Life cycle

The life cycle analysis is a sustainable development tool that provides an effective and systematic way of evaluating a product’s environmental impact.

Essentially, the objective is to reduce a product’s environmental impact throughout its life cycle, from extraction of raw materials to end-of-life treatment (disposal, incineration, recycling, etc.).

Eco-friendly tools

In close collaboration with the Interuniversity Research Centre for the Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services (CIRAIG), Garant analyzed the life cycle of some of its products with the purpose of developing a new range of ecological tools whose environmental impact would be substantially lower than other existing products.

It is important to note that measures taken must directly reduce environmental impact without displacing the problem. For example, it does not suffice to choose an electric car if a coal-burning plant generates the electricity; the greenhouse gas emissions are then just transferred from the car to the plant.

Reducing the environmental impact

The CIRAIG study revealed that durability and percentage of recycled materials were the key factors to reduce the environmental impact of Garant products. In addition, the study showed that certain other factors, like transportation and packaging, could also play a role in environmental impact reduction. Steps and initiatives taken during the development of these new products affect every stage of their life cycle, from assembly to merchandising.