“Fast Track” LCA

At this page, the “Fast Track” LCA Method is explained. It is shown how a designer can make an LCA in practice.

From the example under the tab rigorous LCA it can be concluded that, when the LCI (mass balance and energy balance) of the subsystems has been made, the LCA can be calculated in a more simple way. It is easier to multiply the inputs and outputs directly by eco-costs factors which are available in the Ecocosts LCA databases. It isn’t necessary to bother about classification, charaterisation, normalisation, etc. We call this the Fast Track LCA Method (also called the “Philips method”, since Philips Electronics was the first company which did LCA’s in this way).
See the modified example “testliner FEFCO 2003 Fast Track LCA” .

In this Fast Track LCA Method the focus is back to where it should be: focus on what to calculate (instead of how to calculate), and how to improve the design.

The first and most important step in LCA is the definition of the product system (the product life cycle). The main structure of a product life cycle is depicted in Fig. 5.3a. This slide shows also the logical subdivision in subsystems (the so-called “units”) as it is normally applied by LCA practioners. In most databases on LCI and LCA, like the Ecocosts 2017 LCA databases and IDEMAT, data are provided of these subsystems (from “cradle to gate”, from “gate to gate” and from “gate to grave”).
For each specific case, the total chain must be composed from these subsystems.
When complex calculations have to be made, and LCIs of other LCI databases have to be applied, it is important to understand the structure of the LCIs. See under tab LCI structure.

The model of the EVR calculates the total system strictly “from cradle to grave” or “from cradle to cradle. In such a system of Fig 5.3 a calculation