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170 • Green Project Management

As to drawing conclusions, the EPA has this to say:

A few words of caution should be noted. It is important to draw conclusions
and provide recommendations based only on the facts. Understanding and
communicating the uncertainties and limitations in the results is equally
as important as the final recommendations. In some instances, it may
not be clear which product or process is better because of the underlying
uncertainties and limitations in the methods used to conduct the LCA or
the availability of good data, time, or resources. In this situation, the results
of the LCA are still valuable. They can be used to help inform decision-
makers about the human health and environmental pros and cons, under-
standing the significant impacts of each, where they are occurring (locally,
regionally, or globally), and the relative magnitude of each type of impact
in comparison to each of the proposed alternatives included in the study. 6

And with respect to making recommendations and reporting, the fol-
lowing recommendation comes from the EPA and ISO:

LCAs can produce different results even if the same product seems to
be the focus of the study. Differences can be caused by a number of
factors, including:
• Different goal statements
• Different functional units
• Different boundaries
• Different assumptions used to model the data

Because of these possible variations, maintaining transparency in how the
study was conducted is a critical element in reporting the results.

reporting the results
Now that the LCA has been completed, the materials must be assembled
into a comprehensive report documenting the study in a clear and orga-
nized manner. This will help communicate the results of the assessment
fairly, completely, and accurately to others interested in the results. The
report presents the results, data, methods, assumptions, and limitations
in sufficient detail to allow the reader to comprehend the complexities and
trade-offs inherent in the LCA study.
If the results will be reported to someone who was not involved in
the LCA study, e.g., third-party stakeholders, this report will serve as a