Which term describes a process that identifies the effect a product has on resources over its entire lifetime?

• A. Ecodesign
• B. Life-cycle analysis
• C. Ripple effect
• D. Conductivity

Answer: (B)

Life-cycle analysis is the process that measures a product’s environmental impact across its entire life, from extracting raw materials to end-of-life disposal. It accounts for energy and material flows at each stage—production, transport, use, and disposal—highlighting how much resources are used, how much energy is consumed, and what emissions or waste are produced. By collecting and comparing this information, it helps designers identify which stages contribute most to environmental burden and where improvements will have the greatest effect, such as choosing lower-impact materials, making production more efficient, or enabling easier recycling at the end of use. Ecodesign is about designing with environmental considerations, while life-cycle analysis provides the method to quantify impacts across the whole life cycle. The other terms don’t fit because ripple effect isn’t a standard environmental assessment term here, and conductivity is a physical property unrelated to lifecycle impacts.