material Processing • Often material-intensive • Energy is required

7. 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

8. Manufacture • Component Manufacture • Assembly Manufacture

9. Manufacture • Additional energy and material required • Various outputs created

10. Product Delivery • Packaging • Distribution Product Delivery

11. Product Delivery: Packaging • Creates waste, emissions, and other releases • Very short lifetime • Large amount of material turned directly to waste

12. Product Delivery: Distribution • Consumes large amounts of energy • Creates large amounts of emissions • Large distances between manufacturer and consumer can create barriers to recycling

13. Use • Installation & Use • Maintenance • Up-grading Use

14. Use • Products remain at this stage as long as they are usable or repairable • Powered consumer products have a large environmental impact

15. End of Life/Disposal End of Life/Disposal • Land Fill • Incineration • Material Recycling • Component Reuse • Product Reuse

16. 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

17. End of Life most favorable least favorable

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. Ecological Design A method of design that is environmentally benign and economically viable. ECOLOGICAL DESIGN Economically Viable 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

22. Sustainable Design Design that is environmentally benign, economically viable, and socially equitable. Socially Equitable: Design considers all people participating in production, use, disposal, or reuse. Socially Equitable SUSTAINABLE DESIGN Environmentally Benign Economically Viable Industrial Designers Society of America - Okala

23. Design for Sustainability • Sustainable product design involves . . . • Minimizing the consumption of materials, energy, and water • Avoiding toxic or hazardous materials and processes • Recycling or reusing materials Social Equity SUSTAINABLE DESIGN Environmentally Benign Economically Viable

24. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) • Identifies and quantifies the environmental impacts of a product, process, or service OUTPUTS INPUTS Raw Materials Waterborne Wastes Natural Resources Atmospheric Emissions Chemicals and Solvents Solid Wastes Energy Other Releases Natural Environment

25. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) • 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 SUSTAINABLE DESIGN Environmentally Benign Economically Viable

26. Product Life Cycle Flow Diagram Electricity Water Fossil Fuels Chemicals Solvents Biological Agents Finished Components Finished Parts Raw Material Parts Components PROCESS Hazardous Material Outputs Non-hazardous Outputs Liquid Gaseous Solid

27. Inventory Analysis Score: 0 - 4 0: Poor environmental practices. Serious environmental concerns. 4: Excellent environmental practices. No serious environmental concerns.

28. Inventory Analysis – Desktop Computer and CRT 0 4 2 1 Score: 0 - 4 0: Poor environmental practices. Serious environmental concerns. 4: Excellent environmental practices. No serious environmental concerns.

29. 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

30. Resources Gutowski, T. G. Design and manufacturing for the environment. (2004). Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/ebm/www/Publications/Gutowski%20Mech%20Eng%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.