This text replaces the 1992 study, Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Products: Guide and Background published by the Centre of Environmental Science (CML) at Leiden U., The Netherlands. Incorporating advances in life cycle assessment (LCA) from the past decade, the text is a step-by-step guide to conducting an LCA study. Coverage includes a general introduction to LCA, procedural design and guidelines for best available practice for each of step of an LCA study, current operational models and data from the best available practice, and scientific background to the study, with reasoned justifications for the methodological choices. The new study was undertaken by CML, in collaboration with several government, research and academic institutions in The Netherlands and Denmark.
Part I LCA in Perspective: Why a new Guide to LCA?; Main characteristics of LCA; International developments; Guiding principles for the present Guide; Reading guide. Part 2a Guide, Reading guidance: Management of LCA projects - procedures; Goal and scope definition; Inventory analysis; Impact assessment; Interpretation. Appendix - Terms, definitions and abbreviations. Part 2b Operational annex, List of tables, Reading guidance: Management of LCA projects - procedures; Goal and scope definition; Inventory analysis; Impact assessment; Interpretation; References. Part 3 Scientific background, Reading guidance: General introduction; Goal and scope definition; Inventory analysis; Impact assessment; Interpretation; References. Annexes: Contributors; Areas of application of LCA; Partitioning economic inputs and outputs to product systems.
From the reviews: "The Handbook on Life-Cycle Assessment is a guidance document and handbook, one that covers everything from the best choice of methods for all phases of an LCA study to detailed scientific discussion on methodological issues. ! The information given ! is very detailed. ! It provides 225 pages of tables of conversion factors, characterization factors, normalization factors, and so on. ! readers are entitled to high expectations given the impressive team of authors behind this book, and the assumed intended audience will not be disappointed." (Lars-Gunnar Lindfors, Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol. 7 (2), 2003)