Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a crucial scientific tool for evaluating the environmental impact of a product or service throughout its entire life cycle. But what exactly is LCA, and why is it so important?
What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?
LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is a methodology that analyses every stage of a product’s life cycle: from raw material extraction, through production and use, to end-of-life management. This approach is key to making more sustainable decisions and reducing the environmental impact of industrial activities.
Over the years, LCA has evolved from initially focusing on single aspects of production to becoming a comprehensive methodology that considers the entire life cycle of a product or service.
The evolution of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
In the 1960s, awareness of the environmental impact of industrial processes began to rise, leading to the birth of the "cradle to grave" concept. This innovative approach led to the emergence of Life Cycle Thinking (LCT), a paradigm shift in assessing environmental impact.
In the 1970s, pioneering studies such as Eco Balance and Energy and Environmental Profile Analysis laid the foundation for LCA methodology. In 1990, during the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) conference, the term "LCA" was officially recognised.
The key elements of LCA
1. Goal and Scope Definition
This stage is crucial to ensure the analysis answers the specific questions for which it was initiated. The scope sets the system boundaries and the stages to be analysed, such as:
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The product life cycle: from production to distribution and use.
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Functional unit: This represents the function the product serves. For example, if analysing the life cycle of a plastic bottle, the functional unit might be "a container for 500ml of beverage".
Clearly defining these aspects enables fair comparisons between different products or processes, such as comparing a plastic bottle with a glass one.
2. Life Cycle Inventory
The inventory stage involves collecting data on the material and energy flows used at each stage of the life cycle. This stage can be divided into two categories of data:
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Primary data (foreground data): These are collected directly from the process being examined. For instance, the amount of energy used to produce a specific product.
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Secondary data (background data): These data come from external sources and describe general industrial processes, such as energy produced by the national electricity grid.
The aim of this stage is to gather all necessary data to calculate the environmental impacts across the entire life cycle.
3. Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA)-
This phase translates the data collected in the inventory into quantifiable environmental impacts, such as:
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Climate change (CO₂ equivalent emissions)
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Acidification (emissions of gases like SO₂)
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Resource depletion (abiotic resources, biotic resources, land use, water consumption)
Each impact is classified and characterised, meaning it is determined how much each material and energy flow contributes to global impacts. For example, the greenhouse gas emissions from a product are quantified in terms of CO₂ equivalents, through the product’s carbon footprint.
4. Interpretation of Results
Once data has been collected and impacts assessed, it is crucial to interpret the results to draw useful conclusions. This phase identifies the critical points in the product life cycle that have the greatest environmental impact, with the goal of reducing these impacts.
Additionally, the uncertainty of the data must be taken into account, as collected data may have margins of error, which need to be managed properly through techniques like sensitivity analysis.
5. Management of Multifunctional Processes
In some cases, an industrial process may generate multiple outputs (for example, a plant that produces both electricity and heat). In such cases, it is necessary to decide how to allocate the environmental impacts between the various outputs, using methods of allocation or system expansion.
Why is LCA important for sustainability?
LCA provides a clear, data-driven framework for understanding the environmental impact of a product, enabling businesses to improve the sustainability of their processes. For example, the inventory analysis phase requires the collection of primary and secondary data, which can be complex to obtain but is essential for making informed decisions.
The importance of LCA is further highlighted by ISO standards, such as ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, which provide guidelines for conducting life cycle assessments correctly. These standards are vital for ensuring transparency and consistency i
Who to contact
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool for analysing and reducing the environmental impact of products and processes. Green Future Project offers advanced tools and expert consultancy to carry out comprehensive and accurate LCA studies. With our support, businesses can assess their environmental impacts and implement improvement strategies to reduce emissions and contribute to long-term sustainability.