A Product (LCA) in Variable is the life cycle model of a product — what you’ll use to understand the environmental footprint of that product, compare design choices, publish an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), or track impact over time. This guide walks you through creating your first one and getting oriented in the modeling interface.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.variable.global/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Before you begin
Make sure you have access to a Variable account. If you don’t have one yet, you can join the waitlist.Create a new Product (LCA)
Navigate to LCAs
From the main navigation, go to Products > LCAs. This is where all your Product (LCA)s live.
Set metadata
You can click on the gear icon in the top right to enter additional metadata like SKU, declared unit, and description. This information helps you keep your products organized and provides context for each Product (LCA).Choose the category that best describes your product from the taxonomy tree. The taxonomy keeps your products organized and helps surface relevant comparisons across your portfolio.
Variable saves your work automatically as you make changes. You don’t need to click a save button.
Understanding the Product (LCA) page
Once you create a Product (LCA), you will see its page with several key areas:Product (LCA) header
At the top of the page, you’ll see the name of the Product (LCA) and key metadata. You can edit this information at any time by clicking the gear icon.Impact summary
The impact summary shows the total carbon footprint of the product. Initially this will be--.-- because you haven’t added any inputs yet.
The impact summary displays:
- GWP-fossil: The total global warming potential in kgCO2e
- Per unit: The carbon footprint per functional unit
- Breakdown by stage: A visual breakdown grouped into upstream (A1-A2), direct (A3), and downstream (A4-C4)
Lifecycle stage sections
The main area of the page is organized by lifecycle stages. Each section represents a different part of your product’s life:| Section | Lifecycle stages | Description | What to model here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cradle to gate | A1-A3 | Materials, transport, manufacturing | Inputs to the Product (LCA), factory energy, transport to and within the factory |
| Distribution | A4-A5 | Transport to customer, installation | Shipping to customers, assembly at site |
| Use | B1-B7 | Product in use | Energy consumption during use, maintenance |
| End of life | C1-C4 | Disposal, recycling | Waste processing, recycling processes |
| Optional benefits | D | Beyond system boundary | Credits from recycling, energy recovery |
For a basic Product Carbon Footprint (PCF), you typically focus on A1-A3 stages. This covers “cradle to gate” impacts.
What’s next
Now that you’ve created a Product (LCA), it’s time to add inputs — materials, transport, and manufacturing processes.Add inputs to your Product (LCA)
Learn how to add inputs and build out the life cycle model of your product