Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a structured way to measure the environmental impacts of a product or service across its whole life cycle. In this short white paper, we explain what an LCA can tell you, where its limits are, and why linking it with supply chain traceability makes the results more useful.
What an LCA covers
An LCA helps you understand the environmental performance of a product. Depending on the system boundary, it can include:
- extracting raw materials
- production and processing
- packaging and transport across the supply chain
- use and retail
- waste and recycling management at the end of its life.
The scope depends on the question: An LCA might cover the entire product life cycle, often called cradle-to-grave, or focus on a defined part of the value chain.
- Looking beyond carbon: Depending on the assessment, that could include water, land, resource use and other environmental impacts.
LCA methodology is widely applied across a range of sectors, from construction through to aquaculture. It provides the framework behind many of the environmental footprints and product comparisons we see today.
Why it matters
An LCA turns environmental data into practical questions:
- Where are the environmental hotspots?
- Where can we improve resource efficiency?
- How well do our existing measurement and reporting systems support our sustainability requirements?
- Do we have the evidence to support the environmental claims we make
One of the most useful things about an LCA is that it takes a full value chain. Once everything is mapped, it becomes clear whether a large share of the impact sits outside an organisation’s own operations. An LCA looks at products from a broader point of view and analyses more than just carbon impact. Once the supply chain is mapped, it becomes clear where the biggest potential impact sits; and what opportunities may be available.
Where traceability comes in
Traceability makes the picture clearer. It links inputs and processes back to where they came from. This can strengthen the data behind the LCA and make it easier to connect impacts to particular suppliers, regions or production systems, rather than relying on a blended average.
With growing expectations around environmental claims and managing supply chain risks,
the question is no longer only “what is the footprint?” It is also “how do you know?” Traceability helps answer that.
Getting started
The first step is usually to work out what you want to understand or communicate, and what information you already have. Some of the data you need may already be collected across different parts of the business. The value comes from connecting it in a useful way
Read the full report: Life Cycle Assessments, an AbacusBio white paper by Ray Mohan.
How we can help
We can help you understand the environmental performance of your agricultural value chain, identify where investment could make the biggest difference, and work out where LCA and traceability could strengthen your environmental reporting and claims. talk to our team.
