Life cycle assessment (LCA)

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method used to evaluate the environmental impact of a product throughout its

entire life — from the extraction of raw materials, through production and use, all the way to disposal or recycling. LCA is important because it helps biodesigners:

1. Avoid greenwashing: Some bio-based materials may still have a high impact when produced or transported.

2. Make informed material choices: LCA highlights which parts of the design cause the most environmental harm.

3. Improve sustainability: It guides better decisions by showing where environmental performance can be improved.

4. Support transparency and trust: LCA provides measurable data that can be shared with stakeholders, regulators, and customers.

• Map the full life cycle of your product
  Identify all stages: raw material sourcing, production, transportation, use, and end-of-life (reuse, composting, recycling, or disposal).

• Collect data on materials and processes

Gather information on energy use, water consumption, emissions, and waste for each stage of the product's life.

• Choose the right LCA tool or partner

Use tools like SimaPro, Granta Edupack, OpenLCA — or collaborate with LCA experts to support your assessment.

• Compare alternatives

Test different materials or processes to see which option has the lowest environmental impact — even between biobased options.

• Translate insights into design decisions

Use LCA results to improve the sustainability of your biodesign — reduce hotspots, shorten transport chains, or redesign for longer product life or easier biodegradation.