Life Cycle Perspective (Life Cycle Thinking)
Materials and resources all have environmental, social, and economic impacts beyond just their "use" phase in a project. For a material, impacts occur during harvest or extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, packaging, transporting, installing, using and ultimately discarding (or hopefully reusing or recycling). Similarly, financial costs arise not only during the initial purchase, but also with installation, operation and maintenance, training, removal and disposal. Considering these environmental impacts and financial costs over the entire life span of the product or material is what is known as a life cycle perspective, or life cycle thinking.
A life cycle perspective provides the relevant information needed to make good decisions – to protect the environment, improve the lives of people who produce the goods, and safeguard the health of people who use them.
Two common ways to apply a life cycle perspective to buildings include Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC). SFTool focuses on the environmental impact of products and buildings, so after comparing and contrasting the two concepts below, the remainder of this section will address LCA.
Comparing Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
LCA is a systematic study examining the environmental impacts of a product from raw material extraction through production, use, and final disposal. Assessments can be “cradle-to-grave”, “cradle-to-gate” (before distribution), or “cradle-to-cradle” (cyclical or regenerative process).
For more on LCA, see the Life Cycle Assessment page.
Life Cycle Costing (LCC)
LCC is an economic analysis that considers both initial investment costs and future costs over a specific time period. The goal is to compare the overall costs of project alternatives and to select the design that ensures the facility will have the lowest total cost of ownership.
Comparison
Many people confuse life cycle assessment with life cycle costing, so the following offers a simple comparison to clarify the distinction:
| Life Cycle Assessment | Life Cycle Costing | |
|---|---|---|
| Main Focus | ENVIRONMENT & HUMAN HEALTH Find options that reduce environmental and human health impacts |
COST Find options with lowest total ownership cost |
| Scope | Typically, all life cycle stages |
Typicaly, Construction to End of Life |
| Elements | Impacts on human health, ecosystem quality, and resource use |
Costs |
| Metrics |
Each area of protection has its own metric
 |
Money only
 |
|
Standards/ |
ISO 14040 |
NIST Handbook 135* |
.
Related Topics
Carbon Footprint
A Carbon Footprint is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions (in units equivalent to carbon dioxide emissions) emitted by an entity, be it a person, building, company, or country.
Construction Materials
Products used in the construction of buildings, such as concrete, insulation, and roofing materials, as well as related products such as sealers and stains. Products in this category may also apply to the acquisition of construction services.Embodied Energy
A measure of the energy used to harvest, manufacture, process, bring to market, and dispose of a product. In Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of building materials, embodied energy helps identify the true energy cost of an item. This accounting method attempts to quantify the fossil fuels, nuclear energy, and other forms of energy that are involved over the material's life.
Environmentally Preferable Products (EPP) and Services
These products and services are less harmful to the environment than their standard counterparts. See: EPA | About the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program
Green Building
High-performance buildings exhibit environmentally responsible intent and perform in a resource efficient manner. They meet the needs of the occupants that live and work in them in a way that minimizes demand for natural resources and reduces or eliminates waste. High-performance buildings save energy, water, materials, protect the indoor environment and are designed to evolve as occupant needs change. Such buildings are generally more comfortable, healthy, durable and adaptable over time.
Life Cycle Cost Assessment (LCCA)
Materials and resources all have environmental, social and economic impacts beyond their use in a project. Impacts occur during harvest or extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, packaging, transporting, installing, use, and end-of-life disposal, reuse, or recycling. These “cradle to cradle” impacts should be considered when purchasing materials. The formal study of this process is known as Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
Similarly, Life Cycle Cost Assessment examines the costs and savings throughout the life cycle of a building material. For example, energy efficient equipment and appliances can be more expensive when initially purchased but will save energy (and money) throughout the life of the project. Therefore, it may make sense to invest in more efficient equipment that costs more up front but saves money and energy over time.
The Sustainable Facilities Tool allows you to compare life cycle costs for materials, as well as other environmental criteria, by following the green dots and clicking "compare materials" in Explore Sustainable Workspaces.
Also, check out information on LCA at the Whole Building Design Guide:
WBDG | Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA)
Recycling
Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials (that would otherwise be thrown away as trash) and remanufacturing them into new products. Recycling support stations and the education of occupants and janitorial staff are the backbone of a successful waste diversion plan. Start by confirming with the recycling hauler and compost service what materials are acceptable and the proper collection method. Separate, color-coded, well-labeled and strategically placed recycling containers and waste receptacles make sorting and collection convenient and support occupant participation.
Reuse (Waste)
Similar to recycling, reuse refers to finding new uses for items instead of sending them to landfills. Can furniture be reused in another department of the company? Can electronics be donated to charity? Even using an empty soda bottle to make a hummingbird feeder is a way to reuse items instead of trashing them.
http://consumersunion.org/pdf/ZeroReport.pdf
Solid Waste
Waste comprises all materials that flow from a building to final disposal. Examples include paper, grass trimmings, food scraps, and plastics. Responsible stewardship tries to divert as much waste as possible from the landfill. This can mean recycling paper, mulching or composting grass trimmings, and reusing large items, such as furniture.
EPA | Land, Waste, and Cleanup Topics
Source Reduction
Source reduction reduces the volume or toxicity of waste generated. Source reduction occurs before materials have been identified as “waste”. For example, building management can designate reuse centers for office supplies and other reusable goods. Another example of source reduction is implementing a paper reduction campaign through double sided and electronic printing.
Sustainability
Sustainability and sustainable mean to create and maintain conditions, under which humans and nature can exist inproductive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic,and other requirements of present and future generations.
Sustainable Purchasing
Purchasing managers should create purchasing plans and programs that give preference to items containing recycled content, certified wood, and rapidly renewable materials, as well as items that are energy efficient, non-toxic, durable and locally manufactured, harvested and / or extracted. Further, purchasing managers should prioritize vendors who promote source reduction through reusable or minimal packaging of products.
Department of Energy | Federal Laws and Requirements Search
Virgin Materials
Virgin materials are natural resources that are extracted in their raw form that are traditionally used in industrial or manufacturing processes. Examples of virgin materials are timber, plastic resin derived from petroleum refining process, and mined/processed metals.
