Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a methodology used to evaluate the full environmental impact of a product or service throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to disposal. Done correctly, it provides a comprehensive and objective analysis of the environmental impact of a product or service. By considering recyclability as a key factor, you can make informed decisions to reduce their environmental footprint.
Life cycle models
The full life cycle of a product is referred to as cradle-to-grave. It covers every stage and every impact. If a product can be recycled at the end of its lifetime, this full assessment is sometimes called cradle-to-cradle to emphasise circularity.
Some companies choose to perform a simpler cradle-to-gate analysis. This only considers the environmental impact up to the point when a product leaves your factory, neglecting the impact of its use and recycling/disposal. It can significantly reduce the complexity of your analysis by focusing on internal processes only.
Which life cycle is for you?
A limited cradle-to-gate approach can lead to misleading conclusions and missed opportunities for improvement. A full cradle-to-grave LCA provides a more accurate picture, so you can identify the stages of the product life cycle that have the greatest impact and implement strategies to reduce that impact.
For example, the biggest environmental impact of your product may come in the use phase. If that’s the case, you might look at strategies to reduce the energy it consumes. Or it could come at end-of-life, so you could focus on making it easier to recycle.
LCA also lets you compare the impact of different products or processes. By conducting a full LCA of two or more products, you can identify which product has the lowest environmental impact and make informed decisions.
Another benefit of a full LCA is that it can help you meet regulatory requirements and demonstrate your commitment to sustainability. More and more, governments are requiring companies to conduct a full LCA as part of their environmental reporting or sustainability initiatives.
A full cradle-to-grave LCA ensures you can meet these requirements and demonstrate your commitment to reducing your environmental impact. The method is standardised and guided by ISO 14044:2006, which makes the results comparable globally and across products.
Who needs it?
Life cycle assessment provides valuable data and insights throughout your organisation.
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Choosing the right life cycle to assess isn’t simple, but it’s a critical step that will impact your material selection and sustainability analyses. Our experts at IMCD are here to support you. Reach out to us anytime.
This article is part of our trends commentary on recyclability. Click on the links below to read more about related trends and insights. |