Question

procter & gamble has found through a life cycle assessment (lca) of laundry detergents that the use (with consumers) stage of the life cycle has (by far) the highest energy consumption compared to other life cycle stages for this product. which of the following actions by p&g would have the most beneficial impact in the environment?

installing solar panels in the manufacturing facilities that manufacturers the laundry detergent

designing a laundry detergent that is as efficient to be used with cold water as with hot water

sourcing laundry detergent raw materials from local suppliers

designing a laundry detergent package that is 10% lighter.

Explanation:

The problem states that the use stage (by consumers) of laundry detergents has the highest energy consumption, mainly due to heating water for washing. Let's analyze each option:

• Installing solar panels in manufacturing facilities affects the manufacturing stage, not the use stage which has the highest energy use. So this won't address the main energy - consuming stage.
• Designing a detergent efficient in cold water: If consumers can use cold water instead of hot water, the energy used for heating water (a major part of the use stage energy consumption) will be reduced. This directly targets the use stage's high energy consumption.
• Sourcing raw materials locally affects the raw material acquisition stage, not the use stage. So it won't have a significant impact on the highest energy - consuming stage.
• Designing a lighter package affects the packaging and transportation stages, not the use stage. Thus, it won't reduce the energy consumption of the use stage.

Answer:

B. Designing a laundry detergent that is as efficient to be used with cold water as with hot water