Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

LCA is a method used to assess the environmental impacts of a product, service, or process from start to finish — “cradle to grave.” It looks at everything from raw material extraction to production, use, and disposal. It’s a powerful tool for spotting environmental hotspots, improving product design, and supporting claims like "low carbon" or "eco-friendly."

International standards like ISO 14040/44 guide how LCA should be done.

The main stages analysed as part of a life-cycle assessment are:

• making materials for the product from the raw materials
• manufacturing the product
• transport of the product (and raw materials)
• using the product
• disposing of the product at the end of its useful life