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Life cycle assessment (LCA) has seen a surge in popularity in recent years. It is increasingly being used by companies, governments, and other institutions to assess the environmental impact of their products and operations, to identify opportunities for improvement, and to support decision-making and communication about environmental issues. Until now LCA has not been regulated in most countries, instead being used in a voluntary or self-regulatory context. However, with growing awareness of environmental decline and the need to take action to improve environmental performance, this may change. This leads to an important question: will companies be mandated by regulation to use LCA?

Several regulations and standards already actively encourage the use of LCA as a tool for measuring environmental impacts. For example, the European Union's Eco-Design Directive (2009/125/EC) requires the use of LCA for certain types of products. In addition, several industry-specific regulations and standards (e.g., automotive, electronics, construction) require the use of LCA or similar methods (e.g., EPD) for evaluating the environmental impacts of products and processes. In addition, carbon footprinting (a subset of the LCA methodology), has become a focus for environmental policy in recent years due to the emergence of net zero targets.

It now appears increasingly likely that LCA will be regulated in some countries or sectors soon. Some governments have already implemented regulations that require the use of LCA for certain product types or activities. In the European Union, for example, the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF), based on LCA methodology, is currently being developed as a tool for assessing the environmental impacts of products and is intended to be used in various sectors and applications.

Once launched, the PEF methodology will likely continue to be developed and refined in response to the changes in technology, data availability, and user needs. The European Commission has already stated that it plans to expand the use of the PEF methodology to cover a wide range of products and sectors.

It is also possible that LCA will become a requirement for certification or labelling programs in the future, such as environmental product certification schemes or eco-labels. Just like the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which uses LCA to calculate environmental impacts, these programs may also require companies to undertake an LCA to participate in the program and use the certification or label on their products.

While it is not yet clear whether LCA will be regulated in all sectors or regions, it almost certainly will remain at the heart of the global movement toward environmental sustainability. LCA is one of the best tools we currently have at our disposal for understanding and improving the environmental credentials of products and processes and is therefore likely to be used as a platform for global regulations in this space in the future.

For more insight into life cycle assessments, download our Beginner’s Guide to Life Cycle Assessment whitepaper. You can also visit our sustainability page or connect with our team to learn how Yordas can help you assess the environmental impact of your products, identify opportunities for improvement and support decision-making about environmental issues.

To learn more about the PEF method, you can also sign-up for next week’s ‘Product Environmental Footprint: The Next Big Thing?’ webinar here.