Page 12 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

Introduction

Life cycle assessment (LCA) has developed rapidly over recent decades into a technique for sys-
tematically identifying the resource flows and environmental impacts associated with the provi-
sion of products and services. Interest in LCA has accelerated alongside growing demand to assess
and reduce greenhouse gas emissions across different manufacturing and service sectors.
Life Cycle Assessment: Principles, Practice and Prospects is designed to provide practitioners
or interested professionals with a critical insight into the technique of LCA. Instead of being a
handbook or a solely theoretical text, the book focuses on the reflective practice of LCA, in
other words, how LCA practice has developed and must continue to develop empirically,
through practice and reflection on this practice. In so doing it also provides academics, scholars
and students with a journey into reflective practice.
The early chapters describe the distinctive strengths and limitations of LCA, with an
emphasis on practice in Australia. The second half of the book includes chapters on the appli-
cation of LCA to the key sectors of waste management, the built environment, water and agri-
culture. In each chapter, the contemporary challenges for environmental assessment and
performance improvement in these sectors are investigated, well illustrated with examples and
case studies. The last three chapters project current issues and debates to 2020 and beyond.
LCA methodologies are compared to the emerging climate change mitigation policy and
practice techniques, and the uptake of ‘quick’ LCA and management tools are considered in
the light of current and changing environmental agendas. In the last chapter, the authors
debate the future prospects for LCA technique and applications.

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