What is the LCA Library?
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an internationally standardised methodology used to assess the environmental impact of products, goods and services across their life cycle from resource extraction, across its use by the user, to its final end-of-life destination.
An LCA measures the environmental impacts of each distinct part involved in creating and using products and services, such as energy used in production, fuel used in transport and end-of-life ecological costs. This information provides data on environmental performance as well as helping us compare between products, materials, and methods used, providing useful information by which to make decisions that could help the environment.
LCA has become an increasingly popular tool to identify significant areas of impact for improvement, avoid unintended consequences and to explore future scenarios based on alternatives.
What is the LCA library?
The LCA Library is a database of publicly available LCAs on plastics, split into two parts:
Both parts are searchable, with advance options, to help the user navigate to relevant studies. Each result list will provide a brief overview of the studies found, along with a link to the LCA study.
Who can access?
The LCA Library is freely available to all members of RECOUP and the BPF.
If you do not currently have login details for the library, please contact: lca@recoup.org.
About us – RECOUP/BPF
RECOUP is the UK’s leading independent authority and trusted voice on plastics resource efficiency and recycling. As a registered charity, our work is supported by members who share our commitments including a more sustainable use of plastics, increased plastics recycling, improved environmental performance and meeting legislative requirements.
The British Plastics Federation (BPF)
The BPF is the UK trade association representing the plastics industry, providing access to a range of services and resources designed to help businesses succeed in the industry. These include technical and regulatory support, access to industry research and data, and networking opportunities around the entire industry.
How did we develop the LCA library?
The LCA Library was developed through collaboration between RECOUP and the BPF to help with finding publicly available LCAs of plastic materials, products and processes. The aim was to be able to quickly identify those that met the requirements of a particular research topic or to help with doing an initial comparison of different materials at an early scoping phase of a project.
All publicly available LCAs of plastics materials, products and processes found have been added to the library, along with all known information under a set of headings, including Goal of the study, Functional Unit, Impact categories and ISO Compliance.
While we have completed extensive searches for publicly available LCAs we cannot be responsible for any omissions. Addition of LCA studies to the library does not entail an endorsement or promotion by either RECOUP or the BPF.
Get in touch
If you have any questions related to the LCA library,
suggestions for inclusion or would like to find out
more about RECOUP or the BPF, get in touch