{"id":342502,"date":"2026-10-08T01:09:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T16:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dei.so\/?p=342502"},"modified":"2026-10-08T05:45:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T20:45:36","slug":"lca-getting-started-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dei.so\/de\/lca-getting-started-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Kurs zur \u00d6kobilanzierung (LCA) f\u00fcr Unternehmen"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"342502\" class=\"elementor elementor-342502\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-83f0580 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"83f0580\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6cffa03 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"6cffa03\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div 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for the people who have been asked to start an LCA and want to understand it before they spend money on it: engineers, sustainability leads, product managers and the people who sign off on the work. Read it here, download the 40-page PDF, or take it interactively in My DEISO.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"stats\">\r\n<div class=\"stat\"><b>7<\/b><span>modules<\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"stat\"><b>7<\/b><span>exercises<\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"stat\"><b>24<\/b><span>quiz questions<\/span><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"stat\"><b>40<\/b><span>page PDF<\/span><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"btn-row\">\r\n<a class=\"btn primary\" href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/?deiso_dl=31\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>Download the free PDF course<\/span><\/a>\r\n<a class=\"btn secondary\" href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/my-deiso\"><span>Take it interactively in My DEISO<\/span><\/a>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p class=\"hero-note\">Free with a My DEISO account. 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!important;background:rgba(0,129,148,0.07) !important;color:#1a1a1a !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#1a1a1a;font-size:13.5px !important;font-weight:600 !important;letter-spacing:0.06em;text-transform:uppercase;text-align:left;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(26,26,26,0.07);white-space:nowrap}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table td{padding:14px 16px !important;border:0;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(26,26,26,0.07);font-size:16px;line-height:1.6;color:#475569 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#475569;vertical-align:top;overflow-wrap:break-word}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table td:first-child{color:#1a1a1a !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#1a1a1a;font-weight:600}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table tr:last-child td{border-bottom:0}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .chain{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(5,minmax(0,1fr));gap:12px;margin:6px 0}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .chain .st{position:relative;background:#ffffff;border:1px solid rgba(26,26,26,0.10);border-radius:14px;padding:16px 12px 14px;overflow:clip;text-align:center}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .chain .st::before{content:\"\";position:absolute;top:0;left:0;right:0;height:4px;background:linear-gradient(90deg,#63976B 0%,#2D8B8A 50%,#008194 100%)}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .chain .n{display:inline-flex;width:30px;height:30px;border-radius:9px;align-items:center;justify-content:center;background:linear-gradient(135deg,#63976B,#008194);color:#ffffff !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#ffffff;font-size:14px;font-weight:600;margin-bottom:8px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .chain .t{display:block;font-size:15px;font-weight:600;line-height:1.3;color:#1a1a1a !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#1a1a1a}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .bracket{position:relative;margin:12px 0 0 0;padding-top:10px;border-top:2px solid #006675}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .bracket::before,.deiso-lcac-body .bracket::after{content:\"\";position:absolute;top:-10px;width:2px;height:10px;background:#006675}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .bracket::before{left:0}.deiso-lcac-body .bracket::after{right:0}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .bracket span{font-size:14px;font-weight:600;color:#006675 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#006675}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .bracket.sage{border-top-color:#63976B}.deiso-lcac-body .bracket.sage::before,.deiso-lcac-body .bracket.sage::after{background:#63976B}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .bracket.sage span{color:#63976B !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#63976B}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .phases{display:grid;grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1.5fr) minmax(0,1fr) minmax(0,1fr);gap:18px;align-items:stretch;margin:6px 0}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .phases .frame{border:1px dashed rgba(26,26,26,0.25);border-radius:18px;padding:16px;display:grid;grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1.4fr) minmax(0,1fr);gap:14px;grid-column:1 \/ span 2}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .phases .frame-label{grid-column:1 \/ -1;font-size:11.5px;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:0.08em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#006675 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#006675}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .phases .col{display:flex;flex-direction:column;gap:12px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .ph{position:relative;background:#ffffff;border:1px solid rgba(26,26,26,0.10);border-radius:14px;padding:16px 16px 14px;overflow:clip}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .ph::before{content:\"\";position:absolute;top:0;left:0;right:0;height:4px;background:linear-gradient(90deg,#63976B 0%,#2D8B8A 50%,#008194 100%)}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .ph .t{display:block;font-size:16px;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#1a1a1a}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .ph .s{display:block;font-size:14px;color:#475569 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#475569}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .ph .m{display:block;margin-top:6px;font-size:11.5px;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:0.08em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#006675 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#006675}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .interp{background:#1a1a1a;border-radius:14px;padding:18px;display:flex;flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;text-align:center}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .interp .t{font-size:18px;font-weight:600;color:#ffffff !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#ffffff}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .interp .s{font-size:14px;color:#4FC3D4 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#4FC3D4;margin-top:4px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .interp .m{font-size:11.5px;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:0.08em;color:#4FC3D4 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#4FC3D4;margin-top:10px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .apps{background:#f7fafc;border:1px solid rgba(26,26,26,0.06);border-radius:14px;padding:18px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .apps .t{display:block;font-size:16px;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#1a1a1a;margin-bottom:6px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .apps ul.page-list li{font-size:14.5px;padding:4px 0 4px 20px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .apps ul.page-list li::before{top:12px;width:7px;height:7px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .bd{display:grid;grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr) minmax(0,2fr);gap:20px;padding:18px 0;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(26,26,26,0.06)}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .bd:last-of-type{border-bottom:0}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .bd .nm{display:block;font-size:17px;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#1a1a1a}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .bd .ds{display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6;color:#475569 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#475569;margin-top:4px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .strip{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(5,minmax(0,1fr));gap:6px;padding:6px;border-radius:12px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .strip .s{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;text-align:center;min-height:52px;padding:6px 4px;border-radius:9px;font-size:13px;font-weight:600;line-height:1.2;background:#ffffff;border:1px solid rgba(26,26,26,0.12);color:#94a3b8 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#94a3b8}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .strip .s.on{background:#008194;border-color:#008194;color:#ffffff !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#ffffff}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .strip .s.dk{background:#006675;border-color:#006675;color:#ffffff !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#ffffff}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .strip .s.sg{background:#63976B;border-color:#63976B;color:#ffffff !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#ffffff}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .strip.band{background:rgba(0,129,148,0.06);border:1px solid rgba(0,129,148,0.25)}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .ends{display:flex;justify-content:space-between;gap:10px;margin-top:8px;font-size:11.5px;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:0.06em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#006675 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#006675}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .loop{margin-top:6px;font-size:13px;font-weight:600;color:#63976B !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#63976B}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .split{display:grid;grid-template-columns:4fr 1fr;gap:6px;margin-top:6px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .split span{display:block;text-align:center;padding-top:6px;font-size:12.5px;font-weight:600}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .split span:first-child{border-top:2px solid #008194;color:#008194 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#008194}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .split span:last-child{border-top:2px solid #63976B;color:#63976B !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#63976B}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .chart{background:#ffffff;border:1px solid rgba(26,26,26,0.08);border-radius:14px;padding:20px 22px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .crow{display:grid;grid-template-columns:150px minmax(0,1fr);gap:14px;align-items:center;margin:10px 0}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .crow .lb{font-size:14.5px;font-weight:600;line-height:1.3;color:#1a1a1a !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#1a1a1a}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .stack{display:flex;height:34px;border-radius:8px;overflow:clip}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .stack i{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;font-style:normal;font-size:13px;font-weight:600;color:#ffffff !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#ffffff;border-right:2px solid #ffffff}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .stack i:last-child{border-right:0}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .bar{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:10px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .bar i{display:block;height:26px;border-radius:6px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .bar b{font-size:14px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .legend{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:8px 18px;margin-top:12px;font-size:13.5px;color:#475569 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#475569}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .legend span::before{content:\"\";display:inline-block;width:11px;height:11px;border-radius:3px;margin-right:6px;vertical-align:-1px;background:var(--c)}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .range{position:relative;height:30px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .range .r{position:absolute;top:9px;height:12px;border-radius:6px;opacity:.4}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .range .d{position:absolute;top:5px;width:20px;height:20px;border-radius:50%;margin-left:-10px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .range .v{position:absolute;top:4px;font-size:13.5px;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#1a1a1a;white-space:nowrap}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .torn{position:relative;height:28px;background:linear-gradient(90deg,transparent calc(var(--b) - 1px),#1a1a1a calc(var(--b) - 1px),#1a1a1a calc(var(--b) + 1px),transparent calc(var(--b) + 1px))}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .torn i{position:absolute;top:4px;height:20px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .torn em{position:absolute;top:4px;font-style:normal;font-size:13px;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#1a1a1a}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .plan{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(3,minmax(0,1fr));gap:16px;margin:16px 0;max-width:900px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .plan .fact-panel{margin:0}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .plan ul.page-list li{font-size:15px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body details.fq-item{border-top:1px solid rgba(26,26,26,0.08);max-width:900px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body details.fq-item:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid rgba(26,26,26,0.08)}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body summary.fq-q{display:flex !important;align-items:flex-start;gap:14px;padding:20px 0;cursor:pointer;list-style:none}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body summary.fq-q::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body summary.fq-q::marker{content:\"\"}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body summary.fq-q:focus-visible{box-shadow:inset 0 0 0 2px rgba(0,129,148,0.30);border-radius:8px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .fq-qtext{font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-weight:600;color:#1a1a1a !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#1a1a1a;transition:color .25s ease}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body details.fq-item[open] .fq-qtext{color:#008194 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#008194}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .fq-chev{flex:0 0 auto;width:28px;height:28px;border-radius:8px;background:rgba(0,129,148,0.07) !important;border:1px solid rgba(0,129,148,0.20) !important;display:inline-flex !important;align-items:center;justify-content:center;transition:transform .25s ease}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body details.fq-item[open] .fq-chev{transform:rotate(180deg)}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .fq-chev svg{width:15px;height:15px;fill:none;stroke:#008194;stroke-width:2.4;stroke-linecap:round;stroke-linejoin:round}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .fq-a{padding:0 0 24px 42px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .opts{list-style:none;padding:0;margin:0 0 12px 0}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .opts li{font-size:16px;line-height:1.6;padding:3px 0;color:#475569 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#475569}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .opts li.ok{color:#1a1a1a !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#1a1a1a;font-weight:600}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .opts .k{display:inline-block;width:26px;font-weight:600;color:#006675 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#006675}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .cite{font-size:16.5px;line-height:1.7;color:#1a1a1a !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#1a1a1a;margin:0 !important}\r\n@media (max-width:992px){\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .page-outer{max-width:100%;padding:0 18px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .page-card{padding:40px 32px !important}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .page-card h2{font-size:24px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .page-card h3{font-size:18.5px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .page-card p,.deiso-lcac-body ul.page-list li{font-size:16.5px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .tb-wrap{overflow-x:auto;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table{table-layout:auto;min-width:700px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .phases{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr)}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .phases .frame{grid-column:auto}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .strip .s{font-size:12px}\r\n}\r\n@media (max-width:767px){\r\n.deiso-lcac-body{padding:20px 0}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .page-outer{padding:0}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .page-card{padding:28px 20px !important;border-radius:18px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .sec{padding:26px 0}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .page-eyebrow{font-size:11.5px;padding:5px 11px !important;margin-bottom:12px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .page-card h2{font-size:21px;letter-spacing:-0.2px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .page-card h3{font-size:17.5px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .page-card p,.deiso-lcac-body ul.page-list li{font-size:15.8px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .page-card p.lead{font-size:16px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body ul.page-list li{padding-left:22px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body ul.page-list li::before{width:7px;height:7px;top:15px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body ol.step-list li{padding-left:50px;font-size:15.8px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body ol.step-list li::before{width:36px;height:36px;border-radius:11px;font-size:15px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .fact-panel,.deiso-lcac-body .cta-panel{padding:20px 18px !important;border-radius:14px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .note-panel{border-radius:14px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .exercise{padding:24px 18px 18px !important;border-radius:14px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .btn-row{flex-direction:column;gap:10px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body a.btn{width:100%;padding:13px 20px !important;white-space:normal;word-break:keep-all;hyphens:none}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .eq{padding:16px 16px !important}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .eq-line{font-size:18px}.deiso-lcac-body .eq-line.small{font-size:15px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .tb-wrap{overflow-x:visible;border:0;border-radius:0}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table{min-width:0;table-layout:auto}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table thead{display:none}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table,.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table tbody,.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table tr,.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table td{display:block;width:100%}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table tr{background:#f7fafc !important;border:1px solid rgba(26,26,26,0.06) !important;border-radius:14px;padding:16px 18px;margin-bottom:12px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table td{padding:6px 0 !important;border:0 !important;width:100% !important;font-size:15.8px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table td::before{content:attr(data-label);display:block;font-size:11px;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:0.08em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#006675 !important;-webkit-text-fill-color:#006675;margin-bottom:3px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .chain{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);gap:8px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .chain .st{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:12px;text-align:left;padding:12px 14px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .chain .n{margin:0}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .phases .frame{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr)}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .bd{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);gap:10px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .strip{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);gap:4px;padding:4px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .strip .s{font-size:13.5px;min-height:34px;padding:6px 10px;border-radius:7px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .split{grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .ends{font-size:10.5px;flex-direction:column;gap:2px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .split span{font-size:11px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .chart{padding:16px 14px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .crow{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr);gap:6px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .stack i{font-size:11.5px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .plan{grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr)}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .fq-qtext{font-size:16.5px}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .fq-a{padding:0 0 20px 0}\r\n}\r\n@media (max-width:380px){.deiso-lcac-body .page-card{padding:24px 16px !important}}\r\n@media (prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.deiso-lcac-body *{transition:none !important}}\r\n\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .tb-wrap{border:1px solid rgba(26,26,26,0.08) !important}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table,.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table thead,.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table tbody,.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table tr{border:0 !important;outline:0 !important;box-shadow:none !important}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table th,.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table td{border:0 !important;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(26,26,26,0.07) !important;text-align:left !important;outline:0 !important}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table tbody tr:last-child td{border-bottom:0 !important}\r\n@media (max-width:767px){\r\n.deiso-lcac-body .tb-wrap{border:0 !important}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table tr{border:1px solid rgba(26,26,26,0.06) !important}\r\n.deiso-lcac-body table.tb-table td{border:0 !important}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n<div class=\"page-outer\">\r\n<div class=\"page-card\">\r\n<span class=\"card-strap\"><\/span>\r\n<section class=\"sec\" id=\"start\"><span class=\"page-eyebrow\">How this course works<\/span><h2>Before you start<\/h2><p class=\"lead\">This is a short course for people who have been asked to start a life cycle assessment and want to understand what they are getting into before they spend money on it.<\/p><p>You don&rsquo;t need any background in LCA. You do need a real product in mind, because every exercise asks you to apply the module to something your company actually makes or buys. Each module takes twenty to thirty minutes and ends with a short exercise. Do the exercises in writing. Most of what goes wrong in a first study goes wrong because nobody wrote anything down at the start.<\/p><p>Prefer to work through it offline? <a href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/?deiso_dl=31\" rel=\"nofollow\">Download the 40-page PDF<\/a>, free with a My DEISO account. Or take the same course interactively in <a href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/my-deiso\">My DEISO<\/a>, where your exercises are checked as you go and your progress is kept.<\/p><div class=\"tb-wrap\"><table class=\"tb-table\"><thead><tr><th scope=\"col\">Module<\/th><th scope=\"col\">What it covers<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td data-label=\"Module\">1. Why an enterprise does LCA<\/td><td data-label=\"What it covers\">What a study can and can&rsquo;t tell you, and the decision it has to serve.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Module\">2. Goal and scope<\/td><td data-label=\"What it covers\">Functional unit, reference flow, and the six system boundaries.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Module\">3. Life cycle inventory<\/td><td data-label=\"What it covers\">Planning the data, data quality, allocation, and where the effort goes.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Module\">4. Impact assessment<\/td><td data-label=\"What it covers\">From emissions to impacts, and why one number is rarely enough.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Module\">5. Interpretation<\/td><td data-label=\"What it covers\">Hotspots, sensitivity, uncertainty, and what you can honestly claim.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Module\">6. A worked example<\/td><td data-label=\"What it covers\">A cast aluminium housing carried through every stage, with the numbers.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Module\">7. From results to action<\/td><td data-label=\"What it covers\">A 30-60-90 day plan, governance, and when to bring in a reviewer.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/section>\r\n<section class=\"sec\" id=\"module-1\"><span class=\"page-eyebrow\">Module 01<\/span><h2>Why an enterprise does LCA<\/h2><p class=\"lead\">Most companies come to life cycle assessment because somebody asked for a number.<\/p><p>A customer wants the carbon footprint of a component. A tender asks for &ldquo;environmental data&rdquo; with no further detail. A board member has read about supply chain emissions and wants to know where the company stands. The request is usually urgent and usually vague, and that combination is exactly where first studies go wrong.<\/p><p>An LCA is not a number. It is a model of everything that happens to a product, from the raw materials taken out of the ground to whatever is left at the end of its life. The number at the end is one way of reading that model. If you know which decision the study has to support before you start, the model can be built to answer it. If you don&rsquo;t, you tend to end up with a figure that is technically correct and no use to anyone.<\/p><figure class=\"fig\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0\"><div class=\"chain\"><div class=\"st\"><span class=\"n\">1<\/span><span class=\"t\">Raw materials<\/span><\/div><div class=\"st\"><span class=\"n\">2<\/span><span class=\"t\">Manufacturing<\/span><\/div><div class=\"st\"><span class=\"n\">3<\/span><span class=\"t\">Distribution<\/span><\/div><div class=\"st\"><span class=\"n\">4<\/span><span class=\"t\">Use<\/span><\/div><div class=\"st\"><span class=\"n\">5<\/span><span class=\"t\">End of life<\/span><\/div><\/div><div style=\"display:grid;grid-template-columns:minmax(0,2fr) minmax(0,3fr)\"><div class=\"bracket\"><span>Cradle-to-gate: stops at the factory gate<\/span><\/div><div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"bracket sage\"><span>Cradle-to-grave: follows the product through use and disposal<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-cap\"><b>Figure 1.<\/b> The five life stages an LCA can cover, and the two boundaries most first studies choose between.<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3>What a study can tell you<\/h3><ul class=\"page-list\"><li>Where in the product&rsquo;s life most of the impact actually sits. It is often not where people expect.<\/li><li>Whether switching a material or a supplier makes things better, or just moves the problem somewhere else.<\/li><li>Which of two designs has the lower footprint, and whether the difference is big enough to matter.<\/li><li>What the company can say about the product in public without being caught out later.<\/li><\/ul><p>The first of those questions catches people out more than any other. Halve the factory&rsquo;s energy use for a washing machine and you have barely moved its footprint, because most of it comes from years of electricity in somebody&rsquo;s kitchen. Do the same for an office chair and you have still missed the biggest share, which sits in the steel and foam bought in.<\/p><figure class=\"fig\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0\"><div class=\"chart\"><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Washing machine<\/span><div class=\"stack\"><i style=\"width:9%;background:#63976B\">9%<\/i><i style=\"width:6%;background:#2D8B8A\"><\/i><i style=\"width:2%;background:#008194\"><\/i><i style=\"width:81%;background:#006675\">81%<\/i><i style=\"width:2%;background:#94A3B8\"><\/i><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Office chair<\/span><div class=\"stack\"><i style=\"width:56%;background:#63976B\">56%<\/i><i style=\"width:19%;background:#2D8B8A\">19%<\/i><i style=\"width:9%;background:#008194\">9%<\/i><i style=\"width:16%;background:#94A3B8\">16%<\/i><\/div><\/div><div class=\"legend\"><span style=\"--c:#63976B\">Raw materials<\/span><span style=\"--c:#2D8B8A\">Manufacturing<\/span><span style=\"--c:#008194\">Distribution<\/span><span style=\"--c:#006675\">Use<\/span><span style=\"--c:#94A3B8\">End of life<\/span><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-cap\"><b>Figure 2.<\/b> Share of climate impact by life stage for two products. Illustrative figures for teaching, not measured data.<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3>What it won&rsquo;t tell you<\/h3><p>It won&rsquo;t tell you whether a product is &ldquo;sustainable&rdquo;. There is no pass mark. It won&rsquo;t settle a public claim on its own, either: a comparison you intend to publish needs far more care than one you keep in-house, and usually an independent review. And it won&rsquo;t rescue poor data. A model is only as good as what goes into it.<\/p><div class=\"fact-panel\"><span class=\"fact-label\">A rule worth keeping<\/span><p>Write the decision down before you write anything else. One sentence is enough: &ldquo;We need to know whether moving to recycled aluminium cuts the footprint of the motor housing by enough to justify the extra cost.&rdquo; If you can&rsquo;t write that sentence yet, you aren&rsquo;t ready to start. We come back to this exact sentence in module 6.<\/p><\/div><h3>Who needs to be involved<\/h3><p>An LCA reaches into procurement, engineering, operations and sometimes sales. The person running it will need bills of materials, energy bills, supplier names, transport routes and waste figures, and almost none of that sits with the sustainability team. Name the people you will need early and tell them why. A data request that arrives cold goes to the bottom of the pile. And if the study is going to change a contract or a design, the person who makes that call should agree the question at the start.<\/p><h3>The four phases of an LCA<\/h3><p>Every study runs through the same four phases set out in ISO 14040, and this course follows them in order. The arrows run both ways for a reason: you will go back to the scope when the inventory surprises you, and interpretation runs alongside the other three from the first day.<\/p><figure class=\"fig\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0\"><div class=\"phases\"><div class=\"frame\"><span class=\"frame-label\">Life cycle assessment framework<\/span><div class=\"col\"><div class=\"ph\"><span class=\"t\">Goal and scope definition<\/span><span class=\"s\">Why, what, and where it ends<\/span><span class=\"m\">Module 2<\/span><\/div><div class=\"ph\"><span class=\"t\">Inventory analysis (LCI)<\/span><span class=\"s\">Every input and output<\/span><span class=\"m\">Module 3<\/span><\/div><div class=\"ph\"><span class=\"t\">Impact assessment (LCIA)<\/span><span class=\"s\">Flows turned into impacts<\/span><span class=\"m\">Module 4<\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"interp\"><span class=\"t\">Interpretation<\/span><span class=\"s\">Runs alongside every phase, in both directions<\/span><span class=\"m\">MODULE 5<\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"apps\"><span class=\"t\">Direct applications<\/span><ul class=\"page-list\"><li>Product design and improvement<\/li><li>Strategic planning<\/li><li>Public policy<\/li><li>Marketing and claims<\/li><li>Other uses<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-cap\"><b>Figure 3.<\/b> The four phases of a life cycle assessment and how they connect. Based on the framework in ISO 14040.<\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"exercise\"><span class=\"card-strap\"><\/span><span class=\"fact-label\">Exercise 1 &middot; about 15 minutes<\/span><h3>Pick one product and answer in writing<\/h3><ol class=\"step-list\"><li>Who is asking for an LCA of this product, and why now?<\/li><li>Write the decision the study should support, in one sentence.<\/li><li>List the people you would need data from, by role rather than by name.<\/li><\/ol><p class=\"ex-note\">Write your answers before you open the worked answers at the end of the course.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"cta-panel\"><span class=\"fact-label\">DEISO LCA training<\/span><h3>If you commission or sign off on studies rather than build them<\/h3><p>LCA for leaders teaches enough of the method to read a study, question it, and defend the result in front of a customer, a board or a regulator. One-to-one or for a group, starting when you are ready.<\/p><div class=\"btn-row\"><a class=\"btn primary\" href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/lca-training-and-coaching#lca-methodology\"><span>See LCA training for leaders<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/section>\r\n<section class=\"sec\" id=\"module-2\"><span class=\"page-eyebrow\">Module 02<\/span><h2>Goal and scope<\/h2><p class=\"lead\">This is the part most people want to rush, and it decides whether the rest of the study is worth anything.<\/p><p>The goal says why the study exists and who will read it. The scope says what is being measured, on what basis, and where the edges are. Two ideas carry most of the weight: the functional unit and the system boundary.<\/p><h3>The functional unit<\/h3><p>You don&rsquo;t compare products. You compare what they do. Take two office chairs, one built to last ten years and a cheaper one that lasts five. &ldquo;One chair&rdquo; is not a fair basis. &ldquo;Seating one person for ten years&rdquo; is, and on that basis the cheaper option means two chairs, two shipments and two trips to landfill.<\/p><p>A good functional unit says what the product does, how much of it, for how long, and to what standard. &ldquo;One litre of paint&rdquo; is weak. &ldquo;Covering 10 m&sup2; of exterior wall for ten years at the stated opacity&rdquo; is strong, because it lets a longer-lasting paint compete fairly with a cheaper one that needs a second coat.<\/p><p>The number of products needed to fulfil the functional unit is the <b>reference flow<\/b>:<\/p><div class=\"eq\"><div class=\"eq-line\"><i>R<\/i> = <span class=\"frac\"><span><i>T<\/i><sub>FU<\/sub><\/span><span><i>L<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/div><div class=\"eq-line small\"><i>R<\/i><sub>A<\/sub> = <span class=\"frac\"><span>10 years<\/span><span>10 years<\/span><\/span> = 1 chair &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <i>R<\/i><sub>B<\/sub> = <span class=\"frac\"><span>10 years<\/span><span>5 years<\/span><\/span> = 2 chairs<\/div><p class=\"eq-where\"><b>Where<\/b> <i>R<\/i> is the reference flow, <i>T<\/i><sub>FU<\/sub> is the time the functional unit covers, and <i>L<\/i> is the service life of one product.<\/p><\/div><p>The footprint for the functional unit then follows from the materials and processes in one product, each multiplied by its emission factor:<\/p><div class=\"eq\"><div class=\"eq-line\">GWP<sub>FU<\/sub> = <i>R<\/i> &times; &sum;<sub>i<\/sub> <i>m<\/i><sub>i<\/sub> &middot; <i>EF<\/i><sub>i<\/sub><\/div><p class=\"eq-where\"><b>Where<\/b> <i>m<\/i><sub>i<\/sub> is the amount of material or process <i>i<\/i> in one product, and <i>EF<\/i><sub>i<\/sub> is its emission factor in kg CO&#8322;e per unit.<\/p><\/div><p>Run the chairs through it and the result turns around. Chair B looks better per chair, and worse once you count what it takes to do the same job.<\/p><figure class=\"fig\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0\"><div class=\"chart\"><p class=\"fact-label\" style=\"margin:0 0 4px\">Per chair<\/p><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Chair A (10-year life)<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:68.0%;background:#008194\"><\/i><b>72 kg CO&#8322;e<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Chair B (5-year life)<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:38.7%;background:#63976B\"><\/i><b>41 kg CO&#8322;e<\/b><\/div><\/div><p class=\"fact-label\" style=\"margin:16px 0 4px\">Per functional unit: seating one person for 10 years<\/p><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Chair A (1 chair)<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:68.0%;background:#008194\"><\/i><b>72 kg CO&#8322;e<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Chair B (2 chairs)<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:77.4%;background:#63976B\"><\/i><b>82 kg CO&#8322;e<\/b><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-cap\"><b>Figure 4.<\/b> The same two chairs compared per product and per functional unit. Illustrative figures.<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3>Choosing a system boundary<\/h3><p>The boundary sets which life stages are in the study. The <b>cradle<\/b> is the extraction of raw materials, the <b>gate<\/b> is the factory gate, and the <b>grave<\/b> is the end of the product&rsquo;s life. Six boundaries cover almost every study you will meet. Highlighted stages are inside the study.<\/p><figure class=\"fig\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0\"><div class=\"bd\"><div><span class=\"nm\">Cradle-to-grave<\/span><span class=\"ds\">The full life, ending in disposal. For appliances, vehicles and buildings, where use or end of life can change the answer.<\/span><\/div><div><div class=\"strip band\"><span class=\"s on\">Raw materials<\/span><span class=\"s on\">Manufacturing<\/span><span class=\"s on\">Distribution<\/span><span class=\"s on\">Use<\/span><span class=\"s dk\">Disposal<\/span><\/div><div class=\"ends\"><span>Starts: extraction<\/span><span>Ends: landfill or incineration<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"bd\"><div><span class=\"nm\">Cradle-to-gate<\/span><span class=\"ds\">Raw materials to the factory gate. For components and materials sold to another manufacturer.<\/span><\/div><div><div class=\"strip band\"><span class=\"s on\">Raw materials<\/span><span class=\"s on\">Manufacturing<\/span><span class=\"s\">Distribution<\/span><span class=\"s\">Use<\/span><span class=\"s\">End of life<\/span><\/div><div class=\"ends\"><span>Starts: extraction<\/span><span>Ends: factory gate<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"bd\"><div><span class=\"nm\">Gate-to-gate<\/span><span class=\"ds\">One site or process only. For improving a single plant or line, or as a building block for a larger study.<\/span><\/div><div><div class=\"strip band\"><span class=\"s\">Raw materials<\/span><span class=\"s on\">Manufacturing<\/span><span class=\"s\">Distribution<\/span><span class=\"s\">Use<\/span><span class=\"s\">End of life<\/span><\/div><div class=\"ends\"><span>Starts: factory gate in<\/span><span>Ends: factory gate out<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"bd\"><div><span class=\"nm\">Gate-to-grave<\/span><span class=\"ds\">From the factory gate onwards. For adding your own stages to a supplier&rsquo;s cradle-to-gate result.<\/span><\/div><div><div class=\"strip band\"><span class=\"s\">Raw materials<\/span><span class=\"s\">Manufacturing<\/span><span class=\"s on\">Distribution<\/span><span class=\"s on\">Use<\/span><span class=\"s on\">End of life<\/span><\/div><div class=\"ends\"><span>Starts: factory gate<\/span><span>Ends: disposal<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"bd\"><div><span class=\"nm\">Cradle-to-cradle<\/span><span class=\"ds\">The full life, but end of life is recovery, not disposal. For recycling, reuse and circular design.<\/span><\/div><div><div class=\"strip band\"><span class=\"s on\">Raw materials<\/span><span class=\"s on\">Manufacturing<\/span><span class=\"s on\">Distribution<\/span><span class=\"s on\">Use<\/span><span class=\"s sg\">Recovery<\/span><\/div><div class=\"loop\">&#8634; Recovered material goes back in as raw material<\/div><div class=\"ends\"><span>Starts: extraction<\/span><span>Ends: material back in use<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"bd\"><div><span class=\"nm\">Well-to-wheel<\/span><span class=\"ds\">A fuel&rsquo;s life, not a product&rsquo;s. For fuels and transport.<\/span><\/div><div><div class=\"strip band\"><span class=\"s on\">Extraction<\/span><span class=\"s on\">Refining<\/span><span class=\"s on\">Distribution<\/span><span class=\"s on\">Fuelling<\/span><span class=\"s sg\">Driving<\/span><\/div><div class=\"split\"><span>Well-to-tank<\/span><span>Tank-to-wheel<\/span><\/div><div class=\"ends\"><span>Starts: oil or gas well<\/span><span>Ends: energy at the wheels<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-cap\"><b>Figure 5.<\/b> Six system boundaries. The darker or green last stage shows how each one ends.<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3>Reading the three that look alike<\/h3><p>Cradle-to-grave, cradle-to-cradle and well-to-wheel all cover a full life, so at first glance they look the same. The difference is in what the life is, and what happens at the end of it.<\/p><p><b>Cradle-to-grave<\/b> ends at disposal. Whatever is left is landfilled or burned, the study counts the emissions from doing that, and nothing comes back.<\/p><p><b>Cradle-to-cradle<\/b> ends with the material going back into use. The recovered aluminium or polymer becomes raw material for the next product, so the study has to decide how to share the benefit of that recovery between the product that gave the material up and the one that receives it. That is an allocation choice, covered in module 3, and it can move the result a long way.<\/p><p><b>Well-to-wheel<\/b> follows a fuel, not a product. <b>Well-to-tank<\/b> covers producing and supplying the fuel; <b>tank-to-wheel<\/b> covers using it in the vehicle. An electric car and a petrol car can only be compared well-to-wheel, because the electric car has no tailpipe and all its emissions sit in the well-to-tank part.<\/p><div class=\"tb-wrap\"><table class=\"tb-table\"><thead><tr><th scope=\"col\">Boundary<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Starts at<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Ends at<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Use stage<\/th><th scope=\"col\">End of life<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Answers the question<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td data-label=\"Boundary\">Cradle-to-grave<\/td><td data-label=\"Starts at\">Extraction<\/td><td data-label=\"Ends at\">Disposal<\/td><td data-label=\"Use stage\">Included<\/td><td data-label=\"End of life\">Landfill or incineration counted<\/td><td data-label=\"Answers the question\">What is the full footprint of this product?<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Boundary\">Cradle-to-gate<\/td><td data-label=\"Starts at\">Extraction<\/td><td data-label=\"Ends at\">Factory gate<\/td><td data-label=\"Use stage\">Not included<\/td><td data-label=\"End of life\">Not included<\/td><td data-label=\"Answers the question\">What does it take to make this component?<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Boundary\">Gate-to-gate<\/td><td data-label=\"Starts at\">Factory gate in<\/td><td data-label=\"Ends at\">Factory gate out<\/td><td data-label=\"Use stage\">Not included<\/td><td data-label=\"End of life\">Not included<\/td><td data-label=\"Answers the question\">How do we improve this one site or line?<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Boundary\">Gate-to-grave<\/td><td data-label=\"Starts at\">Factory gate<\/td><td data-label=\"Ends at\">Disposal<\/td><td data-label=\"Use stage\">Included<\/td><td data-label=\"End of life\">Counted<\/td><td data-label=\"Answers the question\">What happens after our supplier&rsquo;s part ends?<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Boundary\">Cradle-to-cradle<\/td><td data-label=\"Starts at\">Extraction<\/td><td data-label=\"Ends at\">Material back in use<\/td><td data-label=\"Use stage\">Included<\/td><td data-label=\"End of life\">Recovery, with the benefit shared<\/td><td data-label=\"Answers the question\">How much does keeping material in use save?<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Boundary\">Well-to-wheel<\/td><td data-label=\"Starts at\">The well<\/td><td data-label=\"Ends at\">Energy at the wheels<\/td><td data-label=\"Use stage\">Driving<\/td><td data-label=\"End of life\">Usually outside the scope<\/td><td data-label=\"Answers the question\">Which fuel or vehicle has the lower footprint per kilometre?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><p>Inside the boundary you will still leave some things out, such as factory buildings or very small flows. That is fine as long as it is written down with a reason, and as long as nothing left out could plausibly change the decision.<\/p><h3>A one-page scope sheet<\/h3><div class=\"tb-wrap\"><table class=\"tb-table\"><thead><tr><th scope=\"col\">Field<\/th><th scope=\"col\">What goes in it<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td data-label=\"Field\">Decision it supports<\/td><td data-label=\"What goes in it\">The one sentence from exercise 1.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Field\">Product and functional unit<\/td><td data-label=\"What goes in it\">What it does, how much, for how long, and to what standard.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Field\">Reference flow<\/td><td data-label=\"What goes in it\">How many products, or how much material, it takes to meet the functional unit.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Field\">System boundary<\/td><td data-label=\"What goes in it\">Which of the six, and why.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Field\">Audience<\/td><td data-label=\"What goes in it\">Internal only, a customer, or the public. This changes how much care the study needs.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Field\">Time and place<\/td><td data-label=\"What goes in it\">Which year&rsquo;s data, and which factories and markets.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Field\">Left out, and why<\/td><td data-label=\"What goes in it\">Anything excluded, with the reason written next to it.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><div class=\"note-panel\"><span class=\"note-label\">Watch out<\/span><p>Changing the functional unit halfway through means redoing most of the study. Agree it in writing, with the people who asked for the work, before anyone collects data.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"exercise\"><span class=\"card-strap\"><\/span><span class=\"fact-label\">Exercise 2 &middot; about 20 minutes<\/span><h3>Draft the scope sheet for your product<\/h3><ol class=\"step-list\"><li>Write a functional unit that says what the product does, how much, for how long and to what standard.<\/li><li>Work out the reference flow. Show the division.<\/li><li>Choose a boundary from the six, and give the reason in one sentence.<\/li><li>Name one thing you would leave out, and explain why it can&rsquo;t change the decision.<\/li><\/ol><p class=\"ex-note\">Write your answers before you open the worked answers at the end of the course.<\/p><\/div><\/section>\r\n<section class=\"sec\" id=\"module-3\"><span class=\"page-eyebrow\">Module 03<\/span><h2>Life cycle inventory<\/h2><p class=\"lead\">The inventory is where the hours go, and where most first studies quietly lose their way.<\/p><p>A life cycle inventory is a list of everything that goes into and comes out of the product system, scaled to the functional unit. Materials, energy, water and transport come in. Products, emissions and waste go out. Much of it is bookkeeping. The skill lies in knowing which entries deserve the effort.<\/p><figure class=\"fig\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0\"><div class=\"chart\"><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Scoping and planning<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:14.2%;background:#63976B\"><\/i><b>10%<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Collecting data<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:77.9%;background:#008194\"><\/i><b>55%<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Building the model<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:21.2%;background:#2D8B8A\"><\/i><b>15%<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Checking and interpreting<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:21.2%;background:#006675\"><\/i><b>15%<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Writing it up<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:7.1%;background:#94A3B8\"><\/i><b>5%<\/b><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-cap\"><b>Figure 6.<\/b> Where the time typically goes in a first study. Illustrative.<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3>Foreground and background<\/h3><p>The <b>foreground<\/b> is what you control or can measure: your own factory, your own trucks, the components your engineers specify. The <b>background<\/b> is everything behind it: how the grid makes electricity, how a mill makes steel, how a supplier&rsquo;s supplier makes resin. Background data normally comes from a published database rather than from anyone you can phone.<\/p><figure class=\"fig\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0\"><div class=\"chain\"><div class=\"st\"><span class=\"n\">1<\/span><span class=\"t\">Aluminium ingot<\/span><\/div><div class=\"st\"><span class=\"n\">2<\/span><span class=\"t\">Melting and casting<\/span><\/div><div class=\"st\"><span class=\"n\">3<\/span><span class=\"t\">Machining<\/span><\/div><div class=\"st\"><span class=\"n\">4<\/span><span class=\"t\">Powder coating<\/span><\/div><div class=\"st\"><span class=\"n\">5<\/span><span class=\"t\">Packed housing<\/span><\/div><\/div><div style=\"display:grid;grid-template-columns:minmax(0,1fr) minmax(0,4fr);gap:12px\"><div class=\"bracket sage\"><span>Background<\/span><\/div><div class=\"bracket\"><span>Foreground: measured in your own factory<\/span><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-cap\"><b>Figure 7.<\/b> The process chain for the motor housing used in module 6, split into foreground and background.<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Spend your measuring effort on the foreground and your judgement on the background. The worst mistakes are rarely wrong meter readings. They are a database record for the wrong country, year or technology, picked because it had a similar name.<\/p><h3>Primary and secondary data<\/h3><p>Primary data is measured for this product: the electricity your casting line used last year, the scrap rate from your own records. Secondary data is borrowed: an industry average, a database value, a published figure. Chase primary data for anything large, anything you can change, and anything a customer is likely to ask about. Accept good secondary data for the rest, and say which is which.<\/p><h3>Judging data quality<\/h3><p>Score every entry from 1 (good) to 3 (weak). You are looking for the entries that are both large and weak, because those are the ones that can sink the result.<\/p><div class=\"tb-wrap\"><table class=\"tb-table\"><thead><tr><th scope=\"col\">Question<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Good (1)<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Weak (3)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td data-label=\"Question\">Is it the right technology?<\/td><td data-label=\"Good (1)\">The same process you actually use<\/td><td data-label=\"Weak (3)\">A different or generic process<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Question\">Is it the right place?<\/td><td data-label=\"Good (1)\">Your country or grid<\/td><td data-label=\"Weak (3)\">A global or unrelated average<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Question\">Is it recent?<\/td><td data-label=\"Good (1)\">Within the last three years<\/td><td data-label=\"Weak (3)\">Ten years old or more<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Question\">Is it complete?<\/td><td data-label=\"Good (1)\">A full year of production<\/td><td data-label=\"Weak (3)\">One week, or one machine<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Question\">Can you trace it?<\/td><td data-label=\"Good (1)\">Meter readings, invoices, a named dataset<\/td><td data-label=\"Weak (3)\">An estimate nobody can explain<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><h3>Allocation, or sharing the burden<\/h3><p>Some processes make more than one useful thing. A sawmill produces timber and sawdust. The inventory has to decide how much of the process belongs to your product. ISO 14044 sets a preferred order: first avoid allocation by splitting the process or widening the system; only then share the burden, ideally by a physical relationship such as mass, and otherwise by something like economic value.<\/p><div class=\"eq\"><div class=\"eq-line\"><i>s<\/i><sub>j<\/sub> = <span class=\"frac\"><span><i>m<\/i><sub>j<\/sub><\/span><span>&sum;<sub>k<\/sub> <i>m<\/i><sub>k<\/sub><\/span><\/span><\/div><p class=\"eq-where\"><b>Where<\/b> <i>s<\/i><sub>j<\/sub> is the share of the process burden given to co-product <i>j<\/i>, and <i>m<\/i> is the mass of each co-product. Swap mass for value to allocate economically.<\/p><\/div><p>If a sawmill turns ten tonnes of logs into seven of timber and three of sawdust, mass allocation gives the sawdust 30% of the impact. Economic allocation might give it 5%. Neither is wrong. What is wrong is choosing one without saying so, or choosing the one that flatters your product.<\/p><h3>Cut-off: what you can safely leave out<\/h3><p>Most studies leave out flows below a small share of total mass or energy. Apply that with care: a few grams of a catalyst or a refrigerant can carry more impact than kilograms of cardboard.<\/p><div class=\"fact-panel\"><span class=\"fact-label\">A rule worth keeping<\/span><p>Ask for the data you need, in the units you need, for a period you name. &ldquo;Electricity used by casting line 2 in kWh, January to December 2025, from the sub-meter&rdquo; gets an answer. &ldquo;Energy data for the housing&rdquo; gets a spreadsheet you can&rsquo;t use.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"note-panel\"><span class=\"note-label\">Watch out<\/span><p>Gas bills arrive in cubic metres, kWh and MJ depending on who sent them. Convert everything to one unit per flow before it goes into the model, and keep a note of how.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"exercise\"><span class=\"card-strap\"><\/span><span class=\"fact-label\">Exercise 3 &middot; about 20 minutes<\/span><h3>Plan the data for your product<\/h3><ol class=\"step-list\"><li>List the five inputs you expect to matter most.<\/li><li>For each, say whether it is foreground or background, and whether you will use primary or secondary data.<\/li><li>Give each a quality score from 1 to 3, and mark the one that worries you most.<\/li><\/ol><p class=\"ex-note\">Write your answers before you open the worked answers at the end of the course.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"cta-panel\"><span class=\"fact-label\">DEISO LCA training<\/span><h3>Ready to build the model in software?<\/h3><p>DEISO runs full training programmes in GaBi (LCA for Experts), openLCA and SimaPro, from zero knowledge to Expert+, using real products.<\/p><div class=\"btn-row\"><a class=\"btn primary\" href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/lca-training-and-coaching#lca-software\"><span>See LCA software training<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/section>\r\n<section class=\"sec\" id=\"module-4\"><span class=\"page-eyebrow\">Module 04<\/span><h2>Impact assessment<\/h2><p class=\"lead\">An inventory is a long list of flows. Impact assessment turns it into something a person can act on.<\/p><p>Even a simple product&rsquo;s inventory holds hundreds of flows. <b>Classification<\/b> sorts each one into the impact categories it contributes to: methane into climate change, sulphur dioxide into acidification and fine particulate matter. <b>Characterisation<\/b> converts each flow into the category&rsquo;s common unit:<\/p><div class=\"eq\"><div class=\"eq-line\"><i>IS<\/i><sub>c<\/sub> = &sum;<sub>i<\/sub> <i>Q<\/i><sub>i<\/sub> &times; <i>CF<\/i><sub>c,i<\/sub><\/div><p class=\"eq-where\"><b>Where<\/b> <i>IS<\/i><sub>c<\/sub> is the indicator score for category <i>c<\/i>, <i>Q<\/i><sub>i<\/sub> is the amount of flow <i>i<\/i>, and <i>CF<\/i><sub>c,i<\/sub> is its characterisation factor.<\/p><\/div><p>For climate change, every greenhouse gas becomes carbon dioxide equivalents using its 100-year global warming potential. With IPCC Sixth Assessment Report values, a kilogram of fossil methane counts as 29.8 kg CO&#8322;e and a kilogram of nitrous oxide as 273:<\/p><div class=\"eq\"><div class=\"eq-line small\">CO&#8322;e = <i>m<\/i><sub>CO&#8322;<\/sub> &times; 1 + <i>m<\/i><sub>CH&#8324;<\/sub> &times; 29.8 + <i>m<\/i><sub>N&#8322;O<\/sub> &times; 273<\/div><p class=\"eq-where\">Values change between IPCC reports. Use one set throughout a study, and state which.<\/p><\/div><h3>Choosing categories and a method<\/h3><p>Characterisation factors come packaged in methods such as EF 3.1, ReCiPe 2016 and CML-IA. Pick one that suits your audience and region, use it throughout, and never mix factors from different methods. Then choose the categories. A food or textile study that ignores water and land use has missed the point; anything with electronics should look at mineral resource use. If you can&rsquo;t say why a category is in or out, you haven&rsquo;t really chosen it.<\/p><h3>Why one number is rarely enough<\/h3><p>In Figure 8, option B cuts climate impact by more than a third. If carbon were all you looked at, the decision would be easy. But B uses 41% more water and 17% more mineral resources, and nobody can weigh that trade if the study only printed one number.<\/p><figure class=\"fig\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0\"><div class=\"chart\"><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Climate change<\/span><div><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:56.7%;background:#94A3B8\"><\/i><b>100<\/b><\/div><div class=\"bar\" style=\"margin-top:4px\"><i style=\"width:35.1%;background:#008194\"><\/i><b>62<\/b><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Water use<\/span><div><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:56.7%;background:#94A3B8\"><\/i><b>100<\/b><\/div><div class=\"bar\" style=\"margin-top:4px\"><i style=\"width:79.9%;background:#63976B\"><\/i><b>141<\/b><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Acidification<\/span><div><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:56.7%;background:#94A3B8\"><\/i><b>100<\/b><\/div><div class=\"bar\" style=\"margin-top:4px\"><i style=\"width:49.9%;background:#008194\"><\/i><b>88<\/b><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Mineral resource use<\/span><div><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:56.7%;background:#94A3B8\"><\/i><b>100<\/b><\/div><div class=\"bar\" style=\"margin-top:4px\"><i style=\"width:66.3%;background:#63976B\"><\/i><b>117<\/b><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Fine particulate matter<\/span><div><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:56.7%;background:#94A3B8\"><\/i><b>100<\/b><\/div><div class=\"bar\" style=\"margin-top:4px\"><i style=\"width:44.8%;background:#008194\"><\/i><b>79<\/b><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"legend\"><span style=\"--c:#94A3B8\">Option A (reference = 100)<\/span><span style=\"--c:#008194\">Option B, lower<\/span><span style=\"--c:#63976B\">Option B, higher<\/span><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-cap\"><b>Figure 8.<\/b> Two options across five impact categories, with option A set to 100. Illustrative figures.<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3>Midpoints, endpoints and single scores<\/h3><p>Those categories are midpoint indicators. Some methods carry on to endpoint damage, and some normalise and weight everything into one score. Single scores help spot hotspots inside a company, but the weighting is a value judgement, and ISO 14044 does not allow it in comparisons disclosed to the public. It is a good rule to keep even when you aren&rsquo;t publishing.<\/p><div class=\"fact-panel\"><span class=\"fact-label\">A rule worth keeping<\/span><p>Show the categories side by side before you show any total. If one option wins on everything, say so. If it doesn&rsquo;t, say that too. Readers trust a study more when it admits a trade-off.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"exercise\"><span class=\"card-strap\"><\/span><span class=\"fact-label\">Exercise 4 &middot; about 15 minutes<\/span><h3>Choose the categories for your study<\/h3><ol class=\"step-list\"><li>Name the impact assessment method you would use, and why it suits your audience.<\/li><li>List three categories besides climate change that could matter for your product, with a reason for each.<\/li><li>Describe one trade-off your study might uncover, and who would need to weigh it.<\/li><\/ol><p class=\"ex-note\">Write your answers before you open the worked answers at the end of the course.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"cta-panel\"><span class=\"fact-label\">DEISO LCA training<\/span><h3>Want to go deeper into the method itself?<\/h3><p>LCA professional training works through these ideas properly, from scoping to a study that stands up to review, on a progression path from zero knowledge to Expert+.<\/p><div class=\"btn-row\"><a class=\"btn primary\" href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/lca-training-and-coaching#lca-methodology\"><span>See LCA professional training<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/section>\r\n<section class=\"sec\" id=\"module-5\"><span class=\"page-eyebrow\">Module 05<\/span><h2>Interpretation<\/h2><p class=\"lead\">This is where a study either earns its keep or turns into a report nobody reads.<\/p><p>Interpretation isn&rsquo;t a final chapter. It is a set of questions you keep asking the model: where is the impact, how far would the answer move if an assumption were wrong, and is the difference between two options real?<\/p><h3>Find the hotspots first<\/h3><p>A contribution analysis ranks the pieces of the result. In most products a handful of entries carry most of the impact. That tells you where improvement is worth chasing, and which data you must get right.<\/p><h3>Test how sensitive the answer is<\/h3><div class=\"eq\"><div class=\"eq-line\"><i>SR<\/i> = <span class=\"frac\"><span>&Delta;<i>R<\/i> \/ <i>R<\/i><\/span><span>&Delta;<i>P<\/i> \/ <i>P<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/div><p class=\"eq-where\"><b>Where<\/b> <i>R<\/i> is the result and <i>P<\/i> the parameter varied. Near zero, the result barely cares. Above 1 in either direction, it moves proportionally more than the input, and that assumption needs defending.<\/p><\/div><p>You don&rsquo;t need a ratio for everything. Vary the five or six assumptions you are least sure of, across a range you could defend, and show them in a tornado chart like the one in module 6.<\/p><h3>Know when a difference isn&rsquo;t a difference<\/h3><p>Two designs come back at 48 and 44 kg CO&#8322;e. It is tempting to call B 8% better. But if the ranges overlap, as they nearly always do, you can&rsquo;t honestly say which is lower. That tells you to decide on other grounds, or to improve one specific piece of data first.<\/p><figure class=\"fig\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0\"><div class=\"chart\"><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Design A<\/span><div class=\"range\"><span class=\"r\" style=\"left:26.2%;width:35.7%;background:#008194\"><\/span><span class=\"d\" style=\"left:42.9%;background:#008194\"><\/span><span class=\"v\" style=\"left:63.9%\">48 (range 41 to 56)<\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Design B<\/span><div class=\"range\"><span class=\"r\" style=\"left:19.0%;width:33.3%;background:#63976B\"><\/span><span class=\"d\" style=\"left:33.3%;background:#63976B\"><\/span><span class=\"v\" style=\"left:54.4%\">44 (range 38 to 52)<\/span><\/div><\/div><p class=\"fig-cap\" style=\"margin:6px 0 0\">kg CO&#8322;e per functional unit<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-cap\"><b>Figure 9.<\/b> Two designs whose central results differ but whose ranges overlap. Illustrative figures.<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3>What you can honestly claim<\/h3><div class=\"tb-wrap\"><table class=\"tb-table\"><thead><tr><th scope=\"col\">Claim<\/th><th scope=\"col\">What it needs<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td data-label=\"Claim\">&ldquo;The housing has a cradle-to-gate footprint of 44.6 kg CO&#8322;e.&rdquo;<\/td><td data-label=\"What it needs\">The boundary, the functional unit and the method stated next to the number.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Claim\">&ldquo;Our new design cuts the footprint by 60%.&rdquo;<\/td><td data-label=\"What it needs\">The same boundary, method and data quality for both designs, and a sensitivity check that the cut survives.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Claim\">&ldquo;Our product is lower-carbon than competitor X.&rdquo;<\/td><td data-label=\"What it needs\">A comparison disclosed to the public. Under ISO 14044 this calls for a critical review by an independent panel.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Claim\">&ldquo;Climate neutral&rdquo;, &ldquo;eco-friendly&rdquo;, &ldquo;green&rdquo;<\/td><td data-label=\"What it needs\">Avoid. An LCA can&rsquo;t support them, and regulators in several markets are tightening the rules on exactly this wording.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><div class=\"fact-panel\"><span class=\"fact-label\">A rule worth keeping<\/span><p>Every number that leaves the building travels with its boundary. &ldquo;44.6 kg CO&#8322;e, cradle-to-gate, per housing&rdquo; is a fact. &ldquo;44.6 kg&rdquo; on its own is an invitation to be misquoted.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"exercise\"><span class=\"card-strap\"><\/span><span class=\"fact-label\">Exercise 5 &middot; about 15 minutes<\/span><h3>Stress-test your own study<\/h3><ol class=\"step-list\"><li>Which two or three entries do you expect to be the hotspots, and why?<\/li><li>Name the assumption you are least sure of, and the range you would test.<\/li><li>Write the claim you would like to make, then rewrite it so it carries its boundary.<\/li><\/ol><p class=\"ex-note\">Write your answers before you open the worked answers at the end of the course.<\/p><\/div><\/section>\r\n<section class=\"sec\" id=\"module-6\"><span class=\"page-eyebrow\">Module 06<\/span><h2>A worked example<\/h2><p class=\"lead\">One product, followed from the first question to the result. The numbers are illustrative, but the steps are the real ones.<\/p><p>A manufacturer of small electric motors casts its own aluminium housings. A large customer wants lower-carbon components, and purchasing has a quote for aluminium with 70% recycled content at a higher price. Is the switch worth it?<\/p><h3>Step 1. The decision and the scope<\/h3><div class=\"tb-wrap\"><table class=\"tb-table\"><thead><tr><th scope=\"col\">Field<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Entry<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td data-label=\"Field\">Decision it supports<\/td><td data-label=\"Entry\">Switch the housing to 70% recycled aluminium, or not.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Field\">Functional unit<\/td><td data-label=\"Entry\">One finished, coated and packed housing meeting drawing MH-24, ready for assembly.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Field\">Reference flow<\/td><td data-label=\"Entry\">1 housing, 2.4 kg finished; 2.6 kg of aluminium bought per housing to cover casting and machining losses.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Field\">System boundary<\/td><td data-label=\"Entry\">Cradle-to-gate. The housing goes into the customer&rsquo;s motor, so its use is outside the company&rsquo;s control.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Field\">Audience<\/td><td data-label=\"Entry\">Internal decision first; a summary may go to the customer later.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Field\">Time and place<\/td><td data-label=\"Entry\">Production year 2025, one casting plant.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Field\">Left out, and why<\/td><td data-label=\"Entry\">Factory buildings and tooling, spread over millions of parts; office overheads. Neither can change the decision.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><h3>Step 2. The inventory<\/h3><div class=\"tb-wrap\"><table class=\"tb-table\"><thead><tr><th scope=\"col\">Input per housing<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Amount<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Factor<\/th><th scope=\"col\">kg CO&#8322;e<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Data<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td data-label=\"Input per housing\">Aluminium ingot, primary<\/td><td data-label=\"Amount\">2.6 kg<\/td><td data-label=\"Factor\">16.0 per kg<\/td><td data-label=\"kg CO&amp;#8322;e\">41.60<\/td><td data-label=\"Data\">Background<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Input per housing\">Casting electricity<\/td><td data-label=\"Amount\">3.2 kWh<\/td><td data-label=\"Factor\">0.45 per kWh<\/td><td data-label=\"kg CO&amp;#8322;e\">1.44<\/td><td data-label=\"Data\">Primary<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Input per housing\">Natural gas for melting<\/td><td data-label=\"Amount\">12 MJ<\/td><td data-label=\"Factor\">0.056 per MJ<\/td><td data-label=\"kg CO&amp;#8322;e\">0.67<\/td><td data-label=\"Data\">Primary<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Input per housing\">Machining electricity<\/td><td data-label=\"Amount\">0.8 kWh<\/td><td data-label=\"Factor\">0.45 per kWh<\/td><td data-label=\"kg CO&amp;#8322;e\">0.36<\/td><td data-label=\"Data\">Primary<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Input per housing\">Inbound transport, truck<\/td><td data-label=\"Amount\">2.08 t&middot;km<\/td><td data-label=\"Factor\">0.10 per t&middot;km<\/td><td data-label=\"kg CO&amp;#8322;e\">0.21<\/td><td data-label=\"Data\">Secondary<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Input per housing\">Powder coating<\/td><td data-label=\"Amount\">0.06 kg<\/td><td data-label=\"Factor\">3.5 per kg<\/td><td data-label=\"kg CO&amp;#8322;e\">0.21<\/td><td data-label=\"Data\">Secondary<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Input per housing\">Cardboard packaging<\/td><td data-label=\"Amount\">0.15 kg<\/td><td data-label=\"Factor\">1.0 per kg<\/td><td data-label=\"kg CO&amp;#8322;e\">0.15<\/td><td data-label=\"Data\">Secondary<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Input per housing\">Total<\/td><td data-label=\"Amount\"><\/td><td data-label=\"Factor\"><\/td><td data-label=\"kg CO&amp;#8322;e\"><b>44.64<\/b><\/td><td data-label=\"Data\"><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><p>Factors are illustrative and chosen for teaching. Check current database values before using any of them.<\/p><h3>Step 3. Where the impact sits<\/h3><p>The aluminium itself is 93% of the footprint. Everything the plant does with it adds up to a little over 3 kg. If the company wants a lower-carbon housing, the material is where it has to look.<\/p><figure class=\"fig\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0\"><div class=\"chart\"><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Aluminium ingot<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:79.2%;background:#008194\"><\/i><b>41.60 kg<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Casting electricity<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:2.7%;background:#94A3B8\"><\/i><b>1.44 kg<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Melting gas<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:1.3%;background:#94A3B8\"><\/i><b>0.67 kg<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Machining<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:0.7%;background:#94A3B8\"><\/i><b>0.36 kg<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Transport<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:0.4%;background:#94A3B8\"><\/i><b>0.21 kg<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Coating<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:0.4%;background:#94A3B8\"><\/i><b>0.21 kg<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Packaging<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><i style=\"width:0.3%;background:#94A3B8\"><\/i><b>0.15 kg<\/b><\/div><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-cap\"><b>Figure 10.<\/b> Contribution of each input per housing. Illustrative figures.<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3>Step 4. The option<\/h3><p>Replace the primary ingot with the offered mix: 30% primary at 16.0 kg CO&#8322;e per kg, and 70% recycled at 0.6. Nothing else changes.<\/p><div class=\"eq\"><div class=\"eq-line small\"><i>E<\/i><sub>Al<\/sub> = 2.6 &times; (0.3 &times; 16.0 + 0.7 &times; 0.6) = 13.57 kg CO&#8322;e<\/div><div class=\"eq-line small\">Reduction = <span class=\"frac\"><span>44.6 &minus; 16.6<\/span><span>44.6<\/span><\/span> = 62.8%<\/div><p class=\"eq-where\">Adding the unchanged 3.04 kg from the other inputs gives 16.6 kg CO&#8322;e per housing, against 44.6 today.<\/p><\/div><figure class=\"fig\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0\"><div class=\"chart\"><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Today: primary aluminium<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><span style=\"display:flex;width:75.9%;height:26px;border-radius:6px;overflow:clip\"><i style=\"width:93.2%;background:#008194;border-radius:0\"><\/i><i style=\"width:6.8%;background:#94A3B8;border-radius:0\"><\/i><\/span><b>44.6 kg CO&#8322;e<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Option: 70% recycled<\/span><div class=\"bar\"><span style=\"display:flex;width:28.2%;height:26px;border-radius:6px;overflow:clip\"><i style=\"width:81.7%;background:#008194;border-radius:0\"><\/i><i style=\"width:18.3%;background:#94A3B8;border-radius:0\"><\/i><\/span><b>16.6 kg CO&#8322;e<\/b><\/div><\/div><div class=\"legend\"><span style=\"--c:#008194\">Aluminium<\/span><span style=\"--c:#94A3B8\">Everything else<\/span><\/div><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-cap\"><b>Figure 11.<\/b> The housing today and with 70% recycled aluminium. Illustrative figures.<\/figcaption><\/figure><h3>Step 5. Does the result survive?<\/h3><p>A 63% cut looks decisive, but it rests on assumptions. Three of the four below barely matter. The one that does is whether the supplier actually supplies 70%. At 50%, the footprint rises to 24.6 kg:<\/p><figure class=\"fig\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0\"><div class=\"chart\"><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Recycled share achieved (50% not 70%)<\/span><div class=\"torn\" style=\"--b:30.7%\"><i style=\"left:30.7%;width:53.3%;background:#63976B\"><\/i><em style=\"left:calc(84.0% + 6px)\">24.6<\/em><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Primary aluminium factor (12 to 20)<\/span><div class=\"torn\" style=\"--b:30.7%\"><i style=\"left:10.0%;width:20.7%;background:#008194\"><\/i><em style=\"left:calc(10.0% - 38px)\">13.5<\/em><i style=\"left:30.7%;width:20.7%;background:#63976B\"><\/i><em style=\"left:calc(51.3% + 6px)\">19.7<\/em><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Grid electricity factor (0.30 to 0.60)<\/span><div class=\"torn\" style=\"--b:30.7%\"><i style=\"left:26.7%;width:4.0%;background:#008194\"><\/i><em style=\"left:calc(26.7% - 38px)\">16.0<\/em><i style=\"left:30.7%;width:4.0%;background:#63976B\"><\/i><em style=\"left:calc(34.7% + 6px)\">17.2<\/em><\/div><\/div><div class=\"crow\"><span class=\"lb\">Recycled aluminium factor (0.4 to 1.0)<\/span><div class=\"torn\" style=\"--b:30.7%\"><i style=\"left:28.0%;width:2.7%;background:#008194\"><\/i><em style=\"left:calc(28.0% - 38px)\">16.2<\/em><i style=\"left:30.7%;width:4.7%;background:#63976B\"><\/i><em style=\"left:calc(35.3% + 6px)\">17.3<\/em><\/div><\/div><p class=\"fig-cap\" style=\"margin:6px 0 0\">kg CO&#8322;e per housing; the black line is the central result, 16.6<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"fig-cap\"><b>Figure 12.<\/b> How far the 16.6 kg result moves when each assumption is varied. Illustrative figures.<\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"eq\"><div class=\"eq-line small\"><i>SR<\/i> = <span class=\"frac\"><span>(24.6 &minus; 16.6) \/ 16.6<\/span><span>(50 &minus; 70) \/ 70<\/span><\/span> = <span class=\"frac\"><span>0.48<\/span><span>&minus;0.29<\/span><\/span> &asymp; &minus;1.7<\/div><p class=\"eq-where\">Every percentage point of recycled content lost costs proportionally more than it looks.<\/p><\/div><p>Even in the worst case, the switch still cuts the footprint by about 45%. So the study supports the decision, with one condition: the contract has to specify the recycled share and ask for evidence of it, shipment by shipment. That condition is the most useful thing the study produced.<\/p><h3>Step 6. What the company can say<\/h3><p>Internally: the switch cuts the housing&rsquo;s cradle-to-gate footprint from 44.6 to about 16.6 kg CO&#8322;e, provided the recycled share is verified. To the customer: the same statement, with the boundary, functional unit and method attached. Not on the website as a headline percentage, at least until a year of shipments has confirmed the recycled share.<\/p><div class=\"exercise\"><span class=\"card-strap\"><\/span><span class=\"fact-label\">Exercise 6 &middot; about 25 minutes<\/span><h3>Rework the example<\/h3><ol class=\"step-list\"><li>Recalculate the footprint with a grid factor of 0.30 kg CO&#8322;e per kWh and 70% recycled aluminium. Show your working.<\/li><li>The supplier offers 85% recycled content at a further premium. What is the new result, and is it worth asking for?<\/li><li>Write the one sentence you would send to the customer.<\/li><\/ol><p class=\"ex-note\">Write your answers before you open the worked answers at the end of the course.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"cta-panel\"><span class=\"fact-label\">DEISO LCA training<\/span><h3>Already modelling, and want a second pair of eyes?<\/h3><p>LCA software coaching is booked by the hour for experienced users of GaBi (LCA for Experts), openLCA and SimaPro. Bring your own model and the questions it raised.<\/p><div class=\"btn-row\"><a class=\"btn primary\" href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/lca-training-and-coaching#lca-coaching\"><span>See LCA software coaching<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/section>\r\n<section class=\"sec\" id=\"module-7\"><span class=\"page-eyebrow\">Module 07<\/span><h2>From results to action<\/h2><p class=\"lead\">A study that changes nothing was an expensive way to fill a folder.<\/p><h3>Turn each hotspot into a decision with an owner<\/h3><p>For every hotspot, write down the change that would reduce it, the person who could make that change, and the date by which they will decide. In the housing example that meant a revised purchasing specification, owned by the head of procurement, decided before the next supplier review.<\/p><h3>A 30-60-90 day plan<\/h3><div class=\"plan\"><div class=\"fact-panel\"><span class=\"fact-label\">Days 1 to 30<\/span><ul class=\"page-list\"><li>Share the scope sheet and the main result with the decision owner.<\/li><li>Agree the one or two changes worth pursuing.<\/li><li>Fix the weakest large data entry.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"fact-panel\"><span class=\"fact-label\">Days 31 to 60<\/span><ul class=\"page-list\"><li>Model each change as a scenario, with a sensitivity check.<\/li><li>Cost the changes alongside their impact.<\/li><li>Draft the wording of any claim, with its boundary.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"fact-panel\"><span class=\"fact-label\">Days 61 to 90<\/span><ul class=\"page-list\"><li>Take the decision and record it.<\/li><li>Write the change into specifications or contracts.<\/li><li>Set the date and trigger for the next update.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><h3>Keep the study alive<\/h3><p>Treat the model as a working file, not a report. Keep a short assumptions log, give it a version number, and agree what would trigger an update: a new supplier, a new plant, a design change, or a year passing. A maintained model is the cheapest way to answer the next customer&rsquo;s question.<\/p><h3>When to bring in an independent reviewer<\/h3><p>A study used only inside the company can stand on its own if it is well documented. Bring in an independent reviewer when the result will be published, when it compares your product with a competitor&rsquo;s, when it supports a claim in a tender, or when a large investment depends on it. Plan the review in from the start; it costs far less than adding it at the end.<\/p><h3>Build it in-house, buy it in, or both<\/h3><p>A company with one or two products to assess a year is usually better off buying in the modelling and building the skills to commission and read the work. A company with a large portfolio, or customers asking every quarter, gets more from training its own people.<\/p><div class=\"fact-panel\"><span class=\"fact-label\">A rule worth keeping<\/span><p>Every study should end with a list of decisions, each with an owner and a date. If the list is empty, ask whether the study was asked the right question.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"exercise\"><span class=\"card-strap\"><\/span><span class=\"fact-label\">Exercise 7 &middot; about 20 minutes<\/span><h3>Write your own 90-day plan<\/h3><ol class=\"step-list\"><li>Name the hotspot you expect, the change that would reduce it, and the person who could make it.<\/li><li>Fill in one action for each stage: days 1 to 30, 31 to 60, and 61 to 90.<\/li><li>Decide whether your study needs an independent review, and say why.<\/li><\/ol><p class=\"ex-note\">Write your answers before you open the worked answers at the end of the course.<\/p><\/div><\/section>\r\n<section class=\"sec\" id=\"quiz\"><span class=\"page-eyebrow\">Final quiz<\/span><h2>Test yourself: 24 questions<\/h2><p>Answer each one in your head or on paper, then open it to check. The correct option is shown in bold.<\/p><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">1. What should be written down before any data is collected?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>A list of impact categories<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>The decision the study has to support<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>The software to be used<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>The final result you expect<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer B.<\/b> Every later choice, from the boundary to the categories, follows from the decision.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">2. Which of these is the strongest functional unit for an exterior paint?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>One litre of paint<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>One tin of paint<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>Covering 10 m\u00b2 of wall for ten years at the stated opacity<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>The paint used in one year<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer C.<\/b> It says what the product does, how much, for how long and to what standard.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">3. A product lasts 5 years and the functional unit covers 15 years. What is the reference flow?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>1 product<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>3 products<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>5 products<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>15 products<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer B.<\/b> R = 15 \/ 5 = 3.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">4. Which boundary suits a component sold to another manufacturer?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>Cradle-to-grave<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>Gate-to-grave<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>Cradle-to-gate<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>Use stage only<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer C.<\/b> You can\u2019t know how the buyer will use it, so the study stops at your factory gate.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">5. For which product is the use stage most likely to dominate?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>An office chair<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>A washing machine<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>A cardboard box<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>A steel beam<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer B.<\/b> Years of electricity use outweigh its manufacture.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">6. What belongs in the foreground of a study?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>National grid electricity<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>Processes you control or can measure<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>Global steel production<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>Every database record used<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer B.<\/b> The background is what comes from databases or suppliers.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">7. Which data deserves the most effort to improve?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>Small entries with poor quality<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>Large entries with good quality<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>Large entries with poor quality<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>Every entry equally<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer C.<\/b> Large and weak entries are the ones that can move the result.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">8. A process makes two co-products. What does ISO 14044 prefer first?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>Economic allocation<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>Mass allocation<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>Avoiding allocation by subdivision or system expansion<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>Giving everything to the main product<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer C.<\/b> Allocation is the fallback, not the first choice.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">9. Ten tonnes of logs give seven of timber and three of sawdust. Under mass allocation, the sawdust carries:<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>3%<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>10%<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>30%<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>70%<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer C.<\/b> 3 \/ (7 + 3) = 0.30.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">10. Why check small flows before cutting them off?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>Databases demand it<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>A few grams of a potent substance can carry a large impact<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>They are always primary data<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>Small flows can\u2019t be measured<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer B.<\/b> Refrigerants and catalysts are the usual examples.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">11. What does characterisation do?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>Sorts flows into categories<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>Converts flows into a category\u2019s common unit<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>Weights categories into one score<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>Checks data quality<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer B.<\/b> Classification sorts; characterisation converts.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">12. Using IPCC AR6 values, 2 kg of fossil methane equals roughly:<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>2 kg CO\u2082e<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>29.8 kg CO\u2082e<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>59.6 kg CO\u2082e<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>546 kg CO\u2082e<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer C.<\/b> 2 \u00d7 29.8 = 59.6.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">13. Why report several impact categories rather than climate change alone?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>It looks more thorough<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>An option can be better on carbon and worse elsewhere<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>ISO requires at least five<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>Climate change is hard to calculate<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer B.<\/b> Figure 8 shows a typical trade-off.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">14. ISO 14044 does not allow weighting in:<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>Any study<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>Internal hotspot screening<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>Comparative assertions disclosed to the public<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>Cradle-to-gate studies<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer C.<\/b> Weighting is a value judgement, not a measurement.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">15. What does a contribution analysis show?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>How sensitive the result is<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>Which processes or materials account for the impact<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>Whether two options differ<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>Which method to use<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer B.<\/b> It ranks the pieces of the result.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">16. A sensitivity ratio of 2 means:<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>The result moves twice as much, proportionally, as the input<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>The input is twice as uncertain<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>The result doubles<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>The parameter can be ignored<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer A.<\/b> SR = (\u0394R\/R) \/ (\u0394P\/P).<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">17. Two designs score 48 and 44 kg CO\u2082e with ranges that overlap. What can you say?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>B is 8% better<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>A is better<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>On current evidence, neither is clearly lower<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>The study is invalid<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer C.<\/b> Overlapping ranges mean the difference isn\u2019t established.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">18. Which claim is safest to make in public?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>Our product is eco-friendly<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>Our product is climate neutral<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>44.6 kg CO\u2082e per housing, cradle-to-gate, using a stated method<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>Greener than competitor X<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer C.<\/b> A number with its boundary, unit and method is a fact.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">19. A comparison with a competitor\u2019s product, published externally, calls for:<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>Nothing extra<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>A single score<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>A critical review by an independent panel<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>A longer report<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer C.<\/b> ISO 14044 sets this requirement for comparative assertions.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">20. In the worked example, what share of the housing footprint came from the aluminium?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>About 50%<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>About 75%<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>About 93%<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>About 99%<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer C.<\/b> 41.6 of 44.6 kg CO\u2082e.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">21. Which assumption moved the housing result most?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>Grid electricity factor<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>Recycled share actually achieved<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>Recycled aluminium factor<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>Transport distance<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer B.<\/b> At 50% instead of 70%, the result rose from 16.6 to 24.6.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">22. What condition did the worked example put on the decision?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>None<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>Specify the recycled share in the contract and ask for evidence<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>Switch suppliers every year<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>Publish the result first<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer B.<\/b> The result depends on the recycled share being real.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">23. A hotspot becomes useful when it has:<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>A chart<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>A change, an owner and a date<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>A higher score<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>An independent review<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer B.<\/b> Without an owner and a date, nothing changes.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">24. What keeps the cost of the next study low?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"opts\"><li><span class=\"k\">A<\/span>Rebuilding the model each time<\/li><li class=\"ok\"><span class=\"k\">B<\/span>A versioned model with an assumptions log and update triggers<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">C<\/span>Using a single score<\/li><li><span class=\"k\">D<\/span>Avoiding primary data<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Answer B.<\/b> A maintained model answers the next question quickly.<\/p><\/div><\/details><\/section>\r\n<section class=\"sec\" id=\"answers\"><span class=\"page-eyebrow\">Answers<\/span><h2>Worked answers to the exercises<\/h2><p>These use the motor housing from module 6 where a single example helps. Your answers will differ, and that is the point.<\/p><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">Exercise 1: worked answer<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"page-list\"><li><b>Who is asking:<\/b> a key customer\u2019s purchasing team, as part of a supplier review that scores component footprints this year.<\/li><li><b>Decision:<\/b> \u201cWe need to know whether moving to recycled aluminium cuts the footprint of the motor housing by enough to justify the extra cost.\u201d<\/li><li><b>People:<\/b> production engineer (energy and scrap data), purchasing (supplier and material data), logistics (transport), quality (drawing and specification), finance (cost of the option).<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">Exercise 2: worked answer<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"page-list\"><li><b>Functional unit:<\/b> one finished, coated and packed housing meeting drawing MH-24, ready for assembly.<\/li><li><b>Reference flow:<\/b> 1 housing; 2.6 kg of aluminium bought per housing (2.4 kg finished, the rest lost in casting and machining).<\/li><li><b>Boundary:<\/b> cradle-to-gate, because the housing is built into the customer\u2019s motor and its use stage is out of the company\u2019s hands.<\/li><li><b>Left out:<\/b> the factory building and tooling, spread over millions of parts; a rough check puts them well under 1% per housing.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">Exercise 3: worked answer<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"page-list\"><li><b>Five inputs:<\/b> aluminium ingot, casting electricity, melting gas, machining electricity, inbound transport.<\/li><li><b>Sources:<\/b> aluminium is background (database, scored 2 for region); the three energy inputs are foreground primary data from sub-meters (scored 1); transport is secondary, estimated from the supplier\u2019s location (scored 2).<\/li><li><b>Biggest worry:<\/b> the aluminium factor. It is the largest entry and the only one not measured on site.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">Exercise 4: worked answer<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"page-list\"><li><b>Method:<\/b> EF 3.1, because the customer reports in Europe and expects that method.<\/li><li><b>Other categories:<\/b> mineral resource use (a metal product), acidification (smelting emits sulphur dioxide), fine particulate matter (casting and melting).<\/li><li><b>Trade-off:<\/b> a recycled supply chain might carry more transport and less energy. Purchasing and the sustainability lead would weigh it together.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">Exercise 5: worked answer<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"page-list\"><li><b>Hotspots:<\/b> the aluminium ingot by a long way, then casting electricity.<\/li><li><b>Least certain assumption:<\/b> the recycled share the supplier actually supplies, tested between 50% and 70%.<\/li><li><b>Claim:<\/b> \u201cThe new housing has a lower footprint\u201d becomes \u201cWith 70% recycled aluminium, the housing\u2019s cradle-to-gate footprint is about 16.6 kg CO<sub style=\"font-size:.75em\">2<\/sub>e per unit, against 44.6 kg today.\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">Exercise 6: worked answer<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"page-list\"><li><b>Grid factor at 0.30:<\/b> 4.0 kWh of electricity \u00d7 0.30 = 1.20 kg instead of 1.80 kg, so the total falls by 0.6 to about 16.0 kg CO<sub style=\"font-size:.75em\">2<\/sub>e.<\/li><li><b>85% recycled:<\/b> 2.6 \u00d7 (0.15 \u00d7 16.0 + 0.85 \u00d7 0.6) = 7.57 kg for the aluminium, plus 3.04 kg for everything else, giving about 10.6 kg CO<sub style=\"font-size:.75em\">2<\/sub>e. That is a further 6 kg per housing. Whether it is worth paying for depends on the price, but it is worth asking, as long as the higher share can be evidenced.<\/li><li><b>Customer sentence:<\/b> \u201cFrom the next contract year, the housing\u2019s cradle-to-gate footprint falls from about 44.6 to 16.6 kg CO<sub style=\"font-size:.75em\">2<\/sub>e per unit, based on 70% recycled aluminium verified on every shipment.\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">Exercise 7: worked answer<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><ul class=\"page-list\"><li><b>Hotspot and owner:<\/b> aluminium ingot; switch to verified recycled content; head of procurement.<\/li><li><b>Plan:<\/b> days 1 to 30, agree the switch in principle and request evidence formats from the supplier; days 31 to 60, model 70% and 85% with sensitivity and cost them; days 61 to 90, sign the revised specification and set a yearly update.<\/li><li><b>Review:<\/b> not for the internal decision. Yes before any public comparison, or if the figure goes into a tender.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/details><\/section>\r\n<section class=\"sec\" id=\"glossary\"><span class=\"page-eyebrow\">Glossary<\/span><h2>Key terms in plain words<\/h2><div class=\"tb-wrap\"><table class=\"tb-table\"><thead><tr><th scope=\"col\">Term<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Meaning<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Allocation<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">Sharing the burden of a process between the co-products it makes.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Background<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">Processes outside your control, usually modelled with database data.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Characterisation factor<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">The number that converts one flow into the common unit of an impact category.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">CO&#8322;e<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">Carbon dioxide equivalent: greenhouse gases expressed as the amount of CO&#8322; with the same warming effect.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Contribution analysis<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">Breaking a result down by process or material to find the hotspots.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Cradle-to-gate<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">A boundary that stops when the product leaves the factory.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Cradle-to-grave<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">A boundary that follows the product through use and end of life.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Critical review<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">An independent check of a study against the ISO standards, required for public comparative claims.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Cut-off<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">A rule for leaving out flows too small to matter.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Emission factor<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">The emissions per unit of an activity, such as kg CO&#8322;e per kWh.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Foreground<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">Processes you control or can measure directly.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Functional unit<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">What the product does, how much, for how long and to what standard; the basis of every comparison.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Hotspot<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">A process or material that accounts for a large share of an impact.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Impact category<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">A type of environmental effect, such as climate change or water use.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Inventory (LCI)<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">The list of all inputs and outputs of the product system, scaled to the functional unit.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Midpoint and endpoint<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">Indicators measured part-way to damage, and indicators of the damage itself.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Primary data<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">Data measured for this product or process.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Reference flow<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">The amount of product needed to fulfil the functional unit.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Secondary data<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">Data borrowed from databases, averages or published studies.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">Sensitivity analysis<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">Changing one assumption to see how far the result moves.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"Term\">System boundary<\/td><td data-label=\"Meaning\">The line that sets which life stages and processes are in the study.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/section>\r\n<section class=\"sec\" id=\"faq\"><span class=\"page-eyebrow\">Questions people ask<\/span><h2>Frequently asked questions about LCA<\/h2><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">What is a life cycle assessment (LCA)?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><p>A life cycle assessment is a method for measuring the environmental impact of a product across its life, from extracting the raw materials to whatever happens at the end. It is set out in ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 and runs in four phases: goal and scope, inventory, impact assessment and interpretation. The result is a model, not just a number, so it can show where the impact sits and what would reduce it.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">What is the difference between cradle-to-gate and cradle-to-grave?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><p>Cradle-to-gate stops when the product leaves the factory, so it covers raw materials and manufacturing only. Cradle-to-grave carries on through distribution, use and disposal. Use cradle-to-gate for components sold to another manufacturer, and cradle-to-grave whenever use or end of life could change the answer. A washing machine is the clearest case: most of its footprint comes from the electricity it uses at home.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">What is a functional unit?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><p>The functional unit is what the product does, how much of it, for how long and to what standard. It is the basis for every comparison. Two chairs are not compared &ldquo;per chair&rdquo; but per &ldquo;seating one person for ten years&rdquo;, so a cheap chair that lasts five years counts twice. Getting it right at the start saves most of the rework later.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">How long does a first LCA take?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><p>For a single product, a first study usually takes somewhere between six weeks and three months. The modelling itself is rarely the slow part. Most of the time goes on collecting data from purchasing, production and suppliers, which is why a clear scope and a precise data request make more difference to the timeline than anything else.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">Do I need LCA software to start?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><p>Not to start. A first screening of the main materials and energy use can be done in a spreadsheet with published emission factors. A full study needs dedicated software such as GaBi (LCA for Experts), openLCA or SimaPro, together with a background database, because they hold thousands of processes and handle impact assessment consistently. openLCA is free to download; the databases usually are not.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">What data do I need for an LCA?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><p>For your own operations: the materials bought per product, energy use by process, scrap and waste, packaging and transport. For everything upstream and downstream you normally rely on database values. Ask for each figure in a named unit and for a named period, such as a full production year, and note where it came from. Large entries with weak data are the ones to fix first.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">When does an LCA need an independent review?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><p>A study used only inside the company can stand on its own if it is well documented. A comparison with another product that is disclosed to the public needs a critical review by an independent panel under ISO 14044. A review is also worth having when a result supports a claim in a tender or a large investment decision. It costs far less planned in from the start.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">Is an LCA the same as a carbon footprint?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><p>No. A product carbon footprint looks at one impact category, climate change, and follows the rules in ISO 14067. An LCA can cover many categories at once, such as water use, acidification and resource use, which is how it shows trade-offs a carbon figure alone would hide. A carbon footprint is often a sensible first step, and it uses the same groundwork as an LCA.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">Is this course free, and is there a PDF?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><p>Yes. The whole course is free to read on this page. The 40-page PDF, with every figure, the quiz, worked answers and two templates, is free to <a href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/?deiso_dl=31\" rel=\"nofollow\">download with a My DEISO account<\/a>, and the same course can be taken interactively in <a href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/my-deiso\">My DEISO<\/a> with your progress saved.<\/p><\/div><\/details><details class=\"fq-item\"><summary class=\"fq-q\"><span class=\"fq-chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M6 9l6 6 6-6\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"fq-qtext\">Where can I get LCA training after this course?<\/span><\/summary><div class=\"fq-a\"><p>DEISO runs <a href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/lca-training-and-coaching\">LCA training<\/a> one-to-one or for a group, starting on demand, in methodology and in GaBi (LCA for Experts), openLCA and SimaPro, from zero knowledge to Expert+. There is a programme for leaders who commission and approve studies, and hourly coaching for people who already model.<\/p><\/div><\/details><\/section>\r\n<section class=\"sec\" id=\"next\"><span class=\"page-eyebrow\">What next<\/span><h2>Continue with DEISO LCA training<\/h2><p>This course gets you to the point where you can scope a study, ask for the right data and read a result critically. Building and defending studies of your own takes practice with someone who has done it many times. DEISO&rsquo;s LCA training runs one-to-one or for a group, starts on demand, and is led by PhD-level LCA practitioners.<\/p><div class=\"tb-wrap\"><table class=\"tb-table\"><thead><tr><th scope=\"col\">If you are&hellip;<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Start with<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td data-label=\"If you are&amp;hellip;\">Leading a team, or commissioning and approving studies<\/td><td data-label=\"Start with\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/lca-training-and-coaching#lca-methodology\">LCA for leaders<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"If you are&amp;hellip;\">Building practical LCA capability, from zero to Expert+<\/td><td data-label=\"Start with\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/lca-training-and-coaching#lca-methodology\">LCA professional training<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"If you are&amp;hellip;\">Learning GaBi (LCA for Experts), openLCA or SimaPro<\/td><td data-label=\"Start with\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/lca-training-and-coaching#lca-software\">LCA software training<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-label=\"If you are&amp;hellip;\">Already modelling, and stuck on specific questions<\/td><td data-label=\"Start with\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/lca-training-and-coaching#lca-coaching\">LCA software coaching<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><div class=\"cta-panel\"><span class=\"fact-label\">Keep this course<\/span><h3>Get the full course as a PDF<\/h3><p>All seven modules, every figure and equation, the quiz, worked answers, a scope sheet and a data request template, in 40 pages. Register free with My DEISO and the download starts straight away, or take the course interactively there.<\/p><div class=\"btn-row\"><a class=\"btn primary\" href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/?deiso_dl=31\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>Download the free PDF course<\/span><\/a><a class=\"btn secondary\" href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/lca-training-and-coaching\"><span>See DEISO LCA training<\/span><\/a><a class=\"btn secondary\" href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/my-deiso\"><span>Take it in My DEISO<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><h3>How to cite this course<\/h3><div class=\"fact-panel\"><p data-nosnippet class=\"cite\">DEISO LLC (2026). <i>Life cycle assessment (LCA): a getting-started course for enterprise teams.<\/i> Edition 1.0. Free mini course. Available at <a href=\"https:\/\/dei.so\/lca-getting-started-course\">https:\/\/dei.so\/lca-getting-started-course<\/a><\/p><\/div><p>The figures, examples and exercises are original to DEISO. 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