A-level Graphic Products/Edexcel/Unit 3 :Designing for the Future/Sustainability/Life cycle assessment

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There is a balance that manufacturer need to get correct, this is the balance between making the product good for the environment and inexpensive to make/sell.

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is the process of reviewing a product's life, from "cradle to grave" (from when the materials are being obtained from the ground until the point it is disposed).

Life-cycle inventory (LCI)[edit | edit source]

Consumers are becoming more aware of the environmental impact of certain products. The BSI and ISO 14000 now demand that companies constantly improve their attitude toward the environment; this is measured through a life-cycle inventory.

A life-cycle inventory will look at all of the input and output processes that occur during the life-cycle of a product.

This is split into two parts:

  • Environmental inputs and outputs of raw materials and energy resources.
  • Economic inputs and outputs of products, components or energy that are outputs from other processes.
This is an example of a Life-cycle inventory (LCI) diagram.