Explain why using a life cycle assessment (LCA) helps a company choose between two different packaging materials.
Written & reviewed by James Millett — Biology (Imperial College London), PGCE Science (University of Cambridge).
A drinks company is deciding whether to use glass bottles or plastic bottles for its products. It wants to make an environmentally responsible choice.
Model answer (4 marks)
An LCA evaluates the environmental impact of a product at every stage of its life.
1. It looks at the extraction of raw materials, the manufacturing of the bottle, its use by consumers and its final disposal or recycling.
2. By adding up the impacts from all these stages, the LCA gives a total environmental cost for each packaging option.
3. The company can then compare the total impacts of glass and plastic and choose the material with the lower overall footprint.
4. However, the results can be subjective because the weighting of each stage may differ between analysts or organisations, which can bias the comparison.
1. It looks at the extraction of raw materials, the manufacturing of the bottle, its use by consumers and its final disposal or recycling.
2. By adding up the impacts from all these stages, the LCA gives a total environmental cost for each packaging option.
3. The company can then compare the total impacts of glass and plastic and choose the material with the lower overall footprint.
4. However, the results can be subjective because the weighting of each stage may differ between analysts or organisations, which can bias the comparison.
Examiner tips
- Use the phrase "life cycle assessment" and list the four stages explicitly.
- Show that LCA gives a total impact figure that allows comparison.
- Mention the potential subjectivity of weighting stages to earn the full mark.
Common mistakes
- Confusing LCA with a simple life‑cycle cost analysis.
- Omitting one of the four stages (e.g., use or disposal).
- Failing to note that weighting differences can bias the results.
Mark scheme (4 marks)
- An LCA considers the environmental impact at each stage of a product's life
- Stages assessed include extraction of raw materials / manufacture / use / disposal or recycling
- LCA allows comparison of the total environmental impact of each material
- LCA results can be subjective / may be biased because different stages are given different weightings by different people / organisations
Key terms in this question
Related
- All Eduqas GCSE Chemistry revision notes →
- How to answer a "Explain" question →
- Decode the mark scheme abbreviations →
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