Life cycle assessment

Question 1

What are the four stages of life cycle assessment

1. Getting the r… materials:
   -e… raw materials can create damaged… to the e…, through p… and things like m…
   -raw materials often need to be p… to extract desired m… which consumes alot of e…
2. M… and packaging:
   -can use a lot of e…
   -can cause p… if harmful fumes are e…
   -waste p… must be c… and how to d… of them
   -some waste can be used a… reducing p…
3. Using the p…:
   -can damage the e…
   —>eg burning f… fuels emits C…
   -how l… a product is used for and how many u… it gets is a key f…
   -products that need lots of e… to produce but are used for a l… time are less w… in the l… run
4. Product d…:
   -products are o… disposed of in l…
   -this takes up a lot of s… and causes p…
   -e… is needed to t… waste to l…
   -products might be i… which caused air p…

Answer 1

1. Getting the raw materials:
   -extracting raw materials can create damage to the environment, through pollution and things like mining
   -raw materials often need to be processed to extract desired materials which consumes alot of energy
2. Manufacturing and packaging:
   -can use a lot of energy
   -can cause pollution if harmful fumes are emitted
   -waste products must be considered and how to dispose of them
   -some waste can be used again reducing pollution
3. Using the product:
   -can damage the environment
   —>eg burning fossil fuels emits CO2
   -how long a product is used for and how many uses it gets is a key factor
   -products that need lots of energy to produce but are used for a long time are less wasteful in the long run
4. Product disposal:
   -products are often disposed of in landfills
   -this takes up a lot of space and causes pollution
   -energy is needed to transport waste to landfill
   -products might be incinerated which caused air pollution

Question 2

Problems with life cycle assessments

-the effect of some things like p… can be hard to q…
-can be b…
-some only show some i… of the p… to deliberately s… the claims of the c…

Answer 2

-the effect of some things like pollutants can be hard to quantify
-can be biased
-some only show some impacts of the product to deliberately support the claims of the company