Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a systematic method for analyzing the environmental impacts of a product, process, or service throughout its entire lifecycle. Typically, the entire value chain is considered, from material extraction to the finished product, its usage phase, and end-of-life.
LCA is a key approach in environmental management for identifying and quantifying the environmental impacts of a product or process. The goal is to analyze the entire lifecycle - commonly referred to as "Cradle to Grave" (from cradle to grave). Alternatively, the analysis can focus on specific phases, such as "Cradle to Gate" (up to the factory gate) or "Cradle to Cradle" (closed-loop systems).
The process is based on the four phases defined in the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards:
- Goal and Scope Definition: Establishing the purpose and scope of the analysis.
- Inventory Analysis: Collecting and quantifying all relevant input and output data (e.g., raw materials, energy consumption, emissions).
- Impact Assessment: Evaluating potential environmental impacts based on categories such as greenhouse gas emissions, resource use, and water consumption.
- Interpretation: Interpreting results to identify optimization potential and derive actionable recommendations.
Life cycle assessment is widely used across industries, from product development to regulatory reporting. It provides valuable insights for companies to enhance resource efficiency, reduce emissions, and minimize their environmental footprint.
For manufacturing companies, life cycle assessment is an indispensable tool to meet the growing demands for sustainability and regulatory compliance. Carbon footprint accounting - both at the product level (PCF) and company level (CCF) - is closely tied to life cycle assessment.
Tanso offers specialized software that significantly simplifies data collection and calculations for life cycle assessment. By integrating emission factor databases, automated workflows, and synergies between modules like CCF, PCF, CSRD, and EU Taxonomy, companies can efficiently analyze their environmental performance, identify emission hotspots, and make sustainable decisions. This not only ensures compliance but also provides a competitive advantage in an increasingly sustainability-focused market.
