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LIFE CYCLE IMPACT ASSESSMENT - MIDPOINTS VS. ENDPOINTS
Citation:
Bare*, J C., H. A. Udo de Haes, D W. Pennington*, AND P Hofstetter**. LIFE CYCLE IMPACT ASSESSMENT - MIDPOINTS VS. ENDPOINTS.
Description:
The question of whether to use midpoints or endpoints or both in an LCIA framework is often dependent upon the goal and scope and the decision that is being supported by the LCIA. LCIAs for Enlightenment may not require an aggregation of impact categories and may be most useful when impact categories are viewed independently with the decision makers' priorities in mind.
Comparative LCIAs have been conducted to compare one product or process against one or more other products or processes, in an effort to determine which is more environmentally friendly. While either type can use midpoint or endpoint modeling, the value of endpoint modeling, or a more informed midpoint modeling lies in being able to recognize and quantitatively value the relative significance of impact categories (and/or their effects). A discussion of the merits and demerits of midpoint and endpoint modeling approaches will be presented.