Characterisation factors

Bo P. Weidema

Chapter 7 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, 2026, pp 19-20 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Characterisation is a mandatory step in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA), where the result from a Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) analysis is converted to a common unit for each relevant impact category. A characterisation factor is a factor derived from a characterisation model applied to convert a LCI result to the common unit of the impact category indicator. Both pressure indicators and impact category indicators should cover incidence (i.e. amount of area or persons affected), duration (e.g. over a year), and severity (e.g. percentage increase or loss of skills, production, health, or wellbeing). Characterisation factors may vary significantly between different locations and conditions and will develop over time. The ISO 14044 requirements related to impact categories, category indicators, and characterisation models are listed.

Keywords: Impact category indicators; Pressure indicators; Characterisation model; Incidence; Duration; Severity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035309887
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