Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool that enables companies to assess the environmental impact of their products throughout their entire life cycle.

To better understand LCA in practice, we turn to the iconic outdoor apparel brand, Patagonia. Patagonia has established itself as a pioneer in sustainable practices, utilizing LCA to evaluate and improve the environmental impact of its products.

In 2013, the company conducted an LCA on one of its most popular items, the Patagonia Synchilla® Snap-T® fleece.

The LCA aimed to evaluate the product's life cycle, identify areas for improvement, and promote sustainable decision-making. Here are the 4 key steps for an LCA.

1. Goal and Scope Definition: This is where a company like Patagonia starts the LCA by setting clear goals and boundaries for the assessment. For example, they decide to evaluate the environmental impact of one fleece jacket. They also specify what aspects will be considered, like carbon emissions and water usage.

2. Life Cycle Inventory Analysis: In this phase, Patagonia collects detailed data about each stage involved in making and using the fleece jacket. For example, Patagonia collects data on the energy used to produce the fleece, water consumed during manufacturing, transportation emissions, and waste generated during production.

3. Life Cycle Impact Assessment: Here, Patagonia evaluates the collected data to understand the environmental impacts associated with the fleece jacket's life cycle. They assess different impact categories like climate change, water consumption, air pollution, land use, and waste generation. This analysis provides a comprehensive view of the jacket's sustainability performance and identifies areas that need improvement.

4. Life Cycle Interpretation: In the final phase, Patagonia interprets the results of the LCA and uses them to drive sustainability initiatives. They identify specific areas where they can make changes to reduce the environmental impact of their products. For instance, based on the LCA results, Patagonia decides to source recycled materials for their fleece jackets, improve energy efficiency during manufacturing, and encourage customers to recycle their jackets rather than dispose of them.

By going through these four phases, brands gain insights into the environmental impact of their products and can implement strategies to make them more sustainable, ultimately reducing their overall ecological footprint.