Based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the overall energy and CO2 footprints are 1,250 units and 69.8 kilograms, respectively.
1. Material
The study of the toaster's entire life cycle (LCA) finds that the material phase uses the most
energy and makes the most carbon dioxide. About 4.8% of all energy used and 5.1% of total
carbon dioxide emissions, around 4 kilograms, come from this phase. During this material phase,
the toaster's basic materials like steel, plastic, copper, and electrical components are taken out
and processed. These materials must be extracted and processed, which adds to the overall
emissions, along with the energy sources and processes used to create them.
2. Manufacture
When making a toaster, the part called the Body uses up the most energy, about 48.7% or 5.1
megajoules (MJ). Most of this energy goes into shaping materials like plastics. On the other
hand, the Plug Pins, another part of the toaster, uses very little energy, just 0.046 MJ, or 0.4% of
the total energy. This is because of how it's made. From when it's made to when it's used, a
toaster uses 10.4 MJ of energy, which is 0.8% of all the energy used. This leads to making 0.784
MJ of CO2, which is 1.1% of all the CO2 made. These numbers show how important it is to use
energy wisely when making things. If we find better ways to shape materials and use less energy,
we can make things that are better for the environment. It's important to think about how we
make things so we can protect the Earth for the future.
3. Transportation
Because toasters are usually made near where they are sold, not much energy or CO2 is needed for transporting them. So, there's no energy or CO2 footprint from transportation.
4. Use
The toaster, with a power of 970 watts, has been toasting an average of 8 slices daily for three
years. Each toasting session takes about 9 minutes, which equals 0.15 hours. Over this time, the
toaster uses a total of 1,180 megajoules (MJ) of power and emits 65.4 kilograms of CO2. These
