CONCEPTUAL REVIEW OF THE STEPS OF A LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

Abstract

The search for a more sustainable development in the long term, aiming at the efficient use of raw materials, water, and energy, through the non-generation, minimization, or reuse of waste throughout a production process is a current trend. It is in this scenario that life cycle assessment, a system developed to measure the likely potential environmental impacts arising from the production or use of a particular product or service, stands out in the new green marketing conceptions of companies and in the scientific research of knowledge. ISO standards 14040 and 14044 structure the study performed in a life cycle assessment into 4 distinct steps: definition of objectives and scope, inventory analysis, assessment of impacts, and interpretation. This review article yearns for an explanation of each phase, making this methodology a tool in the identification of critical points in the product life cycle and making possible improvements in the productive processes through the improvement in the efficiency of the production stages and in the reduction of costs.