LCA To Be Used with Care

摘要

One year ago, the delegates to the International Iron & Steel Institute's annual meeting heard how life cycle assessment (LCA) could provide a strong environmental argument for the use of steel framing in residential housing in place of wood framing. The speaker warned, however, that the subject is complex and an LCA must be undertaken carefully to establish its credibility. Increasingly, LCA is one of the tools being used to weigh and consider the environmental issues associated with the production, use, disposal, and recycling of products-and the materials they are made of.