Life Cycle Assessment

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the most modern and advanced scientific tool to describe environmental and climate-related impacts of a given choice for a product from cradle to grave. Whereas the waste hierarchy indicates some general recommendations, the LCA will provide detailed and very solid scientific documentation, quantifying the environmental and climate-related impacts of a certain choice.

LCA studies are widely used by politicians and environmentalists in order to provide the best possible information for environmental and tax legislation. Consequently, such detailed LCA studies must be in line with strict international standards in order to avoid “greenwash” and manipulation by commercial or political interests.

Therefore, a set of ISO standards, ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, has been drawn up, securing a high level of scientific credibility. Applied in the EU are furthermore the principles of the ILCD (the International Reference Life Cycle Data System), with which an LCA study should comply.

Moreover, an LCA study should always be subject to a peer review by independent researchers.

Genan has invested considerably in providing such scientific LCA documentation – liaising with renowned, international institutes, FORCE in Denmark and IFEU in Germany, to prepare and compile these studies.