Cradle-to-Gate

Cradle-to-Gate examines the environmental impacts of a product from raw material extraction to production.

Cradle-to-Gate is a specific approach within life cycle assessment (LCA) that evaluates the environmental impacts of a product from raw material extraction (the "cradle") to the point at which the product leaves the production facility (the "gate"). This approach does not consider the phases of use, disposal, or recycling. Included aspects are raw material procurement, processing, manufacturing, assembly, packaging, and internal transport within the production site.

This method is regarded as a partial life cycle assessment that focuses solely on upstream and central production stages. It is often chosen when data on downstream phases (use and disposal) are unavailable or less relevant to the objectives of the analysis. Cradle-to-Gate assessments serve to provide insight into the embodied environmental impacts or the expected carbon footprint of a product, highlighting the associated environmental impacts of materials and production.

Additionally, this approach is used in various industries such as construction, manufacturing, and material production to set sustainability benchmarks and compare products or processes. Cradle-to-Gate helps identify resource-intensive phases and improve transparency in the supply chain. It also supports sustainability reporting and communication with stakeholders, especially when companies have direct influence on the assessed phases.