Unlocking Innovation and Sustainability: The Power of LCA Screening for Manufacturers

To stay ahead, manufacturers must develop innovative, circular products. But how can it be done quickly and cost-effectively? Where are the quickest wins?

LCA – Life Cycle Assessment 

A full-scale LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) can be carried out to understand the total environmental impact of a product. It provides a complete breakdown of a product’s influence from the cradle to the grave, which is the ideal foundation for developing a next-generation product. However, an LCA is a costly and lengthy process that requires a lot of data that might not be available. It also only applies post-launch, which won’t help if you develop a new design.

LCA Screening 

Fortunately, there are other ways forward than a complete product lifecycle assessment. LCA Screening is the answer for manufacturers that need more resources to do a complete LCA or when it is unnecessary, impractical, or impossible. It is the fastest and most effective way to identify ways to reduce the environmental impact of new product designs. In fact, in most cases, LCA Screening is the best option.

Identifying environmental hotspots 

As a Product Development & Sustainability Consultant, I support many of our customers in the product design phase. One standard tool we use is LCA Screening. We use an existing product or an early product concept as a baseline to analyze where the most significant environmental impacts occur or the “hotspots.” LCA Screening is the fastest and most effective way to identify ways to reduce the environmental impact of new product designs.

Product, component, and production analysis 

LCA Screening is a highly flexible tool as it can be used to get an overview of a product, i.e., the total amount of raw materials used, or an assessment can be drilled down to the individual component level. It can also be used to analyze the environmental impacts of a production process. Dedicated software provides data on everything from CO2 emissions and ozone depletion to expected landfill use at the end of life. However, the insights are based on aggregated data for the specific industry rather than specific product and production data.

High industry uptake 

LCA Screening is becoming more common as manufacturers look to reduce their environmental footprints, whether it’s to meet regulations or meet customer demands, Depending on the industry and product, hotspots vary considerably. In one project, we were surprised to find that one of the most prominent hotspots was emissions from the operation of cleanrooms. So, we worked to minimize the floor space needed for the equipment to operate in smaller clean rooms. On another project, we found that aluminum should be targeted for reduction and developed designs accordingly. That’s the power of LCA Screening; it can be applied to virtually any business.

Better, more sustainable products 

LCA Screening is just a first step. Once we know the areas for improvement, we must develop products accordingly, whether using and sourcing new materials or a design rethink. But having this data, rather than simply making assumptions, has been a real benefit to both our clients and me when developing sustainable products. We want to help our clients create better and more sustainable products, and LCA Screening is a powerful tool to facilitate that.

Getting started with circular 

For manufacturers that have yet to introduce circular thinking into their design process, the best way to start is with a pilot project on a pending new product design. An LCA Screening doesn’t have to be a significant undertaking, but the data provided can help a company take the first critical steps to implement the circular design. And in today’s world, that is a step worth taking for all the right reasons.

The writer
Magnus Westerdahl, Product Development & Sustainability Consultant at Knightec, has conducted LCA Screening since 2012. As a mechanical and industrial designer, he believes LCA Screening tools should be part of every design team’s toolkit as circular design becomes the norm.

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