Abstract

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of composite materials is the use of a systematic approach to assess environmental impacts throughout all stages of the life cycle. This methodology includes defining the objectives and scope of the study, data collection, impact assessment and interpretation of results. This chapter presents the specific considerations for the LCA of composite materials, analyzing related works on this topic. It is concluded that most of the work published to date uses LCA as a tool for comparative studies between traditional solutions (mostly metallic structures) and lightweight composite solutions. The authors observe that there has also been an increase in the use of green or bio-based composites in the recent years, made from natural fibers and/or resins.