Order 990791: Sustainability and Responsibility Management
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LCAManagmentApproach1.pptLife cycle assessment (LCA)
Environmental management approaches
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA)
LCA attempts to identify the environmental
impacts of products or services…
… by examining impacts at different life
cycle stages such as :
production >>> use >>> disposal
Basic product life cycle
Life cycle of a biofuel product with possible inputs and environmental impacts
Instead of popularity as the focus (as in the previous slide), an environmental LCA for a facility (already in operation) such as a theme park might examine the environmental implications of life cycle stages such as:
- construction of new features
- operation
- decommissioning
Note that EIA is concerned with development projects that have not yet been built
- An internationally standardised methodology exists for LCA (this is the ISO 14040 series)
- LCA helps to quantify:
- the environmental pressures related to goods and services (products)
- the environmental benefits, the trade-offs and areas for achieving improvements taking into account the full life-cycle of the product
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
(Following material adapted from European Commission)
- Scoping
– what is to be included in the study
Main LCA stages
(2010)
Note that ‘scoping’ is important: what should be included in the LCA?
- Scoping
– what is to be included in the study
- Life Cycle Inventory (LCI)
– the collection and analysis of data (e.g. emissions to e.g. air and water, waste generation and resource consumption) which are associated with a product from the extraction of raw materials through production and use to final disposal, including recycling, reuse, and energy recovery
Main LCA stages
- Scoping
– what is to be included in the study
- Life Cycle Inventory (LCI)
– the collection and analysis of data (e.g. emissions to e.g. air and water, waste generation and resource consumption) which are associated with a product from the extraction of raw materials through production and use to final disposal, including recycling, reuse, and energy recovery
- Life Cycle Impact Assessment
– the estimation of the actual impacts of the inputs and outputs identified in the inventory e.g. climate change, resource depletion, human health effects, etc
- Interpretation
– making decisions based on information gathered
Main LCA stages
However, it has to be kept in mind that the use of LCA is merely a decision supporting tool, rather than a decision making tool
LCA particularly tends to exclude economic and social impacts and the consideration of more local environmental issues
LCA should be used in conjunction with other tools to assist in identifying areas of potential improvement
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Key LCA components
Much ecolabelling is based on this approach:
Source: Water footprint of nations UNESCO-IHE
LCA can reveal information that would otherwise not be known
Washing machine LCA
Marks & Spencer plc
Streamlined Life Cycle Assessment of
Marks & Spencer plc Apparel Products
January 2002
Percentage breakdown of extracted energy burden by life cycle stage
‘Airbus is committed to the sustainable future of aviation by providing innovative solutions to reduce environmental impact throughout an aircraft’s entire life cycle – from design and manufacture to in-flight operations and end-of-life management’
With an adequate supply of sources such as jatropha, Airbus believes one-third of aviation fuel could come from alternative sources by 2030
buildings and infrastructure
infrastructure operations
transport
use and consumption
disposal
Impacts?
Impacts?
Impacts?
Impacts?
Impacts?
Inputs needed for development?
Goods and services needed for operation?
Transport requirements?
Inputs needed by visitors / customers?
Waste generated by people and operations?
Life cycle assessment approach for facilities
buildings and infrastructure
infrastructure operations
transport
use and consumption
disposal
Impacts?
Impacts?
Impacts?
Impacts?
Impacts?
Inputs needed for development?
Goods and services needed for operation?
Transport requirements?
Inputs needed by visitors / customers?
Waste generated by people and operations?
Life cycle assessment approach for facilities
transport
Impacts?
Transport requirements?
The tiny Swiss ski town of Tenna recently put itself on the map with the world’s first solar wing-powered chair lift. While solar-powered lifts are popping up in ski resorts all over the world, this is the only one with a string of photovoltaic “wings” that float on a string above the lift chairs all the way up the mountain.
The lift is expected to produce over 90,000 kilowatt hours of energy each year. On a sunny day, the lift produces twice as much power as it consumes, making it an ideal green power plant during Tenna’s off-seasons.
Key environmental issues?
(An ISO 14001 company)
http://www.accor.com/uploads/static/earthguest/en/
HUGE BUILDING-SITE WASTE
Every year, Accor produces as much waste as about 219,000 Europeans: 1.25 million tonnes. A closer look has shown the Group several things: over two-thirds of that waste comes from hotel building and refurbishing work (concrete, wood, furniture, common industrial waste, etc). And about one-quarter of that impact comes from energy-related waste (extracting and preparing fuel).
The last surprise was that hotel operations generate comparatively little waste in relation to other aspects of Accor operations: ‘only’ 5% – even though the Group will needless to say continue to pay attention to that area.
FOOD PURCHASES ACCOUNT FOR MOST OF THE WATER
WE CONSUME AND CONTAMINATE
One of the big surprises in this survey is that the meals we serve in our hotels
account for the bulk of our impact on water! Accor indeed has to continue to
reduce its direct consumption – in bathrooms and kitchens, sprinklers and
leaks – but all those outlets combined only add up to slightly over 10% of its
impact on water, whereas the water used all the way up and down the food
production chain accounts for about 86%.
‘Eco-efficiency throughout
every step of the aircraft life-cycle’
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
The company takes into account environmental
performance at every step
of a product’s life cycle —
from materials, design and
manufacturing, through inservice use and end-of-service recycling and disposal
LCA can be part of an EMS
Using Disposable Cups? Paper vs Plastic: What to Choose for a Lower Impact
Lifecycle Assessments
When we decide our greenest option, we must evaluate their so-called “lifecycle assessments.” In other words, we must consider and contrast a variety of possible environmental impacts, including their carbon footprints, impact on global warming, resource consumption, harmful chemicals, or ozone depletion they might cause.
One study found the following:
When compared to the manufacturing of paper cups, making plastic cups:
- requires about 17 percent less energy
- needs about 42 percent less water
- uses 22 percent less petroleum to gather materials and ship cups
- doesn’t create harmful chemicals if not disposed of properly
- doesn’t call for cutting of trees
Comparatively, when compared to plastic cups, paper cups:
- generate around 28 percent fewer greenhouse gases
- aren’t toxic
- decompose in a landfill in about 20 years, instead of 1 million-plus
- are much easier to recycle and recycled at a higher rate
- decompose in water in just a few days, in contrast to 50 years
… Best choice?
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
The focus on products and services as causes of environmental problems
- and sources of solutions –
means that LCA will grow in importance
Case study: theme park development in Swanscombe, UK
Proposed opening date: 2023
buildings and infrastructure
infrastructure operations
transport
use and consumption
disposal
Impacts?
Impacts?
Impacts?
Impacts?
Impacts?
Inputs needed for development?
Goods and services needed for operation?
Transport requirements?
Inputs needed by visitors / customers?
Waste generated by people and operations?
Life cycle assessment approach for facilities
For a theme park operator, where could costs be reduced while improving environmental performance?
