Life Cycle Analysis or LCA, is the examination of the environmental impact that a service or product has in terms of energy and material through its production, use and disposal. Almost like an audit, the scope of measurement and assessment is wide in the LCA. Other assessment systems are Environmental Risk Assessment and the Substance Flow Analysis.
The LCA creates an inventory of all parts and energy while also looking at the social impacts. It is also called Life Cycle Assessment, ecobalance and cradle to grave analysis. Through this assessment it is possible to make a knowledgeable decision about preferred products based on their impact to the environment and to society.
The concept is also used to increase the potential of either a company or a single product to increase its environmental performance. The LCA assessment procedures are part of the ISO 14000 standards and common categories include global warming, acidification, smog, habitat destruction, land use and ozone layer destruction.
