Defining the goal of the study, system boundaries, reference alternatives/scenarios, etc. Three points require particular attention:
The geographical system boundaries are normally defined so as to include countries with different social conditions and cultures.
Product utility, and hence the functional unit, must be described with considerably more precision than is usual in the LCA (cf. also the section of this manual on Benefit Analysis). For example, there should be a description of what are known as “symbolic” utility aspects (prestige, etc).
The selection of indicators makes special demands (see the separate discussion below), but surprisingly there tends to be rapid agreement on the selection of the most important indicators, even where stakeholder positions are otherwise highly divergent.
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