The sustainable development including disposal has become a global objective.The usage and development of methods for sustainability assessment is in the mainfocus of our research. Only through the consideration of the entire life cycle it can be illustrated in which lifecycle phase of a product – from raw material production to end-of-life – it has the highest environmental impacts, costs and social effects. Measures to improve environmental performance can be efficiently implemented. The Institute of Waste Management (ABF-BOKU) uses the method of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the ecological risks of technical innovations and new concepts. In the context of practice-oriented projects also the methods of social (e.g.Social LCA) and economic assessment (e.g. Life Cycle Costing) are used, advancedor adjusted to the current demands. Specific waste management issues, which go beyond the classical Life Cycle Assessment, are in the focus of interest. In the context of Life Cycle Assessment also Carbon Footprint, Material Flow Analysis (MFA) and Process Analysis can becreated. Contact: Gudrun Obersteiner, MSc
