DefinePK

Abstract

Green processes have received growing interest by industries, governments, and researchers during the last years, in which the concept of sustainability has become the key point. There are different software tools and methods to perform Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and results may be different according to which method the user chooses. This paper aims to present how different LCA results can be achieved due to the use of different LCA methods for the same product system. The present study focuses on analyzing three LCA methods on the same software Open LCA: CML9901, Impact 2002 and Eco indicator 90. The results were discussed and compared in terms of modelling principles, hotspots, and impacts for each method. The selected midpoint impact categories were: acidification, climate change, ecotoxicity and human toxicity. In many cases, modelling principles were identical among the software tools or nearby so, but results reveal differences for the implementation of the impact assessment. Some of these differences were so large that they could influence the LCA decisions and conclusions.