LCA Standards, Tools and Resources
LCA Standards
ISO 14040:2006 describes the principles and framework for life cycle assessment (LCA) including: definition of the goal and scope of the LCA, the life cycle inventory analysis (LCI) phase, the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) phase, the life cycle interpretation phase, reporting and critical review of the LCA, limitations of the LCA, the relationship between the LCA phases, and conditions for use of value choices and optional elements.
ISO 14044:2006 specifies requirements and provides guidelines for life cycle assessment (LCA) including: definition of the goal and scope of the LCA, the life cycle inventory analysis (LCI) phase, the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) phase, the life cycle interpretation phase, reporting and critical review of the LCA, limitations of the LCA, relationship between the LCA phases, and conditions for use of value choices and optional elements.
LCA Tools
Athena software tools provide a user-friendly mechanism for designers to access the LCA databases and quickly estimate footprint of a building assembly or a whole building.
BEES Online measures the environmental performance of building products by using the life-cycle assessment approach specified in the ISO 14040 series of standards. Product impacts are measured through raw material acquisition, manufacture, transportation, installation, use, and recycling and waste management. Economic performance is measured using the ASTM standard life-cycle cost method, which covers the costs of initial investment, replacement, operation, maintenance and repair, and disposal. Environmental and economic performance are combined into an overall performance measure using the ASTM standard for Multi-Attribute Decision Analysis.
TRACI is an impact assessment tool that helps support consistency in environmental decision making which focuses on the impacts associated with the raw material usage and chemical releases resulting from the processes involved in producing a product, with comparison criteria of ozone depletion, global warming, acidification, eutrophication, photochemical smog, human health, ecotoxicity, and resource use.
Pharos Project compares and ranks materials and products to help consumers find detailed material contents listings and compare products based on VOCs, Toxic Content, Manufacturing Toxics, Renewable Materials, Renewable Energy and Reflectance impacts.
LCA Resources
The Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA) method estimates the materials and energy resources required for, and the environmental emissions resulting from, activities in our economy. It is one technique for performing a life cycle assessment. This free tool