Life cycle assessment principles in smartphone apps

The search for sustainable forms of production has fostered the development of methods to identify, characterize, and manage the environmental impacts associated with a wide range of industrial activities. These methods, and the knowledge created by them, have recently reached new users as advancements in the information technology field make them accessible to the average citizen. For instance, there are apps that estimate carbon emissions, solid waste generation, and water and air pollution associated with various products (milk production, traveling, and clothing, for example). In this context, people interested in the subject will have information to help them to consume in a more conscious way. The present study evaluated these apps under the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) perspective. It specifically emphasizes the inclusion of LCA principles in the apps content. Searches were performed within the Google Play Store and, among the 856 results found, 15 applications were selected for the present study. The LCA principles encompassed by the evaluated apps vary widely, as well as the product systems they cover. In most cases, the evaluated apps offered a great potential to inform both end consumers and professionals involved in the design/manufacture of the covered product systems. However, most of these apps are limited by lack of transparency. Additionally, six of the analyzed applications incorporated the principle of the life-cycle perspective, with three of them incorporating the principles of transparency and comprehensiveness too.