This article describes the functional units used per each model available in Pilario
A functional unit in a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a key concept that serves as the reference point for the analysis. It defines the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the function(s) and/or service(s) provided by the product being evaluated. The functional unit definition answers the questions "what?", "how much?", "how well?", and "for how long?"
In Pilario, each model might use a different unit to perform the calculations according to a different standard. The chart below contains which functional unit is (the "how much?" unless specified otherwise) used in each of the models available.
| Model | Functional Unit | Additional comments |
| Packaging | 1 kg of product 1 litre of beverage 1 product unit 1 serving size |
Dependent on the product |
| PEFCR Water | 100 ml of water | |
| PEFCR Soda | 1 litre of drink | |
| PEFCR Beer | 1 hectolitre of beer |
ℹ️ Example: a 0.5l PET bottle is compared to a 0.75l glass bottle, but both bottles have a different volume. The two bottles cannot be simply compared since their performance differs. By defining the functional unit as "to package 1l of product", the two packaging options can be compared: 2 PET bottles and 1.33 glass bottles are needed to fulfil the functional unit. In this example, one unit of PET packaging delivers half of the functional unit, therefore "0.5" would be filled in the tool.