Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment and Cost Analysis

The life-cycle approach to a system assumes that the system passesfrom beginning or birth of the systemto its end or death through all significant intermediate decision stages. As applied to environmental systems, it is relatively new. Environmental life-cycle assessment of a product, process or service involves the identification and evaluation of all inputs including material, labour and energy and all outputs including especially all wastes and emissions, as well as the avenues for making total environmental improvements during the life of that system. This chapter addresses the technical, regulatory and economic issues pertinent to such an assessment.