Overview
This guide provides an advanced introduction to Sustainly’s component-based modeling. We will move beyond a single product to build a reusable component library for a modular table. 🌟A Note for Beginners: This tutorial assumes you understand foundational LCA concepts. We will focus on Sustainly’s unique workflow for modeling complex products with interchangeable parts. This component-based method is the key to eliminating repetitive work and enabling rapid, iterative product design. If you’re new to LCA and Sustainly, we recommend you first read Building Your First LCA Model with Sustainly. Upon completion of this tutorial, you will be proficient in:- Constructing a component library with single, reusable “building blocks”.
- Assembling a full cradle-to-cradle product by combining components from your component library.
- Running instant scenario analyses by swapping components (e.g., steel legs vs. wood legs) to see immediate impact differences.
Project Goal & Scope
Before we begin modeling, let’s clearly define the goal and scope. Our goal is not to model one product, but to build a component library that can create three product variations, and with potential to be reused in other projects.- Goal: To build a reusable component library to quantify and compare the full cradle-to-cradle environmental impacts of a modular table, offered in three design scenarios (steel, wood, or aluminum legs).
- Functional Unit: One complete modular table with 15 years of lifespan.
- System Boundaries: Cradle-to-cradle.
Product Scenarios to be Modeled
| Scenario 1: Steel Table | Scenario 2: Wood Table | Scenario 3: Aluminum Table | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | Table top - Wood | Table top - Wood | Table top - Wood |
| Legs | Table legs - Steel (x4) | Table legs - Wood (x4) | Table legs - Aluminum (x4) |
Step-by-Step Modeling
This section outlines the precise steps for building the component library and assembling the final products.1. Construct the Component Library
1.1 Define the Component Library
First, navigate to the Components panel in Sustainly. Instead of modeling a “Product” directly, we will first create all the “building blocks” we need. This is our master list:
| Component Name | Scope | Functional Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Table top - Wood | A1-A3 | 1 item |
| Table legs - Steel | A1-A3 | 1 item |
| Table legs - Wood | A1-A3 | 1 item |
| Table legs - Aluminum | A1-A3 | 1 item |
| Transport - Shipping | A4 | 1 tkm |
| Transport - Lorry | A4 | 1 tkm |
| Eol - Steel (recycling and landfill) | C+D | 1 kg |
| Eol - Wood (energy recovery) | C+D | 1 kg |
| Eol - Aluminium (recycling) | C+D | 1 kg |
1.2 Building a Manufacturing Component
A component is a “recipe” of processes. We will encapsulate this recipe once, so we never have to build it again.- In the Components panel, click “Add component.”
- Name it Table top - oak pattern with the Functional Unit 1 item.
-
In the Kanban View, build the following A1-A3 inventory as follows:
- Save the component. You have now encapsulated the full cradle-to-gate impact of a tabletop.
- Repeat this process for the other three A1-A3 components: Table legs - Steel, Table legs - Wood, and Table legs - Aluminum, using their respective inventories.
1.3 Building a Transportation Component
This component will model the impact of transportation. Unlike a manufactured part, we will create a scalable unit component (the impact of 1 kg*km) that we can multiply at the product level.- In the Components panel, click “Add component.”
- Name it Transport - lorry with the Functional Unit 1 metric kg*km.
-
In the Kanban View, build the following A4 inventory as shown in the screenshot:
- Save the component. You have now encapsulated the environmental impact for moving 1 kilogram of goods 1 kilometer by truck.
1.4 Building an End-of-Life and Recycling Component
This component will model the burdens (C-stages) and benefits (D-stage) of disposal.- In the Components panel, click “Add component.”
- Name it Eol - Aluminium with the Functional Unit 1 kg.
-
In the List View, build the inventory for a 90% recycling, 10% incineration scenario:
- Save the component. The negative quantity in Module D represents the avoided production of primary aluminum, giving a powerful environmental credit.
2. Assembling the Product with Components
Now for the payoff. We will assemble a product from our new component library.- Navigate to the Products panel in Sustainly.
- Click the “Add product” button and name it Table - Wooden top with steel legs.
-
In the Kanban View, you can add the process with the components we just built:
3. Instant Comparison: Adding Scenarios
This is where the power of component-based LCA becomes clear. Instead of duplicating the entire product, we will use Sustainly’s scenario feature to create variations within the same product. Let’s assume your “Table - Steel Legs” product is your baseline, S1 - steel legs.-
Create New Scenarios: Click the scenario dropdown menu at the top of the screen (as shown in the image).
- Type S2 - wooden legs and press Enter to create a new scenario. This new scenario (S2) will start as a duplicate of S1.
-
Refine the Model: With S2 - wooden legs selected, go to the List View. Make the following swaps:
- Remove:
Table legs - Steel- Add:
Table legs - Wood
- Add:
- Remove:
Eol - Steel legs (recycling)- Add:
Eol - Wood legs (energy recovery)
- Add:
- Remove:
-
Action: Repeat this process to create the aluminum version.
- Go back to the scenario dropdown.
- Type S3 - Aluminium legs and press Enter. This will also be a copy of S1.
- In the List View for S3, swap out the steel components for
Table legs - Aluminum, anodizedandEol - Aluminium legs (recycling), and adjust the transport weight.
4. Viewing the Results
Click the “Result view” button. You can now select and compare all three scenarios (S1, S2, and S3) side-by-side. You have successfully created three complete, cradle-to-cradle LCAs in a fraction of the time, all by leveraging your reusable component library.