Cigarette Life Cycle Analysis

Goal

Intended application

This project aims to evaluate the environmental impacts of processed tobacco and cigarette paper production starting from acquisition of raw materials leading up to the product use by the consumer. This life cycle assessment can be used by a hypothetical health organization to educate people addicted to tobacco by underlying in detail the various health and environmental effects caused by cigarette production and consumption.

Reason

Every year, 5600 billion cigarettes are sold worldwide (Robert Sarich|2017).The global tobacco industry is one of the most profitable industries in the world. The Imperial Tobacco Group, which is one of the leading tobacco manufactures in the world, generated 39.1 billion US dollars of

Hence comparative analysis will not be covered in the assessment.

Scope

The Product system to be studied

Cigarette production is the product system that will be under scrutiny. Two separate production units will be considered, namely tobacco and rolling paper.

Tobacco is cultivated in a suitable environment that ensures growth of good quality tobacco leaves. The fertility of the land is enhanced in order to get the best tobacco leaves. The harvested tobacco leaves are then subjected to various processes which utilizes high amount of energy. The processed tobacco leaves are then subjected to chemical treatments that increase its flavour and flammability .Finally it is blended and rolled into cigarette paper.

Cigarette paper is the end product of processed paper pulp, which is derived from certain species of

The cigarettes are then packed and shipped to various outlets, where it is sold to consumers. Cigarette butts are the remnants which will be considered as a waste product.

Function

The function of a cigarette is to produce a soothing effect which is caused due to the inhalation of cigarette smoke which is produced by flammable tobacco. Flavour and level of potency are other functions of a cigarette that influence its sale.

Functional Unit

The functional unit should comprise the main function of the product. Since smoke generation is the primary function, it should be quantified. However, we can consider the amount of tobacco present per unit square of cigarette paper as the functional unit due to the fact that the quantity of smoke generated depends on the quantity of tobacco and the dimensions of the cigarette itself. The functional unit would then be kilogram of tobacco per meter square of cigarette paper.

System Boundary

The system boundary encapsulates the phases under assessment. Transportation is not included in the boundary due to the fact that we are focusing on distribution of products in a city, assuming that each city has a manufacturing centre. This will make the transportation aspect