What does an LCA cost?

We quote a fixed fee based on the number of products, system boundary (cradle-to-gate vs cradle-to-grave) and whether critical review is required. Fees for single-product studies are fixed after the scoping call.

What data do we need to provide?

Bill of materials for the product and packaging, annual electricity and fuel consumption for the manufacturing site, water consumption, waste generation and disposal routes, transport distances for incoming raw materials, and logistics to the customer if the study is cradle-to-grave. We provide the data collection templates.

Do we need a critical review?

Under ISO 14044, a critical review is mandatory only if you make comparative assertions disclosed to the public (for example, comparing your product with a competitor's). It is not mandatory for internal use, for B2B customer requests or for studies used as the basis of an EPD (where the EPD verifier checks the LCA). We advise during the scoping call whether a review is needed.

Can the LCA be turned into an EPD or a PCF later?

Yes. An LCA to ISO 14040/14044 can be adapted into an EPD (under EN 15804 or another PCR) or a Product Carbon Footprint (under ISO 14067). If this is a likely future step, tell us during the scoping call so we align the declared unit and impact method from the start, which avoids rework.

LCA SERVICES

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Consulting — ISO 14040 / ISO 14044

A life cycle assessment quantifies the environmental impacts of a product, process or service across its life cycle, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, use and end of life. NLCCC delivers LCA studies to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 for manufacturers that need the numbers for design decisions, customer requests, regulatory submissions or as the basis for an EPD or product carbon footprint.

Selection Guidance

When an LCA is the right study

An LCA is the right choice when the client needs the study itself: to find where the impacts sit, to compare design or sourcing options, to answer a customer or regulator, or to build the inventory that a later declaration will draw on. If the product ends up in a building and the buyer asks for a standardised, verified document, an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is usually what they need. If the buyer wants a single greenhouse gas figure for their own supply-chain accounting, a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) is the right format. Both are built on an LCA, and we advise which route fits before any work starts.

Study Scope

Study types we deliver

Cradle-to-gate LCA: raw materials, transport and manufacturing up to the factory gate. The usual basis for an EPD or PCF.
Cradle-to-grave LCA: adds distribution, use and end of life. Required when the use phase or disposal matters, or when a customer asks for it.
Comparative LCA: two or more products, materials or process routes compared on the same functional unit and system boundary.
Screening LCA: a faster, lower-resolution study to locate hotspots and decide whether a full study is worthwhile.
Gate-to-gate process LCA: a single manufacturing step or site, typically for process improvement or for a customer's data request.

Industry Experience

Sectors and applications

LCA work sits across sectors that do not use EPDs, or that need the study before an EPD or PCF is considered.

Pharmaceuticals and healthcare products: active ingredients, formulations, medical devices and packaging. Driven by customer and procurement questionnaires rather than EPDs; the output is an LCA report or a PCF.
Hydrogen and alternative fuels: carbon intensity and LCA for hydrogen, biofuels and renewable diesel, including the methods used in RED II, RFNBO rules and national fuel databases.
Aerospace components: LCA and carbon footprint for parts and structural products, usually for a customer's ESG or supply-chain clause.
Chemicals and process industries: process-level studies for resins, polymers and intermediates, often as the inventory for a customer's PCF request.
Electrical products and wires and cables: LCA of cables and electrical components for customer questionnaires, and as the basis for an EPD under EN 15804 where the product goes into a building.
Metals, ceramics, stone and plastics: sector pages are listed under EPD, because most buyers in these sectors ask for an EPD. The LCA behind each EPD is done here.

Data Development

LCI dataset development

We build life cycle inventory datasets for national databases and for clients that need a documented, reviewable inventory of their own process. Recent work includes a dataset for HVO100 renewable diesel prepared to the requirements of the Dutch Nationale Milieudatabase (NMD). Datasets are delivered with full documentation of sources, assumptions and data quality so that a reviewer or a database operator can follow every number.

Compliance & Verification

Critical review support

ISO 14044 requires a critical review when an LCA includes comparative assertions intended to be disclosed to the public, and many customers and programme operators ask for one even when it is not mandatory. We prepare studies so that they pass review the first time, and we liaise with the reviewer or review panel on the client's behalf. We also act as reviewer for studies prepared by third parties under ISO 14044 and ISO/TS 14071.

Consulting Roadmap

How we work

1Scoping call (30 minutes, free): we discuss the product, the intended audience, what data you already have and which standard applies.
2Fixed-fee proposal: scope, boundaries, deliverables, timeline and a single fixed fee. We do not bill by the hour.
3Data collection: we send templates for your bills of materials, energy, waste and transport, and work through them with your engineering team.
4Modelling and impact assessment: we build the model, check data quality, run sensitivity analysis on key parameters and benchmark the numbers.
5Report to ISO 14044: full report with all assumptions and sources, plus a short summary written for management and customers.
6Critical review liaison: where a review is required, we answer the reviewer's questions and update the report until it passes.

Data & Standards

Databases and methods

Background data comes from ecoinvent, with datasets selected to match the technology and geography of your supply chain. Impact methods follow the client's market: the European Commission's Environmental Footprint (EF 3.1) method, IPCC GWP, ReCiPe or CML.

Deliverables

What you receive

ISO 14044 LCA report, with goal and scope, inventory, impact results, interpretation and data-quality assessment
Results tables and charts by life cycle stage and by contributing process
The model and inventory documented so that it can be updated in later years
A short management summary written for non-specialists
Where relevant, the files needed to proceed to an EPD or a PCF without repeating the data collection

Knowledge Transfer

Training and capacity building

For teams that want to run studies in house, we deliver LCA and EPD training built around the client's own products.

Knowledge Base

Frequently asked questions

A single-product cradle-to-gate LCA typically takes 4 to 8 weeks from kick-off to final report, depending on how quickly bills of materials and energy records can be gathered. Cradle-to-grave studies and studies requiring critical review take longer.

Book a scoping call