Life Cycle Assessment Approach Research Articles

Life cycle assessment of rice straw for energy valorization: A comprehensive review of methodological trends and future outlooks

AbstractIn response to the growing awareness of environmental preservation, there has been a surge in studies employing the life cycle assessment (LCA) approach which helps to identify and minimize environmental impacts associated with rice straw recovery processes. However, there is lack of comprehensive and trend analysis related to the development of critical methodological steps of LCA within this field. To fill the gap, this review examines 43 primary LCA studies from 2004 to 2023 period concerning the use of rice straw for bioenergy production and categorized into two groups: the “first‐year group” covering 2004–2013 and the “second‐year group” spanning from 2014 to 2023. This categorization serves to facilitate the examination of trends and patterns within each decade, offering insights into the evolution of research objectives, methodological advancements, and changes in research outcomes over time. The analysis reveals a shift from studying individual technologies to comparing various technologies, includes scenarios development and consideration of economic and social aspects. Furthermore, the “second‐year group” (2014–2023) exhibits a notable uptick in the exploration of gasification, pyrolysis, anaerobic digestion, and fermentation, whereas combustion technologies have experienced a slight decrease in the number of studies. Challenges in LCA studies arise from nonstandardized methodologies, introducing bias and uncertainty. To enhance the reliability and comparability of environmental assessments, it is recommended to establish standardized guidelines, improve transparency, and update databases. Overall, this review provides a foundational resource for future waste‐to‐energy studies and recommends steps to enhance the applicability and validity of LCA in forthcoming research.This article is categorized under: Sustainable Energy > Bioenergy Climate and Environment > Pollution Prevention Climate and Environment > Circular Economy

Analiza literature o utjecajima na okoliš i međunarodnom zakonodavstvu relevantnom za brodogradilišta

Shipyards are the place where the life cycle of a ship begins and ends. The life cycle of a ship, which starts with painting, blasting, and welding processes during the construction, is completed with the recycling of the steel parts and other equipment after the ship is scrapped. In this study, the harmful waste generated during the construction and recycling of ships in the shipyard and the environmental damage caused by this waste were investigated through a literature analysis. The content, implementation procedures and development processes of the relevant regulations are also examined. To fully evaluate the cumulative and holistic environmental impacts of shipyard processes, it is recommended to make greater use of the life cycle assessment approach. In this way, it will be possible to determine which process is more environmentally harmful during the shipbuilding, operation, and recycling phases, and to accurately determine the overall impact.

DESIGNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY: A SHOPPING MALL ANALYZING LIFE CYCLE IMPACT OF STRUCTURAL DESIGNS AND MATERIALS

The lifespan of construction projects entails significant consumption of resources, energy, and space. Due to sustainability awareness throughout all stages of construction projects, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one of the tools used for examining the impacts of a product or process at all stages of the product or process's life cycle, including conception, production, use, and disposal. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the choice of design and construction materials, a case study was conducted for a shopping mall. It included a comparison of the environmental impacts of utilizing the LCA approach throughout their lifespan for two structural engineering designs: concrete and steel. The life-cycle environmental impacts of the structures are evaluated throughout their life cycle using SimaPro software and the midpoint technique of the ReCiPe method. Based on the results, it was concluded that the concrete structure design had a greater negative environmental impact over the course of its life cycle than the steel structure design. As a result, the study emphasizes the significant environmental effects of building material choices as well as the value of life cycle assessment in selecting between various design options prior to the construction phase.

DESIGNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY: A SHOPPING MALL ANALYZING LIFE CYCLE IMPACT OF STRUCTURAL DESIGNS AND MATERIALS

The lifespan of construction projects entails significant consumption of resources, energy, and space. Due to sustainability awareness throughout all stages of construction projects, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one of the tools used for examining the impacts of a product or process at all stages of the product or process's life cycle, including conception, production, use, and disposal. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the choice of design and construction materials, a case study was conducted for a shopping mall. It included a comparison of the environmental impacts of utilizing the LCA approach throughout their lifespan for two structural engineering designs: concrete and steel. The life-cycle environmental impacts of the structures are evaluated throughout their life cycle using SimaPro software and the midpoint technique of the ReCiPe method. Based on the results, it was concluded that the concrete structure design had a greater negative environmental impact over the course of its life cycle than the steel structure design. As a result, the study emphasizes the significant environmental effects of building material choices as well as the value of life cycle assessment in selecting between various design options prior to the construction phase.

Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of interior floor material alternatives in Egypt

AbstractThe building materials sector has a major environmental impact and is one of the main causes of environmental degradation in the construction industry. An Environmental Impact Assessment of several interior floor material options, such as ceramic, marble, and parquet tiles, is conducted in this study using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Due to the shortage of LCA applications in Egypt and the unavailability of the inventory database for the materials industries, the study uses a case study of a new city in Egypt to assess the environmental effects of various floor materials. The LCA approach uses SimaPro software V9.50 and its integrated Ecoinvent database V3.0 to define the objective and scope, conduct an inventory analysis, evaluate the impact, and interpret the results. According to the LCA findings, ceramic tiles, followed by marble tiles and parquet tiles, have the lowest negative environmental impacts. Regarding the singles score, results (midpoint method) have revealed that the marble tiles have hit the highest adverse environmental impacts by 2.24 pt, followed by parquet by 1.21 pt, and finally, the ceramic tiles by 0.594 pt. The global warming potential of ceramic tiles is 0.539 kg CO2, which is less than 74% of the global warming potential of marble tiles (2.01 kg CO2). The non-renewable energy impact of the marble tiles is (38.70 Mj primary), which is higher by 78% of the non-renewable energy of ceramic (8.46 Mj primary). Finally, the human health impact has recorded the highest numbers in the marble industry by 1.12E−5 DALY, which means the marble industry needs a high amount of energy. Ultimately, the findings of this study can potentially improve the sustainability and energy efficiency of construction projects by assisting decision-makers in selecting and applying environmentally friendly building materials.

Mitigating environmental impacts of food consumption in the European Union: Is the power truly on our plates?

In the context of the sustainable use of our planet's resources, there is a pressing need for environmentally friendly diets. Moreover, health issues linked to inadequate nutrition are rising, further emphasising the need for more balanced diets. The aim of the planetary health diet developed by the EAT-Lancet commission is to sustainably feed 10 billion people in 2050 while not exceeding planetary limits. According to these guidelines, the EU should reduce red meat intake by 80 % and multiply legume intake by 15. This significant shift from animal to plant-based proteins could modify trade partnerships and EU dependency on plant-based proteins for animal feed, currently discussed within the EU protein strategy. This study evaluates land use changes and environmental consequences of this change in dietary patterns by applying a consequential life cycle assessment approach combined with an agri-economic model, additionally assessing if this diet shift could help to achieve EU Green Deal targets. For this simulation, the partial equilibrium model CAPRI was used, which is a global agricultural market model focusing on Europe, including bilateral trade worldwide. We found that the diet shift results in gaps between domestic demand and supply which are compensated by increased imports of legumes and additional exports of red meat from the EU due to an increased demand for red meat in non-EU countries, as a consequence of decreased red meat prices. Land use changes within NUTS-2 regions indicate broad disparities depending on regional specialisation and profitability. The results from our life cycle assessment show limited benefits for most environmental impact categories within the EU given the considerable change in diets. GHG emissions from the agricultural sector would be reduced by 9 %, representing 4 % of the change needed to achieve overall EU GHG emission targets i.e., a reduction of 55 % by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Yet, the mitigation potential allocated to EU production of shifting diets could be greater if international trade were not offsetting expected local environmental benefits. Indeed, if EU red meat and animal feed production were reduced proportionally to the demand shift, domestic legume production could hypothetically be extended in the available agricultural areas coming along with improvements in all environmental impact categories. Scientific contribution and media regularly point out the significant influence of individual consumer behaviour as an impulse for change: “the power is on our plates”, while the results of our simulations show that this holds only to a limited extent. To minimise environmental pollution, strong supply-side policies are needed to complement the power on the consumers' plates.

Techno-Eco-Efficiency Assessment of Using Recycled Steel Fibre in Concrete

The steel industry is one the three biggest producers of carbon dioxide and it is experiencing technical challenges due to the gradual decrease in the quality of iron ore. Steel is extensively used in the construction industry for structural applications like steel components, while steel fibres are intensively used as additives to concrete in order to improve its performance. It is thus important to consider the use of recycled steel as a replacement for virgin steel in order to address the aforementioned environmental consequences. This paper applies the eco-efficiency framework to determine the economic and environmental implications of the use of recycled fibre in concrete as a replacement for virgin steel. A number of concrete mixes were considered that used virgin, recycled, and treated recycled rebar in concrete. The eco-efficiency framework, which uses a life-cycle assessment approach to calculate the environmental and economic values of concrete mixes in order to determine the portfolio positions of these concrete mixes, was used for comparison purposes and to establish the eco-efficient option(s). Whilst the recovery and recycling process is energy-intensive, the use of recycled steel fibre in reinforced concrete has been found to be eco-efficient and deliver the same level of mechanical performance compared to that obtained using virgin steel fibre. Treating steel fibre could improve its technical performance, but it was found to increase both costs and environmental impacts and was therefore identified as not being eco-efficient.

Effect of seashell powder as binder material on the performance and microstructure of low-carbon sustainable alkali-activated concrete

This paper proposes using waste seashells as raw materials to partially replace fly ash in alkali-activated concrete (AAC). Fifteen groups of alkali-activated mortar and concrete were designed, with seashell powder (SP) substitution and sodium hydroxide molar concentration as variables. The material's workability, compressive strength, hydration products and micropore structures were examined. The results showed that the 3 days compressive strength of AAC with SP enhanced significantly, exhibiting an increase of nearly 30 % compared to the fly ash control. The 28 days compressive strength showed that the optimal proportion of SP replacing fly ash was 45 %. SEM images showed that micro/nanoparticles of SP filled the pores in the concrete and provided nucleation sites. Nano CT and MIP analyses indicated that the addition of SP could refine the pore structure of concrete, reducing the total porosity by nearly 30 %. Finally, the carbon emission data for 1 m³ of concrete were analyzed using a life cycle assessment approach. The carbon emissions from AAC with 45 % SP were 173.4 kg CO2/m³, compared to the reference ordinary concrete reduction of approximately 60–70 %.

A comprehensive assessment of the environmental footprint of pomegranate juice production system by life cycle assessment approach

This groundbreaking research conducts the first comprehensive life cycle assessment of pomegranate juice production system, identifying key environmental hotspots, and offering valuable insights for improving environmental performance. This study employs the ReCiPe method within SimaPro software to assess the environmental impacts per pack of 160 g of juice. The findings indicated that a pack of pomegranate juice leads to 0.15 kg CO2 eq. Among all factors affecting global warming, natural gas used for juicing stood out as the most significant, responsible for over one-third of the impacts. In addition, the amount of human carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic toxicity impact categories was equal to 0.004 and 0.063 kg 1,4-DCB, respectively, mainly due to the pomegranate production in the orchard phase. Fruit production is also an environmental hotspot in other impact categories. The emissions from chemical fertilizers and manure application, fruit transportation toward the factory, and diesel fuel consumption by machinery were recognized to be the main hotspots in the orchard. Based on the weighted damage categories, the production of one pack of juice led to 3.64 mPt damage to the environment. The damage to human health contributed to 88% of the weighted environmental damage. The outcome of the sensitivity analysis indicated that natural gas in the juicing process is the most important parameter in damage to human health, ecosystems, and resource. In line with that, efforts for optimized consumption of natural gas and its replacement with eco-friendly alternatives can be a promising approach in pomegranate juice production from the environmental point of view.

Environmental impacts of COVID–19 responses on passenger vehicle transport scenarios: A life cycle approach

COVID–19 has disrupted human life considerably since the beginning of 2020. The transport sector is one of the most affected sector due to restrictions imposed to curb COVID–19 pandemic. This paper evaluates the environmental impacts of COVID–19 response scenarios using life cycle assessment approach. Six regions selected for the study are Australia, China, European Union (EU), India, United Kingdom (UK), and United States of America (USA). Data for vehicle population, vehicle kilometers travelled, fleet type, and fuel efficiency were used for 2015–2020. The environmental impacts were calculated for five scenarios; Baseline–2019, Business As Usual (BAU) and COVID–19 Response Scenario (CRS) for 2020 and 2030 namely, 2020–BAU, 2020–CRS, 2030–BAU, and 2030–CRS. The results indicate that COVID–19 occurrence and related response measures did not contribute to significant environment benefits in terms of Global Warming Potential (GWP) and other pollutants in short term and long term. This implies that although immediate reductions in emissions were observed in many studies, the long term effects were minimal due to irregular policies and unmanaged demand. Further, to achieve environment benefits sustained measures should be implemented in long term with proper planning and supporting infrastructure. Although electric vehicle strategies will provide benefits; emphasis on vehicle production and fuel production technologies is also needed to achieve the emission reduction targets. The findings are relevant for policy makers while devising policies to achieve the targets.

A machine learning based method for parametric environmental impact model for electric vehicles

Environmental managers attempt to increasingly incorporate precautionary principles into decision making. The literature lacks Machine Learning -based approaches for forewarning lifecycle environmental impacts. This paper proposes a method to support electric vehicle design. The main innovation of the work lays in merging Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Machine Learning foundations to provide support and awareness to designers. The present approach overcomes the present literature because it provides a method for the design phase, is based on a well-established methodology (LCA) and provides quantitative results from little inputs. The approach exploits machine Learning Methods to develop models with the design features of a generic electric vehicle (such as vehicle mass and distance traveled) in six phases (Problem definition; Data collection; Data Preparation; Modeling; Model evaluation; Model interpretation). Differently from existing environmental analyses, all stages of the product life cycle have been considered in building the database; moreover, the model provides quantitative results. Regression models and supervised algorithms were used. The obtained model can be used by product engineers, as well as those not experts on LCA. Moreover, the model guarantees the database and hypothesis's uniqueness, ensuring the results coherence and comparability. The level of accuracy obtained in the case study (error or 17%) is comparable with studies handling full environmental analysis (that should be more accurate), and outstanding, as the present case is for the design phase. Future works will focus on additional significative indicators, similar electric vehicle design and integration with prospective LCA approaches.

Environmental performance analysis of textile envelope integrated flexible photovoltaic using life cycle assessment approach

The textile envelope integrated flexible photovoltaic (TE-FPV) system is an emerging technology to promote building sustainability due to its lightweight structure, textile recovery easily, and renewable energy production. We develop six novel TE-FPV prototypes to determine their advantages of environmental performance. Especially, the systems with the solar cells directly printed on the textile are designed to show the promising sustainability prospect. Their environmental performances are conducted by a cradle-to-cradle life cycle assessment, and the results are compared to traditional building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) technologies. The life cycle inventories of some textiles and solar cells are the first time to be developed. Based on the inventories, life cycle impact assessment is implemented to figure out environmental impacts in various categories. Furthermore, uncertainty analyses and sensitivity analyses are performed to unmask the effects of parameters on the fluctuation of environmental indicators. The results present that most of TE-FPV systems perform more sustainable and more recyclable over the traditional BIPV systems. The organic solar cell is unfavorable for the TE-FPV systems due to its low power conversion efficiency and short lifespan. ETFE facade integrated perovskite solar cell systems can refund the investment of greenhouse gas emission even on the north orientation, showing vast prospective potential in environmental performances. This work contributes significantly required environmental quantifications to promote the advancement of TE-FPV systems.

Climate and environmental effects of nutritional mitigation options to reduce enteric methane in dairy cattle: A life cycle assessment

Nutritional mitigation strategies represent an option to reduce enteric methane emissions from ruminants, but these strategies must not have undesirable side effects.Therefore, the present study aimed to analyze the environmental effects of supplementation of typical dairy cow feeding rations in Denmark (S0) with 20 g extra fatty acids per kg dry-matter (S1), 10 g nitrate per kg dry-matter (S2), and 60 mg 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP) per kg dry-matter (S3). A cradle-to-farm gate life cycle assessment approach was used, where fifteen environmental impacts were assessed to capture the environmental effects. Pairwise Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to identify statistically significant results.It was found that the climate impact per kg of milk decreased for all the strategies (−7 % in S1 and S2 and −13 % in S3) compared to S0. Furthermore, lower land use and land use change emissions were determined by the partial replacement of soybean meal with cracked rapeseed (in S1) or nitrate (in S2). The reduction in the level of enteric methane also contributed to decreases in the toxicity-related impacts of organic chemicals in S1. The use of nitrate in S2 also involved a decrease in the use of soybean meal, which contributed to decreases in the land use impacts. In strategies S2 and S3 increases in other environmental impacts were observed compared to S0 because of the manufacturing of nitrate or 3-NOP, or higher N excretion and emission at supplementation with nitrate.It was concluded that S3 was more effective in reducing the climate (and human-toxicity impacts of organic substances) impacts, while S1 caused small decreases in a wider range of environmental impacts. The present study has an important contribution to quantifying a wide range of environmental effects for intensive dairy and regarding the implementation of nutritional strategies in dairy cattle to reduce enteric methane.

Navigating Reservoir Deposition Challenges: Evaluation of Reservoir Desilting Strategy Through a 4-Stage Life Cycle Assessment Approach

Navigating Reservoir Deposition Challenges: Evaluation of Reservoir Desilting Strategy Through a 4-Stage Life Cycle Assessment Approach

Towards Sustainable Material: Optimizing Geopolymer Mortar Formulations for 3D Printing: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach

Geopolymer-based concretes have been elaborated among others for their potential to lower the environmental impact of the construction sector. The rheology and workability of fresh geopolymers make them suitable for new applications such as 3D printing. In this paper, we aim to develop a potassium silicate- and metakaolin-based geopolymer mortar with sand and local earth additions suited for 3D printing and an environmental assessment framework for this material. The methodology aims at the optimization of both the granular skeleton and the geopolymer matrix for the development of a low-environmental-impact material suited for 3D printing. Using this approach, various metakaolin/earth geopolymer mortars are explored from a mechanical and environmental point of view. The environmental assessment of the lab-scale process shows an improvement for the climate change category but a degradation of other indicators, compared to Portland-cement-based concrete. Several promising options exist to further optimize the process and decrease its environmental impacts. This constitutes the main research perspective of this work.

Impacts of Behavioral, Organizational, and Spatial Factors on the Carbon Footprint of Traditional Retail and E-commerce in the Paris Region.

Carbon footprint assessment of retail is necessary to optimize procurement strategies and adopt sustainable shopping habits. However, estimating carbon footprints is a complex task, given the diversity of existing distribution channels. Average values for carbon emissions of "conventional" retail (i.e., purchasing and receiving the product directly at the physical point of sale) found in most studies mask a heterogeneous reality: different retail strategies entail diverse shopping behavior for consumers, as well as varied procurement processes for outlets. In this paper, we propose a methodology to assess greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts of different distribution systems related to the consumption of goods in the Paris Region by coupling traditional transport modeling with a life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach. We model and compare six distribution systems, including five traditional retail formats (hypermarkets, supermarkets, small generalist retail, small food retail, and small nonfood retail) and E-commerce home deliveries. Our model includes warehouse activity, shop and home delivery, shop energy consumption, consumer mobility, and goods packaging. Overall, we conclude that E-commerce emits fewer GHG emissions than retail outlets per kilogram of product purchased. This result is in line with the existing literature on the topic. However, the carbon footprint varies greatly within the case study depending on the characteristics of the logistics procurement processes of outlets, the behavior of shoppers, and spatial characteristics.

Analysing carbon impacts of green roof at Hilton Watford: life-cycle assessment approach

This paper investigates the environmental aspects and energy impacts of implementing a green roof system at the Hilton Watford hotel, utilising building information modelling software (Revit) for three-dimensional modelling and Insight for energy simulation. Following EN 15804:2012+A2:2019, the study employs life-cycle assessment methodology, focusing on embodied and operational carbon. Environmental Product Declarations, Inventory of Carbon and Energy database and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors guideline inform embodied carbon calculations. The results show the green roof system releases 263 839.56 kgCO2e as embodied carbon, while its sedum layer sequesters 211 468.12 kgCO2e over a 50 year lifespan. Energy efficiency analysis indicates a 3.3 kWh/(m2/year) reduction in energy consumption, leading to a 112 130.31 kgCO2e reduction in operational carbon dioxide emissions, highlighting the environmental benefits of green roof adoption. The findings suggest a 0.35% mitigation of whole life-cycle carbon dioxide emissions, with greater impact in situations of lower insulation effectiveness, showcasing the potential of green roofs in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, the green roof incurs a minimal financial burden, constituting only 0.51% of the overall project cost.

Appraising the Feasibility of 3D Printing Construction in New Zealand Housing

The construction industry in New Zealand is significantly impacted by the importance of housing, particularly as urbanisation continues to grow in major cities. Modern construction methods, such as offsite construction and building automation, evolving into digital manufacturing and construction in the industry, have become prominent. Despite the global recognition of 3D printing technology, its adoption in the construction industry in New Zealand is still relatively limited. This study aims to examine the feasibility of 3D printing construction in response to current market challenges, innovation, and the 2050 net-zero carbon goal. Utilising Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approaches, this study investigated the environmental impacts of three housing types: 3D printing (3DP), light steel framed (LSF), and timber. This study used cradle-to-cradle as the system boundary. The results indicate that the 3DP house emits 20% fewer carbon emissions than the traditional timber house and 25% less than the LSF house. Additionally, the 3DP house exhibits a 19% lower annual electric energy consumption than the timber house. Therefore, in response to the growing housing demand in New Zealand, the construction industry must innovate and embrace digital and advanced construction methods, including the adoption of 3D printing.

Impact Evaluation of Wastewater Treatment Based on the Anaerobic Digestion of Sewage Sludge Using the Life Cycle Assessment Method

All the inputs and outputs of a technical system can be interpreted from an environmental point of view. Using the life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, some changes that are less harmful to the environment can be included in the system. This research aims to evaluate the environmental effects of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in South Tehran, and the LCA method was used in this study. Based on the data of qualitative parameters obtained from the measurement of Tehran province’s water and sewage company, the environmental emissions were calculated and analyzed using SimaPro software (9.0.0) and the standards defined under the ReCiPe 2016-midpoint method. In the ReCiPe 2016 method, the results were expressed in two intermediate levels (including three classes of influence) and final (including 18). The results showed that the treated wastewater and chlorine factors had the most adverse environmental effects. Among the 18 effect classes, the treated wastewater in the class of marine environmental toxicity with the amount of 101.1531 kg 1,4-DCB had the most environmental impacts among other classes. The power consumed by the biogas-burning combined heat and power (CHP) unit in the wastewater treatment (WWT) process reduced the environmental effects in most impact classes. The most adverse environmental effects of the WWT process are related to damage to human health and the ecosystem. According to the findings, the use of CHP systems is suggested for energy saving and also for reducing harmful effects on the environment.

Life cycle assessment approach of silviculture and timber harvesting of Norway spruce – a case study in the Czech Republic

Compared to other sectors, the long rotation period in forest management makes it difficult to carry out a life cycle assessment (LCA). Data collection is not possible in a short time frame but would require decades. For this reason, forestry is often forced to rely on secondary data. To address this challenge, environmental impacts of the forestry sector in the Czech Republic were investigated according to the value chain corresponding to silvicultural and harvesting processes, without any further wood use options. The methodological procedure is based on the ISO 14040 and 14,044 standards, using SimaPro, an LCA software. The study was carried out in four phases of LCA in the scope of cradle-to-gate and focused on the early stages of the product life cycle. The system boundaries were set up to include seed collection, seedling production, establishment and tending of young forest stands up to 20 years of age, thinning, harvesting, maintenance of roads and extraction trails, with the endpoint is the hauling place. Three scenarios have been defined that differ in the method of harvesting. Scenario I– chainsaw felling, horse extraction. Scenario II– chainsaw (90% of hours worked) and harvester (10% of hour-worked), tractor extraction. Scenario III– chainsaw (23% of hour-worked) and harvester (77% of hour-worked), extraction by a tractor with a winch. The results show that the maintenance of the forest road network holds a significant share of the overall environmental impact of forest management. Other significant consequences are associated with timber harvesting. These impacts vary considerably depending on the mechanical equipment used. The highest impact was recorded for the third scenario, still, it is practically the most often applied, as it is the most cost-effective. The results show the need to optimize forest management practices in the future both from an economic and environmental point of view. The work on the life cycle assessment was particularly challenging because the silviculture and harvesting of raw timber involve 20 production operations. This research was based on long-term knowledge of forest typology, forest management planning, forest economics, experience with forest technologies, and regulatory measures. Thus, the findings serve for further analysis of LCA in timber production, and future analysis for other forest ecosystem services.