FAQ

Breadcrumb Beispiel

Life Cycle Assessment Wiki

  • Cradle-to-Gate: Considers the environmental impacts of a product from raw material extraction (“Cradle”) to the point it leaves the factory (“Gate”), excluding use and disposal.

    Cradle-to-Grave: Considers the entire life cycle of a product – from raw material extraction (“Cradle”), through production and use, to disposal or landfill (“Grave”).

    Cradle-to-Cradle: This concept aims for a closed-loop circular economy, in which products are designed so that their materials can be fully recycled or biologically decomposed after use, without generating waste.

  • Scope 1: Direct emissions caused by a company itself, such as from its own production facilities or company vehicles.

    Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased energy, such as electricity or district heating, that the company uses but does not produce itself.

    Scope 3: All other indirect emissions along the value chain, such as those from suppliers, transport, business travel, or the use and disposal of sold products.

  • A life cycle assessment evaluates various environmental categories to capture the impacts of a product or service. These include, but are not limited to:

    • Climate Change (CO₂ Footprint): Greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

    • Resource Consumption: The use of finite resources such as fossil fuels, metals, or water.

    • Acidification: The release of pollutants that lead to the acidification of soils and water bodies.

    • Eutrophication: The over-fertilization of ecosystems through nutrient inputs, e.g., in water bodies.

    • Ozone Depletion: Emissions that damage the stratospheric ozone layer.

    • Ecotoxicity: The impacts of pollutants on soil, water, and living organisms.

    Depending on the goal of the life cycle assessment, additional categories may be considered.

  • LCA (Life Cycle Assessment): The life cycle assessment evaluates the environmental impacts of a product or process over its entire life cycle.

    LCI (Life Cycle Inventory): The inventory phase of the LCA, where all incoming and outgoing material and energy flows are recorded.

    LCIA (Life Cycle Impact Assessment): The impact assessment, where the data collected in the LCI phase are converted into environmental impacts such as climate change or resource consumption.

  • Allocation refers to the division of environmental burdens across different products or processes when multiple outputs are generated (e.g., in milk and meat production). It can be carried out based on physical, economic, or other criteria.

  • The functional unit is a reference unit used in life cycle assessment to clearly define a system and its product or service. It serves as the basis for analyzing the environmental impacts associated with the production, use, or disposal of this product. It can refer to both a physical product and a service.

  • Cut-off criteria define which material or energy flows can be omitted due to their low relevance. Typical thresholds include a certain mass, a percentage of the total environmental impact, or the availability of data.

You’ve got questions? We’ve got answers!

  • If you’re in the manufacturing industry, conducting an LCA or PCF study of your products can make sense for multiple reasons. On the one hand, having verified data on the sustainability of your products can be a very powerful marketing asset. On the other hand, your company may already (or soon) fall under certain regulations that will require you to disclose sustainability data, as specified in CSRD, ESPR and other mainly European regulations.

  • An LCA with us involves several steps:

    • Firstly, we work together to define the scope of the analysis and the objectives.

    • We then record relevant data (e.g. materials, energy consumption) and draw up the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI).

    • We then analyse the environmental impact (LCIA) and derive potential for optimisation.

    • Finally, you receive a report with the results and recommendations for action.

  • The duration depends on the complexity of the product or process. A simple analysis can take a few weeks, while detailed analyses can take several months.

  • The cost of a life cycle assessment or individual footprint depends on various factors. This is why we cannot provide fixed prices upfront.

    • How many products are being considered?

    • How complex is the product?

    • Which life cycle phases are being considered?

    • Which environmental impacts are being evaluated?

    We will clarify these questions with you in a non-binding initial consultation. We will then be happy to provide you with a detailed quote.

  • Accuracy depends on the quality of the available data. With reliable data sources and proven databases, precise and meaningful results can be achieved.

  • At a minimum, you need to know the consumption rates for energy, auxiliary materials and main materials involved in your production process. Apart from that, scrap rates, production rates and the waste treatment route for production scrap should be known.

    We are happy to support you with data collection on site.

    In the field of plastics processing, we can also map and measure processes in our technical centre.

  • A life cycle assessment looks at many environmental aspects, including resource consumption and pollutant emissions, while a carbon footprint only analyses greenhouse gas emissions.

  • Have a look at our detailed ressources in our blog (coming soon).

    Otherwise, simply contact us here.

    One of our LCA practitioners will contact you as soon as possible.

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