Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are essential tools for understanding the environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its life cycle – from raw material extraction and processing, through manufacturing, distribution, use and end-of-life. Think of an LCA as a magnifying glass that reveals every detail of your product’s environmental impact. 

By mapping and quantifying these impacts, LCAs provide valuable insights that can help you and your organisation reduce your environmental footprint. 

LCAs are especially interesting for companies that produce or deal with physical products and want a comprehensive insight into the environmental footprint of their product. 

LCAs should be considered if your company: 

• Aims to identify sustainability challenges 

• Create innovative design Solutions 

• Wants to enhance their brand image for environmentally conscious consumers 

• Aims for economic advantages through resource optimization 

Creating an LCA consists of several steps to map the environmental impacts of all the stages of a product life cycle: 

• Goal definition and scoping: Define the purpose of your LCA and the specific areas you wish to examine. 

• Data Collection: Gather data on raw materials, energy consumption, production, transportation, use, and disposal of the product. 

• Impact Assessment: Analyse the data to evaluate environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions, resource use, and waste generation. 

• Interpretation and Improvement: Use the results to identify areas for improvement and implement changes in design and production processes.