EN ISO 14040:2006

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-september-2006
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SIST EN ISO 14040:2000
SIST EN ISO 14041:2000
SIST EN ISO 14042:2001
SIST EN ISO 14043:2001
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Environmental management - Life cycle assessment - Principles and framework (ISO
14040:2006)
Umweltmanagement - Ökobilanz - Grundsätze und Rahmenbedingungen (ISO
14040:2006)
Management environnemental - Analyse du cycle de vie - Principes et cadre (ISO
14040:2006)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN ISO 14040:2006
ICS:
13.020.10 Ravnanje z okoljem Environmental management
13.020.60 Življenjski ciklusi izdelkov Product life-cycles
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
EN ISO 14040
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
July 2006
ICS 13.020.10; 13.020.60 Supersedes EN ISO 14040:1997, EN ISO 14041:1998,
EN ISO 14042:2000, EN ISO 14043:2000
English Version
Environmental management - Life cycle assessment - Principles
and framework (ISO 14040:2006)
Management environnemental - Analyse du cycle de vie - Umweltmanagement - Ökobilanz - Grundsätze und
Principes et cadre (ISO 14040:2006) Rahmenbedingungen (ISO 14040:2006)
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 19 June 2006.
CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European
Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national
standards may be obtained on application to the Central Secretariat or to any CEN member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the Central Secretariat has the same status as the official
versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
Management Centre: rue de Stassart, 36  B-1050 Brussels
© 2006 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO 14040:2006: E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Foreword
This document (EN ISO 14040:2006) has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 207
"Environmental management" in collaboration with CMC.

This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of
an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by January 2007, and conflicting national
standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by January 2007.

This document supersedes EN ISO 14040:1997, EN ISO 14041:1998, EN ISO 14042:2000, EN
ISO 14043:2000.
According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of
the following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

Endorsement notice
The text of ISO 14040:2006 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 14040:2006 without any
modifications.
INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 14040
Second edition
2006-07-01
Environmental management — Life cycle
assessment — Principles and framework
Management environnemental — Analyse du cycle de vie — Principes
et cadre
Reference number
ISO 14040:2006(E)
©
ISO 2006
ISO 14040:2006(E)
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ii © ISO 2006 – All rights reserved

ISO 14040:2006(E)
Contents Page
Foreword. iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions. 1
4 General description of life cycle assessment (LCA). 6
4.1 Principles of LCA. 6
4.2 Phases of an LCA . 7
4.3 Key features of an LCA . 8
4.4 General concepts of product systems . 9
5 Methodological framework . 11
5.1 General requirements. 11
5.2 Goal and scope definition. 11
5.3 Life cycle inventory analysis (LCI). 13
5.4 Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) . 14
5.5 Life cycle interpretation . 16
6 Reporting . 16
7 Critical review. 17
7.1 General. 17
7.2 Need for critical review. 17
7.3 Critical review processes. 17
Annex A (informative) Application of LCA. 18
Bibliography . 20

ISO 14040:2006(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 14040 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 207, Environmental management, Subcommittee
SC 5, Life cycle assessment.
This second edition of ISO 14040, together with ISO 14044:2006, cancels and replaces ISO 14040:1997,
ISO 14041:1998, ISO 14042:2000 and ISO 14043:2000, which have been technically revised.
iv © ISO 2006 – All rights reserved

ISO 14040:2006(E)
Introduction
The increased awareness of the importance of environmental protection, and the possible impacts associated
1)
with products , both manufactured and consumed, has increased interest in the development of methods to
better understand and address these impacts. One of the techniques being developed for this purpose is life
cycle assessment (LCA).
LCA can assist in
⎯ identifying opportunities to improve the environmental performance of products at various points in their
life cycle,
⎯ informing decision-makers in industry, government or non-government organizations (e.g. for the purpose
of strategic planning, priority setting, product or process design or redesign),
⎯ the selection of relevant indicators of environmental performance, including measurement techniques,
and
⎯ marketing (e.g. implementing an ecolabelling scheme, making an environmental claim, or producing an
environmental product declaration).
For practitioners of LCA, ISO 14044 details the requirements for conducting an LCA.
2)
LCA addresses the environmental aspects and potential environmental impacts (e.g. use of resources and
the environmental consequences of releases) throughout a product's life cycle from raw material acquisition
through production, use, end-of-life treatment, recycling and final disposal (i.e. cradle-to-grave).
There are four phases in an LCA study:
a) the goal and scope definition phase,
b) the inventory analysis phase,
c) the impact assessment phase, and
d) the interpretation phase.
The scope, including the system boundary and level of detail, of an LCA depends on the subject and the
intended use of the study. The depth and the breadth of LCA can differ considerably depending on the goal of
a particular LCA.
The life cycle inventory analysis phase (LCI phase) is the second phase of LCA. It is an inventory of
input/output data with regard to the system being studied. It involves collection of the data necessary to meet
the goals of the defined study
The life cycle impact assessment phase (LCIA) is the third phase of the LCA. The purpose of LCIA is to
provide additional information to help assess a product system’s LCI results so as to better understand their
environmental significance.
1) In this International Standard, the term “product” includes services.
2) The “potential environmental impacts” are relative expressions, as they are related to the functional unit of a product
system.
ISO 14040:2006(E)
Life cycle interpretation is the final phase of the LCA procedure, in which the results of an LCI or an LCIA, or
both, are summarized and discussed as a basis for conclusions, recommendations and decision-making in
accordance with the goal and scope definition.
There are cases where the goal of an LCA can be satisfied by performing only an inventory analysis and an
interpretation. This is usually referred to as an LCI study.
This International Standard covers two types of studies: life cycle assessment studies (LCA studies) and life
cycle inventory studies (LCI studies). LCI studies are similar to LCA studies but exclude the LCIA phase. LCI
studies are not to be confused with the LCI phase of an LCA study.
Generally, the information developed in an LCA or LCI study can be used as part of a much more
comprehensive decision process. Comparing the results of different LCA or LCI studies is only possible if the
assumptions and context of each study are equivalent. Therefore this International Standard contains several
requirements and recommendations to ensure transparency on these issues.
LCA is one of several environmental management techniques (e.g. risk assessment, environmental
performance evaluation, environmental auditing, and environmental impact assessment) and might not be the
most appropriate technique to use in all situations. LCA typically does not address the economic or social
aspects of a product, but the life cycle approach and methodologies described in this International Standard
can be applied to these other aspects.
This International Standard, like other International Standards, is not intended to be used to create non-tariff
trade barriers or to increase or change an organization's legal obligations.

vi © ISO 2006 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 14040:2006(E)

Environmental management — Life cycle assessment —
Principles and framework
1 Scope
This International Standard describes the principles and framework for life cycle assessment (LCA) including
a) the goal and scope definition of the LCA,
b) the life cycle inventory analysis (LCI) phase,
c) the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) phase,
d) the life cycle interpretation phase,
e) reporting and critical review of the LCA,
f) limitations of the LCA,
g) relationship between the LCA phases, and
h) conditions for use of value choices and optional elements.
This International Standard covers life cycle assessment (LCA) studies and life cycle inventory (LCI) studies. It
does not describe the LCA technique in detail, nor does it specify methodologies for the individual phases of
the LCA.
The intended application of LCA or LCI results is considered during the goal and scope definition, but the
application itself is outside the scope of this International Standard.
This International Standard is not intended for contractual or regulatory purposes or registration and
certification.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 14044, Environmental management — Life cycle assessment — Requirements and guidelines
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO 14040:2006(E)
3.1
life cycle
consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material acquisition or generation from
natural resources to final disposal
3.2
life cycle assessment
LCA
compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system
throughout its life cycle
3.3
life cycle inventory analysis
LCI
phase of life cycle assessment involving the compilation and quantification of inputs and outputs for a product
throughout its life cycle
3.4
life cycle impact assessment
LCIA
phase of life cycle assessment aimed at understanding and evaluating the magnitude and significance of the
potential environmental impacts for a product system throughout the life cycle of the product
3.5
life cycle interpretation
phase of life cycle assessment in which the findings of either the inventory analysis or the impact assessment,
or both, are evaluated in relation to the defined goal and scope in order to reach conclusions and
recommendations
3.6
comparative assertion
environmental claim regarding the superiority or equivalence of one product versus a competing product that
performs the same function
3.7
transparency
open, comprehensive and understandable presentation of information
3.8
environmental aspect
element of an organization's activities, products or services that can interact with the environment
[ISO 14001:2004, definition 3.6]
3.9
product
any goods or service
NOTE 1 The product can be categorized as follows:
⎯ services (e.g. transport);
⎯ software (e.g. computer program, dictionary);
⎯ hardware (e.g. engine mechanical part);
⎯ processed materials (e.g. lubricant).
2 © ISO 2006 – All rights reserved

ISO 14040:2006(E)
NOTE 2 Services have tangible and intangible elements. Provision of a service can involve, for example, the following:
⎯ an activity performed on a customer-supplied tangible product (e.g. automobile to be repaired);
⎯ an activity performed on a customer-supplied intangible product (e.g. the income statement needed to prepare a tax
return);
⎯ the delivery of an intangible product (e.g. the delivery of information in the context of knowledge transmission);
⎯ the creation of ambience for the customer (e.g. in hotels and restaurants).
Software consists of information and is generally intangible and can be in the form of approaches, transactions or
procedures.
Hardware is generally tangible and its amount is a countable characteristic. Processed materials are generally tangible
and their amount is a continuous characteristic.
NOTE 3 Adapted from ISO 14021:1999 and ISO 9000:2005.
3.10
co-product
any of two or more products coming from the same unit process or product system
3.11
process
set of interrelated or interacting activities that transforms inputs into outputs
[ISO 9000:2005, definition 3.4.1 (without notes)]
3.12
elementary flow
material or energy entering the system being studied that has been drawn from the environment without
previous human transformation, or material or energy leaving the system being studied that is released into
the environment without subsequent human transformation
3.13
energy flow
input to or output from a unit process or product system, quantified in energy units
NOTE Energy flow that is an input can be called an energy input; energy flow that is an output can be called an
energy output.
3.14
feedstock energy
heat of combustion of a raw material input that is not used as an energy source to a product system,
expressed in terms of higher heating value or lower heating value
NOTE Care is necessary to ensure that the energy content of raw materials is not counted twice.
3.15
raw material
primary or secondary material that is used to produce a product
NOTE Secondary material includes recycled material.
3.16
ancillary input
material input that is used by the unit process producing the product, but which does not constitute part of the
product
ISO 14040:2006(E)
3.17
allocation
partitioning the input or output flows of a process or a product system between the product system under
study and one or more other product systems
3.18
cut-off criteria
specification of the amount of material or energy flow or the level of environmental significance associated
with unit processes or product system to be excluded from a study
3.19
data quality
characteristics of data that relate to their ability to satisfy stated requirements
3.20
functional unit
quantified performance of a product system for use as a reference unit
3.21
input
product, material or energy flow that enters a unit process
NOTE Products and materials include raw materials, intermediate products and co-products.
3.22
intermediate flow
product, material or energy flow occurring between unit processes of the product system being studied
3.23
intermediate product
output from a unit process that is input to other unit processes that require further transformation within the
system
3.24
life cycle inventory analysis result
LCI result
outcome of a life cycle inventory analysis that catalogues the flows crossing the system boundary and
provides the starting point for life cycle impact assessment
3.25
output
product, material or energy flow that leaves a unit process
NOTE Products and materials include raw materials, intermediate products, co-products and releases.
3.26
process energy
energy input required for operating the process or equipment within a unit process, excluding energy inputs for
production and delivery of the energy itself
3.27
product flow
products entering from or leaving to another product system
3.28
product system
collection of unit processes with elementary and product flows, performing one or more defined functions, and
which models the life cycle of a product
4 © ISO 2006 – All rights reserved

ISO 14040:2006(E)
3.29
reference flow
measure of the outputs from processes in a given product system required to fulfil the function expressed by
the functional unit
3.30
releases
emissions to air and discharges to water and soil
3.31
sensitivity analysis
systematic procedures for estimating the effects of the choices made regarding methods and data on the
outcome of a study
3.32
system boundary
set of criteria specifying which unit processes are part of a product system
NOTE The term "system boundary" is not used in this International Standard in relation to LCIA.
3.33
uncertainty analysis
systematic procedure to quantify the uncertainty introduced in the results of a life cycle inventory analysis due
to the cumulative effects of model imprecision, input uncertainty and data variability
NOTE Either ranges or probability distributions are used to determine uncertainty in the results.
3.34
unit process
smallest element considered in the life cycle inventory analysis for which input and output data are quantified
3.35
waste
substances or objects which the holder intends or is required to dispose of
NOTE This definition is taken from the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous
Wastes and Their Disposal (22 March 1989), but is not confined in this International Standard to hazardous waste.
3.36
category endpoint
attribute or aspect of natural environment, human health, or resources, identifying an environmental issue
giving cause for concern
3.37
characterization factor
factor derived from a characterization model which is applied to convert an assigned life cycle inventory
analysis result to the common unit of the category indicator
NOTE The common unit allows calculation of the category indicator result.
3.38
environmental mechanism
system of physical, chemical and biological processes for a given impact category, linking the life cycle
inventory analysis results to category indicators and to category endpoints
3.39
impact category
class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle inventory analysis results may be
assigned
ISO 14040:2006(E)
3.40
impact category indicator
quantifiable representation of an impact category
NOTE The shorter expression "category indicator" is used in this International Standard for improved readability.
3.41
completeness check
process of verifying whether information from the phases of a life cycle assessment is sufficient for reaching
conclusions in accordance with the goal and scope definition
3.42
consistency check
process of verifying that the assumptions, methods and data are consistently applied throughout the study and
are in accordance with the goal and scope definition performed before conclusions are reached
3.43
sensitivity check
process of verifying that the information obtained from a sensitivity analysis is relevant for reaching the
conclusions and for giving recommendations
3.44
evaluation
element within the life cycle interpretation phase intended to establish confidence in the results of the life cycle
assessment
NOTE Evaluation includes completeness check, sensitivity check, consistency check, and any other validation that
may be required according to the goal and scope definition of the study
3.45
critical review
process intended to ensure consistency between a life cycle assessment and the principles and requirements
of the International Standards on life cycle assessment
NOTE 1 The principles are described in this International Standard (see 4.1).
NOTE 2 The requirements are described in ISO 14044.
3.46
interested party
individual or group concerned with or affected by the environmental performance of a product system, or by
the results of the life cycle assessment
4 General description of life cycle assessment (LCA)
4.1 Principles of LCA
4.1.1 General
These principles are fundamental and should be used as guidance for decisions relating to both the planning
and the conducting of an LCA.
4.1.2 Life cycle perspective
LCA considers the entire life cycle of a product, from raw material extraction and acquisition, through energy
and material production and manufacturing, to use and end of life treatment and final disposal. Through such
6 © ISO 2006 – All rights reserved

ISO 14040:2006(E)
a systematic overview and perspective, the shifting of a potential environmental burden between life cycle
stages or individual processes can be identified and possibly avoided.
4.1.3 Environmental focus
LCA addresses the environmental aspects and impacts of a product system. Economic and social aspects
and impacts are, typically, outside the scope of the LCA. Other tools may be combined with LCA for more
extensive assessments.
4.1.4 Relative approach and functional unit
LCA is a relative approach, which is structured around a functional unit. This functional unit defines what is
being studied. All subsequent analyses are then relative to that functional unit, as all inputs and outputs in the
LCI and consequently the LCIA profile are related to the functional unit.
4.1.5 Iterative approach
LCA is an iterative technique. The individual phases of an LCA use results of the other phases. The iterative
approach within and between the phases contributes to the comprehensiveness and consistency of the study
and the reported results.
4.1.6 Transparency
Due to the inherent complexity in LCA, transparency is an important guiding principle in executing LCAs, in
order to ensure a proper interpretation of the results.
4.1.7 Comprehensiveness
LCA considers all attributes or aspects of natural environment, human health and resources. By considering
all attributes and aspects within one study in a cross-media perspective, potential trade-offs can be identified
and assessed.
4.1.8 Priority of scientific approach
Decisions within an LCA are preferably based on natural science. If this is not possible, other scientific
approaches (e.g. from social and economic sciences) may be used or international conventions may be
referred to. If neither a scientific basis exists nor a justification based on other scientific approaches or
international conventions is possible, then, as appropriate, decisions may be based on value choices.
4.2 Phases of an LCA
4.2.1 LCA studies comprise four phases. The relationship between the phases is illustrated in Figure 1.
These are
⎯ the goal and scope definition,
⎯ inventory analysis,
⎯ impact a
...