


The allocation methods used to partition the environmental load of a process when several products or functions share the same process, e.g.Any specific assumptions and limitations of the study.what is included/excluded from the scope of the assessment over a defined timescale, typically 60 years in the case of building assessments a tonne of structural steel, 1m 2 of external wall or a whole building, etc. The functional unit of the product or system to be assessed, e.g.The goal and scope of the study should define key details of the study including: If the LCA study is to make comparative results public then a critical review of the study to ISO 14044 must be provided.Īn important first step in any LCA is to clearly define the goal and scope of the study. Interpreting the results to help make informed decisions.the global warming impact from CO 2 and other greenhouse gas emissions Evaluating the potential impacts associated with these inputs and releases, e.g.Releases can be solid wastes or emissions to air or water Compiling an inventory of relevant energy and material inputs and environmental releases (outputs) associated with a defined system.LCA involves the collection and evaluation of quantitative data on the inputs and outputs of material, energy and waste flows associated with a product over its entire life cycle so that its whole-life environmental impacts can be determined.Īn LCA essentially comprises three steps: There are now over 6,000 verified EPD to EN 15804 for construction products registered globally. EPD are increasingly being used by construction product manufacturers in the UK and the EU to provide robust, quantified environmental data for their products. LCA is the methodology that is used to develop Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) which are a standardised set of environmental information based on a common set of rules called Product Category Rules (PCRs). Despite being conceptually quite straightforward, LCA can be very complex with many important, often material-specific, assumptions than can significantly influence the outcome. 9 End of life LCA and embodied carbon data for construction materialsįirst developed in the 1960s, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the most widely used and highly regarded tool for quantifying the environmental impacts of products and services.7.4 Manufacturers and trade associations.7.2 Inventory of Carbon and Energy (ICE).7.1 The Building Research Establishment (BRE).7 Construction LCA and embodied carbon data sources.6.1 Accounting for the recycling of steel.2.1 Embodied carbon codes and standards.1.3 The Construction Products Regulation (CPR).
