Applying Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in health and food supply chains
ModulesApplying Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in health and food supply chains
The goal of this module is to introduce students to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a systematic tool for evaluating environmental impacts across health and food supply chains. It aims to develop foundational understanding of life cycle thinking, highlight sustainability challenges, and demonstrate how LCA supports evidence-based decision-making, identifies environmental hotspots, and addresses uncertainty in complex systems such as healthcare delivery and agro-food logistics.
At the end of this module, students will be able to:
- Explain the concept and purpose of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
- Describe the key stages of health and food supply chains
- Apply life cycle thinking (cradle-to-grave) to real-world products
- Identify major environmental impacts and hotspots across supply chains
- Understand how LCA supports sustainable and evidence-based decision-making
What is this about?
What is Life Cycle Assessment
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a systematic method used to evaluate the environmental impacts of a product, process, or service throughout its entire life cycle from raw material extraction, production, and distribution to use and final disposal. It helps identify where the greatest environmental impacts occur and supports more sustainable and informed decision-making. Please see the following interactive videos for a real-life explanation of how LCA is applied in practice across different supply chains.
Life Cycle Assessment framework
The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) framework is a standardized approach used to evaluate environmental impacts across the entire life cycle of a product or system.
The Four Main Stages of the LCA Framework
- Goal and Scope Definition: this stage defines the purpose of the study, the system boundaries, and the functional unit. It sets what will be analyzed and ensures the study is clear and focused.
- Life Cycle Inventory (LCI): this stage involves collecting data on all inputs and outputs, such as materials, energy, emissions, and waste across each stage of the life cycle.
- Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA): in this stage, the collected data are analyzed to assess environmental impacts, such as climate change, water use, and pollution.
- Interpretation: This final stage evaluates the results, identifies key environmental hotspots, and provides conclusions and recommendations for decision-making.
Environmental impact analysis of food supply chain stages
This diagram illustrates the key stages of the food supply chain, from farm to consumer. Each stage involves processes that contribute to environmental impacts such as energy use, emissions, and waste. Explore the hotspots to understand where these impacts occur and how they affect sustainability.
Reflection on health supply chains
A health supply chain includes all processes involved in delivering medical products and services, from production to patient use. It covers stages such as manufacturing, storage, transportation, distribution, and healthcare delivery, each requiring significant energy and resources. Research shows these stages can generate greenhouse gas emissions, medical waste, and high energy use , contributing to environmental impact.
Look at the health supply chain diagram below and reflect on the following activities.
System boundaries in Life Cycle Assessment for health supply chains
In health supply chains, every product from vaccines to syringes has environmental impacts at different stages of its life. To understand these impacts, we use Life Cycle Assessment at different stages.
- Cradle-to-Gate: Covers a product’s impact from raw material extraction up to the factory exit.
- Gate-to-Gate: Focuses on the environmental impact of a single process or stage within the supply chain.
- Cradle-to-Grave: Assesses the full life cycle from raw materials to final disposal.
System Boundaries in Life Cycle Assessment for Health Supply Chains
References
Baehr, J., Göllner-Völker, L., Baehr, M. et al. Life cycle assessment of pharmaceutical and clinical packaging required for medication administration practices. Int J Life Cycle Assess 29, 416–432 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-023-02270-x
European Commission, Joint Research Centre. (2021). Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate environmental impacts of bioeconomy [Video]. Knowledge4Policy.https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/audiovisual/knowledge-centre-bioeconomy-video-life-cycle-assessment-lca-evaluate-environmental_en
Pham T, van der Schans J. A Conceptual Framework for Life-Cycle Health Technology Assessment Value in Health, 2023; 26, 612-613
Marques, C.; Güneş, S.; Vilela, A.; Gomes, R. Life-Cycle Assessment in Agri-Food Systems and the Wine Industry—A Circular Economy Perspective. Foods 2025, 14, 1553. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14091553
Sharma B, Swanton B, Kuo J, Sysawang K, Yagyu S, Motala A, Tolentino D, Meshkati N, Hempel S. Use of Life Cycle Assessment in the Healthcare Industry: Environmental Impacts and Emissions Associated With Products, Processes, and Waste [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2024 Nov. Report No.: 24(25)-EHC027. PMID: 39656897.
