Introduction to life cycle thinking:
An understanding of the life cycle impacts associated with materials, products and services is critical to designing and developing sustainable systems.
Thinking through the life cycle implications of decisions broadens the scope for innovation and the pallet of options available for sustainable product development.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method of quantifying the environmental impacts of product systems from raw material extraction and manufacture through to use and disposal, and this method underpins life cycle thinking - moving us from guesswork to targeted evidence-based design.
The most important aim of LCT is to bridge the science of LCA with the needs, constraints and timeframes of modern product development processes. This course is a step towards that goal, bringing key learning and principles from LCA into the product development arena and combining them with streamlined tools and expert analysis.
Masterclass Learning objectives and outcomes:
Participants will learn the basics of life cycle-based decision-making for design and opportunities to introduce and embed life cycle thinking into design, production and management of product development.
The course will explore the most appropriate tools and resources in the product development process. Participants will consider when and how to internalise these and when specialist input is required.
Participants will also examine how to communicate powerful environmental messages without ‘green washing’.
Who should participate:
Designers, educators, product developers, engineers, sales people, marketing, product managers, CEOs and environmental specialists. Life cycle thinking is not confined to the concept or detailed design stage but applies to all stages of the product development process.
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