All strategies and actions aimed at improving the environmental and technological performance of ceramic products are generally tested using methodological tools (LCA – Life Cycle Assessment; LCC – Life Cycle Costing; S-LCA – Social Life Cycle Assessment) that operate in the upstream or downstream phases of the decision-making processes in which environmental loads have already occurred.

These methodologies have been used for “ex post” impact assessments so far and it takes a long time to collect data, especially for complex processes and products such as ceramics.

Two critical issues arise:

• Life cycle tools (LCA-LCC-SLCA) cannot be used for rapid corrective actions on the process and product, because impact assessments are based on data from historical series, thus after the impact has already occurred;
• Difficulties in collecting data for carrying out impact assessments.