Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): A Guide to Best Practice

This first hands–on guide to ISO–compliant Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) makes this powerful tool immediately accessible to both professionals and students. Following a general introduction on the philosophy and purpose of LCA, the reader is taken through all the stages of a complete LCA analysis, with each step exemplified by real–life data from a major LCA project on beverage packaging. Measures as carbon and water footprint, based on the most recent international standards and definitions, are addressed.

Written by two pioneers of LCA, this practical volume is targeted at first–time LCA users but equally makes a much–valued reference for more experienced practitioners.

From the content:
∗ Goal and Scope Definition
∗ Life Cycle Inventory Analysis
∗ Life Cycle Impact Assessment
∗ Interpretation, Reporting and Critical Review
∗ From LCA to Sustainability Assessment

and more.

INTRODUCTION
What is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?
History
The Structure of LCA
Standardization of LCA
Literature and Information on LCA

GOAL AND SCOPE DEFINITION
Goal Definition
Scope
Illustration of the Component "Definition of Goal and Scope" unsing an Example of Practice

LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY ANALYSIS
Basics
Energy Analysis
Allocation
Procurement, Origin and Quality of Data
Data Aggregation and Units
Presentation of Inventory Results
Illustration of the Inventory Phase by an Example

LIFE CYCLE IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Basic Principle of Life Cycle Impact Assessment
Method of Critical Volumes
Structure of Impact Assessment according to ISO 14040 and 14044
Method of Impact Categories (Environmental Problem Fields)
Impact Categories, Impact Indicators and Characterization Factors
Illustration of the Impact Assessment Phase by Practical Example

LIFE CYCLE INTERPRETATION, REPORTING AND CRITICAL REVIEW
Development and Rank of the Phase Interpretation
The Phase Interpretation According to ISO
Techniques for Result Analysis
Reporting
Critical Review
Illustration of the Component Interpretation Using an Example of Practice

FROM LCA TO SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT
Sustainability
The Three Dimensions of Sustainability
State of the Art of Methods
One Life Cycle Assessment or Three?
Conclusions

APPENDIX
Solutions of Exercises
Standard Report Sheet of Electricity Mix (Germany)
Subject Index

Walter Klöpffer is consultant for life cycle and chemicals assessment in Frankfurt (Germany). After his studies of chemistry at the University of Graz (Austria) he was working for nearly thirty years at the Battelle Institute e.V. in Frankfurt, followed by a position at C.A.U. Ltd. in Dreieich (Germany). Since 1975 he has also been Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Mainz. Professor Klöpffer is the founding editor and current editor–in–chief of ′The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment′.

Birgit Grahl studied chemistry at the University of Hamburg (Germany). She then headed the chemistry department of the Öko–Institut e.V. Freiburg (Germany), followed by several years as co–owner and director of a commercial laboratory (Germany) and afterwards working as a freelance consultant in the field of industrial ecology. Dr. Grahl was involved in the development of the ISO 14040 series, is a member of the editorial board of ′The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment′ and professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Lübeck (Germany).