Application of the EcoBlock method to eco-design - electric hand dryers versus paper towels

Sustainable Construction, Materials and Practice, p. 426-432

The EcoBlock method is an environmental performance tool that allows the comparison of products, projects or organizations. It is based on seven indicators: water extraction, resource extraction, land use, greenhouse gases (GHG), other air pollution, water pollution, and waste. A simplified life cycle analysis approach is adopted. The indicators may be aggregated into a single index, inspired in the Ecological Footprint concept. In this case study we compare the environmental performance of two hand-drying alternatives – paper towels or electric dryers. Both techniques present similar results. The pattern of use was found to be a variable of key importance in the comparison: lesser use of towels per drying would tip the balance in favour of the towels, more efficient dryers or lower impact energy sources would tip the balance in favour of the dryers. Electricity consumption proved to be the largest pressure generator in both alternatives.