Straightforward questions. Clear professional answers.
Introduction
Everyone who starts in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) faces similar “where do I begin” questions.We’ve gathered a few easy, real-community questions and provided practical, professional answers — including how platforms like Sustainly fit into the beginner workflow.
Community Q&A
Q1: “LCA – where do I start?”
A:Start with the LCA framework, then move to picking tools and data:
- Review standards like ISO 14040 / ISO 14044 to understand goal & scope, inventory, impact assessment and interpretation.
- Choose a product, set a functional unit (e.g., “1 kg of product” or “1000 uses”), and define boundaries (manufacture only, or full life cycle).
- Select software and database: free options like openLCA are good for beginners; commercial tools such as SimaPro or GaBi offer more features. Sustainly provides simplified workflows and shared templates that help beginners get started faster.
- Use similar product LCAs as reference for data and approach.
- Document your assumptions clearly — beginners often struggle when boundaries or data sources are unclear.
Q2: “Any books or papers to get a fundamental understanding of LCA?”
A:Yes — foundational texts and resources help build confidence:
- “Life Cycle Assessment: Theory and Practice” (Hauschild & Rosenbaum) is widely recommended for its clear coverage of method and application.
- Standard documentation such as ISO 14044 and the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) guidance provide the methodological backbone.
- Platform-specific tutorials and training modules for openLCA, SimaPro, or Sustainly can help build practical experience.
- Regular practice: run a small case study (even hypothetical) and compare how different tools handle the same system.
Q3: “Do I need a software or database subscription just to try LCA?”
A:You can begin without expensive licences, but you’ll encounter limitations. Here’s how to proceed:
- Start with freely available or academic versions of software; openLCA is free and open-source.
- Some databases are free or low cost for academic users, while others like ecoinvent require a licence.
- Your institution’s library may have full-text papers or datasets you can use, but these may not be structured for LCA modelling.
- Sustainly offers pre-structured templates, verified datasets, and guided workflows which reduce the barrier to entry — meaning you don’t need to build everything from scratch even when you lack full database access.
- As you progress, consider investing in a commercial database or licence if you need reproducible, industry-grade results.
Summary: Beginner Take-aways
| Topic | Key Point |
|---|---|
| Starting an LCA | Focus on method first (goal, scope, boundaries) |
| Educational resources | Use foundational texts + tutorials + guided tools |
| Software & data access | Begin with free/open tools; upgrade when needed |
| Workflow efficiency | Templates and guided platforms such as Sustainly speed learning |
Conclusion
If you’re just getting started with LCA, you’re not alone — the community asks the same questions: how do I begin, what resources should I use, how much software do I need?Platforms like Sustainly are changing the game by making the entry-point smoother through templates, shared data, and a guided process — bridging the gap between academic theory and practical application. Get started with confidence. Clarify your scope, use available resources, and iterate your model. The practice makes the believer.
Begin with one small case, document everything, and build from there.