The Venice Research Consortium applies Life Cycle Thinking, such as the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology according to the ISO 14040 (2006) standard and Eco-design approach, to assess environmental impact relating to a product system throughout the entire life cycle of the product, from raw material extraction to final disposal.

The goal is to assess the overall direct or indirect environmental impact relating to products and services, with the aim of minimising these impacts. LCA also optimises the environmental performance of processes and supports optimised sustainable decision-making.

LCA is an effective methodology for choosing between waste management options. The Venice Research Consortium has many years’ experience in the waste management field. Some projects of general interest are the LCA of port waste management (e.g. case study of Koper Port, Slovenia) or LCA of municipal waste management systems, etc. The purpose of LCA applied to waste management is to elucidate differences in understanding and opinions between the different stakeholders involved in waste management decisions.

Based on dedicated LCA software packages (e.g. SimaPro) ,we can involve stakeholders in sustainable development activities and businesses, especially SMEs, in life cycle thinking in daily business practice. LCA is also used to support R&D activities, as well as for process/product design and for labelling or product declarations (e.g. Ecolabel).