IDC Helps Students Develop Sustainable Products

IDC is offering all members of academic institutions, such as students, researchers and lecturers a special rate for its Education version of the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) Calculator.

The LCA Calculator offers academic institutions or individual students the ideal tool for integrating sustainable design into the curriculum or research. It is a quick and intuitive way for designers and engineers to understand, analyse and compare environmental impacts of products and particular design decisions.

The LCA Calculator analyses the effects that a product or service has on the environment over the entire period of its life - from the extraction and processing of raw materials from which it is made - through to the manufacturing, packaging and marketing processes, and the use, re-use and maintenance of the product, and on to its eventual recycling or disposal as waste at the end of its useful life. At an annual price of only £40 per user, the Education version allows students to benefit from all the analysis tools of the main corporate version.

For researchers, the LCA Calculator has already proved successful in a number of research projects, including the Low Carbon Vehicle Technology Project (LCVTP) which is being coordinated by Warwick University to assess the carbon output of vehicle designs.

Our MD, Stephen Knowles, believes that sustainability should form an important part of the education of designers and engineers; “If future generations are going to enjoy high quality sustainable products and lifestyles, it is essential that the designers and engineers learn how to use these tools and techniques. We have priced the Education version of the LCA Calculator as low as possible to maximise access to students.”

To find out more about the LCA Calculator or sign up for it go to: www.lcacalculator.com.