# Explain why selective or abbreviated life cycle assessments (LCAs) can be misused by companies.

> AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462) — 4.10.1 Using the Earth's resources and obtaining potable water · Explain · 4 marks

> A manufacturer of plastic carrier bags publishes an LCA claiming their bags have a lower environmental impact than paper bags. The LCA only considers the manufacturing and packaging stage.

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. A selective/abbreviated LCA only looks at some stages of the product's life cycle (and ignores others)
2. This means the overall environmental impact of the product is not fully assessed / important environmental impacts may be left out
3. Allocating numerical values to pollutant effects requires value judgements, so results can be manipulated to favour a desired conclusion
4. Companies can use a selective LCA to make misleading advertising claims / to make their product appear more environmentally friendly than it is

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