Confronting product life thinking with product life cycle analysis

Industry is increasingly being confronted with the need to consider the whole life cycle effects of its products, in order to make environmental improvements of any significance. There is a danger that naive environmental decisions are made, due to apparent lack of data or actual lack of insight. This paper describes a case study, where a class of students was presented with a product from the Danish company, Danfoss A/S, and given the task of carrying out an initial environmental evaluation of the product. This evaluation consisted of both a "life cycle check" and an exercise where the students were to "read" the environment out of the product, in order to systematically, quickly and efficiently come to some design recommendations for the company. The phrases "LCA" and "product life thinking" will be described and differentiated and a pattern identified for their cooperative effect in use.