Life Cycle Assessment: A Brief Definition and Overview

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a phased approach for evaluating the environmental effects of a product and process. It is a detailed analysis since all the aspects of an impact of a process are to be assessed. LCA covers how materials are extracted and used energy during manufacturing, distribution and environmental impacts from use of product and waste. It has become one of the proven tools for environmental impact evaluation. LCA today is used by many industries, researchers and policymakers in order to assess the environmental performance and issue environmental claims. This chapter covers a comprehensive description of LCA methodology explaining the main futures and the related standards.