A life cycle assessment is the assessment of the environmental impact of a given product or service throughout its lifespan.
The goal of LCA is to compare the environmental performance of products and services to be able to choose the least burdening one. The term 'life cycle' refers to the notion that for a fair, holistic assessment the raw material production, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal including all intervening transportation steps need to be assessed. This is then the 'life cycle' of the product. The concept can also be used to optimize the environmental performance of a single product (ecodesign) or to optimize the environmental performance of a company.
LCAs can be costly and time-consuming, thus limiting their use as analysis techniques in both the public and private sectors.
LifeCycle Assessment (LCA) is used as a tool to assess the environmental impacts of a product, process or activity throughout its lifecycle; from the extraction of raw materials through to processing, transport, use and disposal.
LifeCycle Assessment or LCA can be defined as a systematic inventory and analysis of the environmental effect that is caused by a product or process starting from the extraction of raw materials, production, use, etc. up to the waste treatment.
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