Life Cycle Assessment Theory and Practice

1215 Pages·2017·1.83 MB·English

Michael Z. Hauschild
Ralph K. Rosenbaum
Stig Irving Olsen
Editors
Life Cycle
Assessment
Theory and Practice
Life Cycle Assessment
Michael Z. Hauschild Ralph K. Rosenbaum
(cid:129)
Stig Irving Olsen
Editors
Life Cycle Assessment
Theory and Practice
123
Editors
Michael Z. Hauschild Stig Irving Olsen
Department ofManagement Engineering Department ofManagement Engineering
Technical University of Denmark Technical University of Denmark
Kongens Lyngby Kongens Lyngby
Denmark Denmark
RalphK.Rosenbaum
IRSTEA, UMR ITAP,ELSA Research
groupandELSA-PACT
Environmental andSocial Sustainability
Assessment
Montpellier
France
ISBN978-3-319-56474-6 ISBN978-3-319-56475-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-56475-3
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017946049
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Preface
It is an old observation that ‘What gets measured gets managed’, and that what is
not measured or measurable runs the risk of being neglected. It is therefore
importantthatwehavetoolsforassessingthesustainabilityofourchoiceswhenwe
develop the technologies and systems that shall help us determine and meet the
needs of the present generations in a way that does not compromise the ability of
our descendants to meet their needs in the future.
Asyouwilllearnfromthisbook,wemusttakealifecycleperspectivewhenwe
wanttoassessthesustainabilityofthesolutionsthatlie infront ofus.Youwillbe
presentedwithmanyexamplesofproblemshiftingwheresolutionsthatimproveor
solve a targeted problem unintentionally create other problems of environmental,
economic or social nature somewhere else in the systems of processes and stake-
holdersaffectedbyourchoice.Ifwedonotconsiderthetotalityofthesesystemsin
ouranalysis,wewillfailtonoticetheseunwantedconsequencesofourdecisionand
we will not be able to take them into consideration. We also have to consider a
broad range of potential impacts in our assessment, in fact all those is that the
system can contribute to and that we consider relevant in the context of our
decision-situation.
Life Cycle Assessment, LCA, offers this totality—it analyses the whole life
cycle of the system or product that is the object of the study and it covers a broad
range of impacts for which it attempts to perform a quantitative assessment. The
focus of LCA has mainly been on the environmental impacts although both social
andeconomicimpactscanbeincludedaswell.Itisanimportantassessmenttoolas
demonstrated by the central role that it has been given in the environmental reg-
ulation in many parts of the world and certified by its ISO standardization and the
strongincreaseinitsuseoverthelastdecadesbycompaniesfromalltradesandall
over the world.
Engineersandscientistswhodevelopdecisionsupport,ormakedecisionswhere
sustainabilityisaconcern,shouldunderstandtheneedtoviewthesolutionsinalife
cycle perspective and to consider possible trade-offs between environmental
impacts and between the three sustainability dimensions. Designers and engineers
whodesignanddevelopproductsandtechnicalsystemsshouldbeabletocritically
v
vi Preface
readandevaluate lifecycleassessmentinformationaboutthealternatives thatthey
areconsidering,andtheenvironmentalsustainabilityspecialistsamongthemshould
also be able to perform the LCA studies.
Why this Book?
It is the purpose of this book to offer the reader the theory and practice of LCA in
one volume comprising:
(cid:129) A textbook, explaining the LCA methodology and the theory behind it in a
pedagogical way with a meaningful balance between depth and accessibility
(cid:129) A cookbook offering recipes with concrete actions needed to perform an LCA
(cid:129) A repository of information about experience with the use and adaptation of
LCA and LCA-based approaches within policy-making, decision support and
life cycle engineering and management, and a collection of chapters presenting
results and methodological challenges from the use of LCA in some of the
central technological application areas of LCA
Focus is on environmental impacts but life cycle sustainability assessment is
considered through introductory chapters on social LCA and on life cycle costing.
Who is the Target Audience?
The book was written to support the LCA learning of
(cid:129) University students, from undergraduate to Ph.D. level
(cid:129) Researchers and (university) teachers
(cid:129) Professionals looking to get started on LCA and quantitative (environmental)
sustainability assessment
(cid:129) LCApractitionerslookingtodeepentheirknowledgeofspecificaspectsofLCA
methodology (e.g.uncertainty management)and LCApractice inspecificareas
(e.g. electro-mobility, buildings, biomaterials, etc.) and looking for relevant
literature for further reading.
The structure of the book with separate and comprehensive parts on LCA
methodology (theory), LCA cookbook (own practice) and LCA applications
(practice of others) allows it to cater to the needs of this rather broad group of
potential users.
Preface vii
Who Wrote the Book?
Atotalof68authorscontributedtothewritingofthisbook(seeshortpresentations
of contributors at the end of each chapter). The core team consisted of researchers
from the division for Quantitative Sustainability Assessment at the Department of
ManagementEngineeringattheTechnicalUniversityofDenmark,wherethethree
editorshaveorhavehadtheiremployment(RalphRosenbaumnowisanIndustrial
Chair for Environmental and Social Sustainability Assessment at the French
National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and
Agriculture(Irstea)inMontpellier,France).Othercontributionsweresolicitedfrom
leading experts within each field from the rest of the world, in particular for dis-
cussion of the different applications of LCA.
Who made it Possible?
Abooklikethisrequiresmuchworkapartfromthewritingofthetextbeforeyour
eyes, and it had never reached your hands without the indispensable contributions
from staff of the division for Quantitative Sustainability Assessment at the
Department of Management Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark.
We also wish to thank all contributing authors for their timely and fine contri-
butions, their constructive collaboration and not least their patience with a pro-
duction process that lasted far beyond what was planned when we started.
Wehopethatthisbookwillfindabroadaudienceworldwideandstrengthenthe
assessment of sustainability in the future, because what gets measured gets
managed…
Kongens Lyngby, Denmark Michael Z. Hauschild
Montpellier, France Ralph K. Rosenbaum
Kongens Lyngby, Denmark Stig Irving Olsen
Contents
Part I Introduction
1 About This Book... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 3
Michael Z. Hauschild, Ralph K. Rosenbaum and Stig Irving Olsen
2 Main Characteristics of LCA.. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 9
Anders Bjørn, Mikołaj Owsianiak, Christine Molin
and Alexis Laurent
3 LCA History .. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 17
Anders Bjørn, Mikołaj Owsianiak, Christine Molin
and Michael Z. Hauschild
4 LCA Applications .. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 31
Mikołaj Owsianiak, Anders Bjørn, Alexis Laurent, Christine Molin
and Morten W. Ryberg
5 LCA and Sustainability.. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 43
Andreas Moltesen and Anders Bjørn
Part II Methodology
6 Introduction to LCA Methodology.. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 59
Michael Z. Hauschild
7 Goal Definition .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 67
Anders Bjørn, Alexis Laurent, Mikołaj Owsianiak
and Stig Irving Olsen
8 Scope Definition.... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 75
AndersBjørn,MikołajOwsianiak,AlexisLaurent,StigIrvingOlsen,
Andrea Corona and Michael Z. Hauschild
ix
x Contents
9 Life Cycle Inventory Analysis.. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 117
AndersBjørn,AndreasMoltesen,AlexisLaurent,MikołajOwsianiak,
Andrea Corona, Morten Birkved and Michael Z. Hauschild
10 Life Cycle Impact Assessment . .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 167
Ralph K. Rosenbaum, Michael Z. Hauschild, Anne-Marie Boulay,
Peter Fantke, Alexis Laurent, Montserrat Núñez and Marisa Vieira
11 Uncertainty Management and Sensitivity Analysis. .... ..... .... 271
Ralph K. Rosenbaum, Stylianos Georgiadis and Peter Fantke
12 Life Cycle Interpretation ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 323
Michael Z. Hauschild, Alexandra Bonou and Stig Irving Olsen
13 Critical Review .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 335
Ralph K. Rosenbaum and Stig Irving Olsen
14 Use of Input–Output Analysis in LCA... .... .... .... ..... .... 349
Tuomas J. Mattila
15 Life Cycle Costing: An Introduction .... .... .... .... ..... .... 373
Jan-Markus Rödger, Louise Laumann Kjær and Aris Pagoropoulos
16 Social Life Cycle Assessment: An Introduction.... .... ..... .... 401
Andreas Moltesen, Alexandra Bonou, Arne Wangel
and Kossara Petrova Bozhilova-Kisheva
Part III Applications
17 Introduction to Part III: Application of LCA in Practice..... .... 425
Ralph K. Rosenbaum
18 Life Cycle Thinking and the Use of LCA in Policies Around the
World.... .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 429
G. Sonnemann, E.D. Gemechu, S. Sala, E.M. Schau, K. Allacker,
R. Pant, N. Adibi and S. Valdivia
19 Globalisation and Mainstreaming of LCA.... .... .... ..... .... 465
Arne Wangel
20 Organisational LCA .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 481
Julia Martínez-Blanco and Matthias Finkbeiner
21 Future-Oriented LCA... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 499
Stig Irving Olsen, Mads Borup and Per Dannemand Andersen
22 Life Cycle Management . ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 519
Niki Bey
23 Ecodesign Implementation and LCA.... .... .... .... ..... .... 545
Tim C. McAloone and Daniela C.A. Pigosso
Contents xi
24 Environmental Labels and Declarations . .... .... .... ..... .... 577
Jeppe Frydendal, Lisbeth Engel Hansen and Alexandra Bonou
25 Cradle to Cradle and LCA.... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 605
Anders Bjørn and Michael Z. Hauschild
26 LCA of Energy Systems . ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 633
Alexis Laurent, Nieves Espinosa and Michael Z. Hauschild
27 LCA of Electromobility.. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 669
Felipe Cerdas, Patricia Egede and Christoph Herrmann
28 LCA of Buildings and the Built Environment. .... .... ..... .... 695
Benjamin Goldstein and Freja Nygaard Rasmussen
29 LCA of Food and Agriculture . .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 723
Teunis J. Dijkman, Claudine Basset-Mens, Assumpció Antón
and Montserrat Núñez
30 LCA of Biofuels and Biomaterials.. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 755
Susanne Vedel Hjuler and Sune Balle Hansen
31 LCA of Chemicals and Chemical Products... .... .... ..... .... 783
Peter Fantke and Alexi Ernstoff
32 LCA of Nanomaterials .. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 817
Mirko Miseljic and Stig Irving Olsen
33 LCA of Drinking Water Supply.... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 835
Berit Godskesen, Noa Meron and Martin Rygaard
34 LCA of Wastewater Treatment .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 861
Henrik Fred Larsen
35 LCA of Solid Waste Management Systems... .... .... ..... .... 887
IoannisBakas,AlexisLaurent,JulieClavreul,AnnaBernstadSaraiva,
Monia Niero, Emmanuel Gentil and Michael Z. Hauschild
36 LCA of Soil and Groundwater Remediation.. .... .... ..... .... 927
Gitte Lemming Søndergaard and Mikołaj Owsianiak
Part IV LCA Cookbook
37 LCA Cookbook.... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 963
Michael Z. Hauschild and Anders Bjørn
Part V Annexes
38 Report Template... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 1051
Anders Bjørn, Alexis Laurent and Mikołaj Owsianiak