Standards & schemes
ISO
In brief
ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 are the foundation standards for life-cycle assessment. ISO 14040:2006 (with Amendment 1:2020) sets the principles and framework — goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, interpretation — while ISO 14044:2006 (with amendments) sets the requirements and guidelines, including the critical review requirements for studies disclosed to the public or used in comparative claims. Nearly every downstream footprint instrument in this library (ISO 14067, PEF, EPDs, GHG Protocol product standard) is built on this pair. For claims purposes the key discipline is comparability: an LCA comparing products and intended for public disclosure triggers stricter requirements, and conclusions are only as robust as the goal, scope and data defined in the study. The framework's four phases are iterative by design, and its allocation, system-boundary and data-quality rules are where most contested footprint comparisons are actually won or lost. Public comparative assertions — 'our product has a lower footprint than theirs' — trigger the standard's critical-review requirements precisely because LCA results are so sensitive to scope choices. Using this framework does not by itself verify data accuracy, legal compliance or sustainability performance.
Conditional relationships
A relationship does not mean that the standard proves or validates every use of a claim.
Recognition & legal context
No reviewed law references are published.
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