**3.2 Goal and scope definition**

This is the first phase of any LCA study and according to [26], the goal must clearly mention the intended application, the reasons for carrying out the study and the intended audience. The scope of any LCA study should be sufficiently well defined to ensure that the breadth, depth and the details in which the study is conducted are both compatible and sufficient to address the stated goals [26]. The functional unit, system boundary, allocation procedures, assumptions and limitation are parts of the scope.

#### **3.3 Inventory analysis**

The Life cycle inventory (LCI) phase is the second phase of any LCA study. Inventory analysis involves data collection and calculation procedures within the system boundary for inclusion in the inventory as relevant inputs and outputs of a product system [26, 27]. According to [28], LCI can be defined as an objective, data-based process of quantifying energy and raw materials requirements, air emissions, waterborne effluents, solid waste, and other environmental releases incurred throughout the life cycle of a product, process, or activity.

All calculation procedures in the inventory analysis for any LCA study must be transparently documented and the assumptions used must be clearly stated and explain [27]. Generally, there are two types of inventory data, i.e., the foreground data that have to be collected independently according to the purpose of carrying out LCA analysis and the background data which are usually collected from literatures and software [29]. Data validity check must be conducted during the process of data collection for inventory analysis to make sure that the data quality requirements have been fulfilled [27]. For the data collected from public sources, the sources must be referenced [27].

#### **3.4 Impact assessment**

The Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) phase is the third phase of LCA and its purpose is to evaluate the significance of potential environmental impacts based on the LCI results [26]. The LCIA phase is important in providing the information for the life cycle interpretation phase [26].

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**Figure 2.**

*Environmental Impact Evaluation of Rubber Cultivation and Industry in Malaysia*

**mature rubber tree from immature rubber stage**

rating the manual weeding method in weed management.

of one rubber tree from cradle to gate of 44.68 kgCO2eq.

*GHGs emissions in maintaining the healthy growth of one immature rubber tree for a year.*

**4.1 Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) on GHGs emission in the production of** 

The total GHGs emission value in maintaining the healthy growth of one immature rubber tree for a year for this study is 1.08 kgCO2eq as shown in **Figure 2** and **Table 3**. The highest contributor which represented 51.6% from the total GHGs emission value in maintaining the healthy growth of one immature rubber tree for a year is the emission of nitrous oxide from the usage of ammonium sulfate at 5.60E−01 kgCO2eq (**Figure 2**). While the second highest contributor to the total GHGs emission value in maintaining the healthy growth of one immature rubber tree for a year is ammonium production with the percentage of 22.4%. Meanwhile, glyphosate production was recorded as the third highest contribution at 17.7% (**Figure 2**). The remaining three processes are considered as insignificant contributors towards the total value of GHGs emission to maintain the healthy growth of one immature rubber tree for a year (**Figure 2**).

**Figure 2** obviously showed that the reduction in the usage of ammonium sulfate and glyphosate will definitely reduce the total GHGs emission value in maintaining the healthy growth of one immature rubber tree for a year. This can be achieved through the reduction in the immaturity rubber stage period and through incorpo-

The GHGs emission value in maintaining the healthy growth of one immature rubber tree for 6 years duration during the immature rubber stage is 6.51 kgCO2eq and this represent 14.6% from the total value of GHGs emission for the cultivation

The GHGs emission in maintaining the healthy growth of immature rubber trees in Malaysia per year which based on 0.379 million hectares of immature rubber area in Malaysia at the average stand of 410 rubber trees per hectare and with 51.8% of this area is fertilized at the recommended dosage is summarized in **Table 2**. Based on **Table 2**, as compared to the Malaysian 2011 GHGs emission of 290,230 GgCO2eq in [30], the GHGs emission value from the perspective to maintain the healthy growth of immature rubber trees in Malaysia for 6 years, immature rubber stage and 1 year average for immature rubber stage is considered as insignificant. The GHGs emission value of 524.69 GgCO2eq with duration of 6 years for immature rubber stage in maintaining the healthy growth of immature rubber trees in Malaysia is very low and represent only 3.3% from the 2011 Malaysian agricultural sector GHGs emission of 15775.3 GgCO2eq (**Table 2**). The GHGs emission value of 87.45 GgCO2eq based on the average 1 year for immature rubber stage is considered

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84420*

**4. Results and discussion**
