Life Cycle Assessment as an instrument for informed consumer decisions – Conscious consumerism can protect biodiversity Die Ökobilanz als Instrument für informierte Konsumentscheidungen – bewusster Konsum kann Biodiversität schützen

Biodiversity protection and conservation are currently among the most pressing global challenges. The consumption of goods and services is a key risk factor for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Biodiversity is a complex entity whose definition includes species diversity, habitat diversity and the genetic diversity among organisms. For risk assessment, biodiversity needs to be measured as accurately as possible, but this is often difficult in practice due to its inherent complexity. Which options for biodiversity-conscious consumption are currently available? In principle, the environmental impacts of products and production processes can be analysed in life cycle assessments (LCA). Here, we propose a user-friendly method for integrating biodiversity into LCA. The method is based on the assessment of changes in quality of a specific area over a defined period of time associated with the production of a product. Communicated in appropriate form, LCA results can contribute to more conscious and informed consumer decision-making, thus facilitating more sustainable consumption.