The end of life stage represents the final phase of a Product life cycle, covering all Treatment activities performed after a product has completed its useful service life. This stage begins when a product is discarded or retired from active use and continues through to its ultimate fate, whether that be recycling, energy recovery, or final disposal.
End of life covers several possible pathways. Recycling activities process discarded products to recover valuable materials as By-products that can displace determining products in other production activities. Intermediate treatment activities may process materials through multiple stages before they reach their ultimate destination. Final disposal activities are the terminal point where Materials for treatment are permanently disposed of without further product outputs, such as through landfilling or incineration without energy recovery.
In Life Cycle Assessment, modelling end of life is important for capturing the full environmental profile of a product system. The choice of end of life pathway significantly influences the overall environmental impacts, particularly when recycling or energy recovery displaces other production activities or energy generation. Understanding end of life processes therefore helps identify opportunities to improve product sustainability through design for disassembly, material selection, and waste management strategies.
As Chief Operating Officer, Iris leads our organisational development and oversees day-to-day operations. Before joining 2-0, she worked in the biotechnology sector. As an LCA consultant, Iris has devoted her expertise primarily to the domains of sustainable agriculture and food production. She is dedicated to teaching LCA and is responsible for our educational efforts. Iris holds an M.Sc. in Biology – Biotechnology from the University of Copenhagen.
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Glossary terms are clearer once you have seen them applied. Our guide to what LCA is and how it works walks through the complete methodology: goal and scope, inventory modelling, impact assessment, and interpretation.
If you are working on an LCA study and want it done properly, see how we approach life cycle assessment.
