Goal & Scope Definition
The first step is to define the question. This means being very clear on the goals and scopes of developing your PCF. What you’re trying to achieve will impact how deeply you go into certain elements of the product life cycle, and your method of calculation. Examples of the questions you might be asking include:
Quantifying Environmental Footprints: It involves a comprehensive evaluation of a product’s environmental impact, including greenhouse gas emissions, energy and water consumption, and waste generation.
Identifying Critical Impact Points: LCA helps in pinpointing critical stages in a product’s life cycle that significantly contribute to environmental degradation.
Guiding Sustainable Decisions: It serves as a foundation for shaping product design, manufacturing processes, and supply chain choices that align with ecological sustainability, potentially leading to cost savings and enhanced market appeal.
Set the system boundary
The system boundary, or the product boundary, for the PCF can be either cradle-to-grave or cradle-to-gate. This will depend on the type of product you are selling:
An intermediate product, where the final use of that product is unknown, will normally be evaluated cradle-to-gate.
A final product should be evaluated cradle-to-grave.
A cradle-to-grave PCF includes all the GHG emissions associated with the production of the product, from the extraction of raw materials to end-of-life, covering the product’s upstream and downstream supply chain.
In cradle-to-gate PCFs, the boundary ends at the factory gate, before delivery to customer, excluding any other downstream emissions, such as those generated in the use and disposal of the product.
Defining production steps
As part of setting the boundary of the PCF, companies need to map out the production steps and establish each process’s inputs and outputs, for every life cycle stage.
- Design and Ideation: The birthplace of a product, where concepts are born and developed.
- Material Sourcing and Processing: Where raw materials are extracted and processed.
- Manufacturing Dynamics: Involves the actual creation of the product, where resource utilization and waste generation are critically examined.
- Distribution Mechanics: Encompasses the logistics of getting the product to market, including transportation.
- Consumer Use and Efficiency: Evaluates the product’s performance in the hands of consumers, focusing on energy, water usage, and maintenance needs.
- Disposal or Rebirth: Where its end-of-life impact is assessed, be it through recycling, landfilling, or incineration.
