LCA Process in the Eco-Design Process

This chapter provides the main concepts of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) technique. LCA process is a systematic, phased approach and consists of four components: goal definition and scoping, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation. Moreover a comparative Life Cycle Assessment between two different models of domestic refrigerators has been carried out in this chapter using the eco-indicator methodology. The study of life cycle enabled the analysis and the subsequent comparison of the results about environmental impact, focusing with special attention on those of energetic nature, coming from the comparison between a refrigerator (Old Model) and its successive corresponding model (New Model), which was structurally modified by means of a product’s redesign.