Defining the goal and scope for life cycle sustainability assessment

This chapter introduces the goal and scope definition for Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment studies. It is built on the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards requirements. The Life Cycle Initiative’s Ten Principles for the application of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment provide a harmonized framework which, developed along the ISO four-phases framework, enables practitioners to define the goal and scope of their studies. It requires the definition of the reason for carrying out the study as well as the intended application and audience. Then, the product system and its boundaries are set, and the product utility beyond functional unit (as well as the functional unit itself) is defined. Along these first steps, the development of an understanding of the key stakeholders is crucial to define the relevant potential sustainability impacts along the value chain under study. In this way the stakeholders support the selection of the impact categories to be assessed in addition to other considerations such as data requirements and allocation procedures.