An LCA is more than just an analysis. It’s a roadmap to a deeper understanding of your environmental impact's true costs and opportunities. However, did you know, that LCA´s are useful to meet all kinds of regulations and standards too? LCAs provide the data organisations need to stay compliant by evaluating a product’s or service’s environmental impacts. This article walks you through five standards and regulations that can utilise an LCA for compliance.
Context: LCA’s are suitable for many sectors and sustainability applications
At Hedgehog, we offer pragmatic LCA guidance tailored to your organisation. Our experts have experience in various organisations and markets, from construction to the fashion industry.
In this article we will discuss the following two regulations and three standards:
Regulations: legally required
- CSRD, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
- Digital Product Passports (DPPs)
Standards: guidelines, not legally required but recommended
- Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)
- Scope 3 of GHG protocol
- Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
1. CSRD, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is a European regulation that requires companies to report on their environmental and social impacts in greater detail than ever before. LCA´s align perfectly with this directive by quantifying a wide range of environmental impacts. An LCA offers much more than quantifying carbon emission (ESRS E1 Climate change), it also helps measure and evaluate the other standards E2-E5.
- Climate change: LCAs measure global warming potential through greenhouse gas emissions.
- Pollution: They assess various forms of air, water, and soil contamination.
- Biodiversity: They evaluate land use changes and impacts on ecosystems, such as eutrophication and ecotoxicity.
- Resource depletion: LCAs track the consumption of raw materials and energy resources.
Additionally, to guide companies to commit to the CSRD requirements, Hedgehog provides CSRD training, and gap-analysis and delivers a step-by-step roadmap.
Please note that the CSRD, together with the CSDDD and the EU Taxonomy, is included in the EU Omnibus to reduce the regulatory burden. This results in updates to its requirements and implementation guidelines. It is advisable to refer to the latest official EU publications and announcements for the most current information.
2. Digital Product Passports (DPPs)
Under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are becoming a requirement for many products. They form a unique product tag that accesses all product information. It displays a product’s full lifecycle, across the whole value chain. Increasing transparency and traceability of products for all stakeholders stimulates circularity and sustainable design.
The Digital Product Passport will apply to all products entering the European market, even those coming from outside the EU. The first categories to require DPP compliance include batteries, textiles, iron and steel, aluminum, furniture, tires, detergents, paints, lubricants, chemicals, and electronics LCAs form the backbone of these passports by providing the data needed to document a product’s environmental performance.
An LCA provides the following required by the DDP:
- Detailed product information: LCAs supply data on environmental impacts, resource use, and carbon emissions.
- Lifecycle impacts: LCAs quantify impacts across the product lifecycle, ensuring transparency.
- Durability, repairability, and recyclability: By evaluating these factors, LCAs help ensure products align with circular economy goals.
- Material composition and sourcing: LCAs analyse supply chains to ensure materials are sustainably sourced.
Read more about the Digital Product Passport in the following articles:
EU Digital Product Passports: sustainable products
Packaging becomes an important part of the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment)
3. GHG protocol - Scope 3
The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol is the world’s leading framework for measuring and managing greenhouse gas emissions. It categorises emissions into three scopes:
Scope 1: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources
Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heat, or steam
Scope 3: All other indirect emissions across the value chain
LCAs provide the most effective way to calculate and understand Scope 3 emissions, which often account for the largest share of an organisation’s carbon footprint.
Scope 3 emissions are often the most challenging to calculate, as they encompass all emissions generated by the goods and services a company purchases. This includes materials like steel, wood, and plastics. Since these emissions occur outside the company's direct operations, they are beyond its immediate control, making access to impact information more complex.
An LCA is a useful tool to calculate especially scope 3 emissions by:
- Evaluating the carbon footprint of products and services by identifying emission sources, enables companies to implement targeted improvements.
- Quantifying emissions throughout the entire value chain: covering every stage from raw material extraction to manufacturing, transportation, usage, and disposal. This is crucial for calculating emissions from scope 3 as they also concern purchased goods and services.
- Identify hotspots for emission reduction: allowing organisations to focus on high-impact actions that maximise environmental and cost-saving benefits.
4. Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)
The Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) focuses specifically on greenhouse gas emissions across a product’s lifecycle. LCAs and PCFs share a common methodological foundation, making LCAs essential for calculating accurate PCFs. Here’s where they align:
- Comprehensive lifecycle assessments: LCAs provide the framework for analysing emissions at every stage.
- Data collection and analysis: The methods used in LCAs support the robust data needs of PCFs.
- ISO 14067 compliance: This international standard for greenhouse gas quantification is built on LCA principles.
5. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
Type III Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), governed by ISO 14025, communicate a product’s environmental performance in a standardised format. This type of environmental declaration is third-party verified and therefore must be based on LCA. For an EPD´s are:
- Based on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): This type of Environmental Declaration uses data from an LCA to provide detailed, quantified information about the environmental impact of a product throughout its entire life cycle.
- Conducted according to established Product Category Rules (PCRs): These rules specify how the LCA should be conducted for each product category and what information should be included in the LCA report
- Quantitative environmental data: LCAs deliver the hard numbers required for EPDs.
- Support multiple impact categories: LCAs assess everything from carbon emissions to water use, pollution, and more.
This transparency is essential for businesses looking to showcase their sustainability credentials. Read more in the following article:
What are the differences between Type I, Type II, and Type III Environmental Declarations?
Ready to get started?
At Hedgehog, we specialise in creating tailored LCAs that align with your business goals and regulatory requirements. We also offer guidance on all the regulations and standards mentioned above. Our proven six-step LCA approach covers everything from modelling and data collection to impact analysis and reporting.
Curious about how an LCA can benefit your company? Contact us today to learn more or schedule a consultation. Together, we can build a more sustainable future.
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