Life cycle assessment of flat pack furniture
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can conduct a life cycle assessment of a product.
Key learning points
- Responsible design considers the environmental impact from design to disposal.
- A product life cycle is the stages from its introduction to the market until its decline or discontinuation.
- Life cycle assessment (LCA) is where the environmental impact is assessed at all stages of the product’s life cycle.
Keywords
Sustainability - using resources wisely so future generations can also meet their needs
Responsible design - creating products that are sustainable, ethical, and user-friendly
LCA - life cycle assessment; assesses the environmental impact at every stage of a product’s lifecycle
Common misconception
The life cycle in product design ends once the product is sold to the consumer.
The product life cycle includes stages beyond purchase such as: use, maintenance, and disposal or recycling. Sustainable design considers the entire life cycle to minimise environmental impact.
Teacher tip
The same products from the product disassembly lesson can be used here for the students to work from. If this is not possible, a product from online could be used if prefered.
Equipment
Flatpack furniture products.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1. are components that are produced in a set size for a range of uses.
Q2.What standardised components is shown in the picture?
Q3.What material category would the standardised component shown in the picture be used with?
Q4.Why is the ability to mass produce standardised components beneficial?
Q5.Flat pack furniture is?
Q6.What is there less of with flat pack pack furniture that makes it have a lower environmental impact?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What is the circular product life cycle also called?
Q2.What is it called when people use resources wisely so future generations can also meet their needs?
Q3.Put these parts of the product life cycle in the correct order.
Q4.Why do designers carry out life cycle assessments?
To help you plan your 10 design and technology lesson on: Life cycle assessment of flat pack furniture, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 design and technology lesson on: Life cycle assessment of flat pack furniture, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 design and technology lessons from the Communal areas context unit, dive into the full secondary design and technology curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.