Assessing Product's Environmental Impact: A How-To Guide for Sustainable Choices

By using methods such as Life Cycle Assessment, Carbon Footprint Assessment, Water Consumption Assessment, and Validation of Eco Certifications & Labels, we can better assess a product's environmental impacts and make more sustainable choices.

The product's environmental impact includes its entire life cycle footprint, water and energy consumption, ability to be repurposed or recycled, wastage, and pollution.. Here is my latest Apple I phone 16 pro Product's Environmental Impact Assessment.

Assessing The Environmental Impacts at Every Stage of a Product's Life.

Assessing how the raw materials are sourced, product's manufacturing footprint, product supply chain footprint, product advertising footprint, carbon emission of the end product, and wastage associated with the product at all stages from production to disposing. These details can be gathered from manufacturers associated with the product. Life Cycle Assessment is the Most frequently used product environmental impact assessment method.

Total Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Product

Gathering the CO2 emission or Green gas emissions associated with the product' until its end of life. To make it easier, like wise , i would consider the activities involved at every stage i.e. sourcing raw materials, manufacturing, promoting, transporting, using, disposing to sum up the carbon emission associated with each activity. I usually do it with this Carbon emission calculator.

Blue, Green or Grey Water Footprint is the Amount of Freshwater Used to Produce the Product

As part of the product environmental impact assessment you may examine the total amount of freshwater used to produce the product. We can calculate it by summing up the volumes of water used for producing and sourcing raw materials, manufacturing or production of product's, packing, transporting, distributing and assimilating pollution. I usually rely on product producers for these details.

Validating Eco Labels and Certifications Associated with Product's

Eco labels and certificates are the indicators of product sustainability, responsibility, consumption and lifetime for its end users. Find what each Eco label or certification means when each of them are associated with the product they are using or want to buy.

• The Energy Star label indicates it consumes less energy.

• FSC label indicates that the raw material are sourced following sustainable forest practices.

• Sustainable Forestry initiative Label indicates that the product raw material are sourced from forests, producers ethically, may also using post consumer recycled material.

• %1 For the planet indicates that 1% of total sales are donated for charities working to protect planet.

• BIS Eco Mark label indicates ecological safety of an product.

• BEE Energy Efficiency Label indicates product's cost saving and energy saving potential

• Eco Cert indicates brands environment and sustainability commitment

• India Organic or Eco Mark label indicates the product's environmental safety

• Better Cotton Initiative certificate indicates brands commitment to raise lifes of cotton producing Farms. 

• Fair Trade label indicates the product adhering the Fair Trade Principles

• The Level Brand label indicates furniture products are BIFMA/ANSI e3 Sustainable Certified

• Totally Chlorine Free label indicates the product's materials are bleached using hydrogen peroxide

• UPS Carbon Neutral shipping label indicates the green house gas emissions produced by the transportation of that shipment is offset.

• TCO certified indicates IT Product is responsibly manufactured, sourced, used and recycled and also indicates user safety.

• SFC member Label indicates company commitment to produce environmental safe home furniture products.

Find out more details on Eco Labels and its sustainability attribute behind. Also use this tool as well may be.

Talking to Suppliers, Distributors, Investors, NGOs and Product Consumers about the Product Sustainability Attributes

I usually participate in workshops, product showcase, feedback surveys, etc., Also follow customer reviews, Interviews, an ESG reports to know sustainability ins and outs of the product's i'm interested to buy, Like wise you may do it. Other things include contacting customer care, talking to green distributors about the product sustainability attributes. This way, you can gather insights into the perceived and actual environmental impacts of a product.

Compare the Product Environmental Impact with Industry Standards or Similar Product's

Comparing (like-for-like basis) the Product EPDs vs Its Peers EPDs, to know how raw materials are sourced, how the product's are produced, how are those supplied to end users and the what carbon sinks are there to compensate the product carbon footprint etc. You can use environmental rating tools like GreenBiz, GoodGuid or environmental impact assessment tools like SimaPro, GaBi, EcoInvent to assess the product environment metrics against industry benchmarks. You should never stop doing it, continuously track the environmental impact for the product you need or want to consume later.

How It helps You?

This assessment can help you make sustainable choices every where. You would find opportunities to encourage brands committed to environmental transparency. You can also stay informed about new sustainability attributions to product's.

You may never know unless you check it yourself

This process requires a comprehensive understanding of the product life cycle, which influences the product environmental footprint. By utilizing these product environment impact assessment methods, consumers can better assess their chosen product's impacts and buy more sustainable product's from online or offline marketplace. i would Encourage our readers to adopt these approaches in their own lives for a collective positive impact on the environment.