LCA (life cycle assessment) refers to the assessment of the environmental impacts of products or services, for example. An LCA assessment takes the entire life cycle of a product into account, from the procurement of raw materials to the disposal of the final product and waste management.
LCA analysis is conducted in accordance with the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards for life cycle assessment. A life cycle assessment includes the following steps:
- the goal and scope definition,
- inventory analysis (LCI)
- impact assessment (LCIA)
- interpretation
LCA follows the same scope as carbon footprint calculations but takes not only greenhouse gas emissions but also other environmental impacts, such as effects on natural resources, water bodies, and human health into account.