Life Cycle Assessment (Edexcel GCSE Chemistry)
Revision Note
Life Cycle Assessment
A life cycle assessment (LCA) is an analysis of the overall environmental impact that a product may have throughout its lifetime
The cycle is broken down into four main stages which are:
Raw Materials
Manufacture
Usage
Disposal
Diagram showing the four stages in a life-cycle assessment
Obtaining the necessary raw materials has an impact on the environment which may include:
Using up limited resources such as ores and crude oil
Damaging habitats through deforestation or mining
Manufacturing processes also have an impact on the environment which may include:
Using up land for factories
The use of fossil fuelled machines for production and transport
Usage of a product may also affect the environment although it depends on the type of product
For example, a wooden desk has very little impact whereas a car will have a significant impact (air pollution)
The disposal of outdated products has an impact on the environment which may include:
Using up space at landfill sites
Whether the product or its parts can be recycled
A life cycle assessment is carried out using the data of a given product and the criteria of the assessment
Rarely is there a perfect product with zero environmental impact, so often a compromise is made between environmental impact and economical factors
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Life cycle assessments are objective exercises as it is difficult to quantify each stage. LCA’s can therefore be biased.
Evaluating LCA
Example
An LCA can be carried out on plastic and paper shopping bags.
Conclusion
Considering both life-cycle assessments, the plastic bag may be the better option. Even though they aren’t biodegradable, they do have a much longer lifespan and thus are less harmful than paper bags
Much depends on the usage of the item:
If the paper bag is recycled then it could be more favourable to use it
If the plastic bag is used only once, then then the argument for using plastic bags is less favourable
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