Importance of the life cycle analysis of a product

The LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) tool is relatively modern, since it was developed in the 1960s and is used for the prevention of pollution in the 1970s. Consequently, there are no specific procedures or guidelines to follow, but there are a number of of approximations that can be useful depending on the need to be solved through the LCA.

The basic principle of the tool is the identification and description of all stages of the life cycle of the products, from the extraction and pre-treatment of raw materials, the production, distribution and use of the final product to its possible re-use, recycling or disposal of the product.

All activities or processes cause environmental impacts, consume resources, emit substances into the environment and generate other environmental modifications during their life span.

Commonly valued environmental impacts include climate change, depletion of the ozone layer, ozone generation in the troposphere, eutrophication, acidification, and many others.

LCA (Life Cycle Analysis)

The life cycle analysis (LCA) of a product is a methodology that attempts to identify, quantify and characterize the different potential environmental impacts associated with each of the stages of the life cycle of a product. Basically, it focuses on the redesign of products under the criterion that energy resources and raw materials are not unlimited and that, normally, they are used faster than how they are replaced or as new alternatives emerge. For this reason, the conservation of resources favors the reduction of the amount of waste generated (through the product), but since these will continue to be produced, the LCA proposes to manage waste in a sustainable way –from an environmental point of view– minimizing all impacts associated with the management system. (Romero, 2001)

The life cycle analysis process has a systematic, gradual approach and consists of four components:

Definition of Goals and Scopes: Define and describe the product, process or activity. Establish the context in which the assessment should be made and identify the limits and environmental effects to be reviewed for the assessment. Inventory analysis: Identify and quantify energy, water and material use and emissions to the environment (for example, atmospheric emissions, solid waste, wastewater discharges, etc.). Impact Assessment: Assess the potential human and ecological effects of energy, water, material use, and environmental emissions identified in the inventory analysis. Interpretation:Evaluate the results of the inventory analysis and impact assessment to select the preferred product, process or service with a clear understanding of the uncertainty and the assumptions used to generate the results. (Grama, 2014)

goals

Obtaining key and specific information associated with the production of goods Identification of critical points in production processes Optimization of the system in the short term and reduction of environmental impact Long-term strategic planning Entering differential market niches Offer to consumers clear, relevant and usable information.

Advantage

Product development and improvement Strategic planning: process optimization and risk reduction associated with competitiveness with similar products Marketing and advertising: brand image improvement Access to international markets and compliance with current and future environmental regulations Positioning before the Retail Sector. Entry into differential market niches: possibility of expanding the market. Selection of specific environmental performance indicators for each product. (Conservation and Carbon, 2014)

Stages

The life of a product is made up of different stages:

Extraction and processing of raw materials

Raw materials are materials extracted from nature that are used to build consumer goods, being their plant, animal or mineral origin. Some examples of raw materials are:

Of vegetable origin: cellulose, wood, cotton, extracts for perfumes (jasmine, lavender, etc.), cereals, fruits and vegetables, seeds, etc. Of animal origin: wool, leather, silk, milk, etc. Of mineral origin: iron, gold, copper, oil, silicon (raw material for making glass and electronic components), etc.

The main environmental impacts in the stage of extraction of raw materials for the elaboration of a product are related to the energy consumption associated with this extraction process, the degradation and erosion of the land, the emissions of polluting gases, the emissions of greenhouse effect and water or soil pollutants. Other factors to take into account in the raw materials extraction stage are their dangerousness and toxicity.

Normally, the type of raw material that has a greater environmental impact in its extraction phase is those of mineral origin. These can be classified in different ways:

Metallic (iron, copper, etc.) or non-metallic (sulfur, silicon, etc.),  Energy (oil, uranium, coal, etc.) or non-energy.

Raw material extraction activities include physical or chemical treatments: hydraulic dredging and extraction, filtering, leaching, washing, smelting, refining, alloying, chemical synthesis, etc.

Product manufacturing and manufacturing

In the manufacturing phase, the environmental impact is mainly due to the energy required to manufacture the product and the generation of waste associated with the manufacturing process.

Raw materials are transformed into materials suitable for use in the manufacture of products.

The industry generates a large amount of waste, much of which is recoverable. The main problem lies in the fact that in many cases it is not economically worth doing it.

Industrial waste can be classified into:

Inert: they are those that deposited in a landfill do not undergo modifications or react with each other, nor do they produce leachates (rubble, gravel, sand, etc.). There are two possible treatments for these materials: reuse them as landfill in public works or constructions, or deposit them in suitable landfills.

Assimilable to urban solid waste: due to their characteristics or composition, they are usually collected and treated in a similar way to the rest of urban solid waste.

Dangerous: they are those that in their composition contain one or more elements that give them characteristics of toxicity, harmfulness, irritability, corrosivity, flammability, mutagenicity or carcinogenicity (related to cancer). The negative impact of these substances is exacerbated when they are difficult to break down in nature. The industry that contributes the most to the production of hazardous waste in Spain is the chemical industry, responsible for around a third of all waste generated.

Industrial wastewater: are those that come from any industrial activity in which water is used in the production, transformation or handling process, including waste liquids, process waters and drainage waters. The treatment of this water prior to its discharge is essential due to the polluting power they have, which varies according to concentrations of the polluting agents.

Packaging and distribution

After the stage of extraction of raw materials and manufacture of the product, the packaging and / or packaging of the product is carried out for its subsequent distribution. However, there is another "virtual" stage prior to all of them whose importance should not go unnoticed. This stage is the product design stage.

A key element in the design is the packaging that this product will have.

An attractive design of the container does not have to be opposed to an efficient design (from the point of view of consumption of resources and energy). A reduced or low weight and volume packaging can lead to an optimization of the distribution of the product since, for example, the number of products transported in the same truck can be increased with an improvement in the packaging.

This strategy of integrating environmental aspects into product design in order to improve its environmental performance throughout its life cycle is called ecodesign.

Thus, some of the main packaging eco-design strategies are:

Reduction in the weight and volume of packaging Minimization of the quantity of materials  Reduction of its volume per unit of product  Use of recycled materials in packaging Reuse of packaging Use of recyclable materials for packaging Apply monomaterials.

Use and maintenance

The use and maintenance phase involves high energy consumption and associated resources, as this phase ranges from the electrical energy consumed by the product if required, to the transport of a repair or maintenance.

Take, for example, the use of a washing machine. This usage implies:

Electric power consumption Water consumption Detergent consumption

Fuel consumption associated with the movement of a technician in case of repair

Energy consumption represents one of the main environmental problems at a global level since the main current sources of energy are of non-renewable origin and have associated high emissions of greenhouse gases. The impact due to energy consumption is closely related to the efficiency of the equipment: the more efficient, the less associated consumption.

Good practices in maintenance (inspections, repairs, washing, etc.) and use of a product substantially reduce its associated environmental impact since they allow to extend its life and reduce its consumption of both energy and other resources (water, paper, detergents, etc.).

End of life.

The end of life stage of the products has different possibilities depending on the nature of the waste components and the region in which they are treated. Waste is considered any substance or object from which its holder discards or from which it has the intention or obligation to dispose of.

Waste may be reused, recycled in order to obtain new products, energetically valued in order to convert them into an energy-generating source or eliminated.

Prevent their generation: prevention and reuse. Recover those that do occur: separation and classification at source, selective collection, recycling of recovered materials and energy recovery.

Safe disposal: landfill or incineration without energy recovery.

The different types of waste treatment are briefly detailed below.

Reuse

Reuse is the action of reusing the goods or products used for the same purpose for which it was originally designed. The utility can come to the user through an improvement or restoration action, or without modifying the product if it is useful for a new user.

It is one of the three axes of the 3R's concept: reduce, reuse, recycle.

With reuse you get:

Reduction in the production of new goods that demand natural resources and energy.

Recycling

Recycling is defined as the transformation (mechanical or chemical) of waste, within a production process, for its initial purpose or for other purposes, including composting and biomethanization, but not energy recovery.

Recycling is a form of recovery. But what is appreciation? It is any procedure that allows the use of the resources contained in the waste, including incineration with energy recovery, without endangering human health and without using methods that may harm the environment.

With recycling you get:

 Reduce energy and natural resource consumption.

Reduce the volume in landfills and minimize their impact. (Responsible Purchase, 2010)

Environmental impacts

These are some examples of Categories of Environmental Impacts associated with the Life Cycle of products and services:

Impacts on renewable resources Impacts on non-renewable resources Global warming potential (Carbon footprint) Potential for ozone layer deterioration Acidification potential Photochemical ozone creation potential Energy use Water use Toxicity (human, terrestrial, aquatic)

conclusion

Every day environmental awareness is increasing, both industries and companies are evaluating how their activities affect the environment. Society has been concerned about the problems of depletion of natural resources and environmental degradation.

Many companies have responded to this awareness by offering "greener" products and the use of "green" processes. The environmental performance of products and processes has become a key issue, so some companies are investigating ways to minimize their effects on the environment.

Many companies have seen the convenience of exploring ways to move beyond compliance through pollutant prevention strategies and environmental management systems to improve their environmental performance, such as life cycle analysis.

References

Responsible purchase. (2010). Products lifecycle. Obtained from

Conservation and Carbon. (2014). Life cycle analysis. Obtained from

Grama, C. (2014). Life cycle analysis methodology. Obtained from

Romero, B. (2001). Life cycle analysis. Retrieved from

Download the original file