ISO 14041

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Life Cycle Assessment — Goal and Scope Definition and Inventory Analysis

Goal of study

ISO 14041 states, 'The goal of any study shall unambiguously state the intended application, the reasons for carring out the study and the intended audience, i.e. to whom the results of the study are intended to be communicated.'

Scope of Study

The scope of any LCA study should be sufficiently well defined to ensure that the breadth, the depth and the inherent detail in which the study is conducted are both compatible with and sufficient to address the stated study goal. Factors that should be considered and stated clearly include: the function(s) of the system to be analysed; the functional unit for which data will be presented; the system boundaries; allocation procedures adopted; data requirements; any assumptions made; study limitations; the type and format of any study report

As LCA is essentially an iterative technique some, if not all, of these aspects may need to be modified as the study progresses and additional information is collected as a consequence

Inventory Analysis

Inventory analysis is the stage in which data are collected and where any calculations are performed in order to quantify the relevant inputs and outputs of the system as a whole. Typically, inventory data include raw materials and energy consumption, and the emission of solid, liquid and gaseous wastes. Inventory data may be provided for full life cycles or for partial life cycles. A popular format which has seen increasing use recently is the ecoprofile (or cradle-to-gate) study in which the inventory for the system and all ancillary processes is calculated, starting with the extraction of raw materials and fuels/feedstocks from the ground and ending at the point at which the substance of item under study leaves the system. Examples of ecoprofile studies include the series of technical reports published by APME.

Inventory analysis is the stage in which data are collected and where any calculations are performed in order to quantify the relevant inputs and outputs of the system as a whole. Typically, inventory data include raw materials and energy

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Last modified: 28/04/2013