Ökobilanzen für Verpackungen. Teilbericht 1: Methode für Lebenswegbilanzen von Verpackungssystemen

This report presents the methodical knowledge worked out by the Project Group "Life Cycle Assessments" for constructing life cycle inventories for packagings. Before describing the aims of the method, the most important terms are defined. In the main part of this report the parameters accounted and the basic principles for constructing life cycles and establishing systems boundaries are explained. The methodical features of the selected life cycle inventory stages -production of packaging media, -packaging, -distribution, -consumer, -energy supply, -disposal/recycling and -transports are pointed out. Questions concerning system boundaries, cut-off criteria, allocation of co-products, the methodical treatment of material recycling and waste disposal as well as the treatment of used waste heat are dealt with in the following chapters. Guidelines for the use of specific and general data are given and justified and ways to deal with data uncertainty are shown. Furthermore, the structure of the report of the software LCA-results is explained and the assistance for constructing a life cycle inventory provided by the software-program is described. Finally, the value of applying life cycle assessments for the various fields (e.g. science, industry and politics) is demonstrated and some of the questions which can be answered by the LCA-method are formulated.