Life Cycle Assessment
Anyone who really wants to improve products must not just look at CO₂.
A life cycle assessment considers several environmental impacts throughout a product's life cycle. This allows you to identify which materials, processes and phases shape the result – and whether a change improves the overall picture or merely shifts environmental burdens.
01 — Why
What is easily overlooked
CO₂ is important. But it has no monopoly on environmental impact.
A lighter material can reduce transport emissions – and use more resources in manufacturing.
A new packaging design may require less material while at the same time having different impacts during manufacturing or at the end of its life cycle. A life cycle assessment makes these connections visible. It does not automatically decide what is more important, but it shows the consequences a decision can have within the model under consideration.
The best product decision is not the one that wins in a key metric, but the one whose consequences have been understood.
02 — The Bigger Picture
One product. Multiple perspectives.
What changes if we look further?
Which impact categories are useful depends on the product, goal, method, and scope of the study. A LCA therefore does not look at "the environment" in general, but rather at selected potential environmental impacts.
01
Climate change
Greenhouse gases in CO₂e
02 Resources
Materials and Raw Materials
03 Water & Nutrients
Water-related impacts, eutrophication
04 Air & Soils
Acidification and other categories
01
The familiar look
The climate change category describes the contribution of various greenhouse gases to the greenhouse effect. A PCF focuses precisely on this perspective.
The question: Where do the product-related greenhouse gas emissions occur?
Important: LCA results are modelled indicators of potential environmental impacts. They do not automatically measure concrete, local environmental damage.
03 — Orientation
CCF, PCF or LCA?
Sometimes a focus on CO₂ is enough. Sometimes you need the bigger picture.
Company
Corporate Carbon Footprint
Considers the greenhouse gas emissions of a company within defined organisational and operational boundaries.
Question: Where do our corporate emissions originate?
To the CCF
Product · Climate
Product Carbon Footprint
Focuses on the climate impact of a defined product within its agreed system boundary.
Question: How much CO₂e is associated with our product?
To the PCF
Product · Multi-perspective
Life cycle assessment
Considers several selected environmental impact categories of a product system and makes potential trade-offs visible.
Question: What might we be missing if we only look at CO₂?
Discuss life cycle assessment
A PCF is not an incomplete LCA. It answers a narrower question.
04 — The Beginning
Every good life cycle assessment starts with a good question
Before we calculate, let us clarify what you would like to decide.
A large amount of data is no substitute for a clear question.
01
Is the intention to prepare a material or design decision?
02
Would you like to examine two product variants?
03
Is it about eco-design, circularity, or lifespan?
04
Does a customer require specific environmental metrics?
05
Should data be prepared for an EPD or a defined process?
After that, we will determine
Product system · functional or declared unit · system boundary · impact categories · data requirements · use
05 — Product Lifecycle
Where does the scope of consideration begin and end?
We look beyond the factory gate – if the question demands it.
Not every life cycle assessment must automatically cover the complete path to the end of life. The scope of the study is defined and transparently stated in accordance with the question being addressed.
01 Raw materials
02 Pre-products
03 Manufacturing
04 Packaging
05 Transport
06 Usage
07 End of life
Cradle-to-Gate
Up to the factory gate
From raw material extraction to the finished product at the factory gate.
Cradle-to-Grave
Until the end of life
Additionally including use, reuse, recycling or disposal.
Defined section
Relevant to the question
Specific lifecycle phases are systematically investigated and clearly documented.
06 — How we work
Four phases according to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044
A clear process. But not a rigid one-way street.
New findings can lead to data, assumptions, or system boundaries being reviewed once again. It is precisely this feedback loop that is part of a robust life cycle assessment.
01
Goal and scope
We define the question, product system, unit, boundaries, impact categories and intended use.
02
Life cycle inventory
Materials, energy, transport, processes, emissions and other relevant material flows are modelled.
03
Impact assessment
The material and energy flows are assigned to the agreed environmental impact categories.
04
Evaluation
We consider result shares, data quality, uncertainties, conflicting goals and methodological limitations.
From result to product decision
Don't just ask which variant causes less CO₂e – but which environmental impacts change together.
Findings are fed back into the investigation.
07 — Your benefits
What companies actually gain from this
Environmental key performance indicators lead to better questions about the product.
01
Product development
Identify which materials, processes or life cycle phases shape relevant proportions of the results.
02
Variant decisions
Examine different solutions under a common methodological basis.
03
Purchasing & Suppliers
Make visible which primary data can make a relevant difference.
04
Eco-Design & Circular Economy
Consider material usage, manufacturing effort, lifespan and end-of-life together.
05
Customer requirements
Prepare results to match specific requirements and requested key figures.
06
More formats
Create a professional data basis for EPDs, product information, or defined subsequent processes.
If data is still missing
A life cycle assessment can start with gaps. It just shouldn't hide them.
We start with what is available – and examine what will actually be relevant to the question.
Where primary data is missing, suitable background data can be used. It is crucial that sources, assumptions, uncertainties, and potential impacts on the result remain traceable.
Not every number has to be perfect. But every important assumption should be traceable.
08 — Your result
What you end up with
No environmental judgment. A comprehensible basis for decision-making.
The specific scope of delivery depends on the objective of the investigation and the agreed framework. Typically, we combine results, methodology and a comprehensible classification.
01
Scope of investigation
Goal, product system, functional or declared unit, and system boundary.
02
Life cycle inventory
Activity data, material and energy flows, and background data used.
03
Impact results
Results for the agreed environmental impact categories and life cycle stages.
04
Transparent borders
Assumptions, exclusions, data gaps, uncertainties and sensitivities.
05
Easy-to-understand analysis
Relevant result shares, trade-offs and potential starting points.
06
Handed over in person
A results meeting for development, purchasing, sustainability or management.
09 — Clear Classification
What a life cycle assessment says – and what it doesn't
Even a large number of environmental key figures do not yet create a green halo.
However, they provide a much more complete picture of the environmental impacts under consideration – and therefore a better basis for decision-making.
The life cycle assessment shows
It does not automatically prove
potential environmental impacts within the defined scope
that the product is "environmentally friendly" overall
Results of selected categories
all environmental and social impacts
Differences with comparable methodology
general superiority over competitors
Data, assumptions and model decisions
an independent review
a professional basis
the admissibility of a specific advertising claim
10 — Methodology & Use
Logically structured
Standards provide structure. Verification and communication remain separate steps.
ISO 14040 describes the principles and framework of a life cycle assessment. ISO 14044 contains requirements and guidelines for conducting, evaluating, reporting and critical review.
Whether an independent critical review is required depends, among other things, on the intended use. In particular, public product comparisons require additional diligence and, if necessary, product rules.
More on climate communication
Digital Product Passport
A potential data basis – not automatically the entire passport.
Which environmental information will be required for a Digital Product Passport in the future depends on the respective product-specific requirements. An LCA can provide relevant data for this.
On the ESPR Regulation
11 — The Right Look
The largest possible balance sheet is not always required
We clarify which perspective truly answers your question.
CCF
When the company is at the centre
For a company's greenhouse gas emissions across Scope 1, 2 and 3.
View CCF
PCF
When the climate impact of a product is sufficient
For the product-related greenhouse gas emissions within defined boundaries.
View PCF
LCA
When multiple environmental impacts become relevant
For trade-offs, eco-design, and a multi-perspective view of the product system.
Discuss LCA
12 — Good to know
FAQs
The questions before the bigger picture.
You do not need to know yet which impact categories or system boundaries are right for your product. That is exactly what we will clarify at the start.
Let's keep looking
Perhaps you don't need a bigger balance sheet. But rather a bigger perspective.
Tell us which product you are looking at and what decision needs to be made. We will clarify whether a PCF is sufficient, which additional environmental impacts might be relevant, and how extensive the study should reasonably be.