NICER INSIGHT REPORT: LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA) AND THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

CE HUB 2025

NICER PROGRAMME INSIGHT REPORT

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool for evaluating the impacts of a product or service throughout its entire lifespan (International Organization for Standardization [ISO] 2006a; ISO 2006b). A product life cycle can include everything from the extraction of raw materials, through manufacturing and use, to the management of a product at end-of-use (Figure 1). LCA most commonly examines environmental impacts, including resource use, and emissions to impacts on the biosphere, based on the energy materials and other inputs over the life cycle. It may also include assessment of economic and social impacts, such as life cycle costs, labour practices and community wellbeing. LCA enables identification of impact hotspots within the life cycle, helping businesses and organisations make informed decisions about design, production, and end-of use strategies.

The Circular Economy presents a compelling alternative to the traditional linear “take-make-dispose” model. It offers a vision of sustainable resource use, whereby products, components and materials are maintained at their highest utility and value at all times and scales, with continual interlinked cycling of man-made materials, and cascading cycling of biological materials to ultimately nourish the earth. Its goals are greater economic stability, with more equitable sharing of resources, and maintenance of consumption and environmental impacts within planetary boundaries (Stegemann, 2017). This approach aligns well with the holistic perspective of LCA. LCA can be a valuable tool in implementing a Circular Economy, as it can be used to assess the benefits of various circular strategies, such as
product design for disassembly, and component or material reuse or recycling.

After receiving information from all the NICER centres that carried out an LCA, a list of 10 key insights has been collated.