Lifecycle Assessment (LCA)
A lifecycle assessment (LCA) is a systematic analysis of the environmental impacts of a product, process, or service across its entire lifecycle — from raw material extraction through production, use, and end-of-life. Governed by ISO 14040/14044, LCAs evaluate multiple impact categories including climate change, acidification, eutrophication, and resource depletion.
LCA methodology comprises four phases: Goal and Scope Definition (defining the functional unit, system boundary, and impact categories), Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) (collecting data on all inputs and outputs), Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) (converting inventory data into environmental impacts), and Interpretation (analyzing results, identifying hotspots, and drawing conclusions).
While a product carbon footprint (PCF) focuses solely on climate change impact, a full LCA evaluates multiple categories. This broader scope prevents burden-shifting — situations where reducing carbon emissions inadvertently increases water usage, toxicity, or other environmental impacts.
LCA databases (ecoinvent, GaBi, US LCI) provide generic data for materials and processes. Company-specific LCAs replace generic data with primary data from actual operations, yielding more accurate and actionable results.
For carbon accounting purposes, the LCA approach is most relevant for Scope 3 Categories 1 (purchased goods) and 11 (use of sold products). Companies increasingly use streamlined or screening-level LCAs to prioritize where detailed analysis is worthwhile.
Frequently asked questions
What is a lifecycle assessment? +
A lifecycle assessment (LCA) analyzes the environmental impacts of a product across its entire lifecycle — from raw material extraction through disposal. Governed by ISO 14040/14044, it evaluates multiple impact categories including climate change, water use, and resource depletion.
What is the difference between LCA and PCF? +
A PCF focuses solely on greenhouse gas emissions (climate change impact). A full LCA evaluates multiple environmental categories including acidification, eutrophication, water use, and resource depletion. PCF is a subset of LCA.
Related terms
Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)
A product carbon footprint (PCF) quantifies the total greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product throughout its lifecycle — from raw material extraction (cradle) through manufacturing, distribution, use, and end-of-life disposal (grave). It is expressed in units of CO₂e per functional unit of the product.
Scope 3 Emissions
Scope 3 emissions are all indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur in an organization's value chain — both upstream (suppliers, purchased goods, business travel, employee commuting) and downstream (product use, end-of-life treatment, investments). Scope 3 typically represents 70–90% of a company's total carbon footprint.
Carbon Accounting
Carbon accounting is the systematic process of measuring, recording, and reporting the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by an organization, product, or activity. It follows standardized methodologies — most commonly the GHG Protocol — to quantify emissions across Scope 1 (direct), Scope 2 (purchased energy), and Scope 3 (value chain) categories, producing an auditable inventory that underpins disclosure, reduction planning, and regulatory compliance.