Goal Definition

Goal Definition

1. ISO standard requirements

   • 1. Intended applications of the result
     • comparing environmental impacts on specific products or services
     • "hot spot identification" for product development
     • areas de oportunidad en diseño del producto "what-if" scenarios in ecodesign
     • para documentar el impacto de llos productos, conseguir EPDS, etc.
     • developing critiria for eco-labels
     • developing of policies that considered environmental aspects
     • 2. Limitations due to Methodological Choices
       • en que se puden usar estos resultados
       • relate to the "planning" and "use" of the LCA
       • you cannot claim a product is more "environmentaly friendly"
       • 3.Decision context and reasons for carrying out the study
         • The resons for carrying out a study should be clearlu connected to the intended applications of the result.
         • the Intended application is what the study does.
         • Reasons for carrying out the study is the why.
         • structural changes
         • 3 types of decision context
           • Micro-Level decision support
             • its a small scale study that is used to support a decision in the studied product system.
               • it does not cause structural changes
                 • e.g. studies to compare individual product systems, identyfy hotspots or and EPD
                   • Situation A
           • Meso/macro-level decision support
             • the scale of the study is such that the decisions made according to it are expected to cause structual changes in one or more processes of the sustems that the studied product intercats with
               • Situation B
           • Accounting
             • This study does not support any decision making.
               • Purely descriptive nature.
                 • Does not lead to changes, small or structural.
                   • if it interacts with other systems
                     • Situation C1
                   • if it does not
                     • Situation C2
         • 4. Target Audience
           • a quién le quieren comunicar los resultados del estudio.
           • e..g. consumers, organisations, companies, government, NGOs, etc.
           • it influenes the extent of detail in the technical descriptions and the interpretation of results
           • 5. Comparative Studies to be Disclosed to the Public
             • it should explicitly state whether the LCA study is of a comparative nature and if its intended to be desclosed to the public
             • if thats the case, ISO standard specificies requierments on the conduct and documentation of the study and an external review process
             • 6.Commissioner of the Study and Other Influential Actors
               • it should explicitly state who commissioned the study, who financed it and every other organization that have influence on the study, including the LCA experts
               • this is meant to highlight potential conflicts of interest to readers of the study
               • in comparative studies, it may also lead to an unintentional bias od the data collection
                 • newer infrmation with newer techology biased toward the company who commisioned the study

2. The purpose of the study is elaborately defined and described.

   • Decisions made in later LCA phases must be consistent with the goal definition..
     • Also, unforeseen data limitations may necessitate a revision of the goal definition
       • ITERATIVE nature