Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Life-cycle engineering
open-in-new
<p>Life-cycle engineering (LCE) is a sustainability-oriented engineering methodology that takes into account the comprehensive technical, environmental, and economic impacts of decisions within the product life cycle. Alternatively, it can be defined as "sustainability-oriented product development activities within the scope of one to several product life cycles." LCE requires analysis to quantify sustainability, setting appropriate targets for environmental impact. The application of complementary methodologies and technologies enables engineers to apply LCE to fulfill environmental objectives. </p><p>LCE was first introduced in the 1980s as a bottom-up engineering approach, and widely adopted in the 1990s as a systematic 'cradle-to-grave' approach. The goal of LCE is to find the best possible compromise in product engineering to meet the needs of society while minimizing <a href="/facts/Environmental_impact/6w5L44ek">environmental impacts</a>. The methodology is closely related to, and overlaps with, <a href="/facts/Life-cycle_assessment/vGKCvfYf">life-cycle assessment</a> (LCA) to assess environmental impacts; and <a href="/facts/Whole-life_cost/Eo57h7Uu">life cycle costing</a> (LCC) to assess economic impacts. </p> <p>The <a href="/facts/Product_lifecycle/G3U6gtBv">product life cycle</a> is formally defined by <a href="https://www.iso.org/standard/37456.html">ISO 14040</a> as the "consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material acquisition or generation from natural resources to final disposal." Comprehensive life cycle analysis considers both upstream and downstream processes. Upstream processes include "the extraction and production of raw materials and manufacturing," and downstream processes include product disposal (such as recycling or sending waste to landfill). LCE aims to reduce the negative consequences of consumption and production, and ensure a good quality standard of living for future generations, by reducing waste and making product development and engineering processes more efficient and sustainable. </p>