Attributional life cycle assessment

Andrea Paulillo

Chapter 3 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, 2026, pp 8-11 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Attributional life cycle assessment (LCA) refers to an LCA modelling approach whereby the product system is assessed in isolation from the rest of the technosphere following the “ceteris paribus” principle, i.e. “all else being equal”. Attributional LCA is arguably the most widely used LCA modelling approach. The term is typically used in contrast to Consequential LCA – an alternative modelling approach that focuses on assessing the environmental consequence of decisions via interactions with the technosphere. The attributional modelling approach and the differences from the alternative consequential approach have been the subject of numerous scientific articles looking at context of applicability, methodological differences, and comparability of results. The main features of attributional LCA which differentiate it from the consequential approach are discussed here and include its relevance and context of applicability, additivity of LCA results, time perspective, definition of system boundaries, allocation approach, and type of inventory data.

Keywords: Accounting; Modelling approach; Decision-support; Normative ethics; Average data (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035309887
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