{"id":9401,"date":"2025-10-16T10:32:29","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T08:32:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/?p=9401"},"modified":"2025-10-16T11:37:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T09:37:23","slug":"life-cycle-assessment-a-historic-background","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/articles\/life-cycle-assessment-a-historic-background\/","title":{"rendered":"Life Cycle Assessment – A historic background"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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Credit : Adobe Stock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Article published in October 2022 and updated in October 2025<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life cycle assessment (LCA), now widely recognized as a standard methodology, is a tool that connects technical systems to the quantified environmental impacts they may generate. The goal is to support informed decision-making by ensuring that environmental considerations are prioritized alongside technical and economic feasibility1<\/a><\/sup> This method has been under development for over 50 years. It emerged and then evolved in parallel with a growing awareness of the environmental consequences of human activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the earliest milestones in the rise of environmental awareness<\/a>\u00a0can be traced back to the work of Rachel Carson, a marine biologist and environmental activist, who published ‘Silent Spring\u2019 in 1962, a groundbreaking book that triggered a major shift in American policy on biocides, ultimately leading to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides. A decade later,\u00a0the Meadows Report, published in 1972<\/a> by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and commissioned by the Club of Rome, became another landmark publication. The report highlighted the environmental and human risks posed by the world\u2019s economic and population growth. In particular, the report drew attention to the finite nature of Earth’s resources. Meanwhile, in 1969, an internal study conducted by Coca-Cola researchers2<\/a><\/sup> marked the beginning of multi-criteria environmental assessments. In the wake of the oil crises of the 1970s and the growing focus on energy performance, the first methods for assessing resource use and environmental impacts across the life cycle began to emerge, such as the \u2018Bilan Produit\u2019 in Europe and the Resource and Environmental Profile Analysis (REPA) in the United States. In the 1980s, the concept of sustainable development emerged. It was officially defined in 1987 by the Brundtland Report as \u2018development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This meant that all economic sectors became implicated, and as a result, the inclusion of environmental concerns in decision-making processes gradually became systematic. Methods such as Material and Energy Flow Analysis (MEFA), carbon footprint calculations, and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) were developed, aiming to quantify the flows passing through economic systems and to assess their associated environmental impacts. In 1991, the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) put forward the first technical framework for LCA. This marked the beginning of the method\u2019s standardization, which, three decades later, would become the reference approach for quantifying the impacts of resource extraction and toxic emissions on the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read episode 2: methodology<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read episode 3: case study<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

  1. This section has been published. See\u00a0Laurent Brochard, Ad\u00e9la\u00efde Feraille and Myriam Saad\u00e9, 2021. L\u2019analyse du cycle de vie (ACV)\u00a0: une m\u00e9thode fonctionnelle, multicrit\u00e8re et comparative d\u2019\u00e9valuation des impacts environnementaux. In: Franck Bancel (editor). La finance verte.\u00a0Transitions. Les nouvelles Annales des ponts et chauss\u00e9es<\/em>, no. 1, pp. 44-49.<\/a>\u00a0 \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li>
  2. In 1969, Harry E. Teastley Jr. conducted the first multi-criteria environmental study for Coca-Cola. The aim was to inform decision-making regarding several choices: whether to use glass or plastic for bottling the product, whether to produce the bottles in-house or outsource production, and which end-of-life options (recycling or single-use disposal) would be most appropriate. The study led to the decision to adopt plastic bottles. This study was never fully published. Only a summary was made publicly available in the April 1976 issues of Science Magazine. \u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Article published in October 2022 and updated in October 2025 Life cycle assessment (LCA), now widely recognized as a standard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2743,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_related_content_post":[],"_related_content_subject":[937,124],"_related_content_author":[2167,127],"_related_content_category":[1720,1716],"_related_content_folder":[9382],"_excerpt":"","_duration":2,"_manual_duration":false,"footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"This section has been published. See\u00a0Laurent Brochard, Ad\u00e9la\u00efde Feraille and Myriam Saad\u00e9, 2021. L\u2019analyse du cycle de vie (ACV)\u00a0: une m\u00e9thode fonctionnelle, multicrit\u00e8re et comparative d\u2019\u00e9valuation des impacts environnementaux. In: Franck Bancel (editor). La finance verte.\u00a0Transitions. Les nouvelles Annales des ponts et chauss\u00e9es<\/em>, no. 1, pp. 44-49.<\/a>\u00a0\",\"id\":\"c773a6a6-ab29-468a-9521-050f2a8dbbbb\"},{\"content\":\"In 1969, Harry E. Teastley Jr. conducted the first multi-criteria environmental study for Coca-Cola. The aim was to inform decision-making regarding several choices: whether to use glass or plastic for bottling the product, whether to produce the bottles in-house or outsource production, and which end-of-life options (recycling or single-use disposal) would be most appropriate. The study led to the decision to adopt plastic bottles. This study was never fully published. Only a summary was made publicly available in the April 1976 issues of Science Magazine.\",\"id\":\"e5e6b4c4-4a2f-4c3f-a85d-5c1b4a754520\"}]"},"article-types":[13],"class_list":["post-9401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","article-types-article"],"has_blocks":true,"block_data":[{"blockName":"enpc\/excerpt","attrs":{"lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[],"rendered":""},{"blockName":"core\/image","attrs":{"id":9402,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"wide","blob":"","url":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AdobeStock_501889789-1024x613.jpeg","alt":"","caption":null,"lightbox":[],"title":"","href":"","rel":"","linkClass":"","width":"","height":"","aspectRatio":"","scale":"","linkTarget":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"wp-block-image alignwide size-large","style":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    \"\"
    Credit : Adobe Stock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","innerContent":["\n
    \"\"
    Credit : Adobe Stock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n"],"rendered":"\n
    \"\"
    Credit : Adobe Stock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":null,"dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    Article published in October 2022 and updated in October 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    Article published in October 2022 and updated in October 2025<\/em><\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    Article published in October 2022 and updated in October 2025<\/em><\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":null,"dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    Life cycle assessment (LCA), now widely recognized as a standard methodology, is a tool that connects technical systems to the quantified environmental impacts they may generate. The goal is to support informed decision-making by ensuring that environmental considerations are prioritized alongside technical and economic feasibility1<\/a><\/sup> This method has been under development for over 50 years. It emerged and then evolved in parallel with a growing awareness of the environmental consequences of human activity.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    Life cycle assessment (LCA), now widely recognized as a standard methodology, is a tool that connects technical systems to the quantified environmental impacts they may generate. The goal is to support informed decision-making by ensuring that environmental considerations are prioritized alongside technical and economic feasibility1<\/a><\/sup> This method has been under development for over 50 years. It emerged and then evolved in parallel with a growing awareness of the environmental consequences of human activity.<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    Life cycle assessment (LCA), now widely recognized as a standard methodology, is a tool that connects technical systems to the quantified environmental impacts they may generate. The goal is to support informed decision-making by ensuring that environmental considerations are prioritized alongside technical and economic feasibility1<\/a><\/sup> This method has been under development for over 50 years. It emerged and then evolved in parallel with a growing awareness of the environmental consequences of human activity.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":null,"dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    One of the earliest milestones in the rise of environmental awareness<\/a>\u00a0can be traced back to the work of Rachel Carson, a marine biologist and environmental activist, who published 'Silent Spring\u2019 in 1962, a groundbreaking book that triggered a major shift in American policy on biocides, ultimately leading to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides. A decade later,\u00a0the Meadows Report, published in 1972<\/a> by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and commissioned by the Club of Rome, became another landmark publication. The report highlighted the environmental and human risks posed by the world\u2019s economic and population growth. In particular, the report drew attention to the finite nature of Earth's resources. Meanwhile, in 1969, an internal study conducted by Coca-Cola researchers2<\/a><\/sup> marked the beginning of multi-criteria environmental assessments. In the wake of the oil crises of the 1970s and the growing focus on energy performance, the first methods for assessing resource use and environmental impacts across the life cycle began to emerge, such as the \u2018Bilan Produit\u2019 in Europe and the Resource and Environmental Profile Analysis (REPA) in the United States. In the 1980s, the concept of sustainable development emerged. It was officially defined in 1987 by the Brundtland Report as \u2018development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.\u2019<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    One of the earliest milestones in the rise of environmental awareness<\/a>\u00a0can be traced back to the work of Rachel Carson, a marine biologist and environmental activist, who published 'Silent Spring\u2019 in 1962, a groundbreaking book that triggered a major shift in American policy on biocides, ultimately leading to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides. A decade later,\u00a0the Meadows Report, published in 1972<\/a> by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and commissioned by the Club of Rome, became another landmark publication. The report highlighted the environmental and human risks posed by the world\u2019s economic and population growth. In particular, the report drew attention to the finite nature of Earth's resources. Meanwhile, in 1969, an internal study conducted by Coca-Cola researchers2<\/a><\/sup> marked the beginning of multi-criteria environmental assessments. In the wake of the oil crises of the 1970s and the growing focus on energy performance, the first methods for assessing resource use and environmental impacts across the life cycle began to emerge, such as the \u2018Bilan Produit\u2019 in Europe and the Resource and Environmental Profile Analysis (REPA) in the United States. In the 1980s, the concept of sustainable development emerged. It was officially defined in 1987 by the Brundtland Report as \u2018development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.\u2019<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    One of the earliest milestones in the rise of environmental awareness<\/a>\u00a0can be traced back to the work of Rachel Carson, a marine biologist and environmental activist, who published 'Silent Spring\u2019 in 1962, a groundbreaking book that triggered a major shift in American policy on biocides, ultimately leading to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides. A decade later,\u00a0the Meadows Report, published in 1972<\/a> by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and commissioned by the Club of Rome, became another landmark publication. The report highlighted the environmental and human risks posed by the world\u2019s economic and population growth. In particular, the report drew attention to the finite nature of Earth's resources. Meanwhile, in 1969, an internal study conducted by Coca-Cola researchers2<\/a><\/sup> marked the beginning of multi-criteria environmental assessments. In the wake of the oil crises of the 1970s and the growing focus on energy performance, the first methods for assessing resource use and environmental impacts across the life cycle began to emerge, such as the \u2018Bilan Produit\u2019 in Europe and the Resource and Environmental Profile Analysis (REPA) in the United States. In the 1980s, the concept of sustainable development emerged. It was officially defined in 1987 by the Brundtland Report as \u2018development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.\u2019<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":null,"dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    This meant that all economic sectors became implicated, and as a result, the inclusion of environmental concerns in decision-making processes gradually became systematic. Methods such as Material and Energy Flow Analysis (MEFA), carbon footprint calculations, and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) were developed, aiming to quantify the flows passing through economic systems and to assess their associated environmental impacts. In 1991, the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) put forward the first technical framework for LCA. This marked the beginning of the method\u2019s standardization, which, three decades later, would become the reference approach for quantifying the impacts of resource extraction and toxic emissions on the environment.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    This meant that all economic sectors became implicated, and as a result, the inclusion of environmental concerns in decision-making processes gradually became systematic. Methods such as Material and Energy Flow Analysis (MEFA), carbon footprint calculations, and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) were developed, aiming to quantify the flows passing through economic systems and to assess their associated environmental impacts. In 1991, the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) put forward the first technical framework for LCA. This marked the beginning of the method\u2019s standardization, which, three decades later, would become the reference approach for quantifying the impacts of resource extraction and toxic emissions on the environment.<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    This meant that all economic sectors became implicated, and as a result, the inclusion of environmental concerns in decision-making processes gradually became systematic. Methods such as Material and Energy Flow Analysis (MEFA), carbon footprint calculations, and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) were developed, aiming to quantify the flows passing through economic systems and to assess their associated environmental impacts. In 1991, the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) put forward the first technical framework for LCA. This marked the beginning of the method\u2019s standardization, which, three decades later, would become the reference approach for quantifying the impacts of resource extraction and toxic emissions on the environment.<\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":null,"dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    Read episode 2: methodology<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    Read episode 2: methodology<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    Read episode 2: methodology<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":null,"dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    Read episode 3: case study<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    Read episode 3: case study<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    Read episode 3: case study<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":{"align":"","content":null,"dropCap":false,"placeholder":"","direction":"","lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n

    <\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n

    <\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n

    <\/p>\n"},{"blockName":"core\/footnotes","attrs":{"lock":[],"metadata":[],"className":"","style":"","backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":""},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[],"rendered":""}],"seo":{"title":"Life Cycle Assessment - A historic background"},"media":{"img":"\"\"","src":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/AdobeStock_501889789-scaled.jpeg"},"url":"\/en\/articles\/life-cycle-assessment-a-historic-background\/","related":{"post":[],"author":[{"title":"Myriam Saad\u00e9","url":"\/en\/authors\/myriam-saade\/","id":"2167","media":"\"\"","slug":"myriam-saade"},{"title":"Adelaide Feraille","url":"\/en\/authors\/adelaide-feraille\/","id":"127","media":"\"\"","slug":"adelaide-feraille"}],"subject":[{"title":"Energy, Ecology & Climate","url":"\/en\/subjects\/energy-ecology-climate\/","id":"937","media":"\"\"","slug":"energy-ecology-climate"},{"title":"Economics & Society","url":"\/en\/subjects\/economics-society\/","id":"124","media":"\"\"","slug":"economics-society"}],"category":[{"title":"Article collection","url":"\/en\/articles\/category\/dossier\/","id":"1720","media":"","slug":"dossier","_related_post_type":"folder"},{"title":"Articles","url":"\/en\/articles\/category\/articles\/","id":"1716","media":"","slug":"articles","_related_post_type":""}],"folder":[{"title":"\u202fEco-building tomorrow: Rethinking practices and methods.","url":"\/en\/folders\/eco-building-tomorrow-rethinking-practices-and-methods\/","id":"9382","media":"\"\"","slug":"eco-building-tomorrow-rethinking-practices-and-methods"}]},"translated":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/articles\/analyse-du-cycle-de-vie-historique-methodologie\/","icon":"icon-article","duration":"2","custom_excerpt":"","duration_type":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9401"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9419,"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9401\/revisions\/9419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"article-types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article-types?post=9401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}