Life-Cycle Assessment

Basics

• An analysis of a device or facilities lifetime, usually for Emissions or Energy Usage
• More useful that Instantaneous Efficiency / Pollution
• This is where the headline of "Used cars may be more eco-friendly than getting a new electric" due to the "Debt" the electric car would have due to the Li-Ion Batteries and other components
• Often used for Power Plants

Examples

• The "T-Shirt" is a common example made famous by the book The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy: An Economist Examines the Markets, Power, and Politics of World Trade
• This Video by the YouTube Channel "Ted-Ed" Titled "The life cycle of a t-shirt - Angel Chang" Goes over the Concept in ~6 Minutes
• A Video by the YouTube Channel "Engineering with Rosie" Titled "Bioenergy In All Its Complexity: The Good the Bad and the Ugly"

Internal Links

• Product End-of-Life Management

External Links

• The Wikipedia Page on Life-Cycle Assessments
• The Wikipedia Page on Sustainable Materials Management (a related design philosophy)
• The EPA Page on This
• The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Page on The Subject
• A LCA of Soylent Meal Replacement Drinks