AQA · GCSE · Chemistry
Course version: 8462 · Version from Sept 2018
Selective or abbreviated LCAs can be devised to evaluate a product but…
Full specification wording
Life cycle assessment: Selective or abbreviated LCAs can be devised to evaluate a product but these can be misused to reach pre-determined conclusions, eg in support of claims for advertising purposes.
A full LCA is lengthy and expensive, so companies often use a selective or abbreviated version that studies only chosen stages or impacts.
Checked against the AQA 8462 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 4 of 5
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
A full LCA is lengthy and expensive, so companies often use a selective or abbreviated version that studies only chosen stages or impacts. This can be useful: a quick comparison of manufacturing energy for two designs may guide a decision. The risk is misuse. If a company studies only the stage where its product performs well and ignores stages where it performs badly, the result can support a pre-determined conclusion. For example, an advertisement might claim a bag is 'eco-friendly' because it is recyclable, while ignoring the energy used to make it. The LCA itself may be valid for its limited scope, but presenting it as a complete comparison is misleading.
What earns the marks
- Define a selective or abbreviated LCA as one that covers only chosen stages, materials or impacts.
- Explain a legitimate use, such as a quick screening comparison to guide product design.
- Describe misuse: choosing boundaries or weightings that produce a desired result.
- Link misuse to advertising or other claims that present partial evidence as complete.
- Suggest a safeguard, such as stating the scope, boundaries and assumptions clearly.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Assuming any abbreviated LCA is automatically invalid.
Put it right by saying it is valid only within its stated scope.
Believing a company's environmental claim without checking which stages were included.
Put it right by asking what was left out.
Confusing a limited LCA with a deliberately false one.
Put it right by distinguishing narrow scope from dishonest reporting.
Exam tips
- Use the phrase 'pre-determined conclusions' and explain how selective boundaries produce them.
- Give a specific advertising example to show misuse.
- State what information a fair report should include, such as scope and assumptions.
Try the lesson
The start of the Life cycle assessment: Selective or abbreviated LCAs can be devised to evaluate a product but these can be misused to reach pre-determined conclusions, eg in support of claims for advertising purposes. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
A company wants to advertise its new drinks bottle as environmentally friendly. It pays for a selective life cycle assessment that only looks at the energy used during manufacture. What is the main problem with using this assessment in the advertisement?
Listen
A full LCA is lengthy and expensive, so companies often use a selective or abbreviated version that studies only chosen stages or impacts. This can be useful: a quick comparison of manufacturing energy for two designs may guide a decision. The risk is misuse. If a company studies only the stage where its product performs well and ignores stages where it performs badly, the result can support a pre-determined conclusion. For example, an advertisement might claim a bag is 'eco-friendly' because it is recyclable, while ignoring the energy used to make it. The LCA itself may be valid for its limited scope, but presenting it as a complete comparison is misleading. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Define a selective or abbreviated LCA as one that covers only chosen stages, materials or impacts. Explain a legitimate use, such as a quick screening comparison to guide product design. Describe misuse: choosing boundaries or weightings that produce a desired result. Link misuse to advertising or other claims that present partial evidence as complete. A common slip: Assuming any abbreviated LCA is automatically invalid. Instead, saying it is valid only within its stated scope. Exam tip: Use the phrase 'pre-determined conclusions' and explain how selective boundaries produce them.
See it
Key words
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Selective LCA
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Abbreviated LCA
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Pre-determined conclusions
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Misleading
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See every definition
- Selective LCA
- An assessment devised to evaluate a product that covers only chosen stages, materials or impacts.
- Abbreviated LCA
- A shortened assessment that studies only chosen stages or impacts rather than the full life cycle.
- Pre-determined conclusions
- Results that a selective LCA can be misused to reach, for example in support of claims for advertising purposes.
- Misleading
- Presenting a limited LCA as a complete comparison, when the LCA itself may be valid for its limited scope.
Label the diagram
Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.
1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3
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