Life Cycle Assessment: What it is and How to Do it

There is an increasing interest in the life cycle assessment (LCA) of products. It is being used in the improvement of both products and processes, in setting criteria for ecolabelling and in decision-making about purchasing. The first part of this report is concerned with the concept of LCA, how it is currently assessed and how it is expected to develop. It also places LCA in the broader context of other tools for environmental analysis. Th second part examines several steps involved in making an LCA in a simplified but systematic manner.