Life Cycle Assessment
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a systematic methodology for evaluating the environmental impacts of a product, process, or service throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to disposal. It quantifies factors like energy use, emissions, and resource consumption to support sustainability decisions. LCA is widely used in industries such as manufacturing, construction, and energy to improve eco-efficiency and comply with regulations.
Developers should learn LCA when working on sustainability-focused projects, green software development, or products requiring environmental certifications like ISO 14040. It helps in optimizing resource use, reducing carbon footprints, and meeting stakeholder demands for transparency in environmental performance. Use cases include designing energy-efficient systems, assessing the impact of cloud computing, or integrating eco-design into software life cycles.