Cradle-to-Gate: Considers the environmental impacts of a product from raw material extraction (“Cradle”) to the point it leaves the factory (“Gate”), excluding use and disposal.

Cradle-to-Grave: Considers the entire life cycle of a product – from raw material extraction (“Cradle”), through production and use, to disposal or landfill (“Grave”).

Cradle-to-Cradle: This concept aims for a closed-loop circular economy, in which products are designed so that their materials can be fully recycled or biologically decomposed after use, without generating waste.

Scope 1: Direct emissions caused by a company itself, such as from its own production facilities or company vehicles.

Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased energy, such as electricity or district heating, that the company uses but does not produce itself.

Scope 3: All other indirect emissions along the value chain, such as those from suppliers, transport, business travel, or the use and disposal of sold products.

A life cycle assessment evaluates various environmental categories to capture the impacts of a product or service. These include, but are not limited to:

• Climate Change (CO₂ Footprint): Greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

• Resource Consumption: The use of finite resources such as fossil fuels, metals, or water.

• Acidification: The release of pollutants that lead to the acidification of soils and water bodies.

• Eutrophication: The over-fertilization of ecosystems through nutrient inputs, e.g., in water bodies.

• Ozone Depletion: Emissions that damage the stratospheric ozone layer.

• Ecotoxicity: The impacts of pollutants on soil, water, and living organisms.

Depending on the goal of the life cycle assessment, additional categories may be considered.

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment): The life cycle assessment evaluates the environmental impacts of a product or process over its entire life cycle.

LCI (Life Cycle Inventory): The inventory phase of the LCA, where all incoming and outgoing material and energy flows are recorded.

LCIA (Life Cycle Impact Assessment): The impact assessment, where the data collected in the LCI phase are converted into environmental impacts such as climate change or resource consumption.

Allocation refers to the division of environmental burdens across different products or processes when multiple outputs are generated (e.g., in milk and meat production). It can be carried out based on physical, economic, or other criteria.

The functional unit is a reference unit used in life cycle assessment to clearly define a system and its product or service. It serves as the basis for analyzing the environmental impacts associated with the production, use, or disposal of this product. It can refer to both a physical product and a service.

Cut-off criteria define which material or energy flows can be omitted due to their low relevance. Typical thresholds include a certain mass, a percentage of the total environmental impact, or the availability of data.