Circular Economy
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a systematic methodology used to assess the environmental impacts of a product or service from its inception to its disposal. LCA provides valuable insights into the areas that contribute most significantly to environmental burdens, enabling informed decision-making to reduce those impacts.
As governments and organisations strive to meet climate targets, analysing the entire life cycle of a vehicle should be the basis for policy shaping, rather than the tailpipe-only considerations currently in place. Harmonisation of methods is currently under consideration by both European Commission and UNECE.
Circular Economy complements the goals of LCA by promoting a model of production and consumption that emphasises longevity, reuse, and resource efficiency.
In addition to Europe-wide legislation, there are sometimes local regulations for construction equipment (as in Switzerland) or for equipment used in mines. There may also be incentives, requirements built into construction contracts (especially in city centres) or company internal policies that stimulate the use of these technologies.
