Methodology

LCA assesses the environmental aspects and potential impacts of a product, process or service by:

  • Compiling an inventory of relevant energy and material inputs and environmental releases.
  • Evaluating the potential environmental impacts of those inputs and releases.
  • Interpreting the results to better inform decision-makers.

The LCA process has four components: goal definition and scoping, inventory analysis, impact assessment and interpretation as illustrated below.

  1. Goal Definition and Scoping - Define and describe the product, process or activity. Establish the context in which the assessment is to be made and identify the boundaries and environmental effects to be reviewed.
  2. Inventory Analysis - Identify and quantify energy, water and materials usage and environmental releases (eg, air emissions, solid waste disposal, waste water discharges).
  3. Impact Assessment - Assess the potential human and ecological effects of energy, water and material usage, and the environmental releases identified in the inventory analysis.
  4. Interpretation - Evaluate the results of the inventory analysis and impact assessment to select the preferred product, process or service with a clear understanding of the uncertainty and the assumptions used to generate the results.