1 Introduction
2 Panoply of definitions
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Attributional LCA (ALCA): to provide information on what portion of global burdens can be associated with a specific product life cycle.
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Consequential LCA (CLCA): to provide information on the environmental burdens that occur, directly or indirectly, as a consequence of a decision (usually represented by changes in demand for a product).
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Backcasting LCA (BLCA): exploring ways—in a life-cycle perspective—to meet normatively defined sustainability levels (planetary boundaries) through adapted affluence (as consumption levels), population growth, and/or technologies (Heijungs et al. 2014);
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Integrated LCA (ILCA): LCA integrated with other modeling approaches such as input-output analysis, energy-scenario modeling, and, for example, material flow analysis (Hertwich et al. 2014); method for assessing the environmental and resource implications of scenarios for large-scale adoption of climate change mitigation measures (Gibon et al. 2015);
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Anticipatory LCA (NLCA): a forward-looking, non-predictive tool that increases model uncertainty through inclusion of prospective modeling tools, decision theory, and multiple social perspectives (Wender et al. 2014);
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Scenario-based LCA (SLCA): LCA based on scenarios separating three modeling processes, life-cycle modeling, scenario modeling, and valuation modeling (Fukushima and Hirao 2002).
3 Similarities and differences
Question | Reference | |
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ALCA | What is the life-cycle impact of 1 kWh of electricity at grid in France in 2006? | (Frischknecht and Stucki 2010) |
BLCA | What is the maximum attainable affluence for the EU27 in 2020 and 2050 to meet related EU GHG target? | (Heijungs et al. 2014) |
CLCA | What are the consequences of an increased demand of wheat in Denmark? Which effect does the decision to purchase an additional kWh of electricity have on the electricity market and/or on the environmental impacts? | (Schmidt 2010) (Frischknecht and Stucki 2010) |
DLCA | Which effect does the decision to purchase an additional kWh of electricity have on the electricity market and/or on the environmental impacts? | (Frischknecht and Stucki 2010) |
ILCA | What are the system-wide life-cycle impacts of a specific energy transition? | (Hertwich et al. 2014) |
NLCA | What are the future environmental burdens associated with an emerging technology for both reasonable and extreme-case scenarios? | (Wender et al. 2014) |
PLCA | What are the environmental benefits and impacts of nanosilver T-shirts compared with conventional T-shirts and T-shirts treated with triclosan? | (Walser et al. 2011) |
SLCA | What is the best scenario for improving the life-cycle environmental performance of a car? | (Fukushima and Hirao 2002) |
Question addressed | Key method | Object of analysis | Scope | Other methods/models used | Allocation method | |||
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Temporal | Processes | Data | ||||||
ALCA | What are the environmental impacts of a product system as it currently functions? | LCA | Commercially existing product system; as it is or was | Present, past | All | SDb | n.a. | Variable |
BLCA | What is a region’s maximum attainable affluence to meet its planetary boundaries at time t with constant technologies and population? | IOA | Regional/global consumption; as it should be | Future, past | All sectors | Linear programming (LP) simplex algorithm | Variable | |
CLCA | What are the consequences of an increased demand of a certain product system? | LCA | Commercially existing product system; as it changes due to a decision | Future | Marginal, market | SDb | CGEM; PGEM; IAM; LOM | Substitution |
DLCA | What are the consequences of an increased demand of a certain product system? | LCA | Commercially existing product system; as it changes due to a decision | Future | Marginal, B2B | SDb | n.a. | Substitution |
ILCA | What are the global life-cycle impacts of a specific energy transition? | LCA | Global energy consumption | Future | All | SDb and TI, B, IOA | IOA, IEA Blue Map scenario | Variable |
NLCA | What are the expected environmental impacts of an emerging product system? | LCA | Emerging product system | Future | All | SDb and TI, F, B (optional) | Learning curves; technology and chemical models | Variable |
PLCA | What are the expected environmental impacts of an emerging product system? | LCA | Emerging product system | Future | All | SDb and TI, F,B (optional) | Learning curves; technology and chemical models | Variable |
SLCA | What are the expected environmental impacts of a certain future scenario of a product system? | LCA | Emerging product system | Dynamic, from past to future | All | Calculated | Life-cycle modeling language | Variable |