life cycle assessments

LCAs look at every stage of a product's life to assess its environmental impact

what stages are looked at in life cycle assessments?

1. getting raw materials

2. manufacture and packaging

3. using the product

4. product disposal

how is getting the raw materials assessed?

• extracting materials

  • mining metals damages local environment

  • pollution due to energy needed

• raw materials need to be processed

  • lots of energy

    • extracting metals from ores

    • fractional distillation

how is manufacture and packaging assessed?

• pollution

  • harmful fumes

    • carbon monoxide

    • hydrogen chloride

  • lots of energy

how is using the product assessed?

• burning fossil fuels

• fertilisers

  • reach rivers

  • damage ecosystems

• how long it is used for

• how many uses the product gets

how is product disposal assessed?

• often disposed in landfill sites

  • takes up space

  • pollutes land and water

• energy in transportation

• incineration

  • air pollution

what problems are there with life cycle assessments?

• can be biased

• selective LCAs

  • positive advertising

  • deliberately supporting company’s claims

• effect of pollutants is hard to give a value to