LCA Glossary

Partitioning the input or output flows of a process or a product system between the product system under study and one or more other product systems.

An approach to LCA that describes the environmentally relevant physical flows to and from a life cycle and its subsystems.

The calculation of category indicator results, converting LCI results into common units using characterization factors.

An approach to LCA that describes how environmentally relevant flows will change in response to possible decisions.

Specification of the amount of material, energy flow, or level of environmental significance excluded from a study.

Material or energy entering the system being studied from the environment without previous human transformation, or leaving the system and released to the environment.

Quantified performance of a product system for use as a reference unit in an LCA study.

Phase of LCA aimed at understanding and evaluating the magnitude and significance of potential environmental impacts.

Class representing environmental issues of concern to which LCI results can be assigned.

Compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs, and potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle.

Phase of LCA involving the compilation and quantification of inputs and outputs for a product throughout its life cycle.

A characterization method that models the impact pathway up to a certain point before the endpoint.

Calculation of the magnitude of category indicator results relative to a reference value.

Collection of unit processes with elementary and product flows, performing one or more defined functions.

A widely used LCIA method that integrates midpoint and endpoint approaches into a consistent framework.

Measure of the outputs from processes in a given product system required to fulfil the function expressed by the functional unit.

Systematic procedure for estimating the effects of choices made regarding methods and data on the outcome of a study.

Set of criteria specifying which unit processes are part of a product system.

An allocation avoidance technique that expands the product system to include functions of co-products.

Systematic procedure to quantify the uncertainty introduced into the results of an LCA due to cumulative effects of model imprecision and input uncertainty.

Smallest element considered in the LCI for which input and output data are quantified.

Process of converting indicator results of different impact categories by using numerical factors based on value-choices.