3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

This course focuses on the core ideas of life cycle assessment (LCA) in the context of environmental management, sustainability, circular design, and decision-making process. The principles and applications of LCA will be explained, along with the shift from a linear to a circular economy model. With the excessive use of raw materials in modern society, this course places a strong emphasis on the need to reduce landfill waste, mitigate the scarcity of materials, and implement the "Rs"—reuse, recycle, repurpose, among others—across a variety of industries and sectors. Environmental Assessment will be investigated as a policy-making tool. The students will acquire knowledge of LCA techniques, such as defining objectives and scope, drawing system borders, creating flow charts, setting functional units, analyzing inventory, classifying, characterizing, assigning weights, and overall evaluating the environmental footprint. To familiarize students with industry-standard procedures, one LCA software tool will be introduced and explained throughout the course. With this tool, students will evaluate the environmental performance of systems or components, compare circular strategies, and optimize the design, operation, or disposal process of products. Policy recommendations will also be developed, based on evaluation results.