LCA (Life Cycle

Assessment)
 Table of Contents :

 Define Life Cycle Assessment.

 History of LCA.
 Why do we do LCA?
 Components of LCA.
 Life Cycle Inventory.
 Summary.
 The LCA Concept

Life Cycle Assessment –

 Is an objective process designed to assess
systematically the total environmental impact of a
particular processes, product and material from “cradle
to grave” from raw material extraction to final product
disposal. (Australia Packaging Council, Ecobalance UK)
 Is an objective process to evaluate burdens associated
with the product, process, or activity by identifying the
energy and materials used and waste released to the
environment, and to evaluate and implement
opportunities to affect environmental improvements.
(SETAC)
 History of LCA :
 1960 – Scientist concerned the rapid depletion of fossil fuels,
developed it as an approached to understanding the impacts of
energy consumption.
 1969 - first multi criteria study for Cocacola with objectives to
determine which type of beverage container had the lowest releases
to the environment and made the fewest demands for raw materials
and energy. The study shows that plastic bottle was the first choice
contrary to expectations. This leads the scientific community to go
standardization.
 1970 – The U.S. EPA refined the approach and it is known as
Resource and Environmental Profile Analysis (REPA).
 1984 - Publication of EMPA – Packaging material ecological report;
 1991 - Publication of SETAC report (Society of Environmental
Toxicology and Chemistry);
 1996 - Standard Life Cycle Assessment (France);
 1997 – 2000: ISO 14040, 41, 42, 43, series of standards defining
different stages of LCA methodology.
 1999 – 2001: ISO 14020, 25, 48, 49, series concerning
communication, environmental declaration and working methods.
Reference – Ecobalance, UK; www.umich.edu
Why Do Life Cycle Assessment :
 Minimize the magnitude of pollution;
 Conserve non-renewable resources;
 Conserve ecological system;
 Develop and Utilize Cleaner
technologies;
 Maximize recycling of materials and
waste;
 Apply the most appropriate pollution
prevention and/or abatement
technologies.
 Components of LCA :
 Life Cycle Inventory – Determine the emissions (air emissions,
waterborne effluents, solid waste, and other environmental releases)
that occur and the raw materials and energy that are used during the
life cycle of the product, process or activity.
 Life Cycle Impact Assessment –Assess what the impact of
these emissions and raw material depletions are. The impact
assessment should include both ecological and human health impacts,
as well as social, cultural and economic impacts. Typical impacts are
resource depletion, greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion,
acidification, nitrification, water pollution, solid pollution, loss of use,
etc.
 Life Cycle Improvement Analysis – Interprets the results of the
impact assessment in order to suggest improvement, reduce or
mitigate the environmental impact throughout the whole cycle of a
product, process or activity. This analysis may include both
quantitative and qualitative measures of improvement, such as
changes in product design, raw material usage, industrial processes,
consumer use and waste management. When LCA is conducted to
compare products, this step may consist of recommending the most
environmentally desirable product.

Reference – www.utexas.edu, www.umich.edu

 Life Cycle Inventory :
Inputs Processes Output

RM acquisition

Manufacture
and assembly

Distribution and
transport

Consumer use
and disposal

Reference – www.utexas.edu, www.umich.edu

 Raw Material Acquisition :
Inputs Process Output

Energy Water effluents

Water Raw Material Usable Mat’l

Acquisition
Infrastruc- Solid waste
ture & Capital
Equipment

Reference – www.utexas.edu, www.umich.edu

 Manufacturing and Assembly:
Inputs Process Output

Water effluents

RM Acquisition Production and Air emission

Assembly

Ancillary Mat’l Solid waste

production
Fuel producing Usable product
industries
Cus. Recycling Co product

Reference – www.utexas.edu, www.umich.edu

 Life Cycle Inventory :
Inputs Processes Output

Energy RM acquisition Water effluents

Manufacture Air emissions

and assembly
Solid waste
Distribution and
Raw transport Usable Product
Materials
Consumer use Other envi -
and disposal ronmetal
Water releases

Reference – www.utexas.edu, www.umich.edu

 Summary :
1. LCA is a tool for assessing and minimizing the impact of
human activities.
2. Life Cycle Stages of a product include raw material
acquisition, use and disposal.
3. LCA techniques have been adopted in industry and the
public sector to serve a variety of purpose - product
development, improvement or comparison; Ecolabels
(environmental labeling program), environmental
choice (Canada), White swan (Nordic countries),
Ecomark (Japan), Blue angel (Germany), Green seal
(USA)
4. Choices made during the planning phase (statement of
objectives, definition of the product, choice of
parameters, strategy of data collection, etc) of the LCA
have a profound impact on the results obtained.