ENVIRONMENTAL LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
Section 1 Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment
1.
2.
3.
4.
Framework of Life Cycle Assessment
need second author
1.1. Basic life cycle concepts
(holistic nature of LCA)
1.2. Environmental assessment method overview
1.3. Uses for LCA
(decision-supporting tool, policy uses and implications)
1.4. Applications for LCA
(to product, process or system)
1.5. The importance of energy systems in LCA
1.6. Critical importance of correct analysis
(LCA should support positive environmental outcome,
comparative value of LCA)
ISO LCA Standards
need second authors
2.1. ISO LCA standards
(incomplete specifications)
2.2. Life cycle concepts in the ISO 14040 series
2.3. ISO 14044: Requirements and guidelines
2.4. Comparative assertions per ISO 14044
2.5. Environmental product declarations
(ISO 14025, EPDs, product category rules)
Ethics
need second author
3.1. Professional judgment and personal values
3.2. Identifying and managing conflicts of interest
3.3. Justifiable LCA practice
3.4. The ACLCA ethics statement
3.5. Ethical decisions and proper disclosure
(in terms of data limitations)
LCA Project Management
need second author
4.1. Writing a Goal and Scope statement
4.2. Developing a project plan
(including data requirements and timeline)
4.3. Requirements for critical review
4.4. Managing communications with the study commissioner
Section2 Life Cycle Inventory
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Process Life Cycle Inventory
5.1 Unit processes
5.2 Process LCI
(also discuss aggregate LCI data)
5.3 Reference flows
5.4 Ecosphere and technosphere flows
5.5 Defining the functional unit
(selecting appropriate functional units for LCA analyses)
LCI Modeling
need first and second author
6.1 Technosphere modeling, emissions models
6.2 System function, functional unit, and reference flows
6.3 Streamlined LCA techniques
(screening analyses when appropriate)
6.4 Screening, back of the envelope calculations
6.5 Screening impact assessment with software (basic LCIA calculation procedure)
LCI Calculations
need second author
7.1 Inventory calculation and analysis
(advantages and limitations of mathematical approaches)
7.2 Mass and energy balances
7.3 Modeling LCI using mass and energy flow
7.4 Modeling LCI using matrix algebra
Data Quality Management
need second author
8.1 Identifying sufficient and appropriate data(for example, extracting data from non-LCI sources)
8.2 Primary, secondary and tertiary data
8.3 Managing insufficient data
8.4 Confirming data accuracy
(cross-checking, e.g. mass balance, other data sources)
EIO LCA
need second author
9.1 Economic input-out analysis LCA
9.2 Comparing Process LCA, EIO LCA and hybrids
9.3 Global input-output analysis
10. System Modeling
10.1 Consequential and attributional LCA
10.2 System boundary expansion
10.3 Allocation procedures
10.4 Modeling material recycling
need second author
(include rebound effect)
(co-functionality, crediting)
(remanufacturing or that modeling remanufacturing)
Section 3 Life Cycle Impact Assessment
need second author
(include at least climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion,
photochemical smog formation, acidification (including ocean
acidification), eutrophication, ecotoxicity, human toxicity)
11.2 Environmental impact pathways
(linking human actions to environmental outcomes; concept
of relevance, midpoints and endpoints)
11.3 Resource depletion
(economic and technical assessments)
12. Impact Assessment and Modeling
need second author
12.1 Env. sampling & measurement methods (chemistry & biology, ecotoxicity)
12.2 GIS and other data display methods
12.3 Epidemiology, human toxicity approaches
12.4 Fate and transport models
(atmospheric, and aquatic models, finite element and fugacity
models, land use and resource depletion models)
13. LCIA Methods
need second author
13.1 Characterization factors & sources, links to impact models
13.2 Carbon footprinting
(referencing to ISO 14067 and PAS 2050 and WRI/WBCSD)
13.3 Emerging regionalized & localized characterization factors
(e.g. water footprinting, land occupation and land use change)
11. Natural Science
11.1 Environmental state and trends
Section 4 Life Cycle Interpretation
14. LCA Post-impact Calculations
14.1 Grouping
14.2 Normalization
14.3 Damage assessment
14.4 Weighting
15. Interpretation of Results
15.1 Contribution analysis
15.2 Sensitivity analysis
16. Statistics in LCA
16.1 Statistical concepts
16.2 Monte Carlo simulations
16.3 Relative accuracy
16.4 LCA Data
16.5 Environmental impact model sources
16.6 Structuring data collection
16.7 Combining data from diverse sources
16.8 Documenting data
16.9 Data errors
17. Biases and Uncertainties
17.1 Identifying limitations, managing biases
17.2 Managing data quality and uncertainty
17.3 Uncertainty analysis
17.4 Pedigree matrix
Section 5 Parallel Life Cycle Methods
18. Social and Economic LCA
18.1 Social life cycle approaches
18.2 Total cost assessment, life cycle costing
18.3 Triple bottom line assessment
(internal and external)
(end-point damage models and value judgments)
need first and second author
(e.g. hotspot analysis)
(average, standard deviation, normal distribution paired comparisons)
(how to perform)
(continuing uncertainties for characterization factors)
(types, sources and relevance)
(assess their quality)
(potential errors therein)
(and data manipulation in a standardized format)
(avoiding mistakes in data manipulation)
need first and second author
(interpreting Monte Carlo analysis, discuss type I, II and III errors)
Section 6 Communicating LCA Results
19. Reporting and Applying LCA results
19.1 Writing a Third Party LCA Report
19.2
19.3
19.4
19.5
(communicating results, review requirements,
exercises on writing a scope, displaying data)
Ecodesign and product design
Achieving supply-chain reductions targets
Comparative claims
Marketing claims and EPDs
Appendices
20.1 Available lifecycle tools and dedicated LCA data and software sources
need first and second author
20.2 Chemistry principles
Option for authors who may want to collaborate on this threaded example through more than one chapter:
Case study that walks the student through a simple example LCA of a product like a water bottle or something that
has clear production, use and disposal (by landfill or recycling) phases and is made of few materials. The case study
could refer back to different chapters in the book in case the student does not understand something in the case
study (e.g. there is some allocation of materials burdens and this references the allocation section of the book).