The Tipping Point

The One Less Tipping Point is a simple number to help consumers understand how many times a product must be used before it reaches an environmental breakeven point. Once a product is used more times than the Tipping Point it is having a positive impact on the environment.

The Tipping Point is written in simple language and backed by in-depth scientific analysis (however it is not a Life Cycle Analysis (LCS)). We’ve chosen to use embodied energy as the central component for the Tipping Point given it’s wide scope and relative simplicity.

Significant change in the community is only possible once consumer barriers are removed. We are lowering entry prices and simplifying complex language in order to kickstart a revolt against single-use products.

Embodied Energy

Embodied energy is the total amount of energy consumed in the extraction, refinement, processing, transport and fabrication of a product. Unlike a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which seeks to quantify the impact of a product over its entire life, embodied energy considers only a product’s initial energy impact. It does not include the operation or disposal of products. Given the variety of ways in which consumers use and clean reusable cups and the lack of energy recovery options possible at end of life, embodied energy represents a simple and comprehensive way of comparing reusables to disposables.

Conclusions