In recent years, additive manufacturing has become a regular process in various industries, and consequently there is an increasing need to evaluate the environmental aspects of this technology and its associated materials. In this paper, comparative cradle-to-grave life cycle assessments between a conventional product and a 3D-printed alternative made of polylactic acid (PLA) and PLA-wood material were investigated based on the standard ISO 14044:2006. The environmental impact of each product was quantified for 18 categories. The goal of life cycle assessment (LCA) was to determine whether the use of 3D printed PLA/PLA-wood products can be a sustainable alternative to traditional metal products. The paper presents a case study in which a comparative LCA was conducted. The results show that a metal part manufactured using conventional subtractive processes (milling, drilling, welding, etc.) has a higher environmental impact compared to 3D-printed alternatives made from renewable materials. However, there are many sub-issues that need to be adequately addressed. KEYWORDS: life cycle assessment; 3D printing; environmental impact; carbon footprint; wood-PLA composite Posljednjih je godina aditivna proizvodnja postala redoviti proces u raznim industrijama, a posljedicno se pojavila sve veca potreba za procjenom ekoloskih aspekata te tehnologije i s njom povezanih materijala. U ovom su radu ispitane i usporedene procjene zivotnog vijeka konvencionalnog proizvoda,,od kolijevke do groba" te 3D isprintane alternative izradene od polilakticne kiseline (PLA) i PLA-drvnog materijala na temelju standarda ISO 14044:2006. Utjecaj svakog proizvoda na okolis kvantificiran je unutar 18 kategorija. Cilj procjene zivotnog vijeka takvih proizvoda (LCA) bio je utvrditi moze li uporaba 3D printanih PLA/PLA-drvnih proizvoda biti odrziva alternativa tradicionalnim metalnim proizvodima. U radu je prikazana studija slucaja u kojoj je provedena komparativna procjena zivotnog vijeka - LCA. Rezultati pokazuju da metalni dio proizveden primjenom konvencionalnih subtraktivnih procesa (glodanja, busenja, zavarivanja itd.) ima veci utjecaj na okolis nego 3D isprintane alternative izradene od obnovljivih materijala. Medutim, u vezi s tim postoje i mnoga potpitanja koja se moraju adekvatno rijesiti. KLJUCNE RIJECI: procjena zivotnog vijeka; 3D printanje; utjecaj na okolis; ugljicni otisak; drvo-PLA kompozit