What is LCA (Life Cycle Assessment)?

What kind of environmental impacts could a product or service have?

LCA essentially answers the above question in one sentence. It can also be referred to as "life cycle assessment" when translated directly into English. In other words, LCA is a detailed analysis of all the environmental impacts of a product's life, from the transportation of raw materials to waste disposal. This assessment begins with the raw material stage and presents all environmental impacts within specific frameworks until the waste disposal process.

In this article, we will examine the concept of LCA under 4 main headings:

• The Life Cycle of a Product. The entire life of products consists of 5 main parts. Understanding these parts clearly is critical for the LCA process.

• How is LCA Prepared? LCA is prepared in 4 phases. These phases are defined by ISO standards and play a critical role in conducting this complex process more reliably and consistently.

• LCA and Its Benefits. LCA analyses offer various advantages to firms, primarily prestige and compliance with regulations.

• What to Watch Out for in the LCA Process. Due to its complex structure, LCA must be well-planned both for process safety and to avoid unnecessary labor use.

The Life Cycle of a Product

To analyze a product's life cycle, we first need to understand what "the life cycle of the product" means. The life cycle concept refers to all stages a product goes through from "cradle to grave". These stages are examined under 5 main headings.

5 Stages in the Life Cycle of a Product:

1. Transportation to Raw Materials

2. Production & Processing

3. Transportation & Logistics

4. Usage

5. Waste Disposal & Recycling

Different Life Cycle Models

Companies can choose different life cycle models depending on the resource data they have or the life cycle stage they wish to declare. Although there are many models based on goals and scopes, the most commonly used for LCA are 3 models:

Cradle to Grave

When you analyze all 5 stages present in the life cycle of a product, you include all phases from the birth of that product to its death in the process. This model is defined as "Cradle to Grave" in the sense of understanding from beginning to end.

Cradle to Gate

This model covers the first 2 phases of the product's life cycle. In short, it only refers to the production phase of the product. In terms of transportation to raw materials up to factory exit, it is defined as "Cradle to Gate".