Product LCAs, made simple

• What happens if the design uses less material? (Scenario-based Analysis)
• Is material ‘A’ superior to material ‘B’ from an environmental life cycle perspective?
• Are recycled materials more environmentally friendly in this application? (Comparative Analysis)
• Does this design maximize transport efficiency? (Cube Utilization)
• How do varying recycle rates affect end-of-life impact? (Custom Recycling Analysis)
• What are the biggest sources of impact, and what are the alternatives? (Environmental Hot-Spot Analysis)
• How does this package design stack up in terms of carbon footprint, water footprint, or nitrogen footprint?
• Will a redesign be better than the original from an environmental perspective?

• Identify stages or materials where additional impact can be reduced.
• Create innovative products based on sustainable designs
• Reduce time and energy spent on the life cycle and sustainable design research
• Identify the environmental impact of your product early in the design process allowing ‘prevention’ rather than ‘cure’
• Prioritise simple solutions by highlighting the most environmentally damaging processes and materials
• Identify opportunities for innovation
• Compare existing products with theoretical alternatives
• Compare existing products with competitor products
• Estimate the environmental impact of a product over its entire lifespan
• Target specific carbon emissions of individual stages of the products life cycle
• Tailor each individual LCA to cater to different world locations
• Use for marketing and product eco-labeling

A life cycle assessment (LCA) is a way to evaluate the environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its entire life cycle. This includes the extraction of raw materials, the production, and distribution of the product, its use and disposal. To conduct an LCA, you would first need to identify the specific product or service you want to evaluate. Next, you would need to gather data on all of the materials and energy used, and the waste and emissions generated, at each stage of the product’s life cycle. This data can then be used to calculate the environmental impacts of the product, such as its carbon footprint or its potential to cause air or water pollution.

The results of the LCA can then be used to identify potential ways to reduce the environmental impacts of the product, such as by using more sustainable materials or increasing energy efficiency.

You can read on LCA Beginners Guide to learn more about LCAs.

Ecodesign, also known as green design or sustainable design, is the practice of designing products and services with the environment in mind. It involves considering the environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its entire life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials to its disposal, and taking steps to minimize those impacts.

Ecodesign takes into account the use of resources, such as water and energy, and the generation of waste and emissions, and seeks to reduce these to the greatest extent possible. The goal of ecodesign is to create products and services that are both environmentally friendly and economically viable.

One of the most common methodologies for quantifying the sustainability of a product is a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA); a scientific method for measuring the environmental footprint of materials and products over their entire lifetime (e.g. different stages like manufacturing, transport, use, disposal).

Mobius enables full life cycle modeling according to ISO 14040 and 14044 standards. ISO 14040 describes the ”principles and framework” for a LCA, while ISO 14044 specifies “requirements and guidelines”.

The actual data is collected via an  important step called impact assessment (LCIA). This step delivers environmental impact values (e.g. x kg CO2 eq). There are many different methods for LCIAs based on location, goals, and scope. Mobius supports the following LCIA methods:

• Environmental Footprint Method
• SBK
• EN15804+A2
• EF v3.0
• Recipe 2008 & 2016

In Mobius you can also select any of the other LCIA methods available. You can read more in our Help Center.

Ecochain Mobius is LCA software developed for users with little or no LCA experience. But no worries, it can also be used by those who are more experienced in LCAs. Ecochain Mobius is simple to use, allows you to quickly get accurate results, has a broad range of use cases, and suits different industries.

Mobius supports many LCI databases. The use of the following LCI databases is included with Mobius:

• EcoInvent: world’s most consistent and transparent life cycle inventory database
• NMD: environmental data that is used to calculate the environmental performance of construction works
• EF: data designed to support EF-compliant calculations according to the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCRs)

You can read more about Lice Cycle Inventory databases in our Help Center.