and as a result, procedures for various kinds of LCA are now being standardized by the International Standards Organization (ISO) though the 14040 series in tandem with the ISO 14000 series of environmental management standards (Environment Canada, 1998). LCA is being widely used and carried out by firms, universities, and governments for design, management and regulatory purposes. In addition to their concerns to conform to new environmental management standards, private firms are using LCA to access potential liability issues. Governments are using LCA as an extension of traditional environmental impact assessment in order to create new forms of extended producer responsibility (EPR) rules. They are helping coordinate the development of LCA procedures that can catch on more quickly with the building industry. They are also using LCA to guide green procurement policies, since the state is a major consumer of materials. NGOs, like womens health, labour and environmental groups, are also sponsoring and using LCA studies to create positive pressure for change, usually in collaboration with progressive academics and university institutes. Finally, as noted above, LCA provides a scientific basis for various kinds of design, labelling and certification initiatives, which can be private, governmental, or community based, or more commonly, a combination of various stakeholders from these sectors. When considering the range of LCA tools in building, it is important not just to make a distinction between LCA geared to individual products, and systems geared to assemblies or whole buildings. Figure 7 for example highlights the life cycle inventory stage from the perspective of a building as a whole: