Lifecycle Carbon Assessment Calculator (LCA)

A Lifecycle Carbon Assessment (LCA) quantifies the greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product or service across its entire life — from raw material extraction ('cradle') through manufacturing, use, and final disposal ('grave'). It is measured in kg CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e), which accounts for all greenhouse gases on a common warming-potential scale. LCA is defined by ISO standards 14040 and 14044.

This calculator covers four key stages: (1) Raw Materials — extraction and processing of input materials; (2) Manufacturing — energy used to produce the product; (3) Transport — supply chain logistics emissions; (4) Use Phase — operational energy consumption over the product's lifespan; and (5) End of Life — disposal, recycling, or recovery. Together these form a 'cradle-to-grave' boundary.

LCA is valuable for product designers, engineers, sustainability managers, and procurement teams who want to reduce environmental impact. It is increasingly required for Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), green procurement tenders, Scope 3 carbon accounting under GHG Protocol, and sustainability reporting under frameworks like GRI and TCFD.

Grid carbon intensity is the amount of CO₂e emitted per kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed, expressed in kg CO₂e/kWh. It varies by country and energy mix. The UK average is approximately 0.233 kg CO₂e/kWh, the global average around 0.475, and renewable-heavy grids (e.g. Norway) can be as low as 0.02. You can look up your country's figure from sources like the IEA, IPCC, or national grid operators.

Using recycled or secondary materials typically requires significantly less energy to process than virgin raw materials, reducing the carbon intensity of your raw materials stage. This calculator applies a linear credit based on your recycled content percentage, reducing the raw materials carbon accordingly. For example, using 50% recycled aluminium can cut materials-stage emissions by over 90% compared to virgin aluminium.

Landfill generates methane (a potent greenhouse gas) from decomposing organic content, making it typically the worst option. Incineration with energy recovery generates CO₂ but offsets some emissions through recovered heat or power. Recycling avoids virgin material production in future cycles and carries a net negative or near-zero factor. Reuse/refurbishment avoids manufacture of a new unit entirely. Composting applies only to organic materials and generally results in low net emissions.

A Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) focuses exclusively on greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂e) across the lifecycle, as this calculator does. A full LCA covers a broader set of environmental impact categories including water use, land use, toxicity, eutrophication, and ozone depletion. PCF/carbon LCA is the most commonly requested analysis and a practical starting point for most organisations.

This tool provides an indicative estimate based on simplified lifecycle modelling and the input values you provide. Results should be treated as a screening-level or hotspot analysis rather than a certified LCA. For regulatory submissions, EPDs, or published sustainability claims, a full LCA conducted by a qualified practitioner using databases such as EcoInvent or GaBi is recommended.