Life Cycle Assessment in Chemical Industry

Abstract

Current technological innovations are focused on environmental aspects of human activities. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an analytical method of calculation and determination of various environmental impacts of products, services and technologies in their whole life cycle, i.e., starting from resource depletion, material production, their use and final disposal. All the mentioned phases of product life cycle are specific environmental burdens, which should be evaluated and transparently summed up. For this purpose, an LCA method was developed. Contrary to other developed countries, no progress in application of LCA in chemical industry can be observed in the Czech Republic as yet.