Normalization

Manouchehr Shokri

Chapter 116 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, 2026, pp 425-428 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Assessing the environmental performance of supply chains is essential to enhance the sustainability of products and companies. In the context of interpreting life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results, normalization serves as a valuable tool for understanding the relative significance of environmental impacts across various categories. Although an optional step in life cycle assessment (LCA), normalization is widely employed by environmental LCA practitioners because it simplifies the interpretation of results and aids in better decision-making. As outlined by the EN ISO 14044 standard, normalization involves calculating the category indicator results relative to a chosen reference. LCIA consists of four stages: classification, characterization, normalization, and weighting. However, due to the inherent subjectivity in normalization and weighting, the International Organization for Standardization recommends focusing on only the first two stages. Normalization's purpose is to provide clearer insight into the relative magnitude of each indicator for the product under evaluation. The selection of a normalization set significantly influences the relative contribution of impact categories to the product's aggregated score, with different weighting sets having a lesser effect. The advantages and limitations of each normalization approach are examined alongside their implications for result interpretation. Despite its subjectivity, normalization aids decision-makers by allowing them to compare environmental impacts against familiar, recognizable references, and its exclusion can lead to biased conclusions.

Keywords: Life Cycle Impact Assessment; Environmental Impact Category; Normalization Factor; Decision-making (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035309887
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