Benefits of Life Cycle Approaches
A life cycle approach can help us make choices. It implies that everyone in the whole chain of a product’s life cycle, from cradle to grave, has a responsibility and a role to play, taking into account all the relevant impacts on the economy, the environment and the society.
The impacts of all life cycle stages need to be considered comprehensively by the citizens, the companies and the governments, when they make decisions on consumption and production patterns, policies and management strategies.
A life cycle approach enables product designers, service providers, government agents and individuals to make choices for the longer term and with consideration of all environmental media (i.e., air, water, land). Life cycle approaches avoid shifting problems from one life cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to another and from one environmental medium (for example air quality) to another (for example water or land).
Many decisions in practice are already based on the life cycle approach, for instance… … Consumer purchasing decisions via ecolabels, or company reports on environmental and social issues. … Business design of products and services via Life Cycle Assessments studies, Design for Environment, Total Cost of Ownership calculations, or management systems that are orientated toward products or facilities. … Government policy making by involving a wide range of stakeholders (e.g. via Product Panels) or through Integrated Product Policy (IPP) approaches. All in all, life cycle approaches can bring several benefits:
Benefits for Industries
By integrating the life cycle perspective in overall management and bringing product and process development in a more sustainable direction, the organisation can harvest the benefits of environmental, occupational health and safety, risk and quality management, as well as developing and applying cleaner process and product options. Incorporating life cycle and sustainability management will improve image and brand value for both world market players as well as smaller suppliers and producers.
Benefits for Governments
Governmental initiatives will not only secure and strengthen the position of the industrial and service sectors in regional and global markets, but also ensure overall environmental benefits to society (balanced with economic and social aspects). By engaging in supportive programmes and initiatives and implementing life-cycle approaches, governments can show global responsibility and governance by sharing and disseminating sustainability options world- wide.
Benefits for Consumers
Life cycle approaches will help point consumption in a more sustainable direction by offering better information for purchasing, transport systems, energy sources, to guide consumers. It offers a platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue and public involvement with industries and governments, going from local agenda to national and international strategies for sustainable development.
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Relevant Publications
 | Published 6.12.2014 Life Cycle Thinking in Latin America (2014, English, 16 pages) |
 | Greening The Economy Through Life Cycle Thinking (2012, English, 60 pages) This report provides an overview of the state of life cycle approaches and describes the work the Initiative has done to advance the topic. A good background on Life Cycle Thinking, in general. |
 | Life Cycle Management: How business uses it to decrease footprint, create opportunities and make value chains more sustainable (2009, English, 48 pages) |
 | Life Cycle Management: a Business Guide to Sustainability (2007, English, 52 pages) |
 | Life Cycle Approaches: the road from analysis to practice (2005, English, 89 pages) |
 | Why Take a Life Cycle Approach Chinese | English |Español | Français | Japanese (2004, 28 pages) |