Life cycle assessment (LCA)

A life cycle assessment measures a product's environmental impacts across its life; a carbon footprint is the climate-change part of it.

Besides climate change, an LCA can cover water use, land use, toxicity, resource depletion and other impacts. A carbon footprint looks only at greenhouse gases.

Both use the same life-cycle thinking and data. A lower carbon footprint does not mean a lower impact overall, which is why a footprint should not be presented as a general environmental verdict.