A life cycle analysis, also known as life cycle assessment, evaluates how a certain product or service being performed will effect the environment. Companies often use this type of analysis to map out several different procedures to see which would cause the least harm to the environment. There are several advantages and disadvantages associated with using life cycle analysis.
Life cycle analysis is a simple process, though the results can become complicated and require careful attention to detail. For example, a company producing a new product may be concerned about the effects of manufacturing on the environment. The company will then draw up an analysis for each manufacturing or production process currently available to them. They will chart the manufacturing process and subsequent effects from start to finish and see which causes the least harm.
There are four main phases used when mapping out life cycle analysis. They are goal and scope, life cycle inventory, life cycle impact assessment, and the final stage known as interpretation. The process starts with goal and scope. The company performing the assessment decides what the goal of the assessment is and what factors will be included in the assessment.
In the second stage, the life cycle inventory stage, data is collected and various models used to make educated guesses on the outcomes of the different manufacturing and production methods the company can use. The results are charted and recorded. They can then be examined in the next step, life cycle impact assessment.
In the life cycle impact assessment phase, the company evaluates the results and determines how the different methods affect various areas. For example, the company may examine a certain model to see its possible impacts on global warming or air pollution levels in the area. Finally, the company will move to the last stage, interpretation. In this final step, conclusions are drawn about whether the procedure is worth it and if the company can find a less harmful method to follow.
There are several advantages to the life cycle analysis. The main advantage is that it allows companies to see what effect their actions have on the environment and allows them to choose the least harmful course of action. The disadvantage of this, however, comes with the fact that not everything can be turned into a model. There are factors that cannot be predicted, and unexpected consequences can arise no matter how carefully a course of action has been planned out.
