System boundaries according to decision scope a concept of focal zones

Applying a “whole system model” in Life Cycle Assessment results in LCA being a tool for the best possible representation of the physical context of an analysed product. An implementation of LCA in decision making, however, has to consider the demands of the decision-maker; information of a kind that can be implemented in decision making has to be generated. Consequently, the system model has to reflect the operational context of the actor to a larger extent, the connection between the goal and scope definition and the actual system model underlying the assessment has to be stressed further. For this we introduce the concept of focal zones assisting in the derivation of the system model from the goal of the actor. This is done via the preferences, priorities and constraints of the actor. The resulting system model is consequently individually tailored to the decision at hand, resulting in the generation and documentation of environmental information that is clearly related to that decision.