Life cycle thinking

The carbon footprint of products is much talked about and influences consumer purchases. You can now find foods with its carbon dioxide emissions printed on the packaging. It is also a major motivation in product design, as required to meet company sustainability targets and satisfy government policies (as is true for vehicle emissions) (European Parliament, 2024). However, context is needed for this emissions data. Taking the example of a car, does it relate to emissions per kilometer, or over the lifespan of the vehicle? Are emissions included from manufacturing or just driving? What about other important environmental impacts such as land use, water use, or loss of biodiversity? And how can we calculate these impacts accurately and in a way that facilitates understanding and the fair comparison between products?

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a systematic tool used to assess the environmental impacts of a product, process, or service throughout its entire life cycle.  LCA is a valuable tool for evaluating and improving the environmental performance of pharmaceutical products. Given the industry's complexity, LCA provides a structured framework to assess the environmental impacts associated with each stage of the life cycle of a pharmaceutical product considering measurable indicators. 

The results of an LCA can influence product development and inform environmentally-conscientious purchases, but reducing environmental impacts does not necessarily make a product sustainable. Sustainability encompasses environmental, social and economic dimensions. LCA should be used in combination with other concepts, such as social-LCA, technoeconomic assessment, and planetary boundaries.