Year 10 Design & Technologies · Technologies and Society · 12m read

Life Cycle Assessment and Circular Design

Every product has a story from raw material to landfill. Life cycle thinking helps designers cut waste and emissions — a core idea in VCE design subjects.

Learning objective: Evaluate the environmental impact of products using life cycle thinking and circular design strategies.

By the end of this lesson you can:

• I can describe the stages of a product life cycle.
• I can compare materials' environmental impacts.
• I can apply circular economy strategies.

Circular design is a loop, not a line. Linear products go take → make → waste. Circular design bends the line into a loop: materials are reused, repaired and recycled again and again.

Life Cycle Assessment and Circular Design

LIFE CYCLE STAGES:
• Raw material extraction → processing → manufacturing → transport → use → end of life (landfill, recycling, reuse).

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA):
• Measures energy, emissions, water and waste at each stage.

LINEAR vs CIRCULAR ECONOMY:
• Linear: take → make → dispose.
• Circular: design out waste, keep products and materials in use, regenerate natural systems.

CIRCULAR STRATEGIES:
• Design for disassembly, repairability, modularity, durability, recycled and recyclable materials, product-as-a-service.

| LCA stage | Impacts | Improvement |
|---|---|---|
| Raw materials | Mining, logging | Recycled/renewable materials |
| Manufacture | Energy, waste | Efficient processes |
| Transport | Emissions | Local production, flat-pack |
| Use | Energy, water | Efficient design |
| End of life | Landfill | Repair, disassembly, recycling |

Key ideas at a glance

• Consider whole lifecycle: Cradle to cradle.
• Design for disassembly: Screws not glue.
• Reduce, reuse, recycle: In that order.
• Avoid greenwashing: Evidence.

Worked example (Hard)

Compare a single-use plastic bottle with a stainless steel reusable bottle.

1. Manufacture. Steel bottle has higher initial energy.
2. Use. Reused hundreds of times.
3. End of life. Steel is highly recyclable.
4. Judgement. Over its life, the reusable bottle has lower impact if used many times.

Answer: The reusable bottle wins when used long enough to repay its higher manufacturing impact.

Worked example (Hard)

Improve the lifecycle of a plastic phone case.

1. Material. Plant-based or recycled plastic.
2. Durability. Lasts longer.
3. End of life. Take-back program.

Answer: Recycled materials, durability and take-back.

Common mistakes

• Judging only one stage Impacts occur across the whole life cycle. Fix: Consider every stage.

Practice questions

1. Designing products to be easily taken apart for recycling is:

   1. Planned obsolescence
   2. Design for disassembly
   3. Mass production
   4. Linear design

   (1 marks)

2. What is a circular economy?

   (2 marks)

3. LCA stands for:

   1. Life Cycle Assessment
   2. Low Carbon Action
   3. Large Capacity Assembly
   4. Light Cost Analysis

   (1 marks)

4. Explain design for disassembly.

   (2 marks)

Summary

• Assess the whole life cycle.
• Linear vs circular economy.
• Design for durability, repair and disassembly.
• Assess the whole lifecycle; close the loop.