How to Simplify Life Cycle Assessment for Industrial Applications—A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Life cycle assessment (LCA) has established itself as the dominant method for identifying the environmental impact of products or services. However, conducting an LCA is labor and time intensive (especially regarding data collection). This paper, therefore, aims to identify methods and tools that enhance the practicability of LCA, especially with regard to product complexity and variance. To this end, an initial literature review on the LCA of complex products was conducted to identify commonly cited barriers and potential solutions. The obtained information was used to derive search strategies for a subsequent comprehensive and systematic literature review of approaches that address the identified barriers and facilitate the LCA process. We identified five approaches to address the barriers of time and effort, complexity, and data intensity. These are the parametric approach, modular approach, automation, aggregation/grouping, and screening. For each, the concept as well as the associated advantages and disadvantages are described. Especially, the automated calculation of results as well as the automated generation of life cycle inventory (LCI) data exhibit great potential for simplification. We provide an overview of common LCA software and databases and evaluate the respective interfaces. As it was not considered in detail, further research should address options for automated data collection in production by utilizing sensors and intelligent interconnection of production infrastructure as well as the interpretation of the acquired data using artificial intelligence.

Life Cycle Assessment of PLA Products: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Over the last decade, there has been an exponential increase in the use of LCA software and databases, such that, nowadays their use is state-of-the-art. Applying this system allows for a standardized procedure, direct connection to LCI databases, and depending on the software, different possibilities to visualize the results, which will aid in their interpretation [42]. Figures 5 and 6, show that the most used software is SimaPro, with GaBi, as the second most used.…”

Life cycle assessment analysis of empty oil palm fruit bunches waste from palm oil mill activities

“…This study measured primary and secondary data on energy and environmental impact emissions from using empty palm oil fruit bunches. Analysis of environmental impacts using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method by ISO 14040 standards using software [7][8][9]. In the life cycle assessment method, there are four stages, including:…”

Analysis and Visualisation of Large Scale Life Cycle Assessment Results: A Case Study on an Adaptive, Multilayer Membrane Façade

“…The automation and aggregation of an LCA in general and the creation of the life cycle inventory (LCI) in particular are two of the five approaches used to simplify LCA for industrial applications and make the results more usable within product development, as identified by Kiemel et al [18]. Both approaches can enhance practicability when dealing with complex products and high variance because they significantly reduce the effort required for data collection and structuring [18].…”

“…The automation and aggregation of an LCA in general and the creation of the life cycle inventory (LCI) in particular are two of the five approaches used to simplify LCA for industrial applications and make the results more usable within product development, as identified by Kiemel et al [18]. Both approaches can enhance practicability when dealing with complex products and high variance because they significantly reduce the effort required for data collection and structuring [18]. Advancements in common computer hard-and software, as well as the availability of data resulting from increased digitalisation, enable LCA practitioners to extract and use this data to model, calculate, and assess millions of product configurations in an automated or partly automated fashion [19][20][21][22].…”