Life cycle assessment is an approach and a decision support tool that allows to evaluate the potential environmental, social and cost impacts of a product or service. It is a comprehensive approach both in terms of the stages of the life of a product or service considered (from the extraction of raw materials to the end of life) and the sustainability issues studied (climate change, effects on biodiversity, use of mineral and fossil resources, etc.).
This method makes it possible to compare the potential impacts of different systems and to identify the main stages of the life cycle contributing to the potential impacts of a product or service, in an eco-design approach.