Liselotte Schebek - PROGRESS IN LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT.

Modern production enables a high standard of living worldwide through products and services. Global responsibility requires a comprehensive integration of sustainable development fostered by new paradigms, innovative technologies, methods and tools as well as business models. Minimizing material and energy usage, adapting material and energy flows to better fit natural process capacities, and changing consumption behaviour are important aspects of future production. A life cycle perspective and an integrated economic, ecological and social evaluation are essential requirements in management and engineering. This series will focus on the issues and latest developments towards sustainability in production based on life cycle thinking. To submit a proposal or request further information, please use the PDF Proposal Form or contact directly: Silvia Schilgerius, Publishing Editor (Silvia.Schilgerius@Springer.com)

More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/10615

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The provision of products (goods and services) rises environmental challenges on a life cycle perspective, i.e. from cradle to grave. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a system analysis methodology developed to ease the inventorization and evaluation of both the material and energy demanded as well as the emissions generated by product systems throughout their supply chain, usage and end-of-life stages.

While the methodology is fairly comprehensive, it still needs additional research and development to further increase robustness and reliability. The more we understand the planetary boundaries the more we realize that LCA should become a methodology for everyone, allowing the evaluation of environmental impacts in different application areas.

As the interest on the methodology steadily increases, the number of open questions and possible directions for future research grows as well. Topics of discussion such as issues of uncertainty, variability, regionalization, accessibility, homogenization of inventory modelling approaches, interpretation and, last but not least, data representativeness, quality and modelling, are persistently seen as possible methodological pitfalls within the LCA research community. In this regard, discussion platforms to enable an exchange between different research groups and the dissemination of scientific findings and results are essential drivers of innovation. The kobilanzwerkstatt (LCA workshop) intends to contribute to this objective. The present work, Progress in Life Cycle Assessment, summarizes the findings and scientific results of the latest research activities in the field of LCA presented at the 13th kobilanzwerkstatt jointly organized by the Technische Universitt Darmstadt and the Technische Universitt Braunschweig.