Life Cycle Assessment comprises four main stages. Which set correctly identifies them?

Life Cycle Assessment comprises four main stages. Which set correctly identifies them?

• A. Planning, production, distribution, disposal
• B. Goal & scope, inventory, impact assessment, interpretation
• C. Design, test, implement, retire
• D. Input, process, output, outcome

Answer: (B)

The main concept here is the four-stage framework of Life Cycle Assessment. The set that fits best starts with defining the goal and scope—clarifying the study’s purpose, system boundaries, functional unit, and any assumptions or limitations. Next comes inventory analysis, where you collect and quantify all inputs and outputs (materials, energy, emissions) across the product’s life cycle to build an data backbone. Then you perform impact assessment, translating those inventory results into environmental impact categories such as climate change, acidification, eutrophication, and resource depletion, using characterization factors. Finally, interpretation involves reviewing the results, checking for completeness and uncertainties, and drawing conclusions to inform decisions and improvements. This sequence aligns with established LCA practice and provides a transparent, systematic way to evaluate environmental performance. The other options describe different processes: one is about general product lifecycle stages, another about a software/system development lifecycle, and the last resembles a generic input–process–output–outcome model rather than an LCA-specific framework.

The main concept here is the four-stage framework of Life Cycle Assessment. The set that fits best starts with defining the goal and scope—clarifying the study’s purpose, system boundaries, functional unit, and any assumptions or limitations. Next comes inventory analysis, where you collect and quantify all inputs and outputs (materials, energy, emissions) across the product’s life cycle to build an data backbone. Then you perform impact assessment, translating those inventory results into environmental impact categories such as climate change, acidification, eutrophication, and resource depletion, using characterization factors. Finally, interpretation involves reviewing the results, checking for completeness and uncertainties, and drawing conclusions to inform decisions and improvements.

This sequence aligns with established LCA practice and provides a transparent, systematic way to evaluate environmental performance. The other options describe different processes: one is about general product lifecycle stages, another about a software/system development lifecycle, and the last resembles a generic input–process–output–outcome model rather than an LCA-specific framework.