Understanding LCA

Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) helps you measure and understand the environmental impact of your products. This chapter will explain the key concepts and calculations that make up an LCA in EandoX, and how to reason about the data you enter.

Please note

If you are looking for more hands-on information on how to enter data, a good place to start is the Workflow overview.

About this chapter

While other chapters focus on how to enter data in EandoX, this chapter helps you understand what data to enter and why. It covers how to make informed decisions about what data to include, and how improving your data quality leads to more accurate LCAs. It also touches on how LCAs connect with EPDs, as these two tools are closely related.

Why data quality matters

The quality of your input data directly affects how accurate your LCA will be. Good data helps you make confident decisions about your product design and shows you exactly where environmental improvements will have the most impact. When comparing different products, quality data ensures your comparisons reflect real environmental differences.

Good data quality is also essential for regulatory compliance. As environmental requirements get stricter, reliable LCA data helps you meet current standards and prepare for future ones. This becomes especially important when you need to create EPDs or respond to customer requirements about sustainability.