LCA methodology applied to bio-based products: opportunities and challenges compared to traditional products

Since the approval of the EU Green Deal, many strategies have been implemented with the aim of contrasting climate change and, more specifically, achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Among the measures related to sustainable products, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR) and the Circular Economy Strategy have introduced a holistic perspective on the entire life cycle of products. Meanwhile, with the growing interest in sustainability and in reducing the use of fossil resources, the bio-based products industry has boomed. To demonstrate the advantages of these innovative products compared to traditional fossil-based solutions, the Life Cycle Thinking approach is crucial. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the main challenges in assessing bio-based products using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method. To this end, a review of existing approaches for evaluating the environmental performance of bio-based products through LCA was carried out. Additionally, a comparative LCA study was performed to assess environmental sustainability of an innovative bio-based solution for the active restoration of works of art, benchmarking it against a conventional product currently available on the market.