Lifecycle assessment

Life Cycle Assessment or LCA is a tool designed to evaluate effects associated with a product, a process or an activity. It relies on a goal definition, then the identification and qualification of input and output of energy and matter. Data will be used to assess the impact of the use in the environment and evaluate potential improvement. LCA includes extraction, use of primary matter (materials choice), production, transport, distribution, use/reuse/repair, recycling and final processing. Initial goal set-up is critical.

LCA is the theoretical core of ISO 14000 standards, and a pre-requisite to any service economy definition. The government of China has committed to it as a long-term goal.

Materials choice is a critical element of LCA. For example, the ISO 14000 version of LCA in its strongest form would forbid making a key from aluminum because each use of it generates aluminum oxide which is toxic. Making it from brass or steel instead has no such effects.

The problem in relying on ISO standards to make Lifecycle assesments is that these ISO standards for quality of a process are issued by certifiers who charge a lot of money for issuing the certificate, thus making aquiring one prohibitively expensive for small companies.