An Application Guidebook to Sustainability with LC

August29,2010DraftunderdevelopmentAnApplicationGuidebooktoSustainabilitywithLCAV11AnApplicationGuidebooktoSustainabilitywithLCA(Draftversion:openforcontributions)August29,2010DraftunderdevelopmentAnApplicationGuidebooktoSustainabilitywithLCAV12Sponsors(withLogo)(allcontentwillbepeerreviewedpriortofinaledit)August29,2010DraftunderdevelopmentAnApplicationGuidebooktoSustainabilitywithLCAV13Acknowledgement:ProducerThisguidehasbeenproducedjointlybyEcovaneEnvironmentalandGO-LCAAssociation(globalLCAprofessionalnetwork)Supervision,technicaleditingandsupportBillKung,EcovaneEnvironmentalSusieWu,EcovaneEnvironmentalMainAuthors(confirmed)AndreasCiroth,GreenDeltaTC(Germany)TimGrant(Australia)MarcZitzen,MilieuCentraal(Dutch)EmmanuelAckom(Norway)LeoBreedveld,(Italy)BillKung(China)Keycontentcontributors(confirmed)LeylaAcaroglu(Australia)GianlucaDonato(Sweden)Mbohwa,Charles(SouthAfrica)JohanPettersen,PhD(Sweden)HankHwang(Taiwan)DelwynJones(Australia)AmaliaSojo(Mexico)AnaClaudiaNioacdeSalles(Brazil)MelissaHamilton(USA)CassiaUgaya(Brazil)(tobeadded)…ProfessionalReviewPanelMarkGoedkoop(Netherland)OnemoretobeconfirmedDesign&lay-outAugust29,2010DraftunderdevelopmentAnApplicationGuidebooktoSustainabilitywithLCAV14JonathanWood,EcovaneEnvironmental&…ContributionsWewouldliketothankeverybodywhohascontributedtotheGuideprovidingvaluablebackground,ideas,comments,examplesandcasestudies,including……ThedevelopmentofthisGuidehasbeensponsoredby……CopyRightThispublicationwillbedistributedforfreeandnonecommercialpurposeonly,itmaybereproducedinwholeorinpartandinanyformforeducationalornon-profitpurposeswithoutspecialpermissionfromthecopyrightholder,providedacknowledgementofthesourceismade.EcovaneandtheGO-LCAassociationwouldappreciatereceivingacopyofanypublicationthatusesthispublicationasasource.NouseofthispublicationmaybemadeforresaleorforanyothercommercialpurposewhatsoeverwithoutpriorpermissioninwritingfromEcovaneorGO-LCA.August29,2010DraftunderdevelopmentAnApplicationGuidebooktoSustainabilitywithLCAV15BiographiesAboutAuthors(withportraits)Aboutkeycontentcontributors(withportraits)August29,2010DraftunderdevelopmentAnApplicationGuidebooktoSustainabilitywithLCAV16Theguidebookinyourlocallanguage(Youmaycontactthelistedbelowtoseeifalocallanguageversionoftheguidebookisavailableornot)AmericaBrazilChinaDanmark…August29,2010DraftunderdevelopmentAnApplicationGuidebooktoSustainabilitywithLCAV17ReasonsofthisguidebookISO14040definesLifeCycleAssessment(LCA)asthe“Compilationandevaluationoftheinputsandoutputsandthepotentialenvironmentalimpactsofaproductsystemthroughoutitslifecycle”(Guinée2002,p.5).BecauseLCAshowsacompletepictureofaproduct‟senvironmentalimpactsanditavoidsproblemshiftingfromonestageinthelifecycletoanother,LCAhasbeenwidelyacceptedasamust-havetoolforunderstandingthepotentialecologicalstresscausedbyhumanactivities,productsandservices.LCAcanthereforehelpusminimizeandredirectunsustainablebehaviorandfollowamoresustainablepath.Sofar,ahugeamountofworkhasbeendonebyresearchersandLCApractitioners,mainlyfocusingonLCAmethodologydevelopmentandtheoreticalreviews.InsteadofstressingthetheoriesandenvironmentalmechanismsbehindLifeCycleAssessment,thisisatechnicalguidethattargetsabroadaudience,bothLCAandnoneLCAprofessionals,byfocusingonpracticalapplicationsofLCAamongmajorindustries.Thisguidebookcanbeutilizedbybusinesseswhowishtoembracemoresustainablepracticesandsubsequentlymakemorelongtermprofits.Itcanbeusedtocreateasnapshotbygovernmentsandinstituteswhowanttoformulateambitiousyetfeasiblepolicies.Furthermore,itcanbeusedbyEco-designersandplannerswhowanttocreateabrighterfutureforalllifeformsonearththroughimprovedproductandservicedesign.ThisguidehasultimatelybeencompiledtohelpbreakthebarriersbetweencomplexenvironmentalperformanceanalysisandcommonindustryapplicationandtoencouragetheincorporationofLCAthinkingintoeconomicdevelopmentstrategiesandbehavioralandsociologicalchangetofacilitatemoresustainableproductionandconsumption.LCAforthedecisionmakingofSustainabilityDecisionmakingwithoutaframeworkisnoteasy,especiallywhenthedecisionconcernssustainability.Unlikeprice,qualityorotherpolicieswithmeasurableandmatureindicators,makingarationaldecisionabouttruesustainabilityhasturnedouttobeachallengingtask.Itisnotonlyanissueofinadequatesustainabledevelopmentinformation(e.g.environmentalandsocialimpactdata)butalsothelackofexperienceandguidanceinvolvedintacklingthislongexistingbutcomparativelynewlyrecognizedchallengeinhumanhistory.Amongthenumerousstrategiesthataimtoaddressthesustainabledevelopmentissue,lifecycleassessment,asafundamentallybenchmarkingandanalyticaltool,isbecomingincreasinglypopularduetoitsrationalbuilt-indecisionmakingqualities.Withdissimilarlevelsofinvolvement,anindividual,acompanyandagovernment‟sdecisionmakingprocessvariesincomplexityandbreadth.Evenonthesamelevel,someanalystssuggestdifferentorganizationsaremoresuitedtooneapproachthananother(e.g.eachAugust29,2010DraftunderdevelopmentAnApplicationGuidebooktoSustainabilitywithLCAV18adoptingofauniquemixtureofvisionledapproac