Manufacturing & Distribution (AQA GCSE Design & Technology): Revision Note
Exam code: 8552
Mileage of products
Mileage of products is a measurement of the distance a product or the materials used to make a product travels until the product reaches the consumer
Food miles refer to how far food travels from the source to the supermarket
Product miles refer to how far a product travels from the material source to the manufacturing facility, to the retail outlet
Locally made products have low product miles
This means they have less impact on the environment
Products manufactured on the other side of the Earth from where the consumer lives have the highest product mileage
This means they potentially have a greater environmental impact
Mileage of products is associated with:
The physical distance a material or product travels
The fuel consumed to transport the material or product
The pollution created through the transportation of a material or product
Worked Example
Explain why it is better for the environment to buy products locally than from overseas.
Answer
Products that are produced locally have travelled fewer miles to the customer. This means that there are fewer carbon emissions from transportation, which means the product has a smaller negative impact on the environment.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
A very common example of the product miles that you interact with every day is the mileage of your food. Local milk will travel only a short distance to your local shop, but less common fruit and vegetables grown outside the UK will travel a very long distance to your local shop, because they are not possible to grow in our climate conditions
Carbon production through manufacturing
Carbon is an element found in all living things, and is part of the gas carbon dioxide (CO2)
CO2 is produced during:
The burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas
Animal and human respiration
The burning of trees either through wildfires or human activity
Manufacturing processes
In manufacturing, Carbon emissions are produced when:
Factories operate machinery or equipment
Materials are heated and shaped
Transport is used to distribute/ship products or materials between locations
Electricity is used - (electricity is sourced from power stations, which often burn fossil fuels to generate the electricity)
Worked Example
Explain how are manufacturers responsible for the release of carbon emissions (carbon dioxide) during the transportation of their products from factory to the retailer?
Answer
When manufacturers ship their products from the factory to the retailer where they will be sold, the vehicle used will emit carbon dioxide through the burning of fossil fuels like petrol during the journey. The further the distance, the more emissions that will be released.
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