The purpose of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is to identify and assess the environmental impacts of a product / process throughout its life cycle (from the extraction of raw materials, production of raw materials, production, packaging, sale, transport, storage, use, reuse, disposal or even recovery) and the search for alternatives where these environmental pressures can be reduced.
Life Cycle Assessment – LCA
The aim of application
- identification of environmental “weak points” of product production / activity,
- helping to rationalize the environmental impacts of the company’s other operations, such as exploring opportunities to reduce greenhouse gases,
- determination of carbon footprint values,
- support for environmental and sustainability reports, in line with economic and social analyzes,
- helping with eco-design planning,
- support for environmental communication,
- obtaining an environmental product declaration (EPD),
- support for marketing activities,
- determination of organizational carbon footprint (CCF), continuous monitoring,
- contributing to the development of long-term environmental strategies.
Software used: GaBi Professional (Sphera) life cycle analysis software
Database used: Internationally recognized, verified and accepted databases: Sphera Professional database; Ecoinvent 3.7 database with thousands of processes
Most commonly used impact analysis methods: CML2001, EF3.0, ISO14067GWP, EN 15804 + A2. Impact categories: climate change, acidification, eutrophication, depletion of resources or smog formation, for which impacts on ecosystem elements or the water footprint can be identified.
GaBi software references
- Product analysis: angle grinder, diesel, petrol, PP, PE bike, lawnmower, couch, bio char, food packaging and food production, etc.
- System analysis: transport, second-hand goods and selective waste collecting modes, deposit, system
- Organizational carbon footprint analysis: determining the value of the property manager’s annual organizational carbon footprint, taking stock of reduction opportunities of property management and service companies
- Waste recovery: energy utilization of sewage sludge, feather waste utilization in new insulating elements, recycling of used cooking oils as biodiesel, utilization of brownfield areas, recycling waste oil in the cement industry, extraction of critical elements from electronic products
- Education: software use, life cycle aspect
- Preparation of EPD (environmental product declaration) environmental life cycle analysis, support of EPD processes: Steel wire and wire products, food industry product
Contact
Renáta BODNÁRNÉ, head of LCA research
Mobile: + 36-70 / 513-9583
E-mail: renata.sandor@bayzoltan.hu
