Rick Crawford
Every product ever made has an environmental impact because they all take resources to create. And rest assured, much of the negative environmental impacts of products directly affect our fisheries, not to mention human health., and more times than not, the true environmental cost is not reflected on the price tag, so a tool was developed called a lifecycle assessment, or LCA. An LCA is a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product’s life from raw material extraction through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling.
The reason LCA’s are important is because as world population continues to grow, we need to have a better understanding of our environmental impacts so that we can more informed decisions so that as a society we are able to continue to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Below is a simple image demonstrating the steps in conducting an LCA:
Take a cotton t-shirt for example. It takes land, water and nutrients to grow the cotton. The cotton is then processed my machines, manufactured, distributed, consumed and ultimately reaches its end of usable life. Here’s a great video explaining the true LCA of a cotton t-shirt:
So, what are apparel companies doing to address the environmental impact of their products? Patagonia does a great job addressing the environmental and social impact of its products and you can learn more by visiting their Footprint Chronicles. Patagonia is also doing its part with its Worn Wear collection to extend the usable life of apparel that otherwise might be thrown away, which addresses some of the environmental problems addressed in the video. Many companies are also using the HIGG Index to begin the process of measuring the social and environmental impacts of their supply chains. Yet another way some companies are minimizing the environmental impact of their products is incorporating recycled materials into their products, which results in less energy and water used to produce the finished good. If you are wondering what you can do to reduce your personal environmental impact, here’s a list from the “Life cycle of a T-shirt” video:
- Buy second-hand
- Look for organic or recycled fabric
- Wash clothes less and line dry to conserve resources
- Donate, recycle or reuse your apparel once they reach their end of life
Literally every product made has an impact, but here’s another example of a commonly used product…the plastic bottle. As anglers, we know how ridiculous and unnecessary plastic bottles are, which is why most of us use reusable water bottles, but just in case you needed another reason to kick plastic, check out this video:
What are some ways you can also do your part when it comes to ditching single-use plastics while protecting our fisheries? I wrote an article on this exact issue, but here’s the short list:
- Buy a reusable water bottle and coffee mug to eliminate plastic bottles and throw-away coffee cups.
- Get yourself a couple of metal and/or glass straws, or simply sip your drink, to refuse single-use straws.
- Keep reusable shopping bags in your car so you don’t need single-use plastic bags, which can usually be bought at your local grocery store.
- Purchase a bamboo toothbrush, which is a rapidly renewable material and keeps plastics out of our oceans and landfills.
- Keep a pair of reusable utensils in your car to avoid plastic one’s.
We all have a responsibility to do our part to protect the environment and our fisheries, and that includes our government, the companies that manufacture products for consumption and us as individuals. I hope this information is helpful and before you buy something new, ask yourself what is the social and environmental impact of this decision?
