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Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

What is LCA?

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method for evaluating the environmental footprint of a product or service. It is a global approach that takes into account all the stages in the product's life cycle, such as 

  • Extraction of raw materials
  • Manufacture of the product 
  • Transport to the construction site
  • Use
  • End of life 

The LCA standard divides the life cycle into 4 stages: 

  • Module A, which covers the stages of production and transport to the construction site
  • Module B, which represents the use of the product
  • Module C, which covers the end-of-life of the product, including recycling
  • And module D, which is outside the system under study, but which represents the potential benefits and costs if the product is reused or recycled. 

What is the difference between a carbon footprint and an environmental footprint?

The LCA standard for construction products defines 36 environmental impacts, one of which is the global warming potential (GWP), expressed in kg of CO₂ equivalent. This is commonly known as the carbon footprint. 

Why carry out an LCA?

The first step in tackling today's climate challenges is to measure a product's environmental footprint, or at least its carbon footprint. This in-depth analysis enables us to target the factors that emit carbon, so that we can take corrective action and reduce the product's carbon footprint.