Recommendations for Life Cycle Impact Assessment in the European context - based on existing environmental impact assessment models and factors (International Reference Life Cycle Data System - ILCD handbook)

To achieve more sustainable production and consumption patterns, we must consider the environmental implications of the whole supply-chain of products, both goods and services, their use, and waste management, i.e. their entire life cycle from �cradle to grave�. In the Communication on Integrated Product Policy (IPP), (EC, 2003), the European Commission committed to produce a handbook on best practice in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Action Plan (EC, 2008) confirmed that �(�) consistent and reliable data and methods are required to asses the overall environmental performance of products (�)�. The International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook provides governments and businesses with a basis for assuring quality and consistency of life cycle data, methods and assessments. This guidance document provides recommendations on models and characterisation factors that should be used in Life Cycle Impact Assessement (LCIA) to analyse the emissions into air, water and soil, as well as the natural resources consumed in terms of their contributions to different impacts on human health, natural environment, and availability of resources. It supports the calculation of indicators for different impacts such as climate change, ozone depletion, photochemical ozone formation, respiratory inorganics, ionising radiation, acidification, eutrophication, human toxicity, ecotoxicity, land use and resource depletion for use in a common integrated framework, such as Life Cycle Assessment.

JRC.H.8 - Sustainability Assessment