Lifecycle of products

Every day new products are designed, created and transported to their destination, where they will be used. When the time comes to get rid of them, it means that they have served their purpose, but the resources they are made of can enter into an exchange with the environment at this point. In fact, the energy and raw materials that go into making products initially come from the environment, and that is where they go back to as waste and emissions. Getting to know our products better means knowing more about their life-cycle and their environmental, economic and social impact. In this section, the design stage shall be the starting point in our exploration of the four stages that make up a product’s life-cycle: manufacturing, distribution, use and disposal.