Life Cycle Assessment Student Handbook

Mary Ann Curran

• Publisher: Wiley-Scrivener
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781119083542
• eBook ISBN: 9781119083559
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Civil Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

This student version of the popular bestseller, Life Cycle Assessment Handbook, is not a watered-down version of the original, but retains all of the important information and valuable lessons provided in the first book, along with helpful problems and solutions for the student learning about Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).

As the last several decades have seen a dramatic rise in the application of LCA in decision making, the interest in the life cycle concept as an environmental management and sustainability tool continues to grow. The LCA Student Handbook offers a look at the role that life cycle information, in the hands of companies, governments and consumers, may have in improving the environmental performance of products and technologies. It concisely and clearly presents the various aspects of LCA in order to help the reader better understand the subject.

The international success of the sustainability paradigm needs the participation of many stakeholders, including citizens, corporations, academia, and NGOs. The handbook links LCA and responsible decision making and how the life cycle concept is a critical element in environmental sustainability. It covers issues such as building capacity in developing countries and emerging economies so that they are more capable of harnessing the potential in LCA for sustainable development. Governments play a very important role with the leverage they have through procurement, regulation, international treaties, tax incentives, public outreach, and other policy tools. This compilation of points to the clear trend for incorporating life cycle information into the design and development processes for products and policies, just as quality and safety concerns are now addressed throughout product design and development.

The Life Cycle Assessment Student Handbook is not just for students. It is also a valuable resource for practitioners looking for a desktop reference on LCA or for any engineer, manager, or policy-maker wishing to learn about LCA.

Chapter 1
Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment

Abstract

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a holistic, cradle-to-grave environmental approach which provides a comprehensive view of the environmental aspects of a product or process throughout its life cycle. A properly conducted LCA identifies and quantifies the potential impacts of an industrial system (aiming to assess products, processes and activities). But more importantly, LCA identifies the potential transfer of environmental impacts from one media to another and/or from one life cycle stage to another. If an LCA were not performed, these trade-offs might not be recognized and properly included in the analysis because it is outside of the typical scope or focus of the decision making process.

This chapter explores why it is important to use a life cycle perspective in environmental management. It outlines the advancement of pollution strategies over the years, moving from end-of-pipe to pollution prevention (cleaner production) strategies and later to life cycle based approaches to meet sustainability goals. The key benefit of LCA, to identify potential transfer of environmental impacts, is demonstrated in a few brief examples. The chapter also presents the basic LCA methodology as described in a series of standards and technical reports produced by the International Standards Organization (ISO).

References from the LCA Handbook

1 Environmental Life Cycle Assessment: Background and Perspective 1–14

2 An Overview of the Life Cycle Assessment Method – Past, Present, and Future 14–41

2

3.5 Evolution of LCA Practice and Associated Issues 63–65

10.2 Why Develop an Integrated Sustainable Supply Chain Management Program? 235–238

25 Life Cycle Knowledge Informs Greener Products 585–596

Aims of the Chapter

1. Place life cycle thinking in proper context with environmental strategies as they have evolved over the years.
2. Help users understand the basic characteristics of the ISO standard for LCA, from scoping to interpretation.
3. Provide real world examples of LCA applications and how life cycle has been used in industry and government.

1.1 Purpose of the Student Handbook

In recent years, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) practice has evolved from a specialty field practiced by a handful of practitioners with closely guarded databases, to a widely used tool with emphasis on transparency and data sharing. Although LCA practice still requires a high degree of expertise and knowledge, the availability of sophisticated LCA software, such as SimaPro and GaBi, have made LCA-accessible to a much wider user base. The use of computer software for conducting LCA continues to grow. Since 2006, an open source software called openLCA has been available for conducting professional level LCA. The software and its source code is freely available. The software is fully transparent and can be modified by anyone.

It is important for users to fully comprehend what these various products offer. This handbook is not intended to teach any one particular software program. Instead, the basic characteristics of the different LCA software products are covered so that students have a better understanding of what they are and how they operate. This is presented in Chapter 2 along with discussion on life cycle inventory and in Chapter 3 on life cycle impact assessment models.

1.2 Why LCA?

Before jumping into discussing how to conduct an LCA, it is important to first understand the “why.” The following section provides a brief description of the evolution of environmental management and how it has moved from an end-of-pipe focus toward the broader goal of sustainability, of which LCA is an important part. The chapter then presents the stages of LCA as constituted by the International Standards Organization (ISO). This structure lays the foundation for the following chapters in the handbook.

1.3 Evolution of Environmental toward Life Cycle Thinking

Environmental management strategies have evolved through the development of laws and regulations that limit pollutant releases to the environment. For example, since its inception in 1970, the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has made important progress toward improving the environment in every major category of environmental impact caused by pollutant releases. Levels of emissions across the nation have stayed constant or declined; hundreds of primary and secondary wastewater treatment facilities have been built; land disposal of untreated hazardous waste has largely stopped; hundreds of hazardous waste sites have been identified and targeted for cleanup; and the use of many toxic substances has been banned. Together, these actions have had a positive effect on the nation’s environmental quality and have set an example for other nations. However, despite the combined achievements of the federal government, States and industry in controlling waste emissions which have resulted in a healthier environment, the further improvement of the environment has slowed.

Worldwide, the advancement of environmental protection strategies moving from end-of-pipe to pollution prevention and beyond has been steady. This evolution can be summarized by the following chronology:

Evolution of Environmental Protection
Chronology	Strategy
1970’s to 1980’s	End-of-Pipe Treatment
Mid 1980’s	Waste Minimization/Reduction
Early 1990’s	Pollution Prevention/Cleaner Production
Mid 1990’s	ISO Certification/Life Cycle Assessment
2000 and Beyond	Sustainable Development/Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment

This evolution follows a pattern of ever-broadening scope when thinking about environmental management. In the 1980’s, the term “waste minimization”, or “waste reduction,” was defined as “Measures or techniques that reduce the amount of wastes generated during industrial production processes; term is also applied to recycling and other efforts to reduce the amount of waste going into the waste stream.” However, much of the focus remained on recycling and other end-of-life activities. In 1990, it was replaced by the term “pollution prevention” (or “cleaner production” outside the US) in order to give equal emphasis to activities that reduce potential environmental releases at the source of generation (Pollution Prevention Act 1990):

“The term “source reduction” means any practice which –

1. reduces the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment (including fugitive emissions) prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal; and
2. reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of such substances, pollutants, or contaminants. The ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Chapter 1: Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment
• Chapter 2: Goal and Scope Definition in Life Cycle Assessment
• Chapter 3: Life Cycle Inventory
• Chapter 4: Life Cycle Impact Assessment
• Chapter 5: Normalization, Grouping and Weighting in Life Cycle Assessment
• Chapter 6: Life Cycle Assessment: Interpretation and Reporting
• Chapter 7: Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment
• Chapter 8: Resources for Conducting Life Cycle Assessment
• Glossary
• End User License Agreement