Lifecycle Sustainability Assessment & Consulting

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a systematic process of evaluating the environmental impacts of a product, service, or process from its creation to its disposal, considering all stages of its lifecycle.

A well-conducted LCA provides a comprehensive understanding of environmental impacts, identifies opportunities for improvement, ensures regulatory readiness, and enhances market differentiation through demonstrated sustainability.

The duration of an LCA varies based on the complexity of the product, service, or process being assessed. On average, it takes about 2 to 6 months to complete a thorough LCA.

Life Cycle Assessments conducted in Australia typically follow internationally recognised standards such as ISO 14044. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) evaluates the entire life cycle of a product or service, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal. This structured approach provides organisations with a deeper understanding of environmental performance across their value chain.

A typical life cycle assessment LCA includes several key phases:

• Goal and scope definition, including defining system boundaries and the functional unit
• Data collection and inventory analysis across life cycle stages
• Impact assessment across multiple impact categories
• Interpretation phase to identify significant issues and improvement opportunities

These stages provide actionable insights into a product’s life cycle and environmental footprint.

A Life Cycle Assessment evaluates a wide range of environmental impacts, including global warming potential, resource use, and emissions to air, land, and water associated with energy and material use. LCAs can assess major environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, resource depletion, water use, ozone depletion, acidification, eutrophication and other relevant impact categories depending on the assessment scope. 

Yes. Life Cycle Assessments can be used to quantify greenhouse gas emissions across a product’s life cycle, helping organisations understand product carbon footprints, identify emissions hotspots and prioritise decarbonisation opportunities.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)s require environmental data across the value chain, including:

• Raw materials and resource extraction
• Manufacturing processes
• Energy use and resource use
• Transport and supply chain activities
• Disposal phase and recycling process
• Packaging materials and components 

Data may be collected through operational records, supplier information, and recognised industry averages.

A Life Cycle Assessment helps organisations quantify product and organisational environmental impacts by analysing resource use, emissions and other environmental burdens across the value chain. This includes evaluating energy use, resource extraction, and emissions to understand the organisation’s environmental footprint and identify opportunities for improvement.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) supports environmental management by providing valuable insights into environmental aspects and significant issues across operations. LCAs can complement an environmental management system by helping organisations monitor environmental performance and identify environmental benefits.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) supports climate change strategies by quantifying environmental data such as energy consumption, fuel consumption , and emissions. These insights help organisations improve sustainability performance and support strategic planning for climate-related risks and opportunities.

Life Cycle Assessments provide the evidence base required to substantiate environmental claims, support Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and improve product transparency. They can help organisations ensure sustainability claims are backed by credible data and aligned with emerging green claims guidance.