STAGES AND PROCEDURES OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DECISIONS

Implementing sustainable transformations in business requires using tools that would allow for assessing the social and environmental impact of business and making sustainable management decisions on this basis. One such tool is life cycle assessment (LCA). This article aims to characterize the main aspects (stages, procedures) and features of using life cycle assessment as a tool for making sustainable decisions. The article analyzes and summarizes the content of the main standards and recommendations for life cycle assessment. The iterative nature of the LCA process is emphasized, and the main types of assessments (attributional and consequentional), their potential, and limitations are characterized. Attributional assessment demonstrates the existing impact, considered at a specific point in time, while consequentional assessment characterizes the potential results of changes in the product's life cycle. The characteristics of the main stages of conducting the LCA are given: defining the goals and scope of the study, inventory, impact assessment, and interpretation of the results. Features that should be paid attention to at each stage are outlined; in particular, the need to correctly define the functional unit and reference flow, product system boundaries, and data requirements at the stage of determining the goals and scope of the study is emphasized as an important prerequisite for obtaining accurate and reliable results. It was determined that the stages of inventory and impact assessment are technical and involve clear identification and accounting of input and output substance flows, their classification by impact categories, and impact assessment. These procedures are described. Important aspects of the stage of interpretation of the results are outlined: analysis of the largest and smallest indicators of impact obtained to make decisions on improvement. The study's results can serve as a guideline for implementing this approach in organizations.