The life cycle of a product

List the stages of a product lifecycle and describe each one using the example of a cotton T-shirt.

Explain what life cycle assessment (LCA) is and what questions it tries to answer about a product.

Put the stages of the lifecycle of a wooden pencil in order and describe in one sentence what happens in the first and last stages.

Explain with an example why 'throwing something in the bin' is not the true end of its lifecycle.

Explain what the carbon footprint of a product is: what it measures and in which stages of its lifecycle it is mainly generated.

Give an example of a product whose main environmental impact is in the use stage and another whose main impact is in manufacturing, and justify both choices.

Compare the lifecycle of a returnable glass bottle with that of a single-use plastic bottle: state in which stages they differ most and why.

Explain what ecodesign is by looking at the entire lifecycle: name a design decision that improves each stage (materials, manufacturing, transport, use, and end of life) of a bottle.

A supermarket claims: "Our new kraft paper bags are 100% eco-friendly compared to plastic ones." To verify this, they provide you with this simplified excerpt from a Life Cycle Assessment (per bag):

• Paper bag: Carbon footprint: 0,09 kg CO₂-eq; Water consumption: 3,8 L; Estimated average lifespan: 1,5 uses; End of life: 80% recycled or composted.

• Plastic bag (HDPE): Carbon footprint: 0,03 kg CO₂-eq; Water consumption: 0,2 L; Estimated average lifespan: 3 uses; End of life: 20% recycled, 80% landfill/environmental dispersion.

1. a) Refute the advertising claim by calculating the CO₂ emissions and water consumption per 100 shopping trips using both options.
2. b) Justify what environmental dilemma the choice between the two raises: in which life cycle phases is paper more harmful, and in which is plastic clearly worse?

A wireless headphone manufacturer has soldered the lithium battery directly to the motherboard and integrated firmware that locks the device after 400 charging cycles, claiming "safety reasons."

1. a) Identify the two types of obsolescence present (planned hardware and software obsolescence) and describe how they artificially alter the "use" and "end-of-life" phases in the product's life cycle.
2. b) Design three technical modifications (in mechanical joints, component accessibility, and software) so that the product can be repaired by the user and its durability tripled.

A smartphone brand annually releases a handset with the same chassis, screen, and processor as the previous one, but altering the color palette, the geometric arrangement of the camera lenses, and introducing continuous on-screen notifications about the battery's "age" once its health drops below 90 %.

1. a) Differentiate "perceived obsolescence" from "functional/planned obsolescence" in this specific case and reason how both influence the product turnover rate and WEEE generation.
2. b) As a future design engineer, propose two technical and aesthetic design solutions (for example, modular or customizable casings) and one consumer or European regulatory measure to curb this phenomenon.

A city is debating two 2-million-euro budget options to manage its packaging waste:

• Option A: Automate the recycling plant to increase the sorting of single-use plastics.

• Option B: Implement a Deposit, Return, and Refund System (DRS) for standardized reusable glass and plastic packaging for local commerce.

1. a) Supported by the life cycle stages (raw material extraction, melting/recycling energy, and material degradation in each cycle), justify why recycling (Option A) does not avoid intensive resource consumption compared to reuse (Option B).
2. b) Identify what new logistical and hygienic stage must be incorporated into the packaging life cycle of Option B for the system to operate safely and efficiently.