Duration
5 weeksWeekly study
4 hours100% online
How it works
Life Cycle Assessment: Interpretation and Evaluation: (LCA Part 2)
Reduce environmental impact with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools
An average smartphone only lasts 2.5 years. An average car only lasts about 12. As the world’s waste problem grows, understanding the full product lifecycle is more crucial than ever to reaching zero carbon goals.
Building on Aberystwyth University’s Principles of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Sustainability, this course focuses on the interpretation and evaluation of the output of life cycle assessment.
You’ll learn flexibly with the experts at the Institute for Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) over five engaging weeks, gaining the skills to assess and apply LCA insights to promote sustainable decision-making.
Grasp the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) process
Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are powerful tools used by many businesses and agencies in the move towards lowering carbon emissions associated with products.
You’ll delve into the LCIA process, exploring how normalisation and weighting help interpret data and compare impacts across different product categories.
Apply LCA insights to drive sustainable change
You’ll then move on to examine how LCA data can be used to identify areas for improvement in product design and production processes.
By applying your learning to real-world scenarios, you’ll gain the skills to contribute to sustainability initiatives in various industries.
Learn practically and sustainability for the real-world
You’ll conclude this course with a series of case studies. These real-world examples will allow you to apply LCA principles to sustainable decision-making.
You’ll explore a variety of sectors, from the production of everyday goods like apples, cotton, and sugar cane, to the sustainable practices of companies such as Adnams Brewery.
Syllabus
Week 1
Impact Assessment
Impact Assessment
Week 1
Week 2
Normalisation
Normalisation
Week 2
Week 3
Weighting, Resources and Interpretation of LCA
Weighting in LCA
Week 3 - Weighting in LCA
Week 4
Example Case Studies - Part 1
Case Studies
Week 6 - Case Studies
Week 5
Example Case Studies - Part 2
Case Studies 2
Week 5
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Describe the process of Life Cycle Impact Assessment and assess the challenges associated with them
- Evaluate the use of normalisation and weighting in Life Cycle Impact Assessment
- Describe the requirements of the life cycle assessment interpretation phases and assess the challenges associated with interpretation
- Apply theoretical knowledge of life cycle assessment methods to evaluating Life Cycle Assessment reports
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for professionals and learners interested in deepening their understanding of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). It’s perfect for those already familiar with the basics of LCA and looking to expand their skills in evaluating and interpreting LCA results.
Whether you’re working in sustainability, environmental science, or product development, this course will help you navigate the complexities of LCA to support decision-making for more sustainable practices.
If you’d like a refresher, we recommend you take Aberystwyth University’s Principles of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for Sustainability.
Who will you learn with?
My background is in livestock nutrition and my interests include environmental sustainability of livestock production, sustainability and climate change in relation to agriculture and livestock.
Ways to learn | Buy this course | Subscribe & save | Limited access |
---|---|---|---|
Choose the best way to learn for you! | $109/one-off payment | $244.99 for a whole year Automatically renews | Free |
Fulfill your current learning need | Develop skills to further your career | Sample the course materials | |
Access to this course | tick | tick | Access expires 11 Mar 2025 |
Access to 1,000+ courses | cross | tick | cross |
Learn at your own pace | tick | tick | cross |
Discuss your learning in comments | tick | tick | tick |
Certificate when you're eligible | Printed and digital | Digital only | cross |
Cancel for free anytime |
Ways to learn
Choose the best way to learn for you!
Subscribe & save
$244.99 for a whole year
Automatically renews
Develop skills to further your career
- Access to this course
- Access to 1,000+ courses
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Digital certificate when you're eligible
Cancel for free anytime
Buy this course
$109/one-off payment
Fulfill your current learning need
- Access to this course
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible
Limited access
Free
Sample the course materials
- Access expires 11 Mar 2025
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades) Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply. |
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)
Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.
Learning on FutureLearn
Your learning, your rules
- Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
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