elinkaarimallinnusta

Elinkaarimallinnusta is a systematical approach to model and analyze the life cycle of a product, system, or service, from raw material extraction and production through use, maintenance, and end-of-life disposal. The goal is to understand environmental, economic, and social impacts and to identify opportunities to improve sustainability.

Key concepts include setting system boundaries, defining the functional unit as the reference for comparisons, and detailing the stages of the lifecycle. Data quality and data collection methods are crucial, and common approaches include life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC). LCA evaluates environmental impacts across categories such as greenhouse gas emissions, acidification, eutrophication, and resource use, while LCC focuses on total cost over the life of the product or service. Standards such as ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 guide LCA practice, with variants like cradle-to-grave or cradle-to-cradle to describe system boundaries.

Elinkaarilaskenta (LCA) is the process of compiling and analyzing data on materials, production processes, distribution, use, and end-of-life to quantify environmental impacts. Elinkaarikustannusanalyysi assesses lifetime costs, including acquisition, use-phase costs, and residual value.

Applications include product design optimization, sustainable production and procurement, policy planning, and comparative analysis of energy systems and infrastructure projects. The method supports decision making by highlighting trade-offs between environmental performance and cost, and by identifying improvement opportunities.

Challenges involve data availability and uncertainty, defining appropriate boundaries, regional differences, and keeping assessments up to date. Transparency and reproducibility are essential, and ongoing developments address circular economy concepts and new economic incentives in elinkaarimallinnusta.