This site's purpose is to promote the use of LCA (see definition below) to make more informed decisions through a better understanding of the human health and environmental impacts of products, processes, and activities. The site is divided into four primary areas to help educate people new to the concept of LCA while serving as a focal point for LCA practitioners and decision-makers to stay current with the field of LCA. LCAccess provides information on why one would want to perform an LCA, an overview of LCA, how to find LCI data sources, and available LCA resources.

LCA is a technique to assess the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product, process, or service, by:


* compiling an inventory of relevant energy and material inputs and environmental releases;

* evaluating the potential environmental impacts associated with identified inputs and releases;

* interpreting the results to help you make a more informed decision.

The major stages in an LCA study are raw material acquisition, materials manufacture, production, use/reuse/maintenance, and waste management.