What is an LCA?

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a scientific approach to quantifying, assessing and comparing the environmental impacts of products and services throughout their entire lifespan.

Ultimately, the purpose of an LCA is to inform decisions around the mitigation or elimination of a product’s harmful impacts on the natural ecosystem and on human health.

LCA is a powerful tool in the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect biodiversity.

6 reasons why you might need an LCA

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The forensic process of a Life Cycle Assessment can reveal materials, components, ingredients and process steps that incur high levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and other emissions that should be eliminated or reduced in order to minimize harm to the environment and to human health.
Companies that invest in reducing their environmental footprint can boost their return by publishing a claim such as “eco friendly” or “lower carbon footprint”, either on their packaging or by means of an environmental product declaration (EPD). Under the new EU “Green Claims” directive, such statements will need to be reliable, comparable and verifiable throughout the EU. LCA provides a widely accepted means of validating these claims and protecting consumers from ‘greenwashing’, and will likely be required for the EU’s “Eco-label” and other environmental labelling systems such as the “Eco-Score”.
High levels of GHG emissions can indicate inefficient consumption of fossil fuels. By applying LCA to identify which stages of a process incur high emissions, we can prioritise opportunities to deploy more efficient solutions and thereby save on costs.
Quantifying the environmental impact of products and processes requires careful measurement and robust datasets across entire supply chains. Almost all businesses have clients who require visibility of their Scope 3 emissions to build a complete picture of their total footprint. This is especially the case for Private Label retailers who rely on their suppliers for accurate data across a vast range of products.
Up to 80% of a product’s environmental impact can be determined during the design phase. Together with dedicated software tools, LCA enables designers to model and iterate the environmental impact of their products before committing to scale-up.
The LCA methodology often requires data to be captured and shared with upstream and downstream partners. This process forges deeper connections with suppliers, distributors and retailers. It builds trust and improves transparency, leading to more resilient networks.

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What’s involved in completing a Life Cycle Assessment?

There are 4 main phases in conducting a Life Cycle Assessment, governed by dedicated ISO standards.

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In discussion with the client, we determine the objective of the LCA, review details of the product or service in question, and define the ‘boundaries’ (extent and depth of the process to be assessed, which may include upstream and downstream activities).
This is a detailed list of all the inputs (e.g. raw materials, ingredients, components, energy, etc.) and their respective quantities, as well as the resulting outputs and their related emissions. This analysis requires a combination of primary data (using measurements taken directly from the client’s production process, and from their upstream and downstream partners) and secondary data (through a combination of selected databases).
This phase evaluates the environmental impacts from the identified emissions. Carbon Dioxide is the most widely discussed emission, due to its direct contribution to climate change. But there are many other emissions (e.g. nitrogen and phosphate compounds, CFCs) that in turn have many different impacts, such as ecotoxicity, acidification, eutrophication, ozone depletion and human toxicity. These are all categorized as part of the LCA.
The results from inventory analysis and impact assessment are interpreted and uncertainties are evaluated. Options for improvement are identified using sensitivity analyses.

LCA is not just about carbon emissions.

LCA covers many different types of environmental impacts.

The list here is not exhaustive.

There are typically 7 stages in a product life cycle (not to be confused with the 4 phases of conducting an LCA)

“Undertaking a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is becoming a fundamental part of how companies are working toward net zero and more sustainable production, consumption, and supply chain processes.
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— KPMG

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What does an LCA look like?

Your LCA Report

Once the Life Cycle Assessment is completed, the client receives an initial draft version. This is typically to allow for an independent peer review, or verification of results.

The report includes the following elements: