Abstract
Life-cycle analysis (LCA) has been described by its proponents as an environmental panacea, capable of providing engineers, designers, and managers with everything that they need to make environmentally correct decisions. Unfortunately, the goals of the technique and the reality of its application are very different. Like any analytical technique, its application requires the imposition of assumptions to accommodate limitations in budgets, resources, and know-how. Furthermore, the evaluation of the analytical results introduces questions of strategy and priority that are currently unresolved. Thus, while the concepts underlying LCA are readily understandable, the practical application of the method has substantial problems.
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Field, F.R., Isaacs, J.A. & Clark, J.P. Life-cycle analysis of automobiles: A critical review of methodologies. JOM 46, 12–16 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03220667
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03220667