What does lifecycle assessment (LCA) evaluate?

• A. Environmental impacts of a product or process across life cycle stages.
• B. Only energy use in manufacturing.
• C. Only end-of-life disposal impacts.
• D. Political risk associated with supply chain.

Answer: (A)

LCA looks at environmental effects across every stage of a product or process, from the extraction of raw materials through production, distribution, use, maintenance, and end-of-life disposal or recycling. It uses a structured inventory of energy and material inputs, emissions, and waste, then evaluates the potential impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and resource depletion. This holistic view captures trade-offs that can occur at different life-cycle stages, so a decision isn’t judged by a single phase like manufacturing energy or end-of-life disposal alone. For example, a material might save energy during production but require more energy or generate more waste later in use or disposal, and these aspects would all be weighed in an LCA. The other options are narrower in scope: one focuses only on energy use during manufacturing, another only on end-of-life disposal, and another concerns political risk rather than environmental impacts. So, environmental impacts across life cycle stages is the best-fit description.