Life Cycle Thinking
Figure 1. The Role of Inventory
Introduction
'Life Cycle Thinking' refers to the development and analysis of product systems (which includes both products and services) by looking at the inputs and outputs of materials over its life. Life Cycle Thinking is the over arching principal which encompasses a wide range of approaches, methods and tools.
Currently there is a strong interest in the government sector surrounding the concept of 'Eco-Verification'. Eco-Verification can be defined loosely as the research, creation and communication of objective and quantitative metrics relating to the environmental impact of products we produce.
These discussions have resulted in some key areas or gaps being defined. A particular gap around Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) methods and parameters has been defined by the Ministry of Research Science and Technology (MoRST) and the Ministry of Economic Development.
This report investigates the application of Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) or Inventory Analysis in the New Zealand context. It sought to understand current activity and isolate key issues and opportunities which could be used by government, research and commercial stakeholders.
LCI has a number of key steps which impact on the creation of an effective data set that can be widely used. Some of these steps offer opportunities for a homogenous approach while others are too context specific and dependent on the goal and scope of a particular study.
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