Transcript Slide 1

Life Cycle Assessment
Overview of LCA and Methodology
October 30, 2012
Life Cycle of Products
Manufacturing
Raw
Materials
End of
Life
2
Distribution
Use
Life Cycle Assessment Phases
Goal and Scope Definition
Inventory Analysis
Impact Assessment
Interpretation
3
Goal and Scope Definition
• Goal defines the intended application, audience, and
reasons for LCA
• Scope defines the product system, product
functions, and functional unit
• Scope defines other LCA parameters
4
Life Cycle Thinking…
seeks to identify possible
improvements to goods and
services in the form of lower
environmental impacts and
reduced use of resources
across all life cycle stages
Goal: avoid burden shifting
when optimizing a product in
one particular area of the
life-cycle.
What is better from a
life-cycle perspective?
5
Confidential
Scope of LCA
Analysis Boundary
extraction
manufacture
distribution
use
disposal
Source: Story of stuff, 2009
Cradle-to-Grave - full LCA from resource
extraction through product use and final
disposal.
Other common scopes include:
Cradle-to- Gate and Cradle-to-Cradle
6
Carbon-Based Analysis
Carbon Footprint… is a
subset of an LCA focused
solely on the Green House
Gas emissions associated
with a company, person,
activity, or product.
Value: energy consumption
is a simple and valuable way
to quickly assess
comparable impacts of our
decisions
7
Confidential
Sustainability Toolbox
Sustainability Standards
Product Category Rules
8
NSF Standard Development
Structure
• Same accredited consensus process of development (as in
performance standards)
– Managed by NSF Standards Department Staff; experience in
developing national water and sustainability standards
• Leverage existing technology expertise within the current
Water Joint Committees
– Include involvement of representatives having knowledge and
expertise in product sustainability
• Ensure regular follow-up with industry at large throughout
development
– Awareness around content and structure of standards to enable
preparation for those seeking compliance
– Broad input into the content and structure
9
Sustainability Assessment
Standards
•
•
•
•
•
•
Product Design and Materials Selection
Water Use and Conservation
Energy and Atmosphere
Human and Ecological Health
Social Responsibility
Disposal and End of Life
Aggregation of single attribute criteria to assess
product on a life cycle basis
10
Product Design Strategies
1. De-materialize – accomplish the same function
using less resources
2. Close the materials loop – reuse and recycling
materials prevents impacts incurred upstream
3. Design with benign materials – replacing
potentially hazardous materials has become cost
of entry
4. Use sustainable materials – materials derived
from sustainable sources reduce environmental
concerns
11
Confidential
Example Criteria:
Energy and Energy Efficiency
• Inventory of electrical and
thermal energy
• Manufacturer use of
renewable energy and energy
reduction
• Supplier use of renewable
energy
• Green house gas emissions
inventory
12
Potential for Tiered Performance
• Common template of “credits” earned toward a minimum
threshold of performance.




13
Level 1/Conformant
Level 2/Silver
Level 3/Gold
Level 4/Platinum
What are Product Category Rules?
• A set of specific rules, requirements, and guidelines
for developing Type III environmental declarations for
one or more product categories (ISO 14025).
• The PCR defines the product attributes and life cycle
assessment criteria that must be reported for the Type
III environmental declaration.
• Can be applied to Business to Business or Business
to Consumer products.
14
PCR Defines LCA Analysis
LCA inventory analysis:
• Data collection and calculation
• Allocation of material and energy
flows and releases
• Impact category selection
• Parameters for reporting LCA
data
• Materials and substances to be
declared in EPD
• Other environmental data not
addressed by LCA
15
Example: Draft Flooring PCR
16
• General Information
• Delivery and Installation
• Product Definition
• Use Stage
• Product Characteristics
• End of Life Stage
• Material Content
• Life Cycle Assessment
• Production Methods and
Processes
• Additional Information,
Evidence, and Test
Results
Environmental Product Declarations
Equal comparisons using
standardized LCA data based
on the PCR for that product
type (e.g., office chairs)
17
Example of EPD
18
Comparison of EPDs to Sustainable
Product Certifications
Environmental Product
Declaration:
• Environmental data focus
• Life cycle assessment
required
• PCR provides framework
of data reporting for a life
cycle assessment
• Summarizes
environmental impacts
• Independently verified
Technical Report
19
Sustainable Product
Certification:
• Triple bottom line
• Multi-attribute, life cyclebased
• Defines sustainability
metrics and levels of
achievement
• Ranks products on
sustainable performance
• Certification with tiered
ranking