Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool used to assess the environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its life cycle from raw material extraction through end of life. The objectives of an LCA are to understand the overall environmental consequences of human activities and provide decision makers information. An LCA follows a defined methodology including life cycle inventory analysis, life cycle impact assessment, and improvement analysis. It quantifies the environmental inputs and outputs of each phase of a product or service's life cycle to understand its full cradle to grave environmental impacts.

1. LIFE CYCLE
ASSESSMENT (LCA)

2. LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA)
Basically, a tool to
assess the upstream &
downstream
consequences of a
product or service to
the environment
To assess the
consequences of
cradle to grave impact
in the environment

3. PRIME OBJECTIVES OF LCA
As complete picture as possible of interaction of a
system/product/service with the environment
Understanding the overall and interdependent nature of
environmental consequences of human activities
To provide decision makers with information

4. STUDY COVERS
Human Health
Ecological Heath
Resource Depletion

5. LCA METHODOLOGY
Life Cycle Inventory
Analysis
Life Cycle Impact
Assessment
Improvement
Analysis
Any assessment which doesn’t have one component of methodology or
has incomplete component of methodology, won’t be considered as LCA

6. TECHNICAL FRAMEWORK
Goal
Definition
& Scoping
Improvement
Assessment
Impact
Assessment
Inventory
Analysis

7. LCA INCLUDES
Extracting &
Processing
Raw Materials
Manufacturing Transportation Distribution Use
Re-Use Maintenance Recycling Final Disposal

8. SYSTEM
A system is a collection of materially and
energetically connected operations which
perform some defined functions. A system is
separated from its surroundings by a system
boundary.

9. FLOW DIAGRAM OF A SYSTEM
System
Input Output
System
Boundary
Materially & Energetically
Connected Operations
Input Output
System
Boundary

10. FLOW DIAGRAM OF A SYSTEM
Cutting, Sewing & Finishing
Fabrics,
Accessories,
Feedstock,
Electricity
Garments
System
Boundary
Cutting
Sewing
Finishing
Sub
System
Sub
System
Sub
System
System
Every Sub System should be Mass Energy Balanced

11. 3 MAIN GROUP OF OPERATION
MAIN PRODUCTION
SEQUENCE
ANCILLARY PRODUCTION
SEQUENCE
FUEL OR ENERGY
PRODUCTION INDUSTRIES

12. LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY
CALCULATIONS
Two Stage
1. Outputs from the operations corresponding
to the functional units considering inputted
materials from raw material extraction to
waste
Intended Result from this stage: Quantify the
outputs from each sub system of the operation
2. Contribution from each sub system to the
overall operation is multiplied by all the
normalized data by the mass outputs

13. LIFE CYCLE IMPACT ASSESSMENT
CLASSIFICATION: IMPACT
CATEGORIZATION
CHARACTERIZATION: ANALYSIS
AND/OR EVALUATION
VALUATION: COMPARED WITH OTHER
SUB-SYSTEM OR COMPARE WITH
DIFFERENT IMPACT CATEGORIES.

14. EXAMPLE OF CLASSIFICATION: IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Impact Category
General Area of Protection
Resource Human Health Ecological
Health
Depletion of Abiotic Resources Minor Nil Minor
Depletion of Biotic Resources Major Nil Major
Global Warming Nil Major Major
Ozone Depletion Nil Major Major
Human Toxicity Nil Major Nil
Ecotoxicity Minor Major Major

15. CHARACTERIZATION: ANALYSIS AND/OR EVALUATION
Characterization is the step in
which analysis/quantification, and
where possible, aggregation of the
impacts within the given impact
categories takes place. This step
should be based on scientific
knowledge about environmental
processes.
Several Approach to
Characterization
• NOEC (No Observable Effect
Concentration
• Global Warming Potential
• Ozone Depletion Potential

16. VALUATION
Valuation is the step in which the contributions from the different specific impact
categories are weighted so that they can be compared among themselves.
The aim of this step is to arrive at a further interpretation and aggregation of the data of
the impact assessment
One cannot tell which system has the least adverse environmental impact if one system
makes a lesser contribution to global warming, while the other poses less risk to human
health from toxic emissions (either in the workplace or outside the plant), unless the
relative importance of the impact categories can be assessed

17. IMPROVEMENT ASSESSMENT
Improvement Assessment is
the component of an LCA in
which options for reducing
the environmental impacts
or burdens of the system(s)
under the study are
identified and evaluated.
Improvement assessment
deals with the identification,
evaluation, and selection of
options for environmental
improvements in products
or processes.

18. DATA
PRIMARY DATA SECONDARY DATA

19. USE OF LCA
Strategic planning or
environmental
strategy development
Product and process
design, improvement
and optimization
Identification of
environmental
improvements
opportunities
and tracking
improvement progress
Support of the
establishment of
purchasing
procedures or
specifications
Environmental
auditing and waste
minimization
Marketing or support
for specific
environmental claims
Labelling, including
setting criteria for eco-
labeling
Public education and
communication
Policy-making
Support of the
establishment of
purchasing
procedures or
specifications

20. BOOK REFERENCE
Guidelines for Life-Cycle Assessment: A "Code of Practice“ by Society of Environmental
Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)