Frequently Asked Questions
How is the ‘Zinc for Life’ website going to develop over the years?
‘Zinc for Life’ is a 3-year program that was launched in 2006. This website will continuously report on the progress of the program and thus be expanded over time into a life cycle data platform for the zinc industry. Make sure to come back and check for updates – and do not hesitate to get in touch if there is anything you miss.
Do LCI data allow for a distinction between good and bad materials?
No, using Life Cycle Inventories (LCI) for comparing 1kg of material A with 1kg of material B is nonsense. LCI are only building blocks of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies. LCA, in turn, can only compare whole systems which provide the same service. Different materials have different properties and functions and/or are used in different designs – so comparisons on a material level are meaningless. LCA rather considers how the service for the user or consumer is achieved and then compares which system has the smaller environmental footprint.
Can LCA data be used to assess the local environmental impacts of production sites?
No, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) cannot be used to determine any local impacts. This is because LCA considers potential impacts with varying geographic scope, from regional to global. Moreover, the underlying Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data will usually be averages from different sites and regions.
How then can LCA help to make more environmentally responsible products?
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the underlying Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data can identify the relevant drivers of environmental performance, e.g. pointing out a weakness along the product system where great amounts of energy are consumed or large amounts of waste arise. Similarly, such an analysis may also indicate where an improvement of efficiency is desirable or possible.
What is the diferrence between Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and Life Cycle Inventory (LCI)?
LCA involves an assessment of the environmental impacts of the material and energy flows through the product system. The LCI does not comprise this impact assessment step, but only the list of material and energy flows.
Additionally, it is common practice to provide LCI data for a single industrial production process as opposed to the whole product system from raw materials to product to waste. These partial studies are often called ‘from cradle to gate’, or eco-profiles.
If you would like to ask a question, please go to the Contact section.
What is Life Cycle Assessment?
‘Zinc for Life’ relies on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies. LCA is a standardized scientific method for systematic analysis of all mass and energy flows as well as environmental impacts attributed to a product system, from raw materials acquisition to end-of-life management. This full life cycle scope is often described as ‘from cradle to grave’. In accordance with the international standards on Life Cycle Assessment (ISO 14040–44), an LCA study has four phases:
Goal and Scope
determining the object, framework and goals of the study
Life Cycle Inventory
compiling an input/output analysis of material and energy flows from operations along product system
Life Cycle Impact Assessment
evaluating the environmental relevance of material and energy flows (e.g. with regard to resource depletion or global warming potential)
Interpretation
drawing conclusions (e.g. main drivers of environmental performance).
LCA can thus be used to examine the environmental performance of competitive products or material applications and to identify optimization potentials.
