Qualitative Life Cycle Tools
Tool 1: Life Cycle Mapping
Mapping your business within the life cycle of suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders can help you to understand your reach and influence, and the opportunities these provide. It can also help you to identify and develop strategies to maximise reach, who to engage or establish strategic alliances.
- Download "Life Cycle Mapping for your products" (Microsoft Word file, 540KB)
Tool 2: Identifying your inputs and outputs
Identifying the inputs and outputs for each of the unit processes in the life cycle map can provide valuable information about the environmental impacts associated with a product and potential environmental issues. This will contribute to a more informed decision making process about purchases, products and processes.
- Download "Identifying your inputs and outputs" (Microsoft Word file, 3536KB)
Tool 3: Design checklist
Employees involved in product or process design can use this checklist. It can help identify improvements that will usually result in lower environmental impacts over the life cycle. The checklist can be used even where a life cycle map and detailed information on inputs and outputs are not available.
- Download "Design checklist" (Microsoft Word file, 196KB)
Tool 4: Engaging your suppliers
Engaging your suppliers in your LCM initiatives can open up opportunities for working together to reduce the environmental impacts associated with the materials they supply, developing new and more environmentally appropriate materials, and identifying opportunities for improved resource efficiency resulting in increased profitability for both you and your suppliers.
- Download "Engaging your suppliers" (Microsoft Word file, 155KB)
Tool 5: Setting priorities
In some cases, LCM will lead directly to clear decisions and actions. In other cases, it will be more challenging to set priorities based on the information gained. This tool helps to focus on those inputs and outputs within the life cycle where greatest gains can be made.
- Download "Setting priorities" (Microsoft Word file, 64KB)
