Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) is a phase of Life Cycle Assessment aimed at understanding and evaluating the magnitude and significance of the potential environmental Impacts for a Product system throughout the life cycle of the Product, as defined in ISO 14040 clause 3.4.
LCIA is the interpretative phase of LCA where compiled inventory data from the Life Cycle Inventory analysis is translated into environmental impact indicators. This phase moves beyond simply listing emissions and resource consumption to assessing what these flows actually mean for the environment and human wellbeing.
The LCIA phase transforms elementary exchanges into quantified environmental impacts through characterisation models. These models describe relationships between inventory results and impact categories such as climate change, acidification, eutrophication, human toxicity, and resource depletion. Each impact represents a causal, directional relationship between an activity and an environmental issue of concern, typically involving a significant externality.
The assessment evaluates both the magnitude (how large is the impact?) and the significance (how important is this impact relative to others or to reference levels?) of potential environmental consequences. This dual focus allows decision-makers to identify hotspots in product systems, compare alternative solutions, and prioritise improvement opportunities based on their environmental relevance.
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.
