A market activity is an Activity that represents a market for a specific Product and acts as an intermediary node between production and consumption in Life Cycle Assessment system modelling. Unlike Transforming activities, which physically transform inputs into different outputs, market activities perform no physical transformation of the product itself.
The primary function of a market activity is to aggregate and mix similar intermediate product outputs from multiple supplying transforming activities. The resulting output, known as a Consumption mix, reflects the weighted combination of all suppliers contributing to that market.
This consumption mix is then provided as an input to downstream transforming activities that require the product. By using market activities as intermediary nodes, LCA databases can more accurately model real-world supply chains, where consumers typically do not source products from a single supplier but rather from a market comprising multiple producers with varying production methods, technologies, and environmental profiles.
In database architecture, market activities help avoid the need to directly link every consuming activity to every potential supplying activity, which simplifies system modelling and keeps supply chain variability and uncertainty visible.
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.
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