While LCAs are the most accurate way to calculate the impact of your products, they can still raise questions. Results can sometimes be counterintuitive (examples) or differ from other sources.
That’s why it's crucial to understand how the LCA is structured. This allows you to troubleshoot data issues and better grasp where unexpected results are coming from."
How Pickler enables you to perform those checks and
Pickler addresses these common misuses by ensuring transparency and consistency in all its assessments. Pickler uses neutral, pre-validated data from IDEMAT, avoiding cherry-picking and ensuring that all products are evaluated fairly. Every product follows a standardized methodology, covering every stage of its lifecycle—from raw material extraction to disposal—so no part of the process is overlooked. By using up-to-date data and providing full transparency regarding assumptions and calculations, Pickler prevents companies from manipulating LCA results for marketing purposes.
Despite LCA's are the most accurate way of calculating the impact of your products, it can still result in questions about the results.
Results can be counter-intuitive or different from other sources. It's therefor to undersand how the LCA is build up. So you can first troubleshoot if there are issues in the data and can understand where an unexpected results are coming from.
Understanding how to ready the results
Most misunderstandings are. How did this result come together? Why is it different from other LCA's? Or why
Understanding why LCA results can be different
but expecting a perfect, definitive answer is unrealistic. LCA's depend on assumptions, averages, and secondary data, so complete precision is impossible.
Counterintuitive Results: Why They Happen
You might have a strong feeling about plastic being better than paper, PLA being a, or compostable packaging better than steel.
OTERH ASSUMPTIONS.
Before you know it however, Pickler's results tell you something different. This must be wrong!
That's why transparancy is so important. On the assumptions made, the scope that is used, a full disclosure of general calculation rules, up to date backgorund data from IDEMAT and disclosed sources.
But how Even with transparent and consistent LCAs, some results can still seem counterintuitive.
For example:
Bio-based plastics might cause more global warming than fossil-based plastics due to emissions from agriculture and land use.
Certified forest products may negatively impact biodiversity more than plantation forestry because of how the land is managed.
Recycled paper may not always perform better than virgin paper, as the recycling process can be energy-intensive.
A disposable cup may sometimes have a smaller environmental footprint than a reusable one, depending on how many times the reusable cup is used.
These results might feel surprising, but they reflect the complexity of lifecycle impacts. LCAs consider a product’s full environmental cost across all stages of its lifecycle. What may seem eco-friendly on the surface can reveal hidden environmental consequences when viewed through a broader, more detailed lens. Understanding how LCAs work—and knowing that unexpected outcomes can occur—helps businesses and consumers make better sustainability decisions.
In the end, the key is not to view LCAs as a source of perfect answers, but as a tool for making comparative assessments. With Pickler’s transparent and thorough approach, businesses and consumers can navigate these complexities more effectively, leading to more informed and responsible sustainability choices.
Understanding where results are coming from
OLD
How Pickler Prevents LCA Misuse