Life Cycle Assessment: New Developments And Multi-disciplinary Applications

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is internationally accepted as a core topic in the field of environmental management in various industries for obtaining a complete picture of the environmental impacts of products or processes. In contrast to other types of environmental management tools or sustainability assessment methods, LCA methodologies take a holistic approach to include all relevant processes starting from the extraction of natural resources to various manufacturing stages that lead to the final product. Following an evidence-approach, LCA is underpinned by quantitative methodologies to study real-world problems and uncover 'hidden' impacts beyond the conventional boundary of a single-stage manufacturing system, to develop sustainable strategies that consider regional or global production chains. This book offers multi-disciplinary perspectives of new LCA developments and applications, spanning from data variability to ecosystem services, plus the evaluation of the net greenhouse gas from Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) methods and waste management. Perspectives of green chemistry principles via LCA, combined with life cycle atom economy approaches are explored. Industrial symbiosis concepts, LCA as an Entrepreneurial Tool for Business Management and Green Innovations, and blockchain-enabled LCA are also presented.