10.2.1 Life cycle assessment Flashcards
Life cycle assessment
analysis of the impact of a manufactured product on the environment
4 Main stages of LCAs (4p)
- RAW MATERIALS
-MANUFACTURE - USE
- DISPOSAL
Step 1: Raw materials
- All the raw materials we need come from the Earth’s crust atmosphere
or oceans, or are due to living organisms
Obtaining RAW MATERIAL disadvantages (2p)
- using up limited resources such as ores and
crude oil - damaging habitats through quarrying mining or felling trees
Step 2: Manufacture
Process of making the product
MANUFACTURING advantage and disadvantage (2p)
Advantage= provides jobs
Disadvantage- uses up land
Step 3: Use impacts on the environment
The impact depends on the product
eg. car has a large impact on the environment but a chair doesn’t
Step 4: Disposal impact on the environment (2p)
-using up land for landfill sites
- whether any or all of the product can be recycled or reused
Life cycle assessment of a paper bag (4p)
- RAW MATERIALS= can use recycled paper or trees
- MANUFACTURE- handles must be glued on
- USE= can only be reused a minimal amount of times
- DISPOSAL= can be recycled easily and is biodegradable
Life cycle assessment of plastic bag (4p)
RAW MATERIALS= uses crude oil which is a finite recourses
MANUFACTURE= cheaper to make large quantities
USE= can be reused multiple times
DISPOSAL= can be collected and recycled but are not biodegradable
Comparison of LCA between plastic and paper bag (4p)
RAW MATERIALS= Paper bag is better as it require much less energy
MANUFACTURE= Plastic bag is much cheaper
USE= Plastic has lower impact in the environment as it can be reused more
DISPOSAL= Paper can be recycled and is biodegradable
Criticisms of LCAs (2p)
-Some parts of a LCA require judgements (eg. the effect of pollutant) so it isn’t totally objective
- Bias can influence results
