LCA Analysis, Introduction Environment and Sustainability Tool

In my previous post I listed 7 tips from a 1 week course outline which finishes today " Materials Sustainability and The Environment - A Materials for Industry Short Course.

Tip N° 3 refers to the use of life cycle assessment (LCA ) principles as a basis for environmental auditing, to calculate an “index of merit” for waste management options.

It goes without saying that these concepts and software assisted tools will be an increasingly indispensable part of any serious materials scientist and engineer. Indeed this approach is one of the themes which I planned to develop within my still very young, new, management methods and foresight blog "This-Above-All" cf. link on side bar menu. LCA is of course very much a materials management issue. It spans the whole "cradle to grave" cycle and "resuscitation-recycle" "cradle to grace?"

For those of you unable to attend the course there is an excellent, clear introduction to the subject -LCA on the European Union JRC Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability.

We shall have amply reasons to return to this topic, it's industrial partners as well as the toolboxes developed and to be developed.

7 Tips for Materials Sustainability and The Environment

The 7 Tips are:

1. Understand terminology and legislation, which is currently evolving in this area.

2. Choose the most appropriate methods for waste management, with social / economic / ecological justification.

3. Use life cycle assessment principles as a basis for environmental auditing, to calculate an “index of merit” for waste management options.

4. Choose appropriate methods of recycling for products and components not commonly recycled. e.g. using non-melt processing methods.

5. Outline the likely changes to material’s properties from different recycling methods.

6. Confidently discuss and identify requirements with suppliers, customers and workplace colleagues.

7. Demonstrate the ability to think laterally and solve new problems in this subject area, through the theory and case studies taught and mini-projects.

These 7 tips are echoed for their general applicability and are taken from the proposed 1 week course "Materials Sustainability and The Environment - A Materials for Industry Short Course" to be held at Loughborough University, 16 th to 20 th February 2009 .

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