LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT AND ITS APPLICATIONS

SIDDHANT MATHUR H12051SONEE KANCHAN DAS H12052SUJOY DAS H12053SULAGNA CHAKRABORTY H12054SUNNY PAUL PURKAYASTHA H12055

GROUP 11 SEC A HRM 2012-2014

WHAT IS LCA ?

Compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle.

This establishes an environmental profile of the system

ISO (International Organization for Standardization ensures that an LCA is completed in a certain wayHas its

beginnings in the 1960’s

In 1969, researche

rs initiated

an internal study for The Coca-

Cola Company

In early 1980’s,

interest in comprehensiv

e studies waned

because of the oil crisis

When solid waste

became a worldwide

issue in 1988, LCA emerged as a analyzing

tool

LCA standards in the

ISO 14000 series

STEPS IN LCA

Goal Definition

and Scoping

Life Cycle Inventory

Impact Assessment

Interpretation

GOAL AND SCOPE – AN EXAMPLE (1/2) – ISO 14041

Goal = Compare 2 writing utensils for classroom use.

Scope: Wooden Pencil ; Process Flow Diagram

Lumber Forest/

Lumber Mill

Manufacture

Retailer Use End of Life

Sharpening

Rubber

Graphite

Packaging

Brass

T

T

T

T

T

T

T T T

Oil PE / PPManufacture

Retailer Use End of Life

Rubber

Graphite

Packaging

Spring

T

T

T

T

T

T

T T T

Scope: Mechanical Pencil ; Process Flow Diagram

Goal = Compare 2 writing utensils for classroom use.

GOAL AND SCOPE – AN EXAMPLE (2/2)

STEPS IN LCA

Goal Definition

and Scoping

Life Cycle Inventory

Impact Assessment

Interpretation

LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY – ISO 14042

1. Quantify

2. Assis

t

3. List

STEPS IN LCA

Goal Definition

and Scoping

Life Cycle Inventory

Impact Assessment

Interpretation

LIFE CYCLE IMPACT ASSESSMENT (LCIA) – ISO 14043

DefinitionThe Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) phase of an LCA is the evaluation of potential human health and environmental impacts of the environmental resources.

Applications• Ecological, human health effects and resource depletion. • Linkage between the product/process and its potential

environmental impacts.• Suitable for relative comparisons of the potential to cause human

or environmental damage

• It is not an indicator of absolute risk or actual damage

STEPS IN LCA

Goal Definition and Scoping

Life Cycle Inventory

Impact Assessment

Interpretation

LIFE CYCLE INTERPRETATION – ISO 14044

• Systematic technique to identify, quantify, check, and evaluate information from the results of the life cycle inventory and/or the life cycle impact assessment.

• The results from the inventory analysis and impact assessment are summarized during the interpretation phase.

• Identification of significant issues based on the results of the LCI and LCIA phases of an LCA

• Evaluation of the study considering completeness, sensitivity and consistency checks; and

• Conclusions, limitations , reporting and recommendations.

.

BENEFITS/LIMITATIONS OF CONDUCTING AN LCA

BENEFITS• Helps in selection of

product/process/service

• Identifies the transfer of environmental impacts from one media to another

• Analyze the environmental trade-offs associated with products

• Assess the human and ecological effects of material consumption and environmental releases

LIMITATIONS

• Performing LCA can be time and resource intensive

• Gathering data and availability of data can greatly impact the accuracy of results

• LCA Should be used as one component of a more comprehensive decision process

STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES OF CONDUCTING LCA

• Project development and improvement.

• Strategic planning and Public policy making.

• Marketing and eco-declarations.

• To help the brand measure and understand the GHG emissions related to its product portfolio

• To identify opportunities to manage GHG emissions 

• Influence managed reductions elsewhere in the product lifecycles, and

• Assess the impact of the brand’s innovation and portfolio strategies on its GHG footprint.

EXAMPLE 1: FAST LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF SYNTHETIC CHEMISTRY (FLASC) TOOL : UTILIZED BY GSK

FAST LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF SYNTHETIC CHEMISTRY (FLASC) TOOL

BACKGROUND, NEED AND SCOPE

A clear want for developing a metrics that

determines and benchmarks the ‘greenness’ or relative

sustainability of synthetic processes for Active

Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) so that companies

know which substance is relatively less ‘harmful ‘ in the

long run

Metrics should facilitate more informed and

sustainable business choices

Detailed environmental data are not available at an

early stage during R&D

FLSCA AND ITS USE BY GSK

FLASC (Fast Life cycle Assessment of Synthetic Chemistry) is a web-based tool which gives concise and simple methodologies to scientists and engineers

It facilitates selection of better materials, greener chemistries and resources after comparing the ‘greenness’ of the processes / materials

FLASC was developed from a detailed assessment of the cradle-to-grave life cycle environmental impacts associated with the manufacture of materials used in a typical pharmaceutical process

It helps GSK by making decisions in the preliminary stage of the R&D process, when environmental, safety and health data is very limited

EXAMPLE 2: A PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY IN FABRIC PRODUCTION BY LEVI STRAUSS AND CO.

A PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY IN FABRIC PRODUCTION BY LEVI STRAUSS AND CO.

BACKGROUND, NEED AND SCOPE

In 2006, Levis was facing problems in the following areas:-

Environmental compliance programs

 Supplier Code of Conduct program

Global Effluent Guideline program

 Need for a credible, science-based method for measuring the full environmental impact of the various products so that Levi’s could identify the set of priorities for our environmental work going forward

By taking a product-lifecycle approach to their work, they were able to develop a set of strategies to address the greatest impacts of our business on the environment

LIFE CYCLE OF A COTTON JEANS

LEVI’S 501 JEANS – CLIMATE CHANGE

For the studied Levi’s® 501® jeans (cradle to grave),the climate-change impact was highest at the consumer-use phase (58%)

Levi’s campus with the optimum water temperature (generally 20 C) and the optimum machine type (generally side loaded) for its various jeans and other products

Levi’s estimated that reducing the number of washes of your jeans from 52 to 24 in an year can decrease climate change impact by 48 %, amount of energy used by about 40 % and can save around 1223.3 litres of water

Levi Strauss & Co. partnered with the Proctor & Gamble, makers of Tide Coldwater to Save Energy and to co-promote their Signature by Levi Strauss & Co. jeans in Wal-mart stores

Product care labels

LEVI’S 501 JEANS – CLIMATE CHANGE

UNILEVER

ESTIMATING THE GREEN-HOUSE GAS FOOTPRINT OF KNORR

• The world’s first life cycle GHG assessment at brand’s product portfolio level

• The meta-product approach.

• Up to 16 product types or “meta-products” were assessed in each geographical region, with a total of 36

meta-products assessed globally.

• Then, the Knorr GHG footprint was derived by multiplying the impacts calculated per tonne of each

product type with the sales volumes in 2007

• Data for ingredients and processing technologies were gathered from the literature and suppliers

• Data from Knorr factories were used for the manufacturing stage.

•Aggregating the results for individual meta-products with their production volumes, the

global Knorr brand GHG footprint in 2007 was estimated to be in the region of 3–5 million

tonnes CO2e/annum (95% confidence interval)

WATER FOOTPRINT

Pilot studies on Unilever tea and margarine (not shown here) were amongst the first water footprints of

consumer products

Estimation of water used to produce Unilever’s raw materials

Using WFN Water-Stat

Use of Quantis database/ Modeling tool an exhaustive water database created in

partnership with Ecoinvent, leading supplier of Life Cycle Assessment data, and several partner companies.

NESTLE WATERS

LCA APPROACH

The Global Environmental Footprint (GEF) tool was developed in 2008 for Nestlé Waters by RDC-Environment to carry out Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with a multi-environmental criteria approach

Both the tool and the methodology associated with it underwent a critical review by a panel of international LCA experts.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as water and energy consumption are calculated using methods that meet the recommendations of the GHG Protocol :

ISO 14064-1 (GHG accounting and verification)

ISO 14040-44 (LCA) quality standards.

* GHG emissions are calculated in grams of CO2 equivalent (eq).

BOTTLED WATER LIFECYCLE

• Packaging-• Extraction & Transportation of

raw materials• Supply of packaging to Nestle

Water Factories•Manufacturing-• Transformation into bottles• Product bottling• Conditioning with secondary

packaging material• Storage until transportation

•Distribution-• Transportation & Storage at

Wholesalers &Points-of-Sale• Transportation from Retail to

Consumer Destination• Storage ( in cooling device) &

Consumption• Consumer disposal of empty

packaging

BOTTLED WATER FOOTPRINT

PACKAGING MANUFACTURING DISTRIBUTION

CASE 5: LIFECYCLE ASSESSMENT OF XEROX SOLID INK MULTIFUNCTION PRINTER

TOTAL LIFETIME ENERGY INVESTMENT AND GLOBAL WARMING IMPACT

LCA of a 50 ppm solid ink multifunction printer in comparison to a 51 ppm laser

multifunction printer under similar operating conditions.

Solid ink multifunction printer studied exhibited 9% lower life cycle Cumulative Energy

Demand and 10% lower Global warming potential than the laser multifunction printer.

Color laser multifunction printers typically include replaceable parts and supplies such as

toner cartridges and waste toner bottles.

In the solid ink multifunction printer, the drum maintenance unit is the only replaceable

item. All remaining parts are designed to last the lifetime of the device.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT

RESULTS OF THE LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE DERIVED

Solid ink technology produces up to 90% less post-consumer waste, and

requires fewer replacement parts and supplies than laser technology.

This implies that the solid ink multifunction printer uses less energy and

materials over the life cycle, and producing less waste in the customer

environment.

For the organization, it implies direct reduction in manufacturing costs.

For the customer, it means lesser spending on purchasing supplies and replacing

various parts over the lifecycle of the multifunction printer, making it a preferred

product.

Also, this has direct implications on gaining customer share in near future as

customers become more aware of the difference in wastage caused and

environmental impact.

CASE 5: LIFECYCLE ASSESSMENT OF DAIMLER

LCA: INTEGRAL PART OF DAIMLER’S DFE

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT: VEHICLE LEVEL(S400 HYBRID VERSUS S350 )

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT: SYSTEM LEVEL(SMART ELECTRIC DRIVE VERSUS GASOLINE)

LCA: COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE DERIVED

Areas of application for LCA in the automotive industry Internal use of LCA as an instrument for environmentally oriented product and process

development Publication of Life Cycle Assessments to document process related environmental performance Joint automotive industry studies and/or (funded) LCA-projects about questions of general

interest Basic rules for LCA in the automotive industry All LCA studies shall be based on ISO 14040/44 and be complemented by full stakeholder

involvement. European Automobile Manufacturers' Association(ACEA) recommends that only globally

accepted indicators are included in impact assessments.

REFERENCES

Life Cycle Assessment : Principles and Practice, Scientific Applications International Corporation

Life Cycle Assessment of the Industrial use of Expanded Polystyrene Packaging in Europe, European manufacturers of Expanded Polystyrene

http://www.scienceinthebox.com/ Life Cycle Impact Assessment of Aluminum Beverage Cans,

Aluminum Association, Inc. Washington, D.C. Life Cycle Assessments of Energy from Solid Waste, Finnveden,

Göran et. Al LCA Performed by companies from their respective sites

THANK YOU!