1. Defining objectives and goals

Comparison can involve selection (identifying the best alternatives), sorting (separating the good alternatives from the average and the bad) and ranking of the alternatives. The purposes of the study, i.e. the uses to which the results will be put, can be manifold. For companies, LCA studies are generally aimed at evaluating a product or process and its alternatives, with a view to improving and communicating its environmental performance, designing new products and processes, or selecting raw materials for purchase. In most cases, public authorities or associations seek to validate the performance of a product or process that industry or the State presents as "clean". The aim of a...