{"id":9405,"date":"2025-10-16T10:31:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T08:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/?p=9405"},"modified":"2025-10-16T11:37:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T09:37:46","slug":"life-cycle-assessment-methodology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ingenius.ecoledesponts.fr\/en\/articles\/life-cycle-assessment-methodology\/","title":{"rendered":"Life Cycle Assessment – Methodology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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Credit : AdobeStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

How can we assess the potential environmental impacts of a product or service? With the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCA is a standardized methodology defined by international frameworks and guidelines1<\/a><\/sup>,<\/sup>2<\/a><\/sup>. It makes it possible to connect technological processes to their environmental impacts3<\/a><\/sup>. The goal is to generate information that allows environmental concerns to be given priority, when comparing several technically viable solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does LCA work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This tool is built on three fundamental principles4<\/a><\/sup>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

>  It is a functional analysis, meaning that the calculation of emissions (greenhouse gases, air pollutants), resource extractions (energy minerals), and associated impacts are linked to a clearly defined function;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

>  It is a multi-criteria approach, allowing for the calculation of a wide range of environmental impacts (climate change, human health, ecosystem quality, resource depletion, etc.);<\/p>\n\n\n\n

>  It is multi-stage, covering the entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to the product\u2019s end of life, including its use, transport, etc. (see the figure below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results of an LCA are expressed as potential environmental impacts generated throughout the life cycle of the system under evaluation. The impacts are related to a common functional unit for all the products being compared. This unit must be precisely defined and aligned with the goals and scope of the assessment. It is important to emphasize that LCA is designed to compare multiple alternative scenarios from an environmental perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the functional unit to compare different modes of transport (such as cycling, driving, taking the bus, or the tram) could be defined as \u2018transporting one person over a given distance\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The different phases of LCA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To evaluate the overall environmental impact of a product or service using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), it is essential to follow a structured, iterative process, which is divided into four key phases:   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phase 1: Objectives and Scope<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The objectives of the study must clearly specify the following elements (in accordance with the standard ISO 14044):<\/p>\n\n\n\n