ORCID
- Luke Branca: 0009-0002-8480-9669
- Badr Moutik: 0000-0002-6785-1518
- John Summerscales: 0000-0002-3557-0404
Abstract
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology for the evaluation of the (relative) potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle. It is standardised under the ISO14040 and ISO14044 series. When conducted rigorously, LCA provides a quantitative framework for comparing environmental impact and can challenge or substantiate common assumptions regarding environmental performance of the system. However, it is essential that any reported results are read in combination with the defined goal and scope, as the choice of the system boundary and/or the allocation of burdens and other methodological choices can influence the outcome presented. This review will introduce the methodology for life cycle assessment then consider LCA in the context of fibre-reinforced polymer-matrix composites with a focus on bast fibre reinforcements. It highlights key sources of uncertainty and variability, including data quality, use of proxies, and incomplete inventories, and considers emerging impact concerns such as marine plastics pollution and end-of-life management of composite products.The review also situates LCA within broader composite sustainability decision-making, linking environmentalassessment to hotspot identification, circular strategy validation, and complementary sustainability assessmenttools addressing prosperity, people, and policy.
DOI Link
Publication Date
2026-07-22
Publication Title
Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing
Volume
210
ISSN
1359-835X
Acceptance Date
2026-07-17
Deposit Date
2026-07-24
Additional Links
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359835X26005695, https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105045671745
Keywords
sustainability, polymers, Life cycle assessment, composites, bast fibres
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Branca, L., Moutik, B., & Summerscales, J. (2026) 'A review of bast fibres and their composites: Part 5 ~ sustainability', Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 210. Available at: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2026.110122
