The potential of LCA for environmental communication: German laypeople’s perceptions and awareness of LCA and LCA impact categories

Engineering notes

Key topics: autonomous driving, perception. See the paper for implementation details and experimental results.

Chinese explanation / 中文解读

中文解读待补充：本站会优先为端到端自动驾驶、BEV感知、3D目标检测、轨迹预测、路径规划、LiDAR感知等高价值论文补充中文说明。

Original abstract

Abstract Purpose Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) are a central tool in sustainable product development and environmental communication. However, little is known about how the general public perceives LCA and its role in consumer decision-making. This study explores public awareness, perceptions, and information preferences regarding LCA and its impact categories, and investigates the factors influencing the relevance of LCA-based information in consumer contexts. Methods Addressing this research gap, the presented study employed a mixed-methods approach, commencing with qualitative in-depth interviews ( n = 12), which informed the subsequent development of a quantitative survey ( n = 158). The survey measured subjective knowledge, perception of LCA, and of nine impact categories, as well as communication preferences for LCA results. In an example for a car purchase decision, important factors for laypeople’s perception have been identified to determine the potential significance of LCA results for consumers. Results and discussion Despite limited awareness of specific impact categories and a general lack of knowledge regarding the general concept of LCA, participants perceived LCA as a valuable sustainability assessment tool. However, LCA was rated as complex and difficult to understand, and many scientifically relevant impact categories (e.g., ecotoxicity, acidification) were unfamiliar and evoked low risk perceptions. LCA results were considered less relevant than other decision factors, such as cost, but were rated higher among participants with a positive perception of LCA. In turn, participants who perceived LCA negatively were less likely to consider its results in purchasing decisions. Environmental information was considered more relevant than LCA results, suggesting a lack of understanding of the methodological basis of sustainability data. Effective communication strategies should connect LCA to consumers’ values and everyday concerns, increase awareness of lesser-known impact categories, and utilize engaging formats to bridge perception gaps. Conclusion This study explored public perceptions of LCA, its relevance in consumer decision-making and public communication preferences for LCA results. While LCA was viewed positively, a gap existed between favorable attitudes and actual understanding due to perceived complexity and low awareness of key impact categories. LCA results and environmental information were less relevant in consumer purchase decisions compared to criteria like cost. However, those with a positive view of LCA were more likely to consider environmental factors, highlighting the need for targeted, audience-specific communication strategies.

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