Combination Washer and Dryer Life Cycle Assessment



Whirlpool Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer of home appliances. One category of appliances that are produced by Whirlpool are laundry products including washing machines and clothes dryers. One variant of laundry products that has gained popularity on the international market and is increasingly being adopted in the United States is the combination clothes washing and drying machine (Combo). The goal of this project is to understand the relative environmental impact of the Combo compared to a traditional, comparable, laundry pair.

 

The students will be working to understand if there is an environmental benefit to a combination washer dryer in comparison to a comparable laundry washer/dryer set. The assessment should cover the manufacturing, use, and end of life stages of a combination.