Eco Audit tool
This set of exercises guides you through a case study using Eco Audit, comparing the environmental impact of two plastics used to make water bottles.
About the Eco Audit Tool
The Eco Audit Tool estimates the energy used and CO2 produced during five key life phases of a product (material, manufacture, transport, use, and end of life) and identifies which is the dominant phase. This is the starting point for eco-aware product design, as it identifies which parameters need to be targeted to reduce the eco-footprint of the product.
In this case study:
- A brand of bottled mineral water is sold in 1 liter PET bottles with polypropylene caps.
- A bottle weighs 40 g, the cap 1 g.
- Bottles and caps are molded, filled, and transported 550 km from the French Alps to England by a 7.5-16 tonne truck, refrigerated for 2 days, and then sold.
- The overall lifetime of the bottle is one year.