LCA for Smart Products and IoT Devices

About This Course

In the world of smart products and IoT devices, sustainability is becoming more important than ever. These technologies are revolutionizing industries, but they can also come with significant environmental impacts. This course will help you understand and reduce those impacts using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a powerful method to evaluate environmental footprints across the entire life cycle of a product—from design to disposal.

In this advanced course, participants will explore LCA techniques tailored specifically for IoT devices. By the end of the course, you will be able to use LCA tools like SimaPro, GaBi, and OpenLCA to assess each product life cycle stage and optimize your designs to be more sustainable. Ideal for PhD scholars, academicians, and industry professionals, this course will enhance your ability to incorporate sustainability principles into smart technology design.

Aim

This course aims to provide participants with advanced insights into the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology for smart products and IoT devices. It will equip participants with the necessary tools and techniques to evaluate, optimize, and reduce the environmental impact of these technologies, focusing on sustainability from design to end-of-life management.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will:

• Understand and apply advanced LCA techniques to assess the environmental impacts of smart products and IoT devices

• Be proficient in using LCA tools like SimaPro, GaBi, and OpenLCA for detailed product life cycle modeling

• Learn to identify environmental hotspots in the design and manufacturing of IoT devices

• Use multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to make sustainability trade-offs

• Design circular economy models for IoT devices

• Improve energy efficiency and develop end-of-life management plans for smart products

Course Structure

Module 1: Advanced LCA Methodology for IoT Devices

• Introduction to LCA for IoT:

  • Overview of the LCA process and its importance in sustainable product design

• Advanced LCA Concepts and Standards:

  • Deep dive into standards like ISO 14040/44 and how they apply to IoT devices

• Hands-On Exercise:

  • Define goal, scope, and functional unit for an IoT device

• LCA Tools and Software:

  • Introduction to SimaPro, GaBi, and OpenLCA for modeling IoT devices

• Environmental Impact Hotspot Analysis:

  • Identify and analyze key environmental impacts like energy consumption, material use, and emissions

• Hands-On Exercise:

  • Analyze a smart product using LCA software to perform a hotspot analysis

Module 2: Advanced LCA Techniques and Optimization

• Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) for IoT Products:

  • Advanced methods for collecting LCI data and its role in the LCA process

• Hands-On Exercise:

  • Gather LCI data for a real IoT device

• Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA):

  • Apply MCDA to assess trade-offs in sustainability across product life cycles

• Circular Economy and LCA:

  • Applying circular economy principles to reduce waste and improve sustainability in IoT devices

• Hands-On Exercise:

  • Design a circular economy model for an IoT product

Module 3: Real-World Applications and Optimization

• Energy Efficiency and Impact Optimization:

  • Techniques to optimize energy consumption and reduce the carbon footprint of IoT devices

• Hands-On Exercise:

  • Optimize the energy consumption of a smart device

• End-of-Life Management:

  • Assessing strategies for recycling, remanufacturing, and disposal of IoT products

• Hands-On Exercise:

  • Develop an end-of-life management plan for an IoT device

• Case Studies and Group Presentations:

  • Review real-world case studies of IoT LCA and sustainability improvements

• Hands-On Exercise:

  • Present LCA analysis and sustainability improvements for a chosen IoT device

Who Should Enrol?

• PhD scholars, academicians, and faculty involved in environmental science, engineering, or sustainability

• Industry professionals in IoT product design, sustainability, or green technology

• Researchers in LCA, environmental impact analysis, and sustainable product development

• Sustainability officers and green tech innovators in IoT industries