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.

Almost all businesses have clients who require visibility of the Scope 3 emissions from the upstream and downstream products and services that they procure , in order to build a complete picture of their total environmental footprint. For example, Private Label retailers rely on their suppliers for accurate data across a vast range of their own branded 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.