Learn what lifecycle assessment (LCA) is, how to conduct it, what tools to use, and what benefits and limitations it has for sustainable design.

Let us not forget, that design is not only about aesthetics, functionality, or innovation. It is also about the environmental and social impacts of the products and services we create. By using LCA, we can identify the hotspots of our designs, compare different alternatives, and optimize our solutions for sustainability.

How can Lifecycle assessment methods improve sustainability?

Sustainability is a key challenge for designers who want to create products and services that have minimal environmental and social impacts. One way to measure and improve sustainability is to use lifecycle assessment (LCA) methods, which evaluate the environmental performance of a product or service throughout its entire lifespan, from raw materials to disposal. In this article, you will learn how LCA methods can help you design more sustainable solutions, what are the main steps and tools involved, and what are some of the benefits and limitations of LCA.

1 What is LCA?

LCA is a systematic method that quantifies the environmental impacts of a product or service in terms of resources consumed, emissions generated, and potential effects on human health and ecosystems. LCA can cover the whole lifecycle of a product or service, or focus on a specific stage, such as manufacturing, use, or end-of-life. LCA can also compare different alternatives and scenarios, such as different materials, technologies, or designs, to identify the most sustainable option.

Add your perspective

2 How to conduct LCA?

LCA consists of four main steps: goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation. In the first step, you define the purpose, scope, and boundaries of your LCA study, such as the functional unit, the system boundaries, the data sources, and the assumptions. In the second step, you collect and calculate the data on the inputs and outputs of your product or service system, such as the materials, energy, water, and emissions. In the third step, you translate the inventory data into environmental impact indicators, such as global warming potential, acidification potential, or human toxicity potential. In the fourth step, you interpret the results, identify the hotspots, perform sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, and draw conclusions and recommendations.

Add your perspective

3 What are the tools for LCA?

There are various tools and software available to help you conduct LCA, such as Ecoinvent, a global database of life cycle inventory data; SimaPro, a software for performing LCA and other sustainability assessments; TRACI, a framework developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency; and CML-IA, a framework developed by the University of Leiden. These resources can provide impact assessment methods for LCA in different contexts.

Add your perspective

Hamoda Youssef

An advocate and enabler for climate action. A change agent. Business developer for Climate Tech. Regenerative Practitioner, LEGO Serious Play Facilitator , LEED & WELL Faculty, Living-Future Ambassador
Report contribution
another example is One Click LCA which is a software tool that helps architects and engineers to assess the environmental impact of their building designs. It allows users to compare different design options and optimize them for lower carbon footprint, energy use, water consumption, and other indicators.

Like

4 What are the benefits of LCA?

Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can provide many benefits for designers who want to improve sustainability. It can help reduce environmental impacts and costs by identifying and eliminating inefficiencies, as well as enhance innovation and differentiation by exploring and evaluating new design options. LCA also supports decision making and communication by providing transparent and credible information on the environmental performance of your product or service, which can improve stakeholder engagement and satisfaction by addressing their expectations for sustainability and accountability.

Add your perspective

Hamoda Youssef

An advocate and enabler for climate action. A change agent. Business developer for Climate Tech. Regenerative Practitioner, LEGO Serious Play Facilitator , LEED & WELL Faculty, Living-Future Ambassador
Report contribution
Incorporating LCA in early design stages can help designers identify and reduce potential environmental burdens, optimize resource efficiency, and improve the overall sustainability of their solutions.

Like

5 What are the limitations of LCA?

When considering LCA, one should be aware of its limitations, such as data availability and quality, methodological choices and uncertainties, and scope and complexity. Data may not always be available, accurate, or consistent, and choices of system boundaries, functional unit, impact assessment methods, and allocation rules may affect the results and introduce uncertainties. Additionally, LCA can be time-consuming and resource-intensive if you want to cover the entire lifecycle of your product or service. As such, some aspects may need to be simplified or excluded, which could compromise the completeness and relevance of your LCA.

Add your perspective

Tony Elkington

Helping Brands Design Products That Go Beyond Superficial Sustainability 🌍 Creative Director at Studio Elk
Report contribution
If the goal is to reduce a product's environmental impacts rather than simply measuring them, then LCA must happen prior to, or ideally throughout, the product development process. However, comprehensive LCAs are expensive and time-consuming, which makes them unsuitable for the fast-moving and iterative nature of the the design process. Streamlined LCAs can offer less precise but much more time- and cost-effective data to inform design decisions, allowing improvements to be made.

Like

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Add your perspective

Hamoda Youssef

An advocate and enabler for climate action. A change agent. Business developer for Climate Tech. Regenerative Practitioner, LEGO Serious Play Facilitator , LEED & WELL Faculty, Living-Future Ambassador
Report contribution
Let us not forget, that design is not only about aesthetics, functionality, or innovation. It is also about the environmental and social impacts of the products and services we create. By using LCA, we can identify the hotspots of our designs, compare different alternatives, and optimize our solutions for sustainability.

Like

How can Lifecycle assessment methods improve sustainability?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 What is LCA?

2 How to conduct LCA?

3 What are the tools for LCA?

4 What are the benefits of LCA?

5 What are the limitations of LCA?

6 Here’s what else to consider

Sustainable Design

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on Sustainable Design

More relevant reading

How can Lifecycle assessment methods improve sustainability?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 What is LCA?

2 How to conduct LCA?

3 What are the tools for LCA?

4 What are the benefits of LCA?

5 What are the limitations of LCA?

6 Here’s what else to consider

Sustainable Design

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

Explore Other Skills