Life-cycle assessment in U.S. codes and standards

This article focuses on life-cycle assessment (LCA) as a tool for the quantification of the environmental impact of a product or process. This comprehensive method considers all environmental flows over the life of the product; this includes all materials and energy consumed as well as all emissions to air, land and water. In addition to a detailed description of LCA, the author desribes its requirements according to U.S. codes and standards.