VANT 150 VT1 TEAM 2 MINI PROJECT 3
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to compare three products: umbrella, raincoat and ponchos which can be used on a rainy day at campus. These products were compared to with each other using three types of indicators: social, environmental and economic. A survey was conducted to gather data for the social indicators which was based upon the factors of safety, cleanliness and practicality. The raincoat was considered to be the safest option, whereas the umbrella was considered to be the cleanest and the most practical option. The study also included the comparison of these factors using economic and environmental indicators. The economic indicators for this study were: purchase costs and lifespan. The umbrella was the most economical among the three products in this study in terms of purchase costs and lifespan.
Environment
Indictors: Waster management
Toxicity
It is a compare of umbrella, rain jacket and rain poncho. The main material of making umbrella are fabric and plastic. Nowadays, environment-friendly fabric has been widely used in the manufacturing industry, so the fabric is relatively recyclable and non-toxic. In addition, although plastic is hard to be biodegraded naturally in the environment, its recovery and recycling rate is considerable for industry. However, except fabric, the main materials of making rain jacket are membranes containing fluorine compounds, which is toxic and can be damaging to people’s health and environment. By contrast, rain poncho also is more environment-friendly than rain jacket because its main material is plastic, but there are no membranes on it. Like umbrella, plastic is easy to be recycled and low toxicity. In this case, based on the existing literature, umbrella and rain poncho have better performance than rain jacket on indicators of waste management and toxicity.
Graph for results:
WDM:
| Indicators | Umbrella | Rain jacket | Rain poncho | Weight |
| Waste management | 3 | 1 | 2 | |
| Toxicity | 3 | 1 | 2 | |
| Total | 3 | 1 | 2 |
Conclusion:
As the table and graph show, when waste management and toxicity are indicors for environment, umbrella is the most environment-friendly, followed by rain poncho. Rain jacket is the worst for this two indictors.
Social:
Indicators: Safety; Quality of life; Purchase cost
Results:
Analysis and discussion:
This result shows that rain jacket is much better than umbrella and ponchos. According to the chart, it can be seen that rain jacket has gain the highest scores in safety and quality of life. The reason of safety is when the wind gets stronger and stronger. It is difficult to keep the umbrella upright when the wind tries to blow it away. However, if you are wearing a raincoat, you will not have this problem. Even when the wind began to shout, it was impossible to take off the raincoat. As for the reason that if the droplets get bigger and bigger, they are sure to hit your legs or even your torso. Wear a raincoat during a downpour to keep your legs and torso dry. So, in general, raincoats are a better guarantee of quality of life. Overall, rain jacket is more perfect.
WDM
| Indicators | Umbrella | Rain jacket | Ponchos | Weight |
| Safety | 1 | 3 | 2 | 50% |
| Quality of life | 2 | 3 | 1 | 20% |
| Purchase cost | 3 | 2 | 1 | 30% |
| Total | 1.8 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 100% |
In conclusion, rain jacket is much better that umbrella and ponchos because it is the safest and is the best guarantee quality of life among them.
Economic:
| Indicator | Umbrella | Raincoat | Ponchos | Weight |
| Purchase costs | 2 | 1 | 1 | 60% |
| Lifespan | 2 | 3 | 1 | 40% |
| Total | 2 | 1.8 | 1 |
Economic: An umbrella barely costs a couple dollars; a simple umbrella will not cost more than $10-$15. When we compare this to a rain jacket, the difference in purchase costs is noticeable. Typically, a rain jacket may cost $150-$300. The determination of the cost is dependent on its length and the fabric used. A third alternative to consider is the poncho. These are the most inexpensive option among all the products considered in this project and cost about $11-$13 in for a pack of 5. Umbrellas have a very short life span. If used safely without any damage, they will only last for 5 years. However, we must consider the possibility of extreme wind and precipitation which may damage the umbrella. Consumers value purchase cost above lifespan in this case..A rain jacket on the other hand has a decent life span and would last for about 8 years. Although, they are high maintenance because of the constant washing, waterproof and wear and tear they bear. Such high maintenance is not needed for an umbrella. The poncho is a use and throw item. It is meant for immediate disposal after its use. It is made up of plastic. We cannot use it for more than 4-5 hours.
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