LCA / LIFE CYCLE ASSESMENT

The successive and interdependent stages of a product or service system, from the extraction of natural resources to its final disposal, are called the life cycle.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is the process of assessing the environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire life cycle. It can be used to examine the environmental impacts of a product or the function it is designed to fulfill. LCA is often referred to as analysis.

THE 3 KEY ELEMENTS OF THE LCA

Identify and measure relevant environmental loads
to evaluate the possible environmental effects of these loads
to evaluate available options to reduce these environmental impacts.

WHY IS A LCA IMPORTANT?

LCA is widely accepted as the best approach to measure the environmental impacts of a product on the environment throughout its entire life cycle. LCA is a modeling tool for assessing the environmental impacts associated with a product throughout its entire lifecycle (from raw material extraction to processing, production, distribution, use and disposal or recycling). LCA allows decision makers to compare two products and choose the one with the lowest environmental impact. LCA reports form the basis of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). EPDs form the basis of eco-design approaches to energy and resource efficiency.

LCA Cycle

LCA refers to the extraction of raw materials, the processing, manufacture and manufacture of product; transportation or distribution of the product to the consumer; use of the product by the consumer; and disposal or recovery of the product after its useful life.

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENTS APPROACHES

It is a complete assessment that includes all stages of a life cycle - from cradle to grave. It encompasses all processes, from the acquisition of raw materials (“cradle”) to the disposal of wastes (“grave”).
From the cradle to the door – it partially covers the life cycle, from the raw material acquisition (“cradle”) to the stage where it is delivered to the factory (“door”).
Door-to-door- is an approach to addressing the lifecycle of a product or a single stage of the process. Door-to-door modules can then be linked to appropriate production chains to create a complete cradle-to-door assessment.
If recycling of waste is in question at the waste disposal stage, which is the last life cycleof the “cradle to grave” approach, this is referred to as the “cradle to cradle” approach.