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Year 8 - Design and technology

The environmental impact of materials

Material testing

Unit Summary

This unit will develop pupils' knowledge of the physical and working properties of materials. They will compare material properties through testing, with a focus on metals. The environmental and social impact of materials will also be introduced.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to identify the environmental impact that materials have during a product's life cycle.

Key Notes

  • A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) checks a product's impact from start to finish.
  • The carbon footprint rises with energy and resources used in manufacture, use and disposal.
  • Recycling, reuse, or upcycling reduce the carbon footprint in an LCA.
  • Designers use the LCA to find ways to cut emissions and improve efficiency.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • LCA: life cycle assessment; assesses the environmental impact at every stage of a product's life
  • carbon footprint: total amount of greenhouse gases a product or activity produces
  • environment: the natural world

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The environmental impact of a material only happens when the product is thrown away.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) checks a product's impact from start to finish. The carbon footprint rises with energy and resources used in manufacture, use and disposal.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'LCA'

life cycle assessment; assesses the environmental impact at every stage of a product's life.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: The environmental impact of a material only happens when the product is thrown away. Correction: A material's environmental impact occurs at every stage of its life cycle; during manufacture, use and disposal.

More Lessons In This Unit

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