ISO 14045:2012 describes the principles, requirements and guidelines for eco-efficiency assessment for product systems including:

1. the goal and scope definition of the eco-efficiency assessment;
2. the environmental assessment;
3. the product-system-value assessment;
4. the quantification of eco-efficiency;
5. interpretation (including quality assurance);
6. reporting;
7. critical review of the eco-efficiency assessment.

Requirements, recommendations and guidelines for specific choices of categories of environmental impact and values are not included. The intended application of the eco-efficiency assessment is considered during the goal and scope definition phase, but the actual use of the results is outside the scope of ISO 14045:2012.