Performing life cycle impact assessment with the midpoint and endpoint method ReCiPe

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Sustainability Studies
• Industrial Ecology

Background:

• Life cycle assessment (LCA) is crucial for understanding and mitigating environmental impacts.
• Standardized guidelines for the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) phase of LCA are currently lacking, leading to potential misinterpretation.
• The LCIA step quantifies and evaluates the significance of potential environmental impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a systematic procedure for performing and reporting the LCIA step.
• To identify the most meaningful LCA results and assess their robustness.
• To provide clear guidance for reducing environmental impacts without burden shifting.

Main Methods:

• Development of a systematic procedure for LCIA, utilizing the ReCiPe methodology.
• Application of the procedure to a passenger car tire case study.
• Inclusion of 18 midpoint and 3 endpoint environmental impact categories (human health, ecosystem, resource scarcity).

Main Results:

• The proposed method enables systematic performance and reporting of LCIA.
• A midpoint-to-endpoint contribution analysis is recommended to identify key impact categories.
• The study demonstrates the application of the method using a passenger car tire case study.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive LCIA, including all endpoint categories and perspectives, is essential for accurate assessment.
• The developed procedure enhances the clarity and robustness of LCA results.
• This approach facilitates effective communication to stakeholders for environmental impact reduction.