L

Life Cycle Sustainability Definition

Assessment
Life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) is a
Elegbede Isa Olalekan1,2,3,4,5,6, Iduseri Emily7, systematic and comprehensive evaluation
Jolaosho Toheeb2, Matti-Sanni Rukayat6,8, approach that assesses the full range of environ-
Wuraola Oladoyinbo2, Abdul Aziz Aregbeshola2, mental, social, and economic impacts of a prod-
Ogabi Victoria2 and Cristhian Chicaiza Ortiz9,10 uct, system, or process throughout its entire life
1
Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, cycle, from raw material extraction to end-of-life
Germany disposal. The purpose of LCSA is to identify and
2
Lagos State University, Lagos, Nigeria understand the trade-offs and potential sustain-
3
University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, ability challenges associated with the product,
Denmark system, or process and to inform decisions that
4
Geo Blue Planet, Bern, Switzerland can enhance its sustainability. LCSA considers
5
TGER, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland multiple sustainability criteria, including environ-
6
SAEIO Global, Lagos, Nigeria mental impacts, such as greenhouse gas emis-
7
Department of Environmental Science, National sions, resource depletion, pollution, and waste
Open University, Abuja, Nigeria generation; social impacts, such as labor practices,
8
University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, Nigeria human rights, health, and safety; and community
9
Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena, engagement and economic impacts, such as
Ecuador resource use, energy efficiency, cost, and eco-
10
SJTU China-UK Low Carbon College, nomic viability. LCSA can be used by companies,
Shanghai, China governments, and other organizations to assess
the sustainability of existing products, systems,
and processes; identify opportunities for improve-
Synonym ment; develop more sustainable products, sys-
tems, and processes; demonstrate sustainability
Blue economy; Economic; Environmental; Inven- leadership and meet stakeholder expectations;
tory; LCA; Social; Sustainability comply with sustainability regulations and stan-
dards; enhance brand reputation and customer
trust; and make informed decisions on sustainabil-
ity investments and initiatives.

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023

S. O. Idowu et al. (eds.), Encyclopedia of Sustainable Management,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02006-4_289-1
2 Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment

Introduction (2006) highlighted the significance of LCSA in

quantifying various adverse environmental
LCAs have been in existence since the 1960s. The impact categories, including climate change, pho-
idea that led to the invention of LCAs was to tochemical oxidation potential, acidification, and
create a tool whose primary assignment is to eutrophication in aquatic environments. LCSA
quantify and consequently facilitate appropriate has gained widespread recognition in critical envi-
management of waste and energy such that more ronmental assessments for sectors such as biofuels
general eco-efficiency measurement targets could and agriculture, wastewater treatment systems,
be achieved (Thies et al., 2021). The ISO 14040/ fish farming, and other important policies
14044 standards provide the basis for LCSA’s (Stokes & Horvath, 2006; De Vries & de Boer,
underlying process. The creation and evolution 2010). To assess the impact of a product on the
of industrial technologies has led to significant environment throughout its entire life cycle, from
reconfiguration of the environment, causing alter- raw material collection to disposal, the concept of
ation of nature and degradation of natural life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) was
resources through pollution of air, water, and developed. LCSA can be differentiated from other
land. Industries, particularly those involved in environmental assessment metrics because it
producing products that involve the utilization of focuses on identifying changes necessary to
chemicals and toxic metals and those involved in improve a product’s environmental performance
exploiting natural resources such as soil and clean and sustainability (ISO, 2006a, b; Guinée, 2016).
water, fish stocks, and natural gas and oil indis- Additionally, LCSA provides decision-makers
criminately, have come under fire for their with information on the environmental impacts
unsustainable production processes that harm the of specific products, their performance, and alter-
ecosystem. However, these industries are now native processing systems (ISO, 2006a, b; Thies
expected to adopt more environmentally friendly et al., 2019, 2021). It quantifies the total inputs
methods through the principles of “zero waste and (energy and materials) and outputs (products,
minimal emissions and producer responsibility.” waste, and emissions) of a production system,
Despite these efforts, the environmental effects of known to impact the environment (ISO, 2006a,
industrial activities are becoming increasingly dif- b; Yuan et al., 2012). The performance of an
ficult to control, as the negative impacts are not LCSA is divided into four main parts, as shown
always immediately apparent and can take the in Fig. 1.
form of cumulative and synergistic effects Life cycle sustainability assessment is a com-
(Stokes & Horvath, 2006; Azapagic & Clift, prehensive evaluation tool used to assess the envi-
1999). For instance, local greenhouse gas emis- ronmental, social, and economic impacts of a
sions can contribute to the global greenhouse product or system throughout its entire life cycle
effect. Considering these challenges, the regula- (ISO, 2017; Gundes, 2016). LCSA is used to
tory bodies responsible for protecting the environ- identify areas for improvement and determine
ment must be proactive in their approach to the sustainability of a product. The LCSA process
assessing the environmental impact while taking is typically divided into several phases (Fig. 1), as
into consideration financial, technical, and other follows.
criteria.
Life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) is Goal and Scope Definition In this phase, the
an environmental management tool that evaluates purpose, scope, and objectives of the LCSA are
regional and global environmental impacts asso- defined, and stakeholders are identified (ISO,
ciated with a product’s entire life cycle, from raw 2017). For instance, if the LCSA is being
material collection to production, use, and dis- conducted for a new product, the goal could be
posal (cradle to gate) (Azapagic & Clift, 1999; to determine its environmental and social impact
Curan, 2006; ISO, 2006a, b; EC, 2010). Curan and identify ways to minimize it.
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment 3

For instance, a product’s total global warming

potential might be determined by summing all
greenhouse gas emissions considering their
respective global warming potential (Christensen
et al., 2009).

Evaluation This phase involves evaluating the

sustainability of a product or system based on
the results of the previous phases (ISO, 2017).
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, The sustainability of a product can be determined
Fig. 1 Definition of the LCSA phases. (Source: Thies by considering environmental, economic, and
et al., 2021)
social impacts.
Inventory Analysis This phase involves
Interpretation In this final phase, recommenda-
collecting and analyzing data on the inputs and
tions are made for improving the sustainability of
outputs of a product or system over its entire life
the product or system (ISO, 2017). These recom-
cycle (ISO, 2017). These data from the inventory
mendations can be based on the results of the
are classified according to their potential environ-
previous phases and might include reducing the
mental, economic, and social impacts in the fol-
environmental impact, increasing resource effi-
lowing impact assessment (Thies et al., 2021). For
ciency, and improving social impact.
instance, environmental data might include the
LCSA is conducted iteratively, and the phases
amount of energy and materials used to produce
should not be viewed as being linear and consec-
a product and the amount of waste generated
utive. To ensure accuracy, transparency, and rele-
during its use and disposal (Jasch, 2000). These
vance, a few things should be considered
data can then be translated into emissions to and
throughout the assessment. Those are the
resource extractions from nature using databases
following.
such as ecoinvent.
Stakeholder engagement is a systematic pro-
cess to gather their input and feedback on the
Impact Assessment In this phase, the data col-
LCSA process and results by influencing stake-
lected in the previous phase and their underlying
holders. Stakeholders can include customers, sup-
emissions and resource consumptions are used to
pliers, regulators, and other interested parties. For
assess the environmental, social, and economic
instance, a company might engage with customers
impacts of the product or system (ISO, 2017).
to gather their opinions on the sustainability of its
Environmental assessment involves using life
products and what improvements they would like
cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods to
to see.
determine the environmental impact of a product
Data quality assurance and verification ensure
(Muñoz et al., 2008).
accuracy and completeness (ISO, 2017). This can
This assessment stage takes into consideration
involve validating the results of the LCSA to
the decision-makers’ preferences and the underly-
ensure that they are credible and reliable. For
ing uncertainty by integrating the numerous indi-
instance, a company might engage an independent
cators from all three sustainability aspects to
third-party auditor to review its LCSA results and
enhance decision-making. Each stage is followed
validate its findings.
by explanation and may be carried out in a series
of repeats.
Communication and Dissemination To make
Such a method assigns characterization factors
information and LCSA results widely available
to all emissions and resource extractions and
to stakeholders (ISO, 2017). This can be done
translates them into impact categories such as
through a variety of channels, including reports,
global warming, acidification, and eutrophication.
presentations, and public meetings. For instance, a
4 Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment

company might publish a sustainability report Building for Environmental and Economic
detailing the results of its LCSA and how it is Sustainability (BEES) BEES is a software tool
working to improve the sustainability of its for LCSA that integrates life cycle assessment
products. with sustainability assessment (Whitehead et al.,
2015). The software uses a database of life cycle
Continual Improvement The LCSA process is inventory data and a comprehensive set of impact
not a one-time event but rather an ongoing process categories to assess the environmental impact of a
of continuous improvement. This involves regu- product.
larly re-evaluating the sustainability of a product
or system and making changes as needed to OpenLCA OpenLCA is an open-source soft-
improve its sustainability over time. For instance, ware tool for LCSA that provides users with a
a company might conduct an LCSA every few database of life cycle inventory data and an impact
years to assess the sustainability of its products assessment method (Wilson & Vasile, 2017). The
and identify areas for improvement (Iribarren software also features a reporting tool and allows
et al., 2016). for the integration of additional data sources and
impact assessment methods.

Software Tools and Database for LCSA EcoImpact EcoImpact is a software tool for
LCSA that provides a comprehensive set of
There are numerous software tools available for impact categories and a robust database of life
LCSA, each offering a different set of features and cycle inventory data (Gava et al., 2018). The
capabilities. By choosing the right tool, organiza- tool also features a reporting module that allows
tions can streamline their LCSA process, improve users to communicate their results in a clear and
the accuracy of their results, and communicate concise manner.
their environmental impact to stakeholders in a
clear and concise manner. The following are BioScope BioScope is a software tool for LCSA
some of the software tools commonly used specifically designed for the biobased industry.
in LCSA. The tool provides a comprehensive set of impact
categories and a database of life cycle inventory
SimaPro SimaPro is a widely used life cycle data, as well as a reporting module and the ability
sustainability assessment (LCSA) software tool to integrate additional data sources and impact
that helps organizations assess the environmental categories.
impact of their products. The software features a
database of life cycle inventory data, an impact Many of these software tools offer a high
assessment method, and a reporting tool, making degree of customization, allowing users to adapt
it a comprehensive tool for conducting an LCSA. the tool to meet their specific needs and require-
ments. For instance, a company might need to
GaBi GaBi is a software tool for LCSA that assess the sustainability of its products using a
features a comprehensive database of life cycle specific set of impact categories or data sources
inventory data, an impact assessment method, and and software tools such as SimaPro or GaBi allow
a reporting tool. The software also provides users for this customization. Some software tools for
with a platform for conducting sensitivity ana- LCSA can be integrated with other sustainability
lyses and Monte Carlo simulations, allowing assessment tools, such as sustainability reporting
them to understand the uncertainty and variability software or environmental management systems.
of their results. GaBi also analyzes economic as This integration allows for more streamlined and
well as social impacts. comprehensive approaches to sustainability
assessment while also helping organizations to
better understand the full picture of their
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment 5

sustainability impact. Software tools for LCSA production stage of the life cycle and does not
have become increasingly user-friendly in recent consider the use and disposal stages.
years, making them accessible to a wider range of
users. For instance, many software tools now fea- Gate-to-Gate LCSA Gate-to-gate LCSA is a
ture intuitive interfaces and user-friendly data variant of LCSA that evaluates the sustainability
input methods, making the assessment process impact of a product, service, or process from the
easier and more efficient. In addition, it is impor- point of production to the point of disposal or end
tant to note that there is a growing interest in the of life. This variant focuses on the production and
development of cloud-based LCSA software use stages of the life cycle and does not consider
tools, which allow for the collection, analysis, the extraction of raw materials and disposal
and communication of sustainability data in real stages.
time. These tools offer a more agile and efficient
approach to LCSA, and they have the potential to End-of-Life LCSA End-of-life LCSA is a vari-
revolutionize the way organizations access and ant of LCSA that evaluates the sustainability
communicate their sustainability impact. impact of a product, service, or process only in
the end-of-life stage, including disposal,
recycling, and waste management (Hossaini
Variant of LCSA et al., 2015). This variant focuses specifically on
the environmental and social impacts of the dis-
There are several variants of life cycle sustainabil- posal and waste management stages of the life
ity assessment (LCSA) that focus on different cycle.
aspects or stages of the life cycle of a product,
service, or process. Here are a few examples.
Applications of LCSA
Cradle-to-Grave LCSA Cradle-to-grave LCSA
is a variant of LCSA that evaluates the sustain- LCSA is regarded as the application of system
ability impact of a product, service, or process analysis on a product such that the interconnection
from the time of its creation to its disposal or between the life cycle chain of the product and the
end of life (Hossaini et al., 2015). This variant environmental impact that comes with it could be
focuses on the entire life cycle, including the ascertained while providing conservation mea-
extraction of raw materials, production, use, and sures to ensure sustainable environments.
disposal. Life cycle sustainability assessment has a wide
range of applications in different industries and
Cradle-to-Cradle LCSA Cradle-to-cradle sectors. Here are some of the key applications
LCSA is a variant of LCSA that evaluates the of LCSA.
sustainability impact of a product, service, or pro-
cess with the aim of creating a closed-loop system Environmental Management LCSA can be
where materials are continuously recycled used to evaluate the environmental impact of
(Stillitano et al., 2022). This variant focuses on products, services, and processes and to identify
the entire life cycle, with a focus on material areas for improvement. This can help organiza-
recovery and reuse and reducing waste and tions meet environmental regulations, reduce their
pollution. carbon footprint, and improve their sustainability
performance.
Cradle-to-Gate LCSA Cradle-to-gate LCSA is
a variant of LCSA that evaluates the sustainability Supply Chain Management LCSA can be used
impact of a product, service, or process up to the to assess the sustainability impact of the supply
point of sale or delivery to the customer (Barni chain, from raw material extraction to end-of-life
et al., 2018). This variant focuses on the disposal. This can help organizations identify
6 Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment

areas for improvement and reduce the sustainabil- organizations reduce their environmental foot-
ity impact of their supply chain. print and improve their sustainability
performance.
Product Design LCSA can be used during the
product design phase to evaluate the sustainability Climate Change Mitigation and
impact of different design options and to optimize Adaptation LCSA can be used in climate
the design for sustainability. This can help orga- change mitigation and adaptation to evaluate the
nizations improve the sustainability performance sustainability impact of different mitigation and
of their products and reduce their environmental adaptation strategies and to optimize their sustain-
footprint. ability performance.

Decision Making LCSA can be used to support Consumer Goods LCSA can be used to evaluate
decision-making in areas such as product devel- the sustainability impact of consumer goods, such
opment, supply chain management, and sustain- as food, clothing, and electronics, and to identify
ability strategy. By providing a comprehensive areas for improvement.
view of the sustainability impact of different
options, LCSA can help organizations make Infrastructure and Construction LCSA can be
informed decisions that align with their sustain- used to evaluate the sustainability impact of infra-
ability goals. structure and construction projects, such as build-
ings, roads, and bridges, and to identify areas for
Public Procurement LCSA can be used in pub- improvement.
lic procurement processes to evaluate the sustain-
ability impact of products and services and to Energy and Utilities LCSA can be used to eval-
select suppliers and products that align with sus- uate the sustainability impact of energy and utility
tainability goals. This can help public organiza- systems, such as power plants, pipelines, and
tions improve their sustainability performance water treatment facilities, and to identify areas
and reduce their environmental footprint. for improvement.

Investment Decision Making LCSA can be Agriculture and Land Use LCSA can be used
used in investment decision-making to evaluate to evaluate the sustainability impact of agriculture
the sustainability impact of potential investments and land use practices, such as crop production,
and to select investments that align with sustain- livestock production, and forest management, and
ability goals. This can help investors improve to identify areas for improvement.
their sustainability performance and reduce their
environmental footprint. Waste Management LCSA can be used to eval-
uate the sustainability impact of waste manage-
Sustainability Reporting LCSA can be used in ment practices, such as recycling, composting,
sustainability reporting to provide a comprehen- and landfill, and to identify areas for
sive view of an organization’s sustainability improvement.
impact, including its environmental, social, and
economic impact. This can help organizations Industrial Processes LCSA can be used to eval-
communicate their sustainability performance to uate the sustainability impact of industrial pro-
stakeholders and improve their reputation. cesses, such as chemical manufacturing, oil
refining, and metal processing, and to identify
Environmental Impact Assessment LCSA can areas for improvement.
be used in environmental impact assessment to
evaluate the sustainability impact of projects and Health and Safety LCSA can be used to evalu-
to identify areas for improvement. This can help ate the sustainability impact of health and safety
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment 7

practices, such as workplace safety, product makes it difficult to compare LCSA results across
safety, and occupational health, and to identify products, systems, and sectors.
areas for improvement.
Cost LCSA can be a resource-intensive process,
Natural Resource Management LCSA can be requiring significant investment in data collection,
used to evaluate the sustainability impact of natu- modeling, and analysis. This can be a challenge
ral resource management practices, such as fish- for organizations with limited resources.
eries, forestry, and mining, and to identify areas
for improvement. Time LCSA is a time-consuming process that
requires significant effort to gather data, develop
models, and perform analyses. This can make it
Challenges Involved with Life Cycle difficult for organizations to prioritize LCSA
Sustainable Assessment within their sustainability programs.

There are several challenges associated with life Relevance LCSA may not always provide rele-
cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA), and vant information for decision-making. For
some of them include the following. instance, LCSA also focus on environmental
impacts but not address other sustainability
Data Availability One of the biggest challenges dimensions, such as social and economic impacts.
of LCSA is the availability and quality of data.
LCSA requires data on various aspects of a prod- Understanding There may be a lack of under-
uct or system, including inputs, outputs, and envi- standing among stakeholders, including cus-
ronmental impact. These data may be difficult to tomers, suppliers, regulators, and the public, of
obtain, incomplete, or unreliable. the purpose and results of LCSA. This can make it
difficult to communicate the results and implica-
Complexity LCSA is a complex process that tions of LCSA effectively.
requires expertise in many areas, including sus-
tainability, life cycle assessment, and systems Accessibility LCSA can be a complex and tech-
analysis. This can make it difficult for practi- nical process that is not accessible to many stake-
tioners to understand and implement LCSA holders. This can make it difficult to engage
effectively. stakeholders in the LCSA process and to commu-
nicate the results and implications of LCSA
Modeling LCSA requires the development of effectively.
models to assess the sustainability impact of a
product or system. These models can be complex Interdisciplinary Approach LCSA requires an
and difficult to develop, especially for systems interdisciplinary approach involving experts from
with multiple inputs, outputs, and pathways. various fields, including sustainability, life cycle
assessment, engineering, and business. This can
Integration LCSA must be integrated with other be challenging for organizations to implement, as
sustainability assessment methods and tools, such it requires coordination and collaboration across
as life cycle assessment and sustainability impact departments and functions.
assessment. This integration can be challenging,
as each method and tool may use different data, Data Availability and Quality One of the big-
assumptions, and methodologies. gest challenges in LCSA is obtaining accurate and
relevant data on the environmental and social
Standardization There is currently a lack of impacts of products and systems. This can be
standardization in LCSA, which can lead to particularly difficult for new and emerging prod-
inconsistent results and interpretations. This ucts, where data may not yet be available.
8 Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment

Modeling Complexity LCSA involves model- tool is environmental audits, which evaluate the
ing complex systems and interactions between environmental performance of a solitary business
different components and processes. This can and provide follow-up opinions.
lead to uncertainty in the results and difficulty in These procedural approaches are frequently
capturing all relevant impacts and interactions. based on comprehensive environmental assess-
ment tools, which include those described below:

Characteristics Specific to LCSA (i) LCSA estimates the substantial integral of

resource uses, substance flows, and environ-
• LCSA studies concentrate on the environmen- mental aggregations to quantify several envi-
tal, economic, and social impacts of a product ronmental constraints linked with a
or service. Factors responsible for adopting a given task.
particular LCSA approach include the combi- (ii) A substance flow analysis (SFA) estimates
nation of the cost involved, social implications, the flows and environmental aggregations of
economic performance, and technical an individual element, such as mercury, or a
feasibility. group of substrates, such as inorganic nitrate
• LCSA connects these impacts to the system’s compounds.
function, which helps to simplify the compar- (iii) A risk assessment (RA) investigates the
ison between available substitutes. associated risk or the probability of adverse
• LCSA helps to estimate balances over the impacts associated with installation (such as
entire life cycle of a product or service from a nuclear power plant) or the risks involved
the cradle to the grave, i.e., from the extraction with utilizing a chemical substance.
of raw materials to disposal. (iv) Material flow analysis (MFA) systematically
• LCSA quantifies all critical constraints follows the flow of materials such as paper,
(toxicity, global warming, eutrophication, glass, concrete, or plastics in the economy of
etc.) associated with the environment. a specific area.
(v) A carbon footprint (CF) helps to ascertain
total emissions of greenhouse gases either
Comparison with Other Environmental directly or indirectly associated with prod-
Analysis Tools uct, a human activity, or a business.
(vi) A water footprint (WF) helps estimate the
Apart from LCSA, there are several other tools impacts of water usage and environmental
available that may support decision-making by exposures related to water physicochemistry.
government, businesses, and consumers with
regard to the environmental implications of that The difference between LCA and EIA is illus-
decision. The available tools can be streamlined trated in Fig. 3, indicating correlative temporal
into providing (1) a conceptual understanding of and spatial scales over which each tool is utilized.
the system under study, (2) quantitative data on The LCA approach is primarily for estimating the
the environmental impacts of the studies, and life cycle of a product or service right, from the
(3) procedural guidance on how to use and clas- collection of raw materials (cradle) to the end of
sify the results of (2) (Fig. 2). life or waste disposal (grave), either regional or on
LCSA are part of the second step, as they a global scale. In contrast, environmental impact
provide quantified environmental impacts. assessment is limited to a specific site, such as the
Ecolabeling tools are part of the third step, typi- number of inhabitants close to the site, the dis-
cally dealing with a set of like products within a tance between the site and residential neighbor-
concise functional class, and aim to verify the hoods, and the presence of ecosystems.
environmental friendliness of a product compared
to more harmful products. Another procedural
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment 9

Management, decision-making

Technological system
Performance, lifetime

Environmental aspects Socioeconomic

aspects
Concepts
Life cycle thinking
Environmental design
Procedural methods Life cycle costing
Industrial ecology
Environmental
Quantitative assessment management systems Social life cycle
assessment
Life cycle assessment Environmental impact
Substance flow analysis assessment
Risk assessment
Ecolabel
Material flow analysis
Carbon or water footprint Environmental audit

Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, Fig. 2 Linkage between various tools to assess the sustainability of a good or
service. (Source: Wrisberg et al., 2002)

Life Cycle Sustainability

Assessment,
Fig. 3 Difference between
environmental impact
assessment and life cycle
assessment. (Sources:
DEISO, 2023)
10 Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment

Summary Barni, A., Fontana, A., Menato, S., Sorlini, M., & Canetta,
L. (2018, September). Exploiting the digital twin in the
assessment and optimization of sustainability perfor-
Globally, the LCA concept is essential for mances. In 2018 international conference on intelligent
ascertaining the environmental performance of a systems (IS) (pp. 706–713). IEEE.
product or service such that the impact generated Christensen, T. H., Gentil, E., Boldrin, A., Larsen, A. W.,
Weidema, B. P., & Hauschild, M. (2009). C balance,
will be easily measured and rectified. However, we
carbon dioxide emissions and global warming poten-
recommend adopting ISO guidelines for LCA tials in LCA-modelling of waste management systems.
practice for accuracy or consistency and specific Waste Management & Research, 27(8), 707–715.
standardization toward an accepted LCA para- Curan, M. (2006). Life cycle assessment as a tool for waste
management. Waste Management, 26(1), 5–16.
digm. Such a paradigm would help quantify several
De Vries, M., & de Boer, I. J. (2010). Comparing environ-
LCA flows, including boundary setting, impact mental impacts for livestock products: A review of life
categories and classification, normalization refer- cycle assessments. Livestock Science, 128(1–3), 1–11.
ences, allocation policies, sensitivity analyses, and DEISO. (2023). Life cycle assessment: A getting started
guide. https://deiso.co.jp/life-cycle-assessment-a-
aggregation of results when necessary. It is essen-
getting-started-guide/. Accessed 5 Mar 2023.
tial to comprehensively assess the environmental Esteve-Llorens, X., Darriba, C., Moreira, M. T., Feijoo, G.,
performance and impacts of products or services & González-García, S. (2019). Towards an environ-
concerning whole supply chains (cradle to grave) mentally sustainable and healthy Atlantic dietary pat-
tern: Life cycle carbon footprint and nutritional quality.
and evaluate the tools, approaches, and methods to
Science of the Total Environment, 646, 704–715.
be used for global sustainability. The life cycle European Commission. (2010). International reference life
comprehensive sustainability assessment paradigm cycle data system (ILCD) handbook – General guide
seems promising, and once it reaches maturity, the for life cycle assessment. Joint Research Centre. Insti-
tute for Environment and Sustainability.
life cycle comprehensive sustainability assessment
Gava, O., Bartolini, F., Venturi, F., Brunori, G., Zinnai, A.,
of product supply chains will be more feasible. & Pardossi, A. (2018). A reflection of the use of the life
Furthermore, incorporating a socioeconomic factor cycle assessment tool for agri-food sustainability. In
concerning LCA would make them more valuable R. Ruben & J. Verhagen (Eds.), Towards sustainable
global food systems (pp. 211–226). MDPI.
for decision-makers, companies, consumers, and
Guinée, J. (2016). Life cycle sustainability assessment:
social and economic researchers. What is it and what are its challenges? In R. Clift &
A. Druckman (Eds.), Taking stock of industrial ecology
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