In summary, LCA provides a comprehensive environmental impact analysis, EPD serves as a formal, standardized way to communicate the findings of an LCA to stakeholders and PCF zeroes in on carbon emissions.
The terms LCA, PCF, and EPD are all related to the assessment and communication of the environmental impact of products and services. However, they each serve different purposes and are used in distinct contexts. Here’s a breakdown of each term and their differences:
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
- Definition: LCA is a systematic analysis of the environmental impacts of a product, process, or service throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction (cradle) to disposal or recycling (grave).
- Scope: It considers multiple stages including raw material acquisition, production, use, and end-of-life treatment. It also looks at various environmental impact categories such as global warming potential, ozone depletion, eutrophication, and resource depletion.
- Purpose: LCA is used to identify and quantify environmental impacts, compare alternatives, support decision-making, and improve product sustainability.
- Standards: Typically follows ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards.
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
- Definition: EPD is a standardized document that provides quantified environmental data for a product based on an LCA. It is a way to communicate the results of an LCA in a transparent and comparable manner.
- Scope: An EPD covers multiple environmental impact categories and includes a comprehensive set of data from an LCA. It often includes additional information like product description, functional unit, and lifecycle stages covered.
- Purpose: EPDs are used for transparency and to facilitate comparison between products. They are often used in public procurement, building certifications, and by companies to demonstrate environmental performance.
- Standards: Follows ISO 14025 and ISO 21930 standards for Type III environmental declarations.
Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)
- Definition: PCF focuses specifically on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with a product throughout its life cycle. It is a subset of LCA that only looks at carbon emissions.
- Scope: Similar to LCA in terms of life cycle stages (cradle-to-grave), but it is limited to the impact category of climate change, usually measured in terms of CO2 equivalents. Note the PCF calculated by Emitwise covers cradle-to-gate only for now.
- Purpose: PCF is used to assess and communicate the carbon footprint of a product, which is crucial for identifying ways to reduce GHG emissions and for informing consumers.
- Standards: Follows ISO 14067 or the GHG Protocol Product Standard.