Life Cycle Analysis

Life cycle analysis (LCA) is also an important "proactive" environmental management technique which can further enhance an ESMS strategy. LCA is an investigation which aims to quantify the level of energy and raw materials used as well as the solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes produced at every stage of a product's life or process, identifying environmental impacts before they happen. End of pipe or reactive techniques generally have been unable to offer the potential environmental benefits that can be achieved with preventable techniques, such as LCA. LCA's provide a useful framework and philosophy for addressing the environmental impacts of a particular product. LCA can also lead to the concept of "full cost accounting." The idea of full or total cost accounting is a way of accurately reflecting both the benefits and costs of natural resource use, as well as product manufacturing benefits and costs.