The SiD Life Cycle rocket visualizes the life cycle of products and services. It can structure discussions about system-wide optimization projects.

The SiD Life cycle Rocket consists of the five generally accepted product life cycle phases:

1. Raw Material Extraction and Processing
2. Product Manufacturing
3. Distribution
4. Use
5. End of Life

For each of these phases, relevant inputs and outputs are determined. When the whole system has been mapped, a clear image of the product's life cycle appears.

The SiD rocket also clearly distinguishes between Recycling, Remanufacturing and Reuse / Super-use as distinct approaches for reintroducing materials into the system. The diagram clearly visualizes why Reuse and Super-Use are preferred to the other two by showing that the material needs to go through fewer processing phases before returning to beneficial use. A formal account of the life cycle inputs and outputs required for the production and use of a product or service is called Life Cycle Assessment.

Life Cycle Assessment can also be performed with financial in- and outputs. It is then called Life Cycle Costing.

A widely regarded problem with results of Life Cycle Assessment is the fact that it doesn't take into consideration the time, space, or context of environmental impacts. Nor does it officially include social or economic information. We therefore always recommend conducting additional thought excercises that take these parameters into account prior to any final decision making.

The SiD Rocket is part of the Symbiosis in Development (SiD) methodology for sustainable development.