cradle-to-the-grave

=Life Cycle Analysis = Manufacturing a product can be very complex. Raw materials come from many different sources, and obtaining each one of those materials involves a different series of inputs, outputs and processes, each of which has impacts on the environment. To identify the total environmental impact of a product it is necessary to do a life cycle analysis. To examine how much a product impacts the environment, it is necessary to account for all the inputs and outputs throughout the life cycle of that product, from its birth, including design, raw material extraction, material production, part production, and assembly, through its use, and final disposal. The first stage of a life cycle analysis is called an "inventory analysis." In an inventory analysis, the goal is to examine all the inputs and outputs in a product's life cycle, beginning with what product is composed of, where those materials came from, where they go, and the inputs and outputs related to those component materials during their lifetime. It is also necessary to include the inputs and outputs during the product's use, such as whether or not the product uses electricity. The purpose of the inventory analysis is to quantify what comes in and what goes out, including the energy and material associated with materials extraction, product manufacture and assembly, distribution, use and disposal and the environmental emissions that result. //From Graedel and Alleby p. 109// The next stage of a life cycle analysis is the impact analysis, in which the environmental impacts identified in the previous stage are enumerated, such as the environmental impacts of generating energy for the processes and the hazardous wastes emitted in the manufacturing process. Once the environmental impacts of all the inputs and outputs of a product's lifecycle are analyzed, the life cycle analysis generates a number that represents how much the environment is affected. However, the major purpose of the analysis is to evaluate, once the inputs and outputs are quantified, how the product affects the environment throughout its lifecycle. Once its general environmental impact is calculated, the next step is to conduct an improvement analysis to see how impact of the product on the environment. For example, conservation of energy or water in the manufacturing process will reduce the environmental impacts of that process. Substituting a less hazardous chemical in place of a more toxic one would also reduce the impact. The change is then made in the inventory analysis to recalculate its total environmental impact.  Life Cycle Assessment Links

Environmental health and safety consultant Thomas Gloria has compiled an excellent list of life cycle analysis links including a list of life cycle analysis software tools. Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment

Want to know how much metal was used, energy was produced, or toxics were transferred in the production of your car? This Carnegie Mellon Green Design Initiative calculator estimates the overall environmental impacts from the production of various commodities or services in the U.S. The Three-and-a-Half Pound Microchip: Environmental Implications of the IT Revolution

In this November 2002 article, Beverly Hassell, a chemist with the American Chemical Society, describes findings of a study published in //Environmental Science and Technology// that estimate the environmental impacts of producing microchips. In a life-cycle analysis of microchips, scientists have found that the amount of fossil fuels and chemical inputs necessary for their production has a significant negative impact on the air, water, and soil.

FOR THE CLASSROOM
The Life Cycle of a CD or DVD

The EPA provides this poster that tracks a CD or DVD from materials acquisition to its reuse or disposal. The poster includes the definition of a life cycle, why life cycles are important, as well as things students can do to reduce waste accumulated from the production and disposal of CDs and DVDs.

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[] Lifecycle analysis of paper and plastic bags