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5.6 Conclusion 119
remanufacturing cleaning technologies, on the basis of the LCA theory, and the levels of the
environmental emission of these technologies have been compared. Wilson et al. (2014) used
the LCA theory to study the validity and the potential range of application of laser cladding
technology. Additionally, Fatimah and Biswas (2016) evaluated the sustainability of com-
puter products. Amaya et al. (2010) evaluated the environmental impact of truck fuel
injectors.

5.5.2 The existing problems

Scholars have conducted a great deal of research on the LCSA theory. Though abundant
achievements have been gained, it is still necessary to continue studying. At present, the re-
search on LCSA focuses on the traditional LCA (E-LCA) and LCC methods, in theory or ap-
plication aspects. The LCA reflects the impacts on ecological environment, human health,
resources, and energy consumption respects, while the LCC offers the approach to integrate
the cost of economy and environment into the life cycle framework. However, a product or a
system will influence not only the ecological environment but also the social environment.
With the deepening and development of research, many scholars gradually realized that it
is necessary to development the life cycle tools to solve the social problems.
UNET/SETAC found the key problems in the practice of the LCA. There are many diffi-
culties when implementing the life cycle assessment in developing countries. The profes-
sional knowledge and data are in short supply, and the LCA cannot participate directly in
solving the problems, such as eradicating poverty, getting a job, fair treatment, and other so-
cial problems. When the LCA, LCC, and S-LCA are separated, the practicability of the LCA
will be limited and it is impossible to provide complete information to the decision-makers
from the view of sustainable development. So, it is significant to carry out the S-LCA in life
and production.

5.6 Conclusion

This chapter introduced the origin, classification, framework, and application of life cycle
sustainable assessment (LCSA), and made a detailed introduction to LCSA, including LCA,
LCC, and S-LCA as the three main aspects.
LCA (E-LCA) is an environmental evaluation method, aiming at analyzing the impact of
product, system, and activities on the environment. LCA is the earliest application field of life
cycle theory. From early evaluation of Coca-Cola bottles to the evaluation of all industries at
the present stages, the LCA is reaching maturity and plays an important role in environmen-
tal evaluation.
LCC is the concrete application in the economic field, which abandons the traditional
method that aims at minimizing the acquisition expenses. The LCC is a breakthrough for
making cost decisions. The stakeholders are required to take the whole situation into account
and plan accordingly from macroscopic points of view. The long-term benefits are taken into
consideration.