Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Understanding the True Impact of Materials and Products
Today, discussing environmental impact without referring to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has little meaning. LCA has become the reference tool for objectively evaluating the environmental consequences of a product or material. Both comprehensive and demanding, it helps guide choices in design, manufacturing, and collaboration — provided its assumptions and limitations are properly understood.
What is a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?
Life Cycle Assessment is a standardized scientific method for evaluating the overall environmental impact of a product throughout its entire life. It considers every stage of the product’s journey:
- Resource extraction
- Raw material processing
- Manufacturing
- Transportation
- Usage
- End-of-life (reuse, recycling, incineration, etc.)
LCA provides a complete overview, a “snapshot” of the product’s full life cycle, which often helps to go beyond assumptions.
For example:
- A product labeled as recyclable may have a high environmental footprint if it is heavy, imported over long distances, or underused.
- Conversely, a non-biodegradable but robust, local, and long-lasting product can be significantly more environmentally relevant.
A common risk is to reduce LCA to a single number (e.g., kg CO₂ equivalent per kg) or a simplified label, without considering usage reality, biodiversity impact, or systemic effects.
The LCA of Greenfib® Material
Our approach is built on three core pillars:
- 100% bio-based material, derived from castor oil, or incorporating recycled Greenfib® content
- Manufactured in France, leveraging short supply chains and minimizing logistics impacts
- Designed for durable usage, including reusability, reparability, and product longevity
The resulting LCA is meaningful: between 1.23 and 1.64 kg CO₂ equivalent per kg of material.
Beyond LCA: Asking the Right Questions
LCA of a material serves the broader LCA of the finished product. Evaluating a product requires asking complementary questions:
- Is the product genuinely useful? How does it contribute to changing behaviors?
- Is it used frequently and over a long period?
- Can it be repaired, shared, or passed on?
- How are return, cleaning, storage, and end-of-life managed?
In practice, usage patterns often determine the actual environmental impact of the product far more than the material alone.
A Collaborative Approach with Our Clients
At Greenfib, we view LCA as a tool for dialogue. We share our analyses with clients to co-create solutions adapted to their real context, constraints, and objectives.
A meaningful LCA is neither ideological nor dogmatic. It is an intelligent balance between material choice, usage, and context. It is in this balance that the most sustainable solutions emerge.
For Greenfib, LCA is a valuable ally in addressing eco-conscious behavior and building a collaborative dynamic towards more sustainable practices.
FAQ – Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
1. Is LCA only about numbers?
No. LCA provides quantitative indicators such as CO₂ equivalent, but environmental impact cannot be reduced to a single figure. Results must be interpreted in light of real usage, product lifespan, reparability, and the broader production and consumption context.
2. Why is the LCA of a material not sufficient to assess the impact of a product?
A material-level LCA focuses on the life cycle of the material itself. Assessing the true impact of a finished product also requires considering how often it is used, how long it lasts, whether it can be repaired or reused, and how it is collected and treated at end of life.
3. How does Greenfib use LCA with its clients?
Greenfib uses LCA as a collaborative tool. By sharing its analyses with clients, Greenfib helps co-design solutions that are adapted to real-world uses and constraints. The objective is to strike a balance between material choice, usage, and context in order to build functional and sustainable projects.