Choose a product (e.g., drinking water, beef, coffee, plastic bottle) or production process (e.g., agriculture, carpet manufacturing) and then trace the product from its origins (as raw materials) through the manufacturing process, the consumption process, and finally, the disposal stage.

While you are tracing the material stages, discuss the possible reasons for the products existence (its role in our society, its function in our economy) and its impact on our culture and character as well as on the environment. Essentially, you will be assessing the products sustainability how it contributes to economic viability, ecological integrity, and social equity/health.

As you trace this products life-cycle, examine the product in terms of the three pillars of sustainability: is it economically, environmentally, and ethically sustainable?

Some economic questions you may want to address: How efficient is this production process? Are wastes utilized in any way? Could services be substituted for this product? Is this company investing in natural capital? Can you identify any externalities in the process? Are the full costs of externalities internalized? Could they be? Is this product filling human needs? If not, is it using resources that otherwise could be devoted to human needs? Could the decisions/practices involved be applied or practiced by all similar producers without compromising the ability of future producers to do likewise? If not, is there a reason to exempt this firm/industry from such a common standard? Are there any government subsidies for this product?

Some ecological/environmental questions you want to address: What natural resources go into this product? Are there alternatives? Are these resources renewable or are they being used at a sustainable rate? What are the sources for the energy that is used by this firm /industry? Are there alternative energy sources that would be environmentally more benign? What happens to any wastes produced by this firm/industry? Can they be used in other ways? Are they recyclable? Are there ways for closing the loop of this production process?

Some social/ethical questions you may want to address: What are the benefits and burdens associated with this product? Who benefits from this product? Who pays the costs? Who or what decides how the benefits and burdens are distributed? Who are the workers who are involved in production? How are they treated? Who is responsible for their wages? Health & safety protected? How is government or other public agencies involved in this product? Are any subsidies being paid? If so, how are they justified? What goods/values are served by this product? How does this product address human needs?