What is Life Cycle Assessment or LCA?
Understanding Life Cycle Assessment or LCA is essential to define the right strategy for your business and respond correctly to your challenges.
The principles of LCA
Life Cycle Assessment, or LCA, is a scientific method for evaluating the environmental impact of products and services.
Developed over nearly 35 years by experts, it is now considered to be the most reliable, robust and comprehensive approach to environmental assessment.
LCA follows 3 principles that allow for a holistic, detailed and comprehensive analysis of the environmental impacts of the product
Multi-stages
It is multi-stage, because it focuses on all stages of the product life cycle: from manufacturing to the end of life, including the distribution of the product and its use.
Multi-criteria
It is multi-criteria because all the environmental impacts of the product are calculated and analyzed, such as greenhouse gas emissions, the depletion of natural resources, ecotoxicity, or even the eutrophication of water.
Multi-systemic
It is multi-systemic, meaning that each stage of the product life cycle can itself be based on a separate subsystem, which can also be the subject of a dedicated LCA.
The 5 stages of LCA
01
Objective and scope of the study
Several parameters are defined that set the framework of the LCA: objective of the study, scope studied, desired application (eco-design, regulatory, communication, etc.), functional unit, etc.
02
Life Cycle Inventory (LCI)
We collect all the data corresponding to the life of the product, from its manufacture (extraction of raw materials, materials, treatments, assembly), to end-of-life treatment solutions, including transport data or even data on use and maintenance.
03
Modeling and calculation of indicators
Each data is modelled within an LCA software that carries out environmental impact calculations. The impacts taken into account are defined during step 1.
04
Formalization of results
The results of the study are formalized in reports whose format and content vary according to the objective defined during stage 1: audit report, environmental labelling, interpretation, etc.
05
Exploitation of the results
LCA data and results can be used in many ways: regulatory compliance, eco-design strategy, carbon balance enhancement, consumer information, extra-financial reporting, etc.
The applications and added value of LCA
01
Comply better
Regulations in terms of information and/or environmental performance are tightening at different scales, geographical and sectoral: Climate Law, RE2020, European EPD, CSRD, Digital Product Passport... making LCA progressively essential to continue the distribution of your products.
02
Sell better
Your products' environmental information is becoming just as important as their technical specifications or price when responding to calls for tenders or requests from your customers (distributors, consumers, etc.). LCA enables you to respond with reliable, verified data while promoting your products over those of your competitors.
03
Plan better
LCA is a tool that serves your CSR policies and more global action plans: enriching your carbon footprint, integrating extra-financial reporting (CSRD), implementing a strategy to reduce the impact of your organization, etc. By relying on LCA data, you have the information you need to activate the right levers.
04
Design better
The use of collected data and analyses enables the implementation of an eco-design strategy to reduce, upstream of manufacturing, the impact of your products throughout their life cycle and across the entire manufacturing and logistics chain.