Life cycle assessment · Product carbon footprint · EPD support
Life cycle assessment (LCA) consultants in the UK
A life cycle assessment measures the environmental impact of a product across its whole life, from raw materials to end-of-life. We deliver ISO 14040/14044 LCAs, product carbon footprints and the assessment work behind Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) — as part of a UK carbon consultancy that has measured footprints since 2007.
What is a life cycle assessment?
A life cycle assessment (LCA) quantifies the environmental impact of a product or service across its whole life cycle — raw material extraction, manufacturing, distribution, use and end-of-life. It is the most rigorous way to understand where impact actually sits, rather than where you assume it does.
LCAs follow two international standards: ISO 14040, which sets the principles and framework, and ISO 14044, which sets the detailed requirements. Together they define four phases that every credible study works through — and the process is iterative, so findings in a later phase often send you back to refine an earlier one.
Goal & scope definition
We agree what the study is for, the product and functional unit, the system boundary and which impacts to measure.
Life cycle inventory (LCI)
We model every material and energy flow in and out of the system, using your data and recognised background databases.
Impact assessment (LCIA)
The inventory is translated into environmental impacts — carbon, and in a full LCA, categories such as water use and acidification.
Interpretation
We find the hotspots, test how robust the results are, and turn them into clear conclusions and recommendations.
Cradle-to-gate or cradle-to-grave?
The system boundary decides how much of the life cycle a study covers. It is the single biggest driver of both the result and the cost, so we agree it up front against what you actually need the assessment for.
Cradle-to-gate
A partial assessment covering everything from raw material extraction ('cradle') to the point the product leaves your factory gate. It excludes distribution, use and end-of-life. Under the GHG Protocol Product Standard this is acceptable for intermediate, business-to-business products where the end use is not known — but you have to disclose and justify it. In construction EPDs it corresponds to modules A1–A3.
Cradle-to-grave
A complete assessment, from raw materials all the way to end-of-life disposal or recovery. The GHG Protocol Product Standard requires this full boundary for final products, and it is what you need to make a credible whole-life claim to consumers. It is more work, because it has to model how the product is used and disposed of.
Two related terms come up often: gate-to-gate covers only the processes inside your own operations, while cradle-to-cradle describes designing end-of-life material back into new products — reported as Module D (“benefits and loads beyond the system boundary”) in a construction EPD.
Product carbon footprints and EPDs
Not every job needs a full multi-impact LCA. Two narrower outputs are built on the same methodology and are often what a customer or tender is really asking for.
Product carbon footprint (ISO 14067)
A product carbon footprint (PCF) measures a single impact — greenhouse gas emissions, in kg CO2e — across the product life cycle, following ISO 14067 or the GHG Protocol Product Standard. Because it is built on the same LCA methodology, a PCF is effectively a full LCA narrowed to climate change: faster and lower cost, and usually the right starting point when a customer has asked specifically for your product’s carbon number. What it cannot do is support a broad “environmentally friendly” claim — for that you need the wider impact picture of a full LCA.
If it is your organisation’s emissions you need to report rather than a single product’s, that is carbon reporting rather than an LCA.
Environmental Product Declaration (ISO 14025 / EN 15804)
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardised, independently verified public summary of an LCA. It is produced to ISO 14025 and, for construction products, to EN 15804, under product category rules set by a programme operator such as BRE Global or the International EPD System. No UK law requires EPDs, but they are increasingly asked for in tenders and specifications and to earn BREEAM credits. We prepare the underlying LCA and the EPD documentation to EN 15804, ready for the third-party verification and registration the programme operator requires.
When does a business need an LCA?
Most LCA and product carbon footprint work starts with one of four triggers. If any of these sound like you, it is worth a conversation.
A customer has asked for your carbon data
More buyers now require a product carbon footprint from their suppliers, often to complete their own Scope 3 accounting. A PCF gives them a defensible number for your product.
You need an EPD for a tender or specification
Construction and manufacturing tenders increasingly specify an EN 15804 EPD, and BREEAM awards credits for having one on file.
You want to make a credible product claim
The CMA's Green Claims Code requires claims to consider the full life cycle and be backed by robust evidence. Since April 2025 the CMA can fine businesses up to 10% of global turnover for misleading environmental claims — an LCA is the evidence behind a defensible 'low carbon' or 'carbon neutral' claim.
You're designing a lower-impact product
Eco-design choices — materials, packaging, transport — are far cheaper to get right early. An LCA shows where the impact really is before you commit to a design.
Not sure which you need? Our insights explain the options in plain English.
What an LCA from Carbon Managers includes
We keep the process practical and jargon-light, and we are honest about where better data would sharpen the result rather than papering over the gaps.
What we deliver
- A goal-and-scope document agreeing the product, functional unit and boundary
- A modelled life cycle inventory of your product's material and energy flows
- Impact results — a product carbon footprint, or a full multi-impact LCA
- An interpretation report highlighting the hotspots and how robust the results are
- Practical recommendations to reduce impact, and EPD-ready documentation where you need it
What we need from you
- A bill of materials for the product
- Energy and water use for the processes you run
- Production volumes, waste and packaging
- Transport distances and modes
- Supplier data where you have it
We fill the gaps with recognised background databases such as ecoinvent, and tell you where better primary data would improve the result.
How long it takes
Timelines depend on the product and the boundary. In our experience of the market, a simple cradle-to-gate footprint for a single product can take a few weeks, while a full ISO 14044 study more typically runs to a few months — collecting primary data is almost always the longest stage. If you need third-party verification or an EPD published, allow additional time for the programme operator’s process. We commit to a realistic timeline once the scope is agreed.
Carbon Managers have been a trusted partner to Brunel Pension Partnership, bringing strong technical expertise and clear, actionable insight on carbon data metrics and reporting. Their collaborative approach and high-quality delivery strengthened our ability to account and disclose our emissions usage over the past four years, supporting the formulation and delivery of our Carbon Reduction Plans. We valued this partnership and would highly recommend their services.
David Anthony
Head of Finance, Brunel Pension Partnership
We’ve worked with Carbon Managers for several years and have consistently had a positive experience. This year, Joe Venables supported us on our carbon footprint reporting and was excellent throughout—diligent, highly professional, and proactive at every stage. He brought real clarity to the process, helping us strengthen our data collation and understanding, and provided practical, achievable recommendations to enhance our future reporting and accuracy. Despite a tight deadline, Joe delivered on time and was a pleasure to work with throughout.
Angela Dillon
Managing Director, Vanguard Healthcare Solutions
We highly recommend Carbon Managers. Will and Joe guided us through measuring our carbon footprint with exceptional attentiveness and support at every step. They made a complex process seamless, and the end data we received was clear, thorough, and well presented. We couldn’t be happier with the experience.
James Slinger AISEP
Risk and Governance Manager, Blackmore UK
Driven by our commitment to assess the environmental impact of our operations, we have partnered with Carbon Managers to conduct a thorough life cycle analysis of our Diabolo Dumbells product. This analysis serves as a catalyst for continuous improvement within our business. It was useful to understand the carbon footprint methodology and the report results are inspiring us to enhance our product designs, packaging methods, and transportation practices.
Edward Thomas
CEO, Paragon Studio
Life cycle assessment: frequently asked questions
What's the difference between an LCA and a product carbon footprint?
A product carbon footprint (PCF) measures one impact only — greenhouse gas emissions in kg CO2e — following ISO 14067 or the GHG Protocol Product Standard. A full LCA under ISO 14040/14044 measures several impacts, such as climate change, water use, acidification and resource depletion. Every PCF is built on LCA methodology, so a PCF is essentially an LCA narrowed to climate change: quicker and lower cost, but not enough on its own to support a broad "environmentally friendly" claim.
What is an EPD, and do I need one?
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardised, independently verified public summary of an LCA, produced to ISO 14025 — and, for construction products, to EN 15804. No UK law mandates EPDs, but you may need one to win a tender, meet a client specification, or earn BREEAM credits, and they are increasingly requested for construction products. We prepare the underlying LCA and the EPD documentation, ready for the third-party verification and registration a programme operator such as BRE Global or the International EPD System requires.
What data do you need from us for an LCA?
Mainly primary data for the parts of the life cycle you control: a bill of materials, energy and water use, production volumes, waste, packaging and transport distances, plus supplier information where you have it. We combine that with recognised background databases such as ecoinvent for the upstream processes you cannot measure directly. Collecting primary data is usually the longest part of a project, so the better your records, the faster and more accurate the study.
How long does a life cycle assessment take?
It depends on the product and the boundary. In our experience of the market, a simple cradle-to-gate footprint for a single product can take a few weeks, while a full ISO 14044 study more typically runs to a few months — data collection is almost always the longest stage. Third-party verification or EPD publication adds time on top. We commit to a realistic timeline once the goal and scope are agreed.
Can I market my product as 'low carbon' or 'carbon neutral' in the UK?
Only if you can substantiate it. The CMA's Green Claims Code requires environmental claims to be accurate, to consider the full life cycle and to be backed by robust evidence. Since April 2025, under the DMCC Act, the CMA can decide itself whether a business has broken the law and fine it up to 10% of global turnover for misleading claims. An ISO-conformant LCA or product carbon footprint is exactly the kind of evidence a credible claim rests on.
Ready to measure your product’s impact?
Tell us about your product and what you need the assessment for — a customer request, an EPD, a claim or a design decision — and we will recommend the right scope and a realistic timeline. No pressure, and no jargon.
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