Product life cycle assessment (LCA) studies to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044

A life cycle assessment (LCA) looks at the environmental impacts of a product across its whole life: raw materials, manufacturing, transport, use and end of life. It shows where the largest impacts sit, compares design options on a fair basis and backs environmental claims with evidence.

VPA India carries out LCA studies to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, the international standards for LCA, for manufacturers, exporters and brands. Studies can cover a single product, a product range or alternative designs, and can be updated as your processes or suppliers change. For exporters, the results also help answer product-level questions from international customers.

Why it matters

An LCA helps you avoid shifting a problem from one life cycle stage or impact to another – for example, a lighter material that cuts transport emissions but adds impacts in production or at end of life. It also gives your sales team evidence they can stand behind.

What an LCA study covers

Every study follows the four phases set out in ISO 14040 and ISO 14044:

1. Goal and scope. Why the study is being done, who will use it, the functional unit (for example, one tonne of cement or one packaged product) and the system boundary: cradle-to-gate, cradle-to-grave or gate-to-gate.

2. Life cycle inventory. The inputs and outputs at each stage – materials, energy, water, emissions and waste – from your own data, your suppliers and recognised background databases.

3. Impact assessment. Translating the inventory into impact categories such as climate change, water use, acidification and resource use. We name the impact assessment methods in the report, so that results can be compared on a fair basis.

4. Interpretation. What the results mean, how sensitive they are to key assumptions, and where improvement efforts will pay off.

What we do

• Screening LCAs that find environmental hotspots quickly

• Full LCA studies for products, packaging and processes

• Comparative LCAs of materials, designs or suppliers, planned for critical review where the results will be published

• Product carbon footprints (climate change only) to ISO 14067 – see GHG accounting

• Data collection from your sites and key suppliers, and modelling in recognised LCA software and databases

• Results prepared for eco-design, customer requests and environmental product declarations (EPDs)

• Updates of existing studies when processes, suppliers or energy sources change

How we work

1. Kick-off. Agree the goal, scope, functional unit and data list.

2. Data. Collect site and supplier data, and check it for completeness and consistency.

3. Model and assess. Build the life cycle model and calculate the impacts.

4. Interpret and report. Test the key assumptions, write the report and, where needed, support the critical review.

What you receive

• An LCA report that meets the reporting requirements of ISO 14044

• Inventory and model documentation

• A hotspot analysis with improvement options

• A data-quality assessment and a list of assumptions

• A summary for customers, management or marketing teams

Standards we work to

ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 for LCA; ISO 14067 for product carbon footprints; and, for declarations, the product category rules of the programme you choose.

Who we work with

Manufacturers and exporters responding to customer requests for product environmental data; brands comparing materials, packaging or suppliers; and companies preparing the LCA behind an environmental product declaration.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an LCA and a product carbon footprint?

A product carbon footprint looks only at greenhouse gas emissions. A full LCA covers a wider set of impacts, such as water use, resource depletion and pollution. If your customers ask only about carbon, a footprint to ISO 14067 may be enough; if you are comparing materials or designs, a full LCA gives a fairer picture.

Cradle-to-gate or cradle-to-grave?

Cradle-to-gate stops when the product leaves your factory gate; it suits business-to-business products whose use varies from customer to customer. Cradle-to-grave adds distribution, use and end of life; it suits consumer products and public claims.

Do comparative claims need a critical review?

If you plan to publish a comparison with another product, ISO 14044 requires a critical review by independent experts. We plan studies so that the review can run smoothly.

What data do we need to provide?

Mainly your production data: the materials, energy, water, waste and transport for the product and the period studied. We give you a clear data list and fill gaps from recognised databases where your own data is not available. For key purchased materials, supplier-specific data improves the result, and we can request it on your behalf.

Related pages

GHG accounting · Carbon footprint · Net zero pathway

Talk to us: WhatsApp +91 8905541120 · Call +91 8905541120 · inquiries@decarbonisation.expert · Send an enquiry (form)