Inverse problem of life cycle assessment (LCA): its application in designing for environment (DfE)

Abstract

The inverse problem of life cycle assessment, used in designing for environment, is about determining the optimal values of environmental inputs that provide the required environmental impacts. The notion of the inverse problem of life cycle assessment is explained here using a case study of a coffee machine (abstract model SimaPro, based on models Sima and Pro described in SimaPro 8.1 software). The dependencies between input and output signals were defined by nonlinear functions of several variables. Next, linearization was used and coefficient a ki was calculated. On the basis of 3 hypothetical experiments, recommendations have been made on the reduction of the value of the factors that are the most detrimental for the environment: the consumption of aluminium, electricity, and paper for coffee filters, for the analysed product. The results prove the high applicability and usefulness of the proposed approach during environmental evaluation and enhancement of products over the full product life cycle.