A life-cycle assessment (LCA) evaluates the environmental impacts of a product over its life, from raw-material extraction to disposal. It is expressed per functional unit, the service delivered (for example, one wash of a load of laundry), within a system boundary that states which processes are included. A cradle-to-gate assessment stops when the product leaves the factory.
Chemistry · Glossary
What is Life-cycle assessment?
Also known as: functional unit · system boundary · cradle-to-gate assessment