Life Cycle Analysis Quo Vadis: The ISO 14000 Experience, the Areas of Research, Envisioned Applications and Uses, 1996 Life Cycle Assessment Symposium Proceedings

Mike Levy

Polystyrene Packaging Council & Foamed Polystyrene Alliance

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is a technique for assessing the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product along the continuum of a product’s life (i.e., cradle to grave) by: compiling an inventory of relevant inputs and outputs of a system; evaluating the potential environmental impacts associated with those inputs and outputs; interpreting the results of the inventory and impact phases in relation to the objectives of the study. LCA has great appeal for many groups - politicians, regulators, environmentalists, industry. All have different approaches as to how this tool could and should be used. In the U.S., the EPA has shown extreme interest in sponsoring research for LCA applications for ecolabeling, as well as “streamlined LCA methodology” research to facilitate the use of LCA for product design and other uses. At the global level, the ISO (International Standards Organization) established a Technical Committee (TC) 207 “Environmental Management” in June 1993 to harmonize environmental standards. These ISO 14000 standards include a subcommittee 5 on Life Cycle Assessment. There are a number of areas of research, envisioned applications, limitations and uses that warrant attention and need harmonized: