Free Webinar

Date: January 23, 2025

Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm ET

Presenters:

Will Harrison, Synapse Product Development

Teja Chatty, Synapse Product Development

Description:

LCA is a great tool for measuring the environmental impacts of products, but there are challenges in trying to run the analysis in parallel with developing the product to make the most sustainable version of the product possible. We will include some interesting case studies from our experience applying LCA during product design, and the limitations / compromises we had to make in the process.

Presenter Bios:

Will is a mechanical engineer, leading the industrial and climate tech group at Synapse Product Development. He has been working on sustainable design practices since 2019 at Synapse, building more sustainable hardware products for clients.

Teja co-leads the sustainable design group at Synapse Product Development. She has a background in mechanical engineering and supports sustainable decision-making during product development.

How Life Cycle Assessment Supports Design Innovation

In today’s rapidly evolving world, the pursuit of sustainable and innovative design solutions has become a critical priority. As businesses, governments, and consumers increasingly prioritize environmental responsibility, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has emerged as a powerful tool to drive design innovation. By evaluating the environmental impacts of a product or service across its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to end-of-life disposal, LCA provides actionable insights that can transform the design process, leading to more sustainable and forward-thinking solutions.

The Intersection of LCA and Design Innovation

At its core, design innovation is about creating products, services, or systems that solve problems in novel and efficient ways. Integrating LCA into the design process fosters innovation by:

• Revealing Hidden Opportunities: By mapping out the environmental impacts across a product’s life cycle, designers can uncover areas ripe for improvement that may not have been immediately apparent.
• Driving Material Innovation: LCA often highlights the need for alternative, less impactful materials, spurring the development of new composites, bio-based alternatives, or recycled materials.
• Encouraging Circular Thinking: LCA promotes a shift from linear product design to circular models, where products are designed for reuse, repair, or recycling, reducing waste and extending product life.
• Fostering Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Conducting an LCA typically involves stakeholders from various disciplines, such as engineering, environmental science, and marketing. This collaboration often sparks innovative ideas and holistic solutions.

Examples of LCA-Driven Design Innovation

Numerous industries have leveraged LCA to achieve breakthrough innovations in sustainable design. Here are a few examples:

Consumer Electronics

Companies like Navitas have utilized LCA to create charging solutions that are significantly reducing energy usage and related emissions.

Automotive Industry

Electric vehicle manufacturers use LCA to optimize battery materials and production processes, reducing the carbon footprint of their vehicles. For instance, automakers are exploring ways to recycle lithium-ion batteries to create a closed-loop system.

Textiles and Fashion

Sustainable fashion brands including Bolt Threads employ LCA to analyze the environmental impacts of fabrics. This has led to innovations such as biodegradable textiles, waterless dyeing technologies, and recycled fibers.

Packaging

Companies like P&G and Once Upon a Farm use LCA to redesign packaging, replacing single-use plastics with compostable materials or reusable solutions.

Construction

The building sector has embraced LCA to design energy-efficient structures using low-carbon materials like cross-laminated timber (CLT) and innovative materials, such as the fiber reinforced polymer composites being studied at the University of Maine.

Read More

Upcoming Online Training

Introduction to Sustainable Return on Investment (S-ROI)

February 5, 2025

Handling Recycling in Life Cycle Assessment

March 4, 2025

Sustainable Return on Investment (S-ROI)

March 12, 2025

Integrating Sustainability Into the Organization

March 19-20, 2025

Sustainability in Package Design

March 26-27, 2025