Safer Choice

Design for the Environment Life-Cycle Assessments

A life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool that can be used to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of a product, material, process, or activity. An LCA is a comprehensive method for assessing a range of environmental impacts across the full life cycle of a product system, from materials acquisition to manufacturing, use, and final disposition.

LCA study results help to promote the responsible design and redesign of products and processes, leading to reduced overall environmental impacts and the reduced use and release of more toxic materials. LCA studies identify key materials and processes within the products' life cycles that are likely to pose the greatest impacts, including occupational and public toxicity impacts. These assessments allow businesses to make product improvements through environmentally sound process, material, and design choices.

DfE's life-cycle assessments:

Find additional information about life-cycle assessments and their role in promoting sustainability.