You probably wouldn't run a marathon without training for it first, right? Safe to say you'd try jogging a few times before embarking on the full 26.2-mile run?

Completing a full lifecycle assessment (LCA) is a bit like running a marathon. It's a lengthy, resource-intensive process, and it's best to be armed with a strong understanding of what you're getting into before begin.

Lifecycle work is still foreign to most people, and to make matters more complicated, the industry is constantly evolving. Although full LCAs are becoming more commonplace in corporate America, many companies -- particularly small- to mid-sized manufacturers -- are still wrestling with how and where to start.

In our current economy, it can also be difficult to make the business case for a comprehensive LCA, considering the significant investment of time and money that the process requires.

Targeting Opportunities for Impact

One strategy for overcoming those initial obstacles is to employ an incremental, phased approach to lifecycle work. Targeting a smaller component of the product lifecycle can help companies predict the level of effort required for a full LCA and can still yield real value for a business, so long as the objectives and boundaries of the assessment are clearly articulated at the project outset.

LCA objectives will be different for every company, so start by asking some strategic questions. Are you simply looking to increase internal knowledge about the environmental footprint of your products? Or are customers asking for specific information? Take stock of the stakeholders that care about LCA outcomes. Is there a particular lifecycle stage or environmental impact area that is of primary concern?

Taking a phased approach can help companies gauge the relative significance of a single environmental indicator or particular lifecycle stage, and can also help to illuminate gaps in current data for specific processes.

LCAs can be scaled up in a few different ways. For example, your business may be feeling pressure to provide information in one environmental category – such as water or carbon. To respond, your team can perform a targeted LCA that analyzes the full product lifecycle from raw materials through end-of-life, but focuses on only one environmental impact area.

Or, in cases where the lifecycle stage with the greatest overall environmental impact is fairly obvious, it may make more sense to look at a full range of environmental impacts, but limit the analysis to only one lifecycle phase.