Publications
Publications
- November 2023 (Revised August 2024)
- HBS Case Collection
Life Cycle Assessment: An Overview
By: Willy C. Shih, Michael W. Toffel and Kelsey Carter
Abstract
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a holistic approach to quantifying the environmental impacts—including resources consumed and wastes produced—associated with the entire life cycle of a product, from the production or extraction of the raw materials used in its creation, to its end-of-use disposition. LCAs are often used to better understand how choices made in a product’s design (e.g., materials, assembly, energy sources, energy efficiency) would affect its overall environmental impact. This note provides an overview of the different types of LCAs, LCA methodology, and LCA tools and databases.
Keywords
Life-cycle; Environmental Performance; Design; Environmental Management; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Measurement and Metrics; Standards; Accounting; Environmental Accounting
Citation
Shih, Willy C., Michael W. Toffel, and Kelsey Carter. "Life Cycle Assessment: An Overview." Harvard Business School Background Note 624-052, November 2023. (Revised August 2024.)