Life cycle analysis with LCAworks
Life cycle analysis is a tool used to assess the environmental impact of a product or process. The assessment is done across the entire lifecycle, from concept through production to disposal.
Sustainability and environmental assessments like life cycle analyses are important tools to industry. The results can help improve an organisation’s sustainability and reduce their environmental impact. It can also help them increase the efficiency of their processes.
Services
Using a combination of life cycle analysis and other environmental and sustainability modelling tools, LCAworks offer:
- Greenhouse gas foot-printing
- Full environmental lifecycle analysis
- Advice on reduce environmental impacts
- Full sustainability assessment including environmental and social aspects
- Advice on sustainability issues specific to developing countries
- Independent third-party reviews of policies, statements and regulatory returns
- Partnerships on R&D proposals and programmes
Bottles with reduced carbon footprints
The Coca-Cola Company has developed a new bottle which is made through a process that turns sugar cane and molasses, a by-product of sugar production, into a key component for PET plastic.
LCAworks carried out a life cycle analysis that indicates this new bottle, of which 30% is made of plant-based material, should reduce the related carbon footprint compared to petroleum-based PET plastic bottles. Coca-Cola North America have already began to pilot this bottle in select markets.
Calculating greenhouse gases
Biofuels are seen as one of the leading solutions to the energy crisis, and the UK government is keen to encourage their production and use over fossil fuels.
They are considered in some ways as carbon neutral, because the carbon produced by burning them has already been offset by the carbon they absorbed during growth.
But this is only part of the carbon story. The Home Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA) have worked with LCAworks scientists to develop a greenhouse gas calculator. This uses the lifecycle analysis principles to calculate the carbon emissions of different biofuels using different production technologies. In this way the basic neutral carbon emission model is expanded and the full carbon footprint of biofuel production can be assessed.
