1. Raw Materials (Including Bill of Materials)
This section focuses on the components that make up your product, providing insights into their origin and composition. This information is often found in your product's Bill of Materials (BOM).
What to look for:
Material name: The specific name of each raw material used (e.g., organic cotton, recycled PET plastic, aluminum, lithium).
Composition (by weight or percentage): How much of each raw material is in your product. You can record either the weight in kilograms (e.g., "0.5 kg of aluminum") or the percentage of the total product (e.g., "100% cotton").
Recycled Content (%): The percentage of recycled material incorporated into each raw material (e.g., "75% recycled aluminum"). This is crucial for assessing circularity.
Supplier information: The name of the raw material supplier and the country where they are located (e.g., "Supplier A, China"). This helps in tracing the supply chain and understanding geographical impacts.
Where to get this data:
Your company's engineering department, product design specifications, or procurement records.
Direct communication with your suppliers.
Who to ask: Product engineers, R\&D teams, or procurement specialists.
File format: Look for engineering drawings, product specification documents, or dedicated BOM software. This data can often be exported as a spreadsheet (CSV, Excel).
2. Transformation Steps (Manufacturing/Processing) & Waste Generation
This section details the various stages of transforming raw materials into a product, focusing on energy consumption, production output, and the waste generated during each step. There can be multiple transformation steps, each requiring similar data collection.
What to look for (for each transformation step):
Country: The country where each specific manufacturing or processing step occurs (e.g., "Vietnam" for textile assembly).
Method: The specific process or technology used for each transformation (e.g., "injection molding," "weaving," "assembly").
Energy type: The type of energy consumed during each transformation (e.g., "electricity," "natural gas," "solar power").
Consumption: How much energy is consumed. You can record either energy consumption per unit of product (e.g., "0.5 kWh per smartphone produced") or total energy consumed for the entire batch (e.g., "5000 kWh for 10,000 units").
Unit: The unit of energy consumption (e.g., "kWh," "MJ").
Timeframe: The period over which the energy consumption data is collected (e.g., "monthly," "quarterly").
Output number: The quantity of products produced during each transformation stage (e.g., "10,000 units").
Output unit: The unit for the output number (e.g., "pieces," "kg").
Waste (by weight or percentage): How much waste is generated during this transformation step. You can record either the weight in grams (e.g., "200 g of plastic scrap") or the percentage of waste generated relative to the input materials (e.g., "5% material waste during cutting").
Where to get this data
Manufacturing facility records, production reports, energy bills, or process engineers.
Waste management records, or environmental reports from the manufacturing facility.
Who to ask: Production managers, facility managers, process engineers, waste management personnel, or environmental health and safety (EHS) teams.
File format: Production logs, energy consumption reports, waste manifests, internal tracking sheets, or environmental reports.
3. Freight Steps (Transportation)
This section details the various transportation legs of your product, from raw material suppliers to manufacturing sites, and then to distribution centers or consumers. There can be multiple freight steps in a product's lifecycle.
What to look for:
Origin ("From"): The starting point of each transportation leg (e.g., "Shanghai, China" for a raw material supplier).
Destination ("To"): The ending point of each transportation leg (e.g., "Hamburg, Germany" for a manufacturing facility).
Type of transportation: The mode of transport used (e.g., "ocean freight," "air cargo," "road transport (truck)").
Distance: The distance traveled during each transportation leg (e.g., "15,000 km").
Unit (km/miles): The unit of distance, either "km" (kilometers) or "miles."
Where to get this data:
Logistics providers, shipping invoices, or transportation management systems.
Procurement records.
Who to ask: Logistics managers, supply chain specialists, or procurement teams.
File format: Shipping manifests, freight bills, or transportation reports.
4. Use of Life Scenarios
This section describes how the product is used by the consumer throughout its lifespan. Creating "Use of Life Scenarios" helps to understand the environmental impacts associated with the product's functional period. While I cannot access a specific "Use of life" tab in this document, here's a general approach to creating these scenarios and where to find relevant information:
How to create scenarios:
Define typical usage patterns: Consider how your product is typically used by consumers. What is its intended function, and how often is it used? For example, a coffee cup might be used daily, while a piece of furniture might be used continuously for many years.
Estimate lifespan: Determine the average expected lifespan of your product. This can be based on product durability, warranty periods, or observed consumer behavior.
Identify key activities during use: What actions do consumers perform with the product that might have environmental implications? This could include energy consumption (e.g., charging electronics), water usage (e.g., washing clothes), or the need for consumables (e.g., printer ink).
Consider variations: If there are significant differences in how consumers use your product, create multiple scenarios to represent these variations. For instance, a durable good might have one scenario for continuous use and another for intermittent use.
What to look for (for each scenario):
Typical lifespan: The average duration a product is used (e.g., "3 years for a smartphone").
Frequency of use: How often the product is used (e.g., "daily," "weekly").
Energy/Water/Consumable consumption during use: Any resources consumed by the product during its active life (e.g., "10 kWh per year for a refrigerator," "5 liters of water per wash cycle for a washing machine").
Maintenance/Repair activities: If the product requires maintenance or repairs, consider the resources associated with these activities.
Where to get this data (as this data can be harder to get):
Market research and consumer surveys: Directly ask consumers about their usage habits and product lifespan expectations.
Product testing and durability studies: Internal testing can provide insights into product longevity.
Industry reports and benchmarks: Look for data on similar products in your industry.
User manuals and product specifications: These often contain information on expected usage and maintenance.
Academic studies and lifecycle assessment databases: These can provide generic data for various product types.
Who to ask: Product marketing, customer service, R\&D teams, or sustainability specialists.
File format: Market research reports, internal surveys, product specifications, or spreadsheet data.
Example: Reusable Coffee Cup
Here's a generic example to illustrate how you would gather data for a hypothetical product, a "Reusable Coffee Cup":
Product ID: RCC-001 Description: Reusable coffee cup made from recycled plastic and silicone. Type of product: Drinkware
Raw Materials
Material name: Recycled Polypropylene (rPP)
Composition (kg): 0.15 kg
Recycled Content (%): 100%
Supplier: EcoPlastics Inc., USA
Material name: Food-grade Silicone
Composition (kg): 0.05 kg
Recycled Content (%): 0%
Supplier: PureSeal Co., China
Transformation Step 1 (Molding and Assembly) & Waste Generation
Country: Vietnam
Method: Injection molding (for rPP cup), Compression molding (for silicone lid), Assembly
Energy type: Electricity
Consumption (per functional unit): 0.02 kWh per cup
Unit: kWh
Timeframe: Monthly
Output number: 10,000
Output unit: pieces
Waste (g): 5 g per cup (e.g., plastic runners, silicone trimmings)
Freight Step 1 (Raw Materials to Manufacturing)
From: USA (EcoPlastics Inc.)
To: Vietnam (Manufacturing Plant)
Type of transportation: Ocean freight
Distance: 15,000 km
Unit: km
Freight Step 2 (Finished Product to Distribution Center)
From: Vietnam (Manufacturing Plant)
To: Germany (European Distribution Center)
Type of transportation: Ocean freight
Distance: 10,000 km
Unit: km
Use of Life Scenarios
Use of Life Scenario: Consumer uses the cup daily for 3 years, washing it once a day.
Typical lifespan: 3 years
Frequency of use: Daily
Water consumption for washing: 0.5 liters per wash (estimated)
Energy consumption for washing: 0.001 kWh per wash (estimated for handwashing with warm water)
End-of-life
Treatment 1: Recycling (for rPP cup)
% of the product: 75%
Treatment 2: Landfilling (for silicone lid, as recycling infrastructure for silicone is limited)
% of the product: 25%
This example provides a clear illustration of the type of data you would gather for each section.