Chapter 3 Life cycle thinking tools: Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Costing and Social Life Cycle Assessment

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was born in order to face the need for methods for understanding and addressing environmental protection and the impacts of products. In other words, it was born to provide information to show the effects of an activity on the environment and to identify opportunities for making changes to reduce the environmental impacts (Perriman, 1993). Currently, the LCA methodology is standardized by two international standards, namely ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006. According to a well know definition given by SETAC, LCA is a methodology to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with a product, process, or activity. It identifies and quantifies energy and materials used and waste released to the environment; it assesses the impact of energy, materials, and releases to the environment; it identifies and evaluates opportunities for environmental improvements. LCA embraces the entire life cycle of a product, process, or activity, encompassing extraction and processing of raw materials; manufacturing, transportation, and distribution; use, reuse, maintenance; recycling, and final disposal (SETAC, 1993). Thus, it aims at assessing the environmental burdens through the identification and quantification of energy and materials consumed, waste produced, and possible environmental improvements at various points in the life cycle of products, processes, and activities.