Macroeconomics

Marketing

Context (archaeology)

Biology

Social psychology

Economics

Management science

Business

Cognitive science

Paleontology

Psychology

Life-cycle assessment

Novelty

Product life-cycle management

Production (economics)

Intuition

Journal of Cleaner Production

Organizations have been interested in Life Cycle Assessment in order to better understand the trade-offs associated between different approaches to producing their products and services. Life Cycle Assessment is a method to facilitate decision-making options regarding the impacts of products or services for design optimization, eco-efficiency and strategic market positioning. However, there has been little research examining the efficacy, limitations or drawbacks of Life Cycle Assessment in the decision-making context. Equally, the use of managerial, organizational and cognitive materials to explain decision-making in the context of Life Cycle Assessment has never been undertaken. The scientific universalism of Life Cycle Assessment is undermined by organizational politics and strategic alliances, as well as personal bias and intuition. Instead of dealing with the known problems associated with uncertainty, recent trends in Life Cycle Assessment development are exacerbating the decision-making phase by introducing additional problems. Thus, emerging approaches to Life Cycle Assessment are introducing novelty regardless of the potential impacts on decision-makers. In turn, this will have further ramifications in terms of demonstrating the utility of new approaches.

Life Cycle Assessment as a decision-making tool: Practitioner and managerial considerations