Define the outcome
A square metre of material is not automatically a square metre of equivalent service. Describe the area displayed, quality requirements, duration, location and number of deployments. Include the supports and treatments needed to meet those requirements. The functional unit is the agreed service used as the basis for the comparison.
Align system boundaries
Write down which stages are included: production, printing, finishing, transport, use, replacement and final treatment. Keep exclusions visible. A production-only value should not be compared directly with another option’s complete lifecycle total. Check whether the underlying data describe the same geography, time period and process.
Keep dimensions separate
Carbon, material mass, durability, repair, recycled content and recovery evidence are not interchangeable. A useful comparison shows the available dimensions and unknowns. Users can state priorities without converting missing information into a favourable zero or hiding trade-offs inside a single badge.
Create a decision and an evidence plan
Choose a feasible route using the information available. Record which assumptions could change the result and who will supply the missing data. ISO’s LCA framework is relevant to a formal assessment; a simple planning worksheet should describe its own narrower scope and avoid claiming to be an independently reviewed LCA.
Worked example — illustrative
Two options are quoted for the same visible graphic area. One is intended for a single deployment and the other uses retained equipment across several campaigns. The team compares the complete programme, including refreshes and returns, rather than only the first material order. Its table shows lifecycle coverage and unknowns. A smaller headline production value cannot settle the entire programme comparison.
- Define service and deployments.
- Align included stages.
- Check units and geography.
- Keep unknown dimensions separate.
