Background and Future Prospects in Life Cycle Assessment

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has become the recognized instrument to assess the ecological burdens and human health impacts connected with the complete life cycle (creation, use, end-of-life) of products, processes and activities, enabling the assessor to model the entire system from which products are derived or in which processes and activities operate. This volume introduces the major new book series LCA Compendium - The Complete World of Life Cycle Assessment. In this volume, the main drivers in the development of LCA are explored. The volume also discusses strengths and limitations in LCA as well as challenges and gaps, thus offering an unbiased picture of the state-of-the-art and future of LCA.

InhaltsangabeIntroducing Life Cycle Assessment and its Presentation in LCA Compendium.- The Role of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Development and Application.- The International Standards as the Constitution of Life Cycle Assessment: The ISO 14040 Series and its Offspring.- The UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative.- Life Cycle Assessment as reflected by The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.- Strengths and Limitations of Life Cycle Assessment.- Challenges in Life Cycle Assessment: An Overview of Current Gaps and Research Needs.- Index.