fore
SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT TOOLS
(GEO4-2602)
,Contents
Terminology..........................................................................................................................................................................................2
Week 1: LCA introduction and goal & scope.........................................................................................................................................3
Lecture notes: LCA goal and scope definition..................................................................................................................................3
Week 2: LCA inventory analysis, impact assessment and interpretation.............................................................................................7
Lecture notes....................................................................................................................................................................................7
Guest lecture: Blanca corona..........................................................................................................................................................13
Week 3: carbon footprint....................................................................................................................................................................16
Fang K, Heijungs R, De Snoo GR (2014)..........................................................................................................................................16
Lecture notes..................................................................................................................................................................................17
Guest lecture: the CO2 performance ladder – Maud Vastbinder..................................................................................................21
Week 4: social-LCA and life cycle costing (LCC)..................................................................................................................................23
Lecture notes..................................................................................................................................................................................23
Economy: LCC (life cycle costing)................................................................................................................................................24
Environmental LCC......................................................................................................................................................................25
Social LCA....................................................................................................................................................................................26
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment:..........................................................................................................................................28
Week 5: circular economy...................................................................................................................................................................28
Corona, Blanca, et al. (2019)...........................................................................................................................................................28
Guest lecture: Roderick Conijn, European Sustainability Ambassador. Interface.........................................................................31
Week 6: integrated assessment..........................................................................................................................................................32
Ness B, et al. (2007)........................................................................................................................................................................32
Mitchell RE, Leach B. (2019)...........................................................................................................................................................32
Recommended reading background..............................................................................................................................................34
Lecture notes..................................................................................................................................................................................35
Guest lecture...................................................................................................................................................................................36
Week 7-9: self study material circular economy................................................................................................................................37
Kirchherr J, Reike D, Hekkert M. ( 2017.)........................................................................................................................................37
Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2015). ............................................................................................................................................37
Lecture notes..................................................................................................................................................................................40
Wooclap......................................................................................................................................................................................43
Guest lecture: fairphone.................................................................................................................................................................44
Week 10: cleaner production, cradle-to-cradle and circular economy..............................................................................................44
Witjes, S., Cramer, J. M., & Vermeulen, W. J. (2018). ...................................................................................................................44
Braungart M, McDonough W, Bollinger A. Cradle‐to‐cradle design. 2007....................................................................................45
Lecture notes..................................................................................................................................................................................47
Guest lecture: cleaner production..................................................................................................................................................50
lecture S. Witjes – Cleaner production...............................................................................................................................................51
Wrap up 2............................................................................................................................................................................................53
Assignment article...............................................................................................................................................................................54
Hauschild et al., (2018)........................................................................................................................................................................56
Chapter 6........................................................................................................................................................................................56
Chapter 7: Goals definition.............................................................................................................................................................56
Chapter 8- scope definition............................................................................................................................................................58
Chapter 9 – Life Cycle Inventory analysis (LCI)...............................................................................................................................64
Chapter 10 – Life Cycle Impact Assessment (page 167-197)..........................................................................................................68
Chapter 12 – Life Cycle Interpretation...........................................................................................................................................72
1
,TERMINOLOGY
LCA is about comparing products and especially comparing their function. It is a technique for assessing the environmental
aspects and potential impacts associated with a product
Key limitations LCA
- Generalization and simplification is required in modelling and calculating carious impacts that occur in different places and time
o No local impacts. Impacts are aggregated over geographic locations
o Static method. Impacts are aggregated over time
o Potential impacts instead of actual impact
Steps
Goal definition
Scope definition
(Temporal/geographical/technical/economic scope)
Inventory analysis
Impact assessment
Interpretation ( in every phase)
- Types A: micro-level à no real environmental impact
- Type B: Meso/macro-level à structural changes in economy
or background
- Type C: accounting à descriptive
- Foreground system: processes that are specific to the system.
- Background system: Not specific to the product system
Functional unit
o Describes the primary function(s) fulfilled by a product system and indicate how much of this function is to be considered
in the LCA study
o Along the questions: what, how much, how well and how long
Product system à Collection of unit processes with elementary and product flows, performing one or more defined functions, and which
models the life cycle of a product
Unit processesà the blocks. Product or waste flows are the flows between the unit processesn.
Elementary flowsà go out the boundaries and can go from techno and eoc sphere
Reference flows à Is the product flow to which all input and output flows for the processes in the product system must be quantitatively
related. Is the amount of product that is needed to realize the functional untit
Attributional à consideres direct environmental impacts, more discriptive
Consequential à consideres indirect environmental impacts, more change oriented
End/midpoint blz12, 63
2
, WEEK 1: LCA INTRODUCTION AND GOAL & SCOPE
LECTURE NOTES: LCA GOAL AND SCOPE DEFINITION
The life cycle model; cradle-to-grave
- LCA is about comparing products and especially comparing their function
- If we fly the airplane with biofuels, would it be carbon neutral? No, we also have emissions of making the plane.
- Methodology harmonization, methodology determined the outcomeà start of LCA
ISO 14040 definition of LCA
- Technique for assessing the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product
o compiling an inventory of relevant inputs and outputs
o evaluating potential impacts associated with inputs and outputs
o interpreting results of inventory and impact assessment
- It is ambiguous (open to multiple interpretations) à causing diversity in results.
- There was a strong need for harmonizing methods to ensure consistency between studies
- So more detailed guidelines à ILCD
- ILCD + ISO = the life cycle assessment book. Builds on many different standards
Some examples of application areas for LCA
Policy àWaste & Life cycle minimum greenhouse gas saving criteria for biofuels/bioenergy
Industry àEco-design & Cleaner production
Consumer à Ecolabels
Key limitations
- Generalization and simplification is required in modelling and calculating carious impacts that occur in different places and time
o No local impacts. Impacts are aggregated over geographic locations (for example raw material acquisition in Africa,
production in China, use in the Netherlands, waste management in Turkey
o Static method. Impacts are aggregated over time (for example today up until 15 or 30 years in the future for PV panels
o Potential instead of actual impact
- LCA follows a best estimate principle
o Results are calculated based on average
performance of processes. Risks that are rare
but have a high impact (e.g. nuclear disaster)
are not considered in the impact calculations.
o Similarly, impacts that are not well understood,
for example health risks of micro-plastics, are
still not well addressed in LCA studies.
o Only environmental impact categories are
included, and the impact categories are not
complete
Goal definition
- ISO requires the following 4 aspects to be unambiguously stated:
o 1. Intended applications of the results (WHAT?)
3
SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT TOOLS
(GEO4-2602)
,Contents
Terminology..........................................................................................................................................................................................2
Week 1: LCA introduction and goal & scope.........................................................................................................................................3
Lecture notes: LCA goal and scope definition..................................................................................................................................3
Week 2: LCA inventory analysis, impact assessment and interpretation.............................................................................................7
Lecture notes....................................................................................................................................................................................7
Guest lecture: Blanca corona..........................................................................................................................................................13
Week 3: carbon footprint....................................................................................................................................................................16
Fang K, Heijungs R, De Snoo GR (2014)..........................................................................................................................................16
Lecture notes..................................................................................................................................................................................17
Guest lecture: the CO2 performance ladder – Maud Vastbinder..................................................................................................21
Week 4: social-LCA and life cycle costing (LCC)..................................................................................................................................23
Lecture notes..................................................................................................................................................................................23
Economy: LCC (life cycle costing)................................................................................................................................................24
Environmental LCC......................................................................................................................................................................25
Social LCA....................................................................................................................................................................................26
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment:..........................................................................................................................................28
Week 5: circular economy...................................................................................................................................................................28
Corona, Blanca, et al. (2019)...........................................................................................................................................................28
Guest lecture: Roderick Conijn, European Sustainability Ambassador. Interface.........................................................................31
Week 6: integrated assessment..........................................................................................................................................................32
Ness B, et al. (2007)........................................................................................................................................................................32
Mitchell RE, Leach B. (2019)...........................................................................................................................................................32
Recommended reading background..............................................................................................................................................34
Lecture notes..................................................................................................................................................................................35
Guest lecture...................................................................................................................................................................................36
Week 7-9: self study material circular economy................................................................................................................................37
Kirchherr J, Reike D, Hekkert M. ( 2017.)........................................................................................................................................37
Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2015). ............................................................................................................................................37
Lecture notes..................................................................................................................................................................................40
Wooclap......................................................................................................................................................................................43
Guest lecture: fairphone.................................................................................................................................................................44
Week 10: cleaner production, cradle-to-cradle and circular economy..............................................................................................44
Witjes, S., Cramer, J. M., & Vermeulen, W. J. (2018). ...................................................................................................................44
Braungart M, McDonough W, Bollinger A. Cradle‐to‐cradle design. 2007....................................................................................45
Lecture notes..................................................................................................................................................................................47
Guest lecture: cleaner production..................................................................................................................................................50
lecture S. Witjes – Cleaner production...............................................................................................................................................51
Wrap up 2............................................................................................................................................................................................53
Assignment article...............................................................................................................................................................................54
Hauschild et al., (2018)........................................................................................................................................................................56
Chapter 6........................................................................................................................................................................................56
Chapter 7: Goals definition.............................................................................................................................................................56
Chapter 8- scope definition............................................................................................................................................................58
Chapter 9 – Life Cycle Inventory analysis (LCI)...............................................................................................................................64
Chapter 10 – Life Cycle Impact Assessment (page 167-197)..........................................................................................................68
Chapter 12 – Life Cycle Interpretation...........................................................................................................................................72
1
,TERMINOLOGY
LCA is about comparing products and especially comparing their function. It is a technique for assessing the environmental
aspects and potential impacts associated with a product
Key limitations LCA
- Generalization and simplification is required in modelling and calculating carious impacts that occur in different places and time
o No local impacts. Impacts are aggregated over geographic locations
o Static method. Impacts are aggregated over time
o Potential impacts instead of actual impact
Steps
Goal definition
Scope definition
(Temporal/geographical/technical/economic scope)
Inventory analysis
Impact assessment
Interpretation ( in every phase)
- Types A: micro-level à no real environmental impact
- Type B: Meso/macro-level à structural changes in economy
or background
- Type C: accounting à descriptive
- Foreground system: processes that are specific to the system.
- Background system: Not specific to the product system
Functional unit
o Describes the primary function(s) fulfilled by a product system and indicate how much of this function is to be considered
in the LCA study
o Along the questions: what, how much, how well and how long
Product system à Collection of unit processes with elementary and product flows, performing one or more defined functions, and which
models the life cycle of a product
Unit processesà the blocks. Product or waste flows are the flows between the unit processesn.
Elementary flowsà go out the boundaries and can go from techno and eoc sphere
Reference flows à Is the product flow to which all input and output flows for the processes in the product system must be quantitatively
related. Is the amount of product that is needed to realize the functional untit
Attributional à consideres direct environmental impacts, more discriptive
Consequential à consideres indirect environmental impacts, more change oriented
End/midpoint blz12, 63
2
, WEEK 1: LCA INTRODUCTION AND GOAL & SCOPE
LECTURE NOTES: LCA GOAL AND SCOPE DEFINITION
The life cycle model; cradle-to-grave
- LCA is about comparing products and especially comparing their function
- If we fly the airplane with biofuels, would it be carbon neutral? No, we also have emissions of making the plane.
- Methodology harmonization, methodology determined the outcomeà start of LCA
ISO 14040 definition of LCA
- Technique for assessing the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product
o compiling an inventory of relevant inputs and outputs
o evaluating potential impacts associated with inputs and outputs
o interpreting results of inventory and impact assessment
- It is ambiguous (open to multiple interpretations) à causing diversity in results.
- There was a strong need for harmonizing methods to ensure consistency between studies
- So more detailed guidelines à ILCD
- ILCD + ISO = the life cycle assessment book. Builds on many different standards
Some examples of application areas for LCA
Policy àWaste & Life cycle minimum greenhouse gas saving criteria for biofuels/bioenergy
Industry àEco-design & Cleaner production
Consumer à Ecolabels
Key limitations
- Generalization and simplification is required in modelling and calculating carious impacts that occur in different places and time
o No local impacts. Impacts are aggregated over geographic locations (for example raw material acquisition in Africa,
production in China, use in the Netherlands, waste management in Turkey
o Static method. Impacts are aggregated over time (for example today up until 15 or 30 years in the future for PV panels
o Potential instead of actual impact
- LCA follows a best estimate principle
o Results are calculated based on average
performance of processes. Risks that are rare
but have a high impact (e.g. nuclear disaster)
are not considered in the impact calculations.
o Similarly, impacts that are not well understood,
for example health risks of micro-plastics, are
still not well addressed in LCA studies.
o Only environmental impact categories are
included, and the impact categories are not
complete
Goal definition
- ISO requires the following 4 aspects to be unambiguously stated:
o 1. Intended applications of the results (WHAT?)
3
