Allenby (2010) Industry Ecology and Sustainable Engineering Quiz

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

• LCA is a method to assess the environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire life cycle.
• The goal of LCA is to reduce environmental impacts, conserve resources, and reduce costs.

Contributions of Different Life Cycle Stages

• The different stages of a product's life cycle (raw material acquisition, material processing, manufacturing, use, and end-of-life) contribute to various environmental impacts, including:
  • Global Warming Potential (GWP)
  • Air Pollution (AP)
  • Eutrophication Potential (EP)
  • Human Toxicity Potential (HTP)
  • Non-Renewable Primary Materials Depletion (NRPMD)
  • Water Consumption (WC)
  • Non-Renewable Energy Sources Depletion (NRESD)

LCA Improvement Assessment

• The goal is to reduce environmental impacts, conserve resources, and reduce costs.
• Strategies to achieve this include:
  • Eliminating or replacing products with biodegradable, non-bioaccumulative, non-toxic, and minimal hazard products.
  • Eliminating or minimizing hazardous substance use.
  • Using lightweight materials.
  • Minimizing energy use.
  • Dematerialization through nanotechnologies.
  • Increasing efficiency of processes.
  • Increasing economic life.
  • Redesigning products for reuse, remanufacture, or easy repair.

LCA Software

• Examples of LCA software include SimaPro, GaBi, and OpenLCA.

Toward Zero Waste

• The concept of zero waste aims to minimize waste generation and maximize resource recovery.

Paradigm Shift in Manufacturing

• The traditional "End-of-Pipe" approach is being replaced by cleaner production and zero-emission approaches.
• The goal is to move toward zero waste and minimize environmental impacts.

Capturing the Value of Waste

• Resource recovery from waste recaptures the value of resources used in manufacturing and minimizes environmental impacts from further resource extraction.

LCA Methodology

• The LCA methodology involves:
  • Formulation of goal and scope
  • Definition of system boundaries
  • Selection of unit processes and activities
  • System function and functional units
  • Inventory analysis
  • Impact assessment
  • Interpretation
  • Improvement assessment

Components of LCA

• The components of LCA include:
  • Reduction of environmental burden
  • Consequences on the environment

LCA Inventory Analysis

• Inventory analysis involves tracking inputs and outputs throughout the life cycle, including:
  • Raw material acquisition
  • Material processing
  • Manufacturing
  • Use
  • End-of-life
  • Recycling
  • Reuse
  • Re-manufacture

LCA Impact Assessment

• The impact assessment involves:
  • Identifying environmental concerns
  • Classification
  • Characterization
  • Normalization
  • Weighting
  • System boundary impacts, including global warming, ozone depletion, and eutrophication.

Test your knowledge on the contributions of different life cycle stages in footwear to major environmental impacts and improvement assessments according to the LCA methodology proposed by Allenby (2010). Explore concepts related to global warming potential, air pollution, eutrophication potential, human toxicity potential, and more.