Ken Morishita

Eco-Management Institute
(6F, Nanpeidai-Hourai Bldg., 1-9, Nanpeidai-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150 Japan)

Abstract

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) gives consideration to the various loads and consumption of resources/energies that products give to their environment during the entire process of the life cycle (provision of raw materials-production/manufacturing-distribution-product usage-recycling/disposing) of products and services. It's the method that makes the assessment numerically possible. However, by relaxing the requisites of numerical assessment and adding qualitative assessment items, the LCA that places importance on wholesale assessment is now discussed from the point of view of its high operablity and utility. This is an approach that tries to recognize the importance of the assessment that puts the whole product life cycle into perspective during the stage of practical evaluation/selection. It's also the method that qualitatively assesses the case of recycling, the possibility of utilizing the recycled materials, the rationalization of disposability of wastes-can be called "Life Cycle Approach" . It is something close to the old method of product assessment and the problem is how to connect the numerical assessment to the qualitative assessment. From the point of view of solving the waste material problem, it is desirable to further discuss the development of this approach.

Key words: LCA, life cycle approach, numerical assessment, qualitative assessment