What is Life Cycle Assessment or (LCA)?

The ideal early history of life cycle assessment or LCA dates back to the 1960s, when environmental issues rose to an ever-increasing height of public and government attention. The formation of this analytical tool is considered as a response to environmental problems such as acid rain and smoke, caused by the growth of the world population and the rapid industrialization of the era.

Concerns about the scarcity of resources and energy have increased the interest in finding solutions for the integrated calculation of energy consumption. One of the first studies in this field was started by a group of researchers at the Coca-Cola Company in America to find a container that has the least environmental impact and requires the least amount of natural resources by comparing different types of soft drink containers. This study calculated raw materials, used fuels and environmental burden of production processes for each type of container.

This study became the basis for the transition of the company’s beverage containers from glass to plastic, although the process of calculating resource consumption and environmental impact was not without its name from LCA theory. At that time, it was primarily known as environmental and resource profiling.

In the 1970s, energy-based environmental studies began for specific industrial sectors. In the late 1980s, several studies using LCA were observed, especially by private companies in countries such as Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. However, these studies were conducted using different methods and without a common theoretical framework, which led to some sometimes significant discrepancies in different conclusions.

The 1990s to 2000s can be called the period of LCA standardization, which led to the publication of LCA manuals and booklets with significant scientific growth and global coordinated activities along with organized workshops and forums. The first LCA scientific conference was organized by the SETAC association in 1991, and in 1993, standards and frameworks for the management, evaluation, and use of LCA results were published by UNEP. Also, in 1994, ISO reached standards such as ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 by developing international standards for LCA.

In the first decade of the 21st century, attention to LCA increased dramatically, and in 2002, the International Life Cycle Partnership Program was launched by UNEP and SETAC as Life Cycle Innovation, with the aim of improving tools supporting and implementing life cycle thinking.