Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) evaluates the environmental impact of a product or service throughout its entire existence: from raw material extraction, manufacturing, and transport, to use and end-of-life. In short, from cradle to grave.

This method is standardized (ISO 14040 and 14044). Its founding principle is that impact cannot be judged in a single moment, but must be assessed across the entire value chain. A "clean" electric car on the road might carry a heavy footprint from its manufacturing process; a "reusable" bag must be reused hundreds of times to beat a disposable one. Without a holistic view, intuition almost always leads us astray.

The great lesson of LCA is "burden shifting": optimizing one stage often moves the problem to another, or to a different environment. We might reduce CO₂ only to increase water consumption; we might lighten the product in use while intensifying its production; we clean up here, only to pollute there. Designing for true sustainability means refusing to look at just one variable, and instead embracing the entire system—otherwise, we risk celebrating progress that isn't actually there.

LCA is not an absolute truth: it depends on the chosen boundaries, data, and assumptions, and it can sometimes be leveraged to justify preconceived ideas. Its true value lies as much in the honesty of its framework as it does in the calculation itself.

It is the quantified proof of our systemic approach: an object does not exist in isolation; it carries an entire cycle behind it. We integrate this bird's-eye view right from the concept stage, allowing us to make decisions based on concrete facts rather than mere instincts, ensuring we never solve one problem by creating another elsewhere.

What else is at play: sustainability, materiality, transition design, systemic design, and product design.

References: ISO standards 14040 / 14044, Life Cycle Assessment; concept of burden shifting.