Life-Cycle Simulation (LCS) is an inventory modeling approach to replace the “snap-shot” character of life-cycle inventories. Requirements of Life Cycle R&D tools and possibilities of LCS will be discussed. The goal of Life Cycle Simulation is holistic optimization of products and technologies, i.e. technical performance, economic efficiency and ecoefficiency. Worldwide applied automotive painting concepts and new painting strategies have been investigated with the LCS approach. Significant economic and environmental optimization potentials have been identified which meet the high technical performance requirements of the automotive painting process.
