LCA IX Abstracts

Life Cycle Assessment IX
Toward the Global Life Cycle Economy

Boston September 29 to October 2
nd
2009

Thanks to our Sponsors

For support of student attendance

September 2009

Welcome to Life Cycle Assessment IX!
This is the first time that USA, Canadian and Mexican LCA centers have joined to
make a joint North American LCA conference, and joined by the SETAC-UNEP
Life Cycle initiative. This is the largest LCA conference ever in North America. It
covers four days, and includes special and regular sessions as well as three poster
sessions and three workshops. Collectively, over 250 presentations are planned.
Please take time to enjoy Boston, one of the oldest cities in the USA, and the home
of the American Revolution. Boston is also the home of a lively LCA community,
and the planning committee has worked hard to develop the social events we have
planned. There is much to enjoy here, and we hope that you find time to take
advantage of the many social and cultural events in the city.
In our ongoing effort to decrease the environmental impact of the conference, we
have de-materialized the conference, and except for those who have asked for a
hard copy, we are providing the conference abstracts online or via a flash drive
rather than through hard copy. This means that we do not need a conference bag
and you should have little to carry home with you except for memories and
contacts.
We wish to thank our sponsors, especially the U.S. National Science Foundation
for its support of student attendance and one of the workshops at the conference
Welcome to Boston!.

The Conference Committee
LCA IX Conference Rooms Hilton Logan

International
Ballroom C Room 209 Room 210
International
Ballroom A
International
Ballroom B
International
Ballroom AB
International
Ballroom C
International
Ballroom DE
8:30
LCACP
Exam
Intro to
SimaPro
10:00
10:30
Exam
continues continued
Coordinating LCI
Inventories Biofuel- Ethanol LCA
12:00
1:30
Carbon
Footprinting Intro to GaBi Regional LCIA Biofuel
Case
Studies
3:00
3:30 - 5:00
Carbon
Footprinting continued
Regional LCIA
continues
Bio-based
Products Landuse
Evening
International
Ballroom AB
International
Ballroom C
International
Ballroom DE Wellesley Middlebury
International
Ballroom AB
International
Ballroom C
International
Ballroom DE Wellesley
International
Ballroom AB
International
Ballroom C
International
Ballroom DE
8:30
Operationalizing
LCA In Industry 1 LCIA-1
Landuse &
Biofuels
Assessing
Water Use
LCM &
Policy 1 GHG 1
Teaching
LCA
Int'l Standards of
Carbon Footprint 1 LCI
Food &
Agriculture 1
10:00
10:30
Operationalizing
LCA In Industry 2 LCIA-2
Landuse &
Biofuels
Assessing
Water Use
LCM &
Policy 2 GHG 2
Education
Package 1
Int'l Standards of
Carbon Footprint 2 Fossil Fuels
Food &
Agriculture 2
12:00
1:30 Buildings Power
Landuse &
Biofuels
1:00 PM
Uncertainty
Workshop
2:00 PM
UNEP/LCI
Dynamic &
Temporal LCA Uncertainty EIO
Teaching
LCA
International
Capability
Development
Computational
Methods
Food &
Agriculture 3
3:00
3:30 - 5:00 Social LCA Recycling
Landuse &
Biofuels UNEP/LCI
Dynamic &
Temporal LCA Design Databases
Education
Package 2
Evening
Life Cycle Assessment IX Conference at a Glance
(First Joint North American LCA Conference)
Break
Lunch-Posters Prefunction
Break
Monday Tuesday
Break
Lunch on your own
Break
Opening Plenary
Friday
Break - Prefunction Break Break
Walking Tour at 4:00 Meet in Hotel Lobby PE Reception - Prefunction
Closing Plenary
On Your Own Reception - NE Aquarium
Lunch-Posters - Prefunction
Break Break Break
Thursday
Lunch Posters International Pre-function
Uncertainty
Workshop
ends 7:00 PM
International Ballroom D
Intro to LCA
continued
Advances in LCA
continued
Wednesday
Lunch Pre-Function
Monday
Landuse and Biofuel Workshop
Tuesday Sessions
Tuesday 1
International Ballroom
A-B
C
D-E
Tuesday
8:30-
10:00

Opening plenary

Sustainability in a Food Company
Dan Petit, Director Life Cycle Management & Sustainability at Kraft Foods
Environmental Product Declarations and their Effect on the Global Plastics Industry
Mike Levy, American Chemistry Council

Tuesday
10:30-
12:00
Coordinating Life Cycle
Inventories in North
America and Beyond

Session chair: Rita Schenck

Michael Deru
USA
Pascal Lesage
Canada
Nydia Suppen
Mexico
Progress in Development of
a Chinese LCA Platform
Wang Hongtao

Harmonization of life-cycle
inventory in Brazil
Tssia Viol Moretti, Cssia
Maria Lie Ugaya

The International
Reference Life Cycle Data
System
Miguel Brandao, David W.
Pennington, Rana Pant, Ugo
Pretato, Marc Wolf, Kirana
Biofuel - Ethanol
Session chair: Carina Alles
Consequential Life Cycle
Assessment of cellulosic
ethanol production in the US
Midwest state of Minnesota
Junghan Bae, Sangwon Suh

Life Cycle Assessment of Wood
Hemicellulosic Bio-Ethanol
Rachel Bowman, Anthony Halog

Consequential LCA of a 2nd
generation biofuel made from
willow
Shirley Fagnen, Pascal Lesage,
Ralph Rosenbaum, Rjean
Samson

Do Cover Crops and Lignin-
land Application Improve the
life cycle of corn stover-based
ethanol?
Sabrina Spatari, Paul R. Adler,
Stephen J. Del Grosso, Gregory
W. Roth

Life Cycle Assessment in
Support of the
Commercialization of
Cellulosic Ethanol
Robin Jenkins, Carina Alles,
Jamie Ginn, Bruce Vrana, Robert
Sylvester, Chris Johnas, Susan
Hennessey

LCA
Session chair: John Jewell
Normative implications of LCA
Jan Paul Lindner, Bastian
Wittstock, Oliver Schuller

"Close Enough for LCA":
Numbers, Consensus, and
Consequences for Life Cycle
Assessment
Paul Chalmer

Reusing Wastewater in Power
Plant Cooling Towers: Hybrid
and Social LCA
Briana Niblick, David Dzombak,
Radisav Vidic, Amy Landis

A case study on multi-impact life
cycle assessment of coffee
alternatives
Sebastien Humbert, Vincent Rossi,
Manuele Margni, Olivier Jolliet,
Carole Dubois, Yves Loerincik

Comparative environmental LCA
on water treatment plants
Christian Bouchard, Alexandre
Bonton, Stphane Jedrzejak, Benot
Barbeau

Tuesday
12:00-
1:30

Tuesday Poster Session and lunch
Tuesday Sessions
Tuesday 2
A-B
C
D-E
Tuesday
1:30-
3:00
Regional life cycle impact
assessment
characterization models

Session chairs:
Shana Shaked and Sebastien
Humbert

Geographical extrapolation
of crop life cycle
inventories and impacts
Thomas Nemecek,
Agroscope Anne Roches,
Frank Hayer, Daniel U.
Baumgartner, Grard
Gaillard, Sarah Sim, Lloren
Mil i Canals

GLOBOX: a spatially
differentiated global fate,
intake and effect model for
LCA results for
nitrobenzene
Reinout Heijungs

Spatial variability and
optimal regional scale for
intake fractions linked to a
Canadian emission
Rima Manneh, Manuele
Margni, Louise Deschnes

Regionalization of life cycle
impact assessment:
geographic differentiation
vs archetypes
Sebastien Humbert, Quantis

A Life Cycle Impact
Assessment Framework for
Characterizing Human
Health Benefits and
Impacts from Emerging
Biofuels
Agnes Lobscheid, Thomas
McKone

Estimation of regional
characterization factors for
aquatic eutrophication
Alejandro Gallego, Luis
Rodrguez, Almudena
Hospido, M Teresa Moreira,
Gumersindo Feijoo
Biofuel

Session chair: May Wu

Life Cycle and Uncertainty
Assessment of biodiesel
compared to other biomass use
Olivier Jolliet, Shanna Shaked,
Josef Kaenzig, Gregory
Houillon, Jinglan Hong

Full consequential cradle-to-
grave LCA of non-agrifuel
ethanol and biodiesel
Franois Charron-Doucet

ntegration of Land-use Change
Emissions in Biofuel LCA
using Mg-year Accounting
Alexandre Courchesne, Ralph
Rosenbaum, Valrie Bcaert,
Rjean Samson, Louise
Deschnes

Sustainability Quick Check for
Biofuels (SQCB): a tool for
standardized and simplified
LCA as driver for sustainable
biofuel production
Mireille Faist Emmenegger,
Jrgen Reinhard, Rainer Zah

LCA Case Studies
Session chair: Mike Levy
Life Cycle Assessment
Comparison of Conventional and
Passive Groundwater
Remediation Technologies for
Solvent Contamination
Monica Higgins, Terese Olson

An LCA-based Environmental
Assessment of a Baked Goods
Company
Jon Dettling, Dominic D'Amours,
Manuele Margni

Real-time Life Cycle Assessment:
An implementation for ETH
Zrich
Chris Mutel, Christoph Meili,
Stefanie Hellweg

Quantitative Analysis of Material
Substitution Effects by Life Cycle
Assessment A Case Study of
ITO for a Liquid Crystal Display
Kotaro Kawajiri, Kiyotaka Tahara,
Yoritsune Noda, Shigeyuki Uemiya

Life Cycle Assessment of
Container Glass
Liila Woods, Margaret Zahller,
Marc Binder, Joseph Cattaneo
Tuesday
3:30-
5:00
Bio-based Products

Session chair: Franois Charron-
Doucet
Life cycle assessment of
biochar production from corn
stover, yard waste, and
switchgrass
Kelli Roberts, Brent Gloy,
Stephen Joseph, Johannes
Lehmann

Evaluations of Domestic
Applications of British
Columbia Wood Pellets based
on Life Cycle Analysis
Ann Pa, Jill Craven, Tony Bi,
Land Use in LCA:
Characterization of Impacts,
Geospatial Heterogeneity, and
Renewable Energy Technologies

Session chair:
Thomas Seager

The Workshop on Land Use &
Geospatial Aspects In LCA of
Renewable Energy Systems
Thomas Seager

Re-allocation of land as a
consequence of renewable energy
development
John Sheehan
Considering transportation and
energy distribution aspects of
Tuesday Sessions
Tuesday 3
A-B
C
D-E

Regionalisation of
Ecosystem Sensitivity for
Acidification: From the
Local to the Global Scale
Pierre-Olivier Roy, Manuele
Margni, Louise Deschnes

Spatial and temporal
characterization factors for
ground-level ozone
Robert Ries

Capability and challenges
of regionalized LCIA: the
water case
Stephan Pfister, Annette
Koehler, Stefanie Hellweg

Regionalisation of impacts
from water use
Anne-Marie Boulay

Integration of LCIA and
ERA for the assessment of
contaminated sediment
remediation options
Michael Ditor
Staffan Melin, Shahab
Sokhansanj

Sustainable Materials
Management of Wood Fibers
Christopher Evans, Deanna
Lizas, Adam Brundage, Randy
Freed, Henrik Harjula

Briquettes, cubes, or pellets:
Greenhouse gas tradeoffs in
bioenergy
Tom Wilson, Sabrina Spatari,
Paul Adler

Life Cycle Environmental
Impacts from Biobased
Lubricants
Phoebe Cuevas, Amy E. Landis

renewable energy: Report from
the "Workshop on Land Use and
Geospatial Aspects of LCA for
Renewable Energy"
James Winebrake,

Impacts
Jane Bare

Coupling LCA and Geographic
Information Systems --
Geospatial Variability in LCA for
Renewable Energy
Roland Geyer,

Wednesday sessions
Wednesday 1

A-B
C
Int.
Ballroom
D-E
Wednesday
8:30-10:00
Operationalizing LCA within
Industry

Session chair: Wiliam Flanagan

Product Environmental Metrics for
Printer Development at HP
Jason Ord, Tim Strecker

Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
to Develop a Corporate Sustainability
Strategy
Gretchen Govoni

Challenges and Benefits of
Integrating LCA into Research and
Development: Butamax Biobutanol
Case Study
Stephen Tieri, Robin Jenkins, Todd
Krieger, Robert Sylvester, Carina Alles,
Susanne Veith, Steve Barr

The Use of LCAs from within Our
Company's Gate to Our Customers
and Market Segments
Gary Jakubcin, Owens Corning

Using LCA to Develop Climate-
Neutral Products - A Practical
Example
Connie Hensler, John Jewell

Life Cycle Assessment: Promoting
Sustainable Development at Dow
Shawn Hunter

Design for Environment at Rolls-
Royce
Stafford Lloyd, Andrew Clifton, Lucia
Elghali, Jacquetta Lee,

LCIA 1

Session chair: Ralph Rosenbaum

Challenging land use: Uncertainties in
the application of the species area
relationship for damage factors of land
occupation
An De Schryver, Mark Goedkoop, Rob
Leuven, Mark Huijbregts

Interpreting LCIA results: development
of Canadian normalization factors, at
individual and national levels
Anne Lautier, Ralph Rosenbaum, Manuele
Margni, Louise Deschenes

Mulicriteria Comparison of Ecotoxicity
Methods Focused on Pesticides
Frank Hayer, Daniel U. Baumgartner,
Christian Bockstaller, Grard Gaillard,
Thomas Kaegi, Laure Mamy, Thomas
Nemecek, Joern Strassemeyer

Life cycle health impact and benefits of
air conditioning: reduction in extreme
heat mortality versus increase in health
impacts due to particulate and climate
change
Olivier Jolliet, Carina Gronlund, Marie
O'Neill, Jalonne White-Newsome

Life Cycle Impact Assessment of Global
Trade: monetary and impact disparities
in developing vs. developed regions
Shanna Shaked, Damien Friot, Sebastien
Humbert, Manuele Margni, Stefan
Schwarzer, Cedric Wannaz, Olivier Jolliet

Land use
and
Biofuels
Workshop

all day

Wednesday
10:30-12:00
LCIA 2

Session chair: Manuele Margni

Life cycle impacts of nanotechnologies
Olivier Jolliet

The influence of value choices on human
health damage assessment in LCA
An De Schryver, Mark Huijbergts

Calculation of LCA characterization
factors for terrestrial eutrophication at
regional scale
Land use
and
Biofuels
Workshop
continued

Wednesday sessions
Wednesday 2

A-B
C
Int.
Ballroom
D-E
Alejandro Gallego, Luis Rodrguez,
Almudena Hospido, M Teresa Moreira,
Gumersindo Feijoo

Crucial improvements needed for Land
Use Impact Assessment modeling
concerning biodiversity indicators
Danielle Maia de Souza, Ralph
Rosenbaum, Louise Deschnes, Henrique
de Melo Lisboa
Wednesday
12:00-1:30
Lunch
Wellesley
Wednesday
1:00-7:00

Open workshop:
Towards consistent uncertainty management in LCA Consensus building and guideline
development for handling uncertainty in LCA
UNEP/SETAC working group on uncertainty management

1:00pm 1:20pm Presentation Introduction, context, background
1:20pm 1:40pm Presentation Draft framework and guidelines
1:40pm 3:00pm Discussion
3:00pm 3:20pm Break
3:30pm 5:00pm Discussion
5:00pm 5:20pm Break
5:20pm 7:00pm Wrap up and adjourn workshop

Middlebury
Wednesday
2:00-5:00

Symposium on Global Guidance for LCA Databases
UNEP

A-B
C
Int.
Ballroom
D-E
Wednesday
1:30-3:00
Buildings

Session chair: Bastian Wittstock

An Industry Example Use of an
LCA Study in the Development and
Registration of an EPD in the US
Connie Hensler

A Comparative Life Cycle
Assessment of Insulating Concrete
Forms with Traditional Residential
Wall Sections
Neethi Rajagopalan, Melissa Bilec,
Amy Landis

Life-Cycle Assessment of a Green
Power
Session chair: Jennifer Princing
Uncertainty and Variability in
Accounting for Grid Electricity in
Attributional Life Cycle Assessment
Christopher Weber, Constantine Samaras,
Paulina Jaramillo, Joe Marriott

Scope Dependent Modelling of
Electricity in Life Cycle Assessment
Rolf Frischknecht, Matthias Stucki

Variability in life cycle greenhouse gas
emissions from electricity generation
technologies
Land use
and
Biofuels
Workshop
continued

Wednesday sessions
Wednesday 3

A-B
C
Int.
Ballroom
D-E
Educational Building: A Case-Study
Uta Krogmann, Nicholas Minderman,
Jennifer Senick, Clinton Andrews

UBC Building LCA Case Study
Rob Sianchuk, Paul McFarlane
Garvin Heath, Margaret Mann, Pamala
Sawyer

Carbon Footprint of an 800 MW Coal-
fired Power Plant with CCS: CO
2
-EOR
and Storage Options
Jitsopa Suebsiri, Anastassia Manuilova,
Malcolm Wilson

Life Cycle Inventory and Cost Analysis
of Advanced Fossil Energy Electricity
Generation Technology: IGCC &
NGCC Case Studies
Robert James, Timothy Skone

Wednesday
3:30-5:00
Social Life Cycle Assessment
Session chair: Catherine Benoit

Development of a screening tool for
Social LCA: The Social Hot spots
Database Part 1
Catherine Benoit

Development of a screening tool for
Social LCA: The Social Hot spots
Database Part 2
Greg Norris

Comparison of the effects caused by
the production of a rose bouquet in
Ecuador to those caused by the
production in the Netherlands using
the Guidelines for Social Life Cycle
Assessment
Andreas Ciroth, Juliane Franze

Achieving Comprehensive Social
Impact Assessment
Lise Laurin, Mellisa Hamilton

Proposition of a characterization
model in social LCA: Fair Salary
Index
Julie Parent

Quantifying and assessing working
environment related social aspects
along product lifecycles the LCWE
approach
Jan Paul Lindner, Tabea Beck, Ulrike
Bos, Cecilia Makishi Colodel
Recycling
Session Chair: Anny YuShan Huang
The impact of end-of-life LCA
allocation methods on materials
selection decisions in cases of open loop
recycling
Elsa Olivetti, Anna Nicholson, Frank
Field, Jeremy Gregory, Randolph Kirchain

Recycling of PE Plastic Bags in terms of
Life Cycle Inventory
Guilherme de C. Queiroz, Eloisa E. C.
Garcia

Five recycling models and how they
drive the market behavior. Are they
moving us to sustainability?
Laurel McEwen, Lise Laurin

Comparative systems analysis of
thermochemical and biochemical
recycling or organic waste towards
industrial feedstocks
Philip Nuss

Status of plastics waste recycling
systems in Japan and study on the
selection of the recycling methods by
LCA methodology
Hajime Nishihara, Yoshimi Ozaki
Land use
and
Biofuels
Workshop
continued

Thursday sessions
Note: Teaching LCA Integrated educational package takes place in Wellesley all day
Thursday 1
International Ballroom A-B International Ballroom C International Ballroom D-E
Thursday
8:30-10:00
Assessing water use in LCA
and related
environmental assessments 1
Session chair: Ammette Koehler

Regionalised Assessment of
Fresh Water Use in the Swiss
Ecological Scarcity Method
2006

Rolf Frischknecht, Arthur
Braunschweig, Norbert Egli,
Gabi Hildesheimer
Characterizing direct water
use impacts on human health
and through compensation
scenarios

Anne-Marie Boulay
Health Damage Assessment
Modelling on Agricultural
Water Scarcity based on
Regression Analysis of
Statistical Data

Masaharu Motoshita
Review of methods addressing
water in life cycle assessment
Anna Kounina

Assessing water use in LCA
and related
environmental assessments 2

Session chair: Ammette Koehler

Water Use Impacts from
Corn-based Bioethanol
Production
Yi-Wen Chiu, Annette Koehler

Assessing Water Impacts of
Tea and Margarine with a
Water Footprint / LCA
Approach. Pilot study in
Unilever
Lloren Mila i Canals

Direct and Indirect Water
Withdrawals for US Industrial
LCM and Policy 1
Session chair: Amanda Pike
A supply chain collaboration
model for improvement of
environmental performance of
a product based on LCA
Katsuyuki Nakano, Masahiko
Hirao

Using LCA to measure
sustainability
Lise Laurin, Laurel McEwen

Environmental performance of
SRI funds
Tomonori Honda, Atsushi Inaba

Incorporating Life Cycle
Assessment Methodologies into
Remedy Selection
Todd Krieger, David Ellis, Jamie
Ginn, Brandt Butler, Gordon
Burnett

Environmental clusters as the
drivers of LCA-based
evaluation of the
environmental performance of
a region
Adrienn Buday-Malik, Eszter
Siposn Nndori, Klra dr. Szita
Tth, Judit Roncz

GHG 1
Session chair: Alissa Kendall
Evaluation of green house
gas emission from chemical
products based on life cycle
assessment: practical use of
LCA
Junichi Nakahashi

Sustainability of biofuels
and bio-electricity:
allocation and the GHG
calculators
Ester van der Voet, Lauran
van Oers, Lin Luo, Reinout
Heijungs

Connecting the Dots in
Carbon Accounting
Paul Chalmer

Characterization of Scope 3
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
for Streamlined Corporate
Carbon Footprinting
Anny YuShan Huang,
Christopher L. Weber, H.
Scott Matthews
Thursday
10:30-
12:00
LCM and Policy 2
Session chair: Bob Boughton
Californias Green Chemistry
Initiative - application of LCA
in public policy
Bob Boughton

The role of LCA in recycling
policy: a case study in plastic
Brandon Kuczenski, Roland
Geyer

Incorporating waste prevention
activities into life cycle
assessments of municipal solid
waste management systems:
Methodological issues and
Toronto, Canada case study
GHG 2
Session chair: Alison Brady
The energy and climate
change impacts of different
music delivery methods
Christopher Weber, H. Scott
Matthews, Jonathan Koomey

Creating a Greenhouse Gas
and Energy LCA for CRT
Televisions: Data
Availability and
Transboundary Challenges
Christopher Evans, Victoria
Thompson

Development of a
Thursday sessions
Thursday 2
Sectors
Michael Blackhurst, Chris
Hendrickson, Jordi Sels i Vidal

Poster Spotlight 1: Testing of
Operational Methods for
Impact Assessment of
Freshwater Use on Midpoint
and Endpoint level: Insights
and Conclusions
Stephan Pfister, Annette
Koehler, Stefanie Hellweg

Poster Spotlight 2:
Characterization Factors for
Damage to Aquatic
Biodiversity caused by Water
Use
Sebastien Humbert
Julian Cleary

LCA of transportation fuels:
uncertainty and implications
for policy design
Richard Plevin

Global versus local pollution: A
case study of LCA applied to
Diesel Retrofit Regulations
Juhong Yuan, Alissa Kendall
Construction Materials
GHG Database: Case Study
of Concrete
Corinne Reich-Weiser, Chris
Erickson, David Dornfeld

Manufaturing Energy
Consumption for Solid
State Lighting Systems
Deanna Matthews, Mary
Ashe, Christopher Weber,
Paulina Jaramillo, H. Scott
Matthews
Thursday
12:00-1:30
Thursday Poster Session and lunch
These posters include those related to the Assessing water use in LCA session
Thursday
1:30-3:00

Dynamic and temporal
modeling in LCA

Session chair: Annie Levasseur

How dynamic LCA can bring
consistency in assessing global
warming mitigation scenarios
Annie Levasseur, Pascal Lesage,
Manuele Margni, Louise
Deschnes, Rjean Samson

Capturing the Effects of the
Timing of Emissions in Life
Cycle Greenhouse Gas
Assessments: A Case Study of
Photovoltaic Technologies
Alissa Kendall, Brenda Chang,
Benjamin A. Sharpe

Modeling process, product and
usage evolution in LCA: three
case studies
Eric Williams, Liqiu Deng,
Callie W. Babbitt, Pei Zhai

Dynamic Life Cycle
Assessment of biogas
production from micro-algae
Collet Pierre, Arnaud Hlias,
Laurent Lardon, Jean-Philippe
Steyer
Towards a consistent
management of uncertainty in
Life Cycle Assessment
Session chair: Olivier Jolliet

Sampling and analytical
approaches toward
propagating uncertainties in
LCA
Reinout Heijungs, Olivier Jolliet,
Ralph Rosenbaum, Andreas
Ciroth, Thomas McKone,
Manfred Lenzen, Jinglan Hong
Uncertainty and scenario
analysis in the life cycle of
biofuel systems: modelling
issues and applications
Fausto Freire, Joo Mala
Analytical Uncertainty
Propagation in Life Cycle
Inventory and Impact
Assessment: high-efficiency
versus conventional electric
hand dryer and paper towel
systems
Olivier Jolliet, Jinglan Hong,
Shanna Shaked, Ralph
Rosenbaum, Jon Dettling

Confronting the Uncertainties
in Life-Cycle Impact
EIO
Session chair: Joe Marriott
Quantifying Land Use in
Consumed Goods using
Input-Output Life Cycle
Assessment Methods
Christine Costello, Michael
Griffin, H. Scott Matthews,
Christopher L. Weber

Business appropriate
hybrid life-cycle assessment
a case study of Playworld
Systems, Inc.
Carter Brooks, Chris
Erickson, Corinne Reich-
Weiser

Evaluating Economic Value
as a Proxy for
Environmental Impact in
Material Systems
Jeremy Gregory, Susan
Fredholm, Randolph Kirchain

Hybrid Assessment of the
Life Cycle Energy Intensity
of Laptop Computers
Rachel Deng, Eric Williams,
Callie Babbitt

Thursday sessions
Thursday 3

Modeling future emissions
from Municipal solid waste
incineration in Europe
Dominik Saner, Daniel Lang,
Annette Koehler

LCA of Waste Prevention
Options for the Residential
Construction Sector in Oregon
Jon Dettling, Dominic Pietro,
Jordan Palmeri, Bill Jones,
Johnathan Balkema, Bruce
Sullivan, David Allaway,
Sebastien Humbert, Olivier
Jolliet

Meeting the NEEDS of
European environmental
sustainability assessment
Rolf Frischknecht, Krewitt
Wolfram

Exploring Leverage in
Responsible Purchasing - A
recursive life-cycle simulation
to explore green purchasing
and life-cycle simulation
Evan Andrews
Assessment for Highway
Transportation Fuels
Thomas McKone, Agnes
Lobscheid
Incorporating Variation and
Uncertainty in Strategic Life
Cycle Decisions
Jeffrey Dahmus, Elsa Olivetti,
Jeremy Gregory, Randolph
Kirchain
A method to combine
simulation and approximation
formulas for uncertainty
calculation revisited
Andreas Ciroth
A Hybrid Input-Output,
Bottom-Up Approach for
Assessing Supply Chain
Environmental
Improvement Potentials
Eric Masanet
Thursday
3:30-5:00
Design
Session chair: Jan Paul Lindner

Multi-objective process design
optimization using LCA
Etienne Bernier, Franois
Marchal, Rjean Samson

An Innovative approach for
sustainable packaging design:
the packaging i-report
Coppelia Marincovic, Nuno Da
Silva, Laura Flanigan

Ecodesign of Single-use
Products: Consideration of
Design Specifications within
LCA
Mylne Fugre, Valrie Bcaert,
Julie-Anne Chayer, Manuele
Margni, Rjean Samson

Databases
Session chair: Christopher
Mutel

ecoSpold version 2
improved data format
meeting the challenges of
future LCI databases
Roland Hischier, Bo
Weidema

Generation of LCI
Databases experiences in
setting up and updating
databases or integrating
additional public databases
Harald Florin, Martin Baitz,
Mathias Fischer

Mathematical analysis of
the ecoinvent database with
the purpose of developing
new validation tools
Andreas Ciroth

Development of the U.S.
Extension Database for
GaBi
Eric Munsing, Martin Baitz,
Harald Florin

1
Friday Sessions
Friday 1
A-B
International Ballroo
C
D-E
Friday
8:30-
10:00
International Standardisation of
Carbon Footprinting

Session chair: Matthias Finkbeiner

Introduction to the international
standardisation of carbon
footprinting
Matthias Finkbeiner

Introduction to the Japanese
carbon footprint trial programme
Atsushi Inaba, Chie Nakaniwa,
Masayuki Kanzaki

Product Carbon Footprint
Work on Methodology and
Communication by the German
Government
Ulf Dietmar Jaeckel

PAS 2050 and the International
Standardisation of Carbon
Footprinting
Graham Sinden

Status of ISO 14067
Sergio F. Galeano

Developing International
Standards on Product Life Cycle
and Scope 3 Carbon Footprint
Management - An Overview of
the GHG Protocol Product and
Supply Chain Standard
Pankaj Bhatia

The carbon footprint project of
the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle
Initiative
Guido Sonnemann, Sonia Valdivia,
Jim Fava, Matthias Finkbeiner
LCI

Session chair: Evan Griffing

Development of a US Truck
Transportation LCI Dataset
Susan Fredholm, Coppelia
Marincovic, Peter Canepa,
Matthias Fischer, Michael
Faltenbacher, Nuno Da Silva

Modeling the Life Cycle
Impacts of Electronics
Peter Canepa

Life Cycle Inventories of
Crude Oil Consumption
Mixes and Fuels produced
from these 2030
Oliver Schuller, Michael Dr.
Faltenbacher, Jan Paul Lindner

Life Cycle Inventory of
Copper Primary Production
from Copper Oxides in Chile
Claudia Pena, Claudio Zaror,
Mauricio Bustamante, Mabel
Vega

Food and Agriculture 1

Session Chair: Chris Weber
Environmental Impacts of
Diet Changes in the EU
Reinout Heijungs, Arnold
Tukker, Ren Kleijn, Arjan de
Koning, Oliver Wolf

An EPD program for Costa
Rican products
Wesley Ingwersen, Silvia
Alvarez, Ana Quiros, Carli
Koshal, Milagros JeanCharles,
Diego Acua

Energy balance for locally-
grown versus apple cv.
'Braeburn' fruit imported
from New Zealand
Michael Blanke

Life Cycle Assessment of
Frozen Tilapia Fillets from
Indonesian Lake and Pond-
Based Intensive Aquaculture
Systems
Nathan Pelletier, Peter
Tyedmers

LCA of the Global Warming
Potential of California Rice
Production and Processing
Systems
Sonja Brodt, Alissa Kendall,
In-Sung Lee, Juhong Yuan,
James Thompson, Gail
Feenstra
Friday
10:30-
12:00
Fossil Fuels

Session chair: Michael Deru
A Case Study in Allocation
Methods: A Life Cycle
Accounting of CO
2
Emissions
from an Enhanced Oil
Recovery System
Paulina Jaramillo, Michael
Griffin, Sean McCoy

Land use and habitat
fragmentation of oil sands

Session chair: Adam Cone
Multi-functional compost for
sustainable agricultural
production: Improvements
of resource and disease
management using life cycle
approach
Kiyotada Hayashi, Keiichi
Murakami, Naoto Kato

Friday Sessions
Friday 2
A-B
C
D-E
production: a life cycle
perspective
Sarah Jordaan, David Keith,
Brad Stelfox

Gate-to-gate Environmental
LCA of Brine Aquifer
Sequestration of CO
2
and CO
2

Enhanced Oil Recovery
Robert Dilmore

Re-evaluating LCA models to
determine CO
2
emissions in
refineries:The crude oil
quality factor
Jessica Abella, Oyeshola
Kofoworola, Heather L.
MacLean, Joule A. Bergerson

Eutrophication footprints of
foods and comparison to
carbon footprints
Xiaobo Xue, Amy Landis

Evaluating Tradeoff between
Material Type,
Lightweighting and
Recyclability using Life
Cycle Assessment - a Case
Study on Wine Packaging
Xavier Bengoa, Danielle Maia
de Souza, Rjean Samson

Life cycle analysis and
carbon footprint of imported
Huelva Strawberries
Michael Blanke
Friday
12:00-
1:30
Friday poster session and lunch
Friday
1:30-
3:00
International Capability
Development Activities on Life
Cycle Topics

Session chair: Sonia Valdivia
Life Cycle Thinking Worldwide
Business and Governments
Challenges and Needs
Sonia Valdivia, Guido Sonnemann

The Associao Brasileira do
Ciclo de Vida and capability
development activities in Brazil
and contribution to the
international community
Cassia Ugaya

Developing LCM Capability in
Africa How successful was
LCM2009 in Cape Town
Philippa Notten

European Platform on Life Cycle
Assessment - International
Interaction in Support of
Business and Government
David Pennington

Capability Development, Life
Cycle Data and Methodologies
Computational Methods

Session chair: Matthew
Pietrzykowski
Estimating the environmental
impacts of chemical
production and chemical
mixtures under data-scarce
conditions
Gregor Wernet, Stefanie
Hellweg, Stavros
Papadokonstantakis, Konrad
Hungerbhler

Data Mining and LCA: A
Survey of possible marriages
Matthew Pietrzykowski

Are results more reliable
when life cycle inventory
databases are mixed to bridge
data gaps?
'Nigho Idris, Gayle Rece

A Consequential Life Cycle
Assessment Method for a
Large System Affected by
Non-Marginal Variations
Thomas Dandres, Pablo Tirado,
Pascal Lesage, Rjean Samson

Session chair: Michael Blanke
Land use in LCA: a
consequential approach for
accounting for impacts on
ecosystems
Miguel Brandao

Towards an LCA-based
environmental management
of meat producing farms
Daniel U. Baumgartner,
Martina Alig, Grard Gaillard,
Frank Hayer, Thomas
Nemecek

Environmental Performance
of the Portuguese Dairy
Sector using a life cycle
approach
rica Castanheira, Ana Cludia
Dias, Luis Arroja

Whats at Steak? The
ecological economics of
animal husbandry 2000
2050
Nathan Pelletier, Peter
Tyedmers
Friday Sessions
Friday 3
A-B
C
D-E
related Activities in Mexico and
Latin America
Nydia Suppen

National LCI Databases based on
a common international,
technology LCI database
Roland Hischier, Bo Weidema

Progress in Chinese Capability
Development on Life Cycle based
Tools - Towards a Chinese
LCA/LCM Platform
Hongtao Wang

We Need a Truly International
Life Cycle Database System
Mark Goedkoop

New inventory computation
algorithm to support
regionalization
Guillaume Bourgault, Pascal
Lesage

Friday
3:30-
5:00

Closing Plenary

Driving Sustainability through Life Cycle Assessment
Allison Campbell, Portfolio Strategy Walmart Private Brands

Coordinating Life Cycle Inventories in North America and Beyond

1
International Ballroom A-B
Tuesday late morning
Special session coordinator: Rita Schenck, IERE
Life cycle Inventory databases are being developed in Canada and in Mexico, and the US LCI
inventory is currently undergoing upgrades. These three countries are very active trading
partners, and it is common for products to have unit processes performed in two or more of the
three countries. Thus it is essential that the databases be coordinated to facilitate data transfer.
This panel discussion will describe the status of efforts to develop life cycle inventories in
Canada, Mexico and the USA, and begin the discussions of how to coordinate these three
databases. With all the efforts underway, this is the ideal time to discuss how we can work
together.
At the same time, LCA practice reflects the global economy, and LCI database efforts in North
America need to work with the efforts being developed in other parts of the world. The session
will include speakers from Brazil and China.
Topics to be covered include:
- formats currently being considered by each country
- strategies for filling data gaps
- special considerations related to data exchange (e.g. language)
Questions will be provided by the moderator and will also be taken from the audience.
Presenters:
Michael Deru, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (USA)
Pascal Lesage, CIRAIG (Canada)
Nydia Suppen, Centro de Analisis de Ciclo de Vida y Diseo Sustentable (Mexico)
Progress in Development of a Chinese LCA Platform
Wang Hongtao

Harmonization of life-cycle inventory in Brazil
Tssia Viol Moretti, Cssia Maria Lie Ugaya

The International Reference Life Cycle Data System
Miguel Brandao, David W. Pennington, Rana Pant, Ugo Pretato, Marc Wolf, Kirana
Chomkhamsri, Malgorzata Goralczy


2

Progress in Development of a Chinese LCA Platform

Hongtao Wang
*
, Sichuan University
Yongguang Zhu, ITKE Environmental Technology (Chengdu) Co., Ltd.

LCA related R&D in Sichuan University and ITKE, which aims at providing a platform for LCA
research and application in China, is introduced. It includes development of a Chinese LCI
database, establishment of Chinese EPD program (i.e. type III environmental declaration) as well
as software development for LCA modeling, data collection, EPD program and Eco-design.
A comprehensive Chinese average LCI database is still missing, which is the biggest problem
with LCA research and application in China. Dozens of unit processes of key energy carriers and
materials have been investigated by Sichuan University. Then a life cycle of multi-industrial
system comprising those processes was modeled with self-developed LCA software, eBalance.
LCI results of those products can be derived from the model and used as background database
for downstream product LCA studies. Meanwhile, a documentation format for data collection
has been developed, which facilitates data collection work with traceable data sources,
calculation routines, assumptions made, etc. and can be used by any database developers.
Software for data collection is also under development.
EPD is a promising way to communicate life cycle information among producers and consumers.
A Chinese EPD program has been established following the methodology of ISO 14025. A
software suite, eDeclare, has been developed to support the full verification procedures and
workflows of program operator, verifiers and producers. It can be used for carbon footprint label
also. Development of EPDs for flat glass is introduced.
LCA is more and more applied in Eco-design practice to support environmental analyses and
decisions. Quick modeling the life cycle of a product based on its design is a key issue in Eco-
design. An IT solution for Eco-design workflow is proposed featuring with close collaboration
between designers and LCA analysts.
Acknowledgement: This project is funded by Ministry of Science and Technology, China
(2006BAC02A02)

*
wanght.scu@gmail.com


3

Harmonization of life-cycle inventory in Brazil

Tssia Viol Moretti
*
, UTFPR - Universidade Tecnolgica Federal do Paran
Cssia Maria Lie Ugaya
**
, UTFPR - UniversidadeTecnolgica Federal do Paran

It is necessary to introduce environmental considerations in the aspects of industrial management
practices for phases of production, marketing, use and end of life of a product, to get a
substantial progress on the planet. Thus, reflections on life cycle are a way to address
environmental issues and opportunities in a system and to evaluate a product and or a service
system aiming to reduce potential environmental impacts on their life. Through life-cycle
assessment (LCA), it is possible to study environmental aspects and impacts over the life of a
product, from acquisition of raw materials, through production, use and disposal. There are
databases of European, Japanese and U.S.A. origin to make an LCA, but they do not reflect the
reality of the Brazilians characteristics, due to differences in the climate, average temperature,
technologies of energy and production. Due to, it has increased the availability of life-cycle
inventory (LCI) in Brazil. On the other side, these lists do not have the same scope, making it
impractical for use in a single study. Because of the necessity for harmonization of life-cycle
inventory (LCI), Brazil opted to centralize the database of LCI and prepare their own inventories.
In view of the extent of activities in the country, the objective of this study is to define the
priority lists to be made. Thus, first data had been collected from main industries in Brazil and
found those with high potential for environmental impacts.

*
tassia.vm@hotmail.com

**
cassiaugaya@utfpr.edu.br


4

The International Reference Life Cycle Data System

Miguel Brandao
*
, EC
David W. Pennington, EC
Rana Pant, EC
Ugo Pretato, EC
Marc Wolf, EC
Kirana Chomkhamsri, EC
Malgorzata Goralczy, EC

The concept of Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) helps to avoid the possibility of resolving one
environmental problem while creating another, avoiding the so-called shifting of burdens from
one part of the life cycle to another, among different types of impacts, among different regions of
the world, and even among different generations. This concept is operationalised by the
quantitative tool Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and standardised by the International
Organisation for Standardisation (ISO 14040 series). LCA is increasingly recognized as one of
the most advanced environmental systems analysis tools which has the potential for steering the
global society towards more sustainable production and consumption patterns. Accordingly, a
growing number of both leading businesses and public policy-makers integrate life-cycle
approaches into the core of their modern environmental policies and related instruments.
However, no commonly accepted system exists that complements the general framework
provided by the ISO LCA standards for ensuring robust assessments enabled by consistent and
reproducible life cycle data. As the life cycles of goods and services are interconnected through
global supply-chains, markets, and end-of-life processes, coupled by an increasing number of
conflicting LCA studies and the surfacing of misleading claims, the need for a common, globally
harmonised guidance for compatible and quality-assured LCAs arises. Driven by the need to
guarantee quality and reliability of life cycle based studies and instruments for reliable decision
support in public policy and business, the International Reference Life Cycle Data System
(ILCD) is being developed, which supports the availability, exchange and use of coherent and
quality-assured life cycle data, methods and studies. The ILCD consists primarily of a Handbook
and a Data Network. The Handbook is a series of technical guidance documents developed
through peer review and consultation in line with the ISO standards, and the Data Network
provides consistent and quality-assured data from different organisations that are compliant with
the ILCD Handbook requirements. This paper gives an overview of the ILCD.

*
miguel.brandao@jrc.it

Biofuel Ethanol

5
International Ballroom C

Session chair: Carina Alles
Life Cycle Assessment of Wood Hemicellulosic Bio-Ethanol
Rachel Bowman, Anthony Halog

Consequential LCA of a 2nd generation biofuel made from willow
Shirley Fagnen, Pascal Lesage, Ralph Rosenbaum, Rjean Samson

Do Cover Crops and Lignin-land Application Improve the life cycle of corn
stover-based ethanol?
Sabrina Spatari, Paul R. Adler, Stephen J. Del Grosso, Gregory W. Roth

Life Cycle Assessment in Support of the Commercialization of Cellulosic
Ethanol
Robin Jenkins, Carina Alles, Jamie Ginn, Bruce Vrana, Robert Sylvester, Chris Johnas,
Susan Hennessey

Biofuel Ethanol

6

Life Cycle Assessment of Wood Hemicellulosic Bio-Ethanol

Rachel Bowman
*
, University of Maine
Anthony Halog
**

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a commonly accepted technique for determining the
environmental sustainability of a product or process. The goal of this research is to complete a
cradle to gate LCA of wood based hemicellulosic bio-ethanol from a modified Kraft mill that
produces pulp and paper using Eco-LCA, Open LCA, and commercial SimaPro software. The
system boundary of this study may change depending on data availability. An LCA of wood
based bio-ethanol has already been achieved using SimaPro, but such LCA technique only
accounts for emissions and non-renewable resources. Other LCA programs consider land usage
in their evaluation, and end-point impact assessments also exist that incorporate multiple factors.
Eco-LCA and Open LCA are newly developed models that offer a more complete approach to
LCA. Eco-LCA, a free LCA model available to the public, considers ecosystem goods and
services, referred to as natural capital, which accounts for the environmental impact of a process
on natural goods and services such as water, soil, wood, and grass. Eco-LCA uses an input-
output model to assess a system, resulting in a more comprehensive outlook that requires only
simple resource input data, rather than specific information about the emissions from individual
processes. SimaPro requires setting a boundary for the types of factors that will be included in
the LCA and specific emissions data from each individual process, therefore potentially yielding
different results than the Eco-LCA evaluation. The results of Eco-LCA and Open LCA will be
compared to the results of SimaPro LCA, particularly in green house gas emissions and net
energy consumption. The discrepancies between the three models will be reported to determine
the model that reflects better representation of the environmental impacts of bio-ethanol.

*
rbowman@mit.edu

**
anthony.halog@maine.edu

Biofuel Ethanol

7

Consequential LCA of a 2nd generation biofuel made from willow

Shirley Fagnen
*
, CIRAIG
Pascal Lesage, CIRAIG
Ralph Rosenbaum, CIRAIG
Rjean Samson, CIRAIG

As a new feedstock for 2nd generation biofuel Salix (e.g. willow) are grown successfully in the
province of Quebec. The main objective of this research is a complete evaluation of the
environmental consequences of using this new biofuel before expanding it to large-scale
production.
The study starts with an attributional LCA using a well-to-wheel approach. The results indicate
that cellulosic ethanol produced in Quebec with this crop could be an environmentally preferable
alternative to regular fuel.
To include indirect consequences of changing the use of land, a consequential LCA is carried
out. Willow, as short rotation crop, displaces some corn cultivation in Quebec, which needs to be
considered in the analysis. Present work consists of identifying the affected market and the
marginal technologies/land use that would compensate the decrease in crop production due to the
cultivation of Salix.
Following the methodology proposed by Schmidt
1
, six scenarios are tested. They consider the
displacement of 0,071 kg of corn in Canada, being the amount displaced due to growing willow
needed for 1 pkm in a car using E100. The scenarios introduce the different potential
consequences associated with this increase in demand by 1) increasing the surface in Canada, 2)
increasing the yield in Canada, 3) displacing another crop (which needs to be compensated),
importation from USA increasing 4) surface or 5) yield there), or 6) a combination of local
production and importation. The affected processes have been identified and the economic and
geographical data collected. The impacts are in the process of being evaluated. The probability of
each scenario will be analysed to have a complete and generalised approach. This talk will
present the resulting model and the results of the various scenarios.
References
1. Schmidt, 2008. System delimitation in agricultural consequential LCA.

*
shirley.fagnen@polymtl.ca

Biofuel Ethanol

8

Do Cover Crops and Lignin-land Application Improve the life cycle
of corn stover-based ethanol?

Sabrina Spatari
*
, Drexel University/Department of Civil, Architectural, and
Environmental Engineering
Paul R. Adler, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
(USDA-ARS), Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, University
Park, Pennsylvania 16802 USA
Stephen J. Del Grosso, USDA-ARS, Soil Plant Nutrient Research Unit, Fort Collins,
Colorado 80526 USA
Gregory W. Roth, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Penn State University

Biofuels derived from agricultural residues hold great promise as emerging sources of low carbon fuels
because they do not compete for prime agricultural land, interfere with food production, or induce carbon
emissions via indirect land use change (iLUC). Variability exists in the quantities of agricultural residue
(e.g. corn stover) that can be reliably removed from agricultural soils due to differences in soil organic
carbon (SOC) requirements in different growing regions of the U.S. and tillage practices. The quantity
that can be sustainably removed could be enhanced through planting winter cover crops and returning
lignin separated from the feedstock at the biorefinery to the land.
We compare the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of converting corn stover to ethanol using a
stochastic life cycle model that accounts for model variable uncertainty in feedstock production and fuel
conversion. Life cycle GHG emissions per unit of land (ha) may vary by region due to soil differences,
existing land uses, and ethanol yield. We develop scenarios that investigate how cover crop planting and
the decision to convert residual (carbon-rich) lignin and solids separated following feedstock pretreatment
to electricity or to reapply it on agricultural land in order to restore SOC and thus remove large fractions
(up to 70%) of stover for conversion to ethanol, which would displace greater quantities of gasoline,
change life cycle GHG emissions significantly. Because of lignins slow decomposition, the carbon
fraction of this component of lignocellulose should remain undigested in soils for longer periods than if
fractions of stover complete with cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, were left on the land. Given the
uncertainty of todays conversion technology, and variability in ethanol yield, converting residual lignin
to electricity avoids releasing more GHGs (3.50.9 g CO
2
eq./ha/year) than does returning lignin to
agricultural land (2.20.6 g CO
2
eq./ha/year). With anticipated improvements in ethanol yield through
pilot scale testing, the balance of avoided GHG emissions could shift in favor of land application of lignin
due to greater displacement of gasoline fuel. We hypothesize that under both scenarios, cover crop
planting enhances gasoline displacement thereby allowing for greater net displacement of GHG emissions
and additionally improves SOC.

*
spatari@drexel.edu

Biofuel Ethanol

9

Life Cycle Assessment in Support of the
Commercialization of Cellulosic Ethanol

Robin Jenkins
*
, DuPont
Carina Alles, DuPont
Jamie Ginn, DuPont
Bruce Vrana, DuPont
Robert Sylvester, DuPont
Chris Johnas, DuPont
Susan Hennessey, DuPont

In 2008, DuPont and Genencor, a division of Danisco, formed the joint venture DuPont Danisco
Cellulosic Ethanol LLC (DDCE), with the mission to accelerate the development of commercial
scale biorefineries, create value for the renewable fuels and agricultural industries, and lead the
way toward a low-carbon economy (www.ddce.com). Current research and development efforts
in the DDCE cellulosic ethanol program focus on optimized process design for the conversion of
cellulosic biomass to ethanol.
When life cycle assessment is integrated with process development early in a biofuel research
and development program, environmental benefits and consequences of business and technology
choices can be thoroughly evaluated. The DDCE is using life cycle assessment as a scientific
decision support technique to quantify the environmental implications of various biorefinery
process, feedstock, and integration options. Through the use of LCA, we see that cellulosic
ethanol has the potential to provide a sustainable solution to the nations growing concerns
around energy security and climate change.

*
robin.e.jenkins@usa.dupont.com

LCA

10
International Ballroom D-E

Session chair: John Jewell
Jan Paul Lindner, Bastian Wittstock, Oliver Schuller

"Close Enough for LCA": Numbers, Consensus, and Consequences for Life
Cycle Assessment
Paul Chalmer

Reusing Wastewater in Power Plant Cooling Towers: Hybrid and Social LCA
Briana Niblick, David Dzombak, Radisav Vidic, Amy Landis

A case study on multi-impact life cycle assessment of coffee alternatives
Sebastien Humbert, Vincent Rossi, Manuele Margni, Olivier Jolliet, Carole Dubois, Yves
Loerincik

Comparative environmental LCA on water treatment plants
Christian Bouchard, Alexandre Bonton, Stphane Jedrzejak, Benot Barbeau

LCA

11


Jan Paul Lindner
*
, Fraunhofer IBP, Dept. Life Cycle Engineering (GaBi)/University of
Stuttgart, Chair of Building Physics, Dept. Life Cycle Engineering (GaBi)
Bastian Wittstock, University of Stuttgart - Chair for Building Physics / Fraunhofer
Institute for Building Physics/Dept. Life Cycle Engineering (GaBi)
Oliver Schuller, University of Stuttgart, Dept. GaBi

Life Cycle Assessment methodology is perceived as scientific, objective, and descriptive. The
approach can be explained to strangers in a couple of minutes and is pretty straightforward. Or is
it? In fact, LCA is anything but objective and descriptive. Think about the numerous studies on
the same topic that come to different conclusions (e.g. beverage containers, biofuels). Every
serious practitioner knows that the definition of the system boundary, as well as allocation
procedures, may severely influence the results of a study. LCA practitioners tend to shun away
from assuming responsibility for the normative implications of their reports. After all, were only
consultants, right? We provide information, but other people make decisions. But if these people
come to us for counseling, precisely because they lack the expertise in a certain matter, their
decision depends mostly on our judgment the judgment we try to avoid making.
From an ethical point of view, LCA is not so much about environmental impacts, but more about
responsibility. The underlying consensus is: If you buy this product, you assume responsibility
for the environmental burden of its life cycle (and: environmental burdens are to be minimized).
The very reason why people are interested in LCA is because they want to get advice on how to
act - which product to buy, how to optimize their processes and where to place political
incentives. Obviously, the method we all like to call objective has strong normative implications.
The debate on the integration of land use impacts in LCA is well suited as a starting point,
because the normative implications are most obvious here, but the presentation will not be
limited to land use. Allocation issues will also be tackled, since allocation is a field of endless
discussion because there is no scientific answer to the which and how questions.
The presenter argues (1) that developers and practitioners need to be aware of the normative
implications of their tool and face them pro-actively. (2) that as long as LCA remains scientific,
i.e. as long as they the implications are seriously addressed, they do not diminish its use as a
decision support tool. (3) that practitioners should openly state the implications of their results,
because at the end of the day, to give an uncomfortable but honest answer is stronger than to
avoid giving answers at all.

*
jan-paul.lindner@lbp.uni-stuttgart.de

LCA

12

"Close Enough for LCA": Numbers, Consensus, and Consequences
for Life Cycle Assessment

Paul Chalmer
*
, NCMS

Its 2015, five years after the LCA Revolution, and LCA methods are now universally accepted.
Two chemical engineers are designing a reactor vessel. Lets listen in on their conversation.
My calculation shows that the reactor will operate at 15 atmospheres.
Thats funny. My calculation says to expect 30 atmospheres. Are you sure youre allocating the
energy right between the ethylene and the propylene?
No problem with my allocation. I think youve got the wrong system boundaries.
You get the idea. If engineers used LCA methods, wed be in a world of trouble. But many of us
think our current technological practices are moving us ever more deeply into that world of
trouble. Were counting on LCA methods to help us evaluate alternative paths forward.
The science and methodology of LCA have been under intense development for twenty years. It
is the acknowledged gold standard for impact evaluation. Yet when it comes to establishing
regulations or setting certification thresholds, LCA remains not ready for prime time. Whats the
problem, and what do we do about it?
First, the problem: LCA has developed a body of practice suitable for determining the most
representative number to evaluate the impact associated with carrying out a process. That work is
still not complete, but for some of the more straightforward impact categories, were zeroing in
on a reasonable level of agreement.
The problem is that finding those representative numbers is not the end of the journey. It is a
significant milestone, and a giant step along the way. But we need to go further to progress from
methodological coherence to political consensus.
Well look at one possible way forward, understanding that LCA numbers are not engineering
numbers. Well see how we can calculate, using system level data, a companion number to every
most representative LCA number, representing variability. From these two numbers, we
generate a maximum (worst acceptable) and a minimum (best viable) impact. And well look at
some evidence that this approach gives us an effective place to start in formulating the political
consensus needed to turn LCA results into policy.

*
paulc@ncms.org

LCA

13

Reusing Wastewater in Power Plant Cooling Towers:
Hybrid and Social LCA

Briana Niblick
*
, University of Pittsburgh
David Dzombak, Carnegie Mellon University
Radisav Vidic, University of Pittsburgh
Amy Landis, University of Pittsburgh

Although much research has been conducted regarding wastewater reclamation and reuse, only a tiny
portion of this research has considered LCA. This lack of comprehensive systems analysis is concerning
when one considers the current and future issues of water scarcity. There have long been predictions of
severe drought and water resource competition, both of which will have significant impacts on power
generation since power plants require large amounts of water to function. The U.S. Energy Information
Administration predicts nearly a 22% increase in capacity of thermoelectric generation between 2005 and
2025, but the water shortage is expected to impede the development of thermoelectric power generation.
1

Since much of the water is required for power plant cooling processes and since such water is becoming
scarce, alternative sources of water must be identified.
One of the most widely available alternative sources is treated municipal wastewater. Due to potentially
overly conservative water quality concerns, however, power plants that currently use recycled wastewater
either significantly dilute or further treat the effluent upon entering the cooling towers to minimize the
effects of corrosion, biofouling, and scaling. Determining an effective and environmentally favorable
chemical treatment regimen requires careful balance among chemical choice, dosage, and evaluation of
side effects. This study therefore addresses the questions: 1) how is the wastewater best handled prior to
entering the cooling towers and 2) how do the prospective chemical treatment regimens compare with one
another in terms of environmental and overall system impacts. Given the necessary chemical and
technical data, these questions can be evaluated through the application of hybrid LCA.
Chemistry, however, is not the only concern here. This study also considers social impacts of wastewater
reuse by means of literature review and collection of survey data. Both the social perceptions of the local
community, as well as the perceived barriers to implementation from the plants perspectives are
incorporated into the LCA framework. By combining social, chemical, and process data, this study aims
to provide a holistic assessment of the power plant cooling system and analyses to inform future system
decisions.
References
1. US Department of Energy. (2006). Annual energy outlook 2006 with projections to 2030. Retrieved
November 11, 2008.

*
brn14@pitt.edu

LCA

14

A case study on multi-impact life cycle assessment
of coffee alternatives

Vincent Rossi, Quantis
Manuele Margni, Quantis
Olivier Jolliet, Quantis
Carole Dubois
*
, Quantis
Yves Loerincik, Quantis

This work aims 1) to identify critical environmental issues and responsibilities along the entire life cycle
chain of three coffee alternatives: the spray dry coffee, drip filter coffee and capsule espresso coffee 2)
and to compare them. This screening life cycle assessment (LCA) specifically uses foreground data
obtained directly from the coffee manufacturers and the suppliers. Aside from energy consumption and
greenhouse gas emissions, the water footprint is also studied in detail, including regionalization of water
impacts based on the ecological scarcity method 2006. Other impact categories are analyzed using the
IMPACT 2002+ LCIA methodology. The overall LCA results for a 1 dl cup of spray dried soluble coffee
amounts approximately to 1 MJ of primary non-renewable energy consumption, to emissions of 0.7 kg of
CO
2
-eq, and between 3 and 10 liters of non-turbined water use, depending on whether or not the coffee
cultivation is irrigated and wet treated. When considering turbined water (water turbined in hydropower
dams to produce electricity, in kg of water), use can be up to 400 liters of water per cup. Pouch - and to a
lesser extent metal can packaging alternatives - show lower environmental burdens than glass or sticks.
The defined functional unit for a cup of coffee (1 dl) can be discussed according to the function. On
average, one half of the environmental footprint occurs at a life cycle stage under the control of the coffee
producer or its suppliers (i.e., during cultivation, treatment, processing, packaging up to distribution,
along with advertising) and the other half at a stage controlled by the user (shopping, appliance
manufacturing, use and waste disposal). Key environmental parameters of the spray dried soluble coffee
are the amount of extra water boiled and the efficiency of cup cleaning during use phase, whether the
coffee is irrigated or not, as well as the type and amount of fertilizer used in the coffee field. The
packaging contributes 10% of the overall life cycle impacts. Compared to the other coffee alternatives,
the spray dried soluble coffee uses less energy and has a lower environmental footprint than capsule
espresso coffee or drip filter coffee, the latter having the greatest environmental impact on a per cup basis.
This study shows that a broad LCA approach is needed to help industry to minimize the environmental
burdens directly related to their products. Including all processes of the entire system is necessary i) to get
a comprehensive environmental footprint of the product system with respect to sustainable production and
consumption, ii) to share responsibility with shareholders along the entire product life cycle, and iii) to
avoid problem shifting between different life cycle stages.

*
carole.dubois@ecointesys.ch

LCA

15

Comparative environmental LCA on water treatment plants

Christian Bouchard
*
, Laval University
Alexandre Bonton, Laval University
Stphane Jedrzejak, Laval University
Benot Barbeau, Polytechnique Montral

The production of drinking water from fresh surface water generally involves several processes.
The latter could be physical, chemical or both, thus requiring energy consumption and chemical
dosing which have some global environmental impacts. In addition to conventional criteria as
costs and performances, these environmental impacts, as well as those of plant construction and
decommissioning, should be taken into account in the choice of water treatment processes.
However, little information is available about those global environmental impacts, especially for
new water treatment processes and for the North American context.
The objective of the present study is to do a comparative Environmental Life Cycle Analysis
(ELCA) on two water treatment plants, an enhanced conventional one and a nanofiltration (NF)
plant. The interest in conducting such a comparative study is that these two plants are very
different in nature: the conventional treatment involves several chemical dosing whereas the NF
plant mainly requires electric energy to operate the membrane filtration units.
One real NF plant was chosen and investigated in much detail, including the operation and
construction phases. This plant is located in the Northern part of the province of Quebec and has
been in operation for over 10 years. A virtual, but realistic, conventional plant was designed for
comparative purpose. This virtual case was developed from known design rules, process models
and from data originating from similar existing plants. This allows building a virtual plant which
treat the same raw water and provide the same treated water quality, making the comparison
possible.
The regional context was taken into account as much as possible to get realistic data for the
ELCA which was performed using SimaPro software for inventory and analysis phases. The
study reveals very different impacts for the two plants, emphasizing the importance of the choice
of water treatment chemicals, and brings some new information about the ELCA of NF modules.

*
christian.bouchard@gci.ulaval.ca

Tuesday Posters

16
International Pre-function
Tuesday lunch

The importance of selecting relevant impact categories and
alignment of LCIA methods with the Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment Reporting Categories

Thomas Gloria
*
, Life-Cycle Services/Bainbridge Graduate Institute

International awareness and application of life cycle assessment (LCA) as an objective
framework and method to assess true environmental and human health impacts has grown
substantially in the advent of the new millennium. The framework of LCA, a holistic system
based approach to identify and assess impacts associated with products, processes and services,
is readily understood and widely supported. In practice, the methods that underlie the
interpretation of impacts are deficient in scope of the relevant impacts that have been identified
in the broader aspects of sustainability and ecosystem services.
The purpose of this presentation is twofold: first, to bring awareness to the importance of
selecting relevant and appropriate impact categories when conducting life cycle assessment
studies; second, to present an approach to align the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods
to a broader, worldwide perspective that includes the concerns of both developed and developing
nations. As such, the proposed approach to alignment is based on the UNEP Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment (MA) Framework.
Key benefits include the promotion of a global consensus by researchers and policy makers; a
means of integration with the broader international community of sustainability experts in
government, industry and non-governmental organizations; and most important achieve a means
of validating the efforts to raise human well-being and reduce abject poverty through life cycle
assessment based on the work and comprehensive data and analysis that has been done through
the MA efforts.
*
t.gloria@life-cycle.biz

Tuesday Posters

17
Tuesday lunch

Determination of empirical allocation measures
for non-ferrous metals

Thomas Gloria
*
, Life-Cycle Services/Bainbridge Graduate Institute

Forthcoming work by key constituents in the ferrous and non-ferrous metals industry achieved
consensus on applicable metals recycling mapping, allocation approaches and the identification
of harmonized metrics.
1

The aim of Dubreuil et al. was to present guidance on the application of ISO 14044 to allocation
procedures for metal recycling. As such, graphical patterns of metal recycling and generic
rules for metal recycling maps were developed for copper, zinc and nickel.
This work applies the consensus generic metals recycling maps as absorbing Markov chains to
determine empirically based allocation parameters for metals recycling for the non-ferrous
metals of copper, zinc, and nickel. Markov chains, named after the mathematician, Andrey
Markov, are stochastic mathematical representations of systems, typically expressed in graphical
the form as a diagraph. A system with Markov properties has future states that depend only on
present states, and are independent of past states. Markov chains are an elegant approach to
describing complex systems such as global metals flows, hence can be readily applied to metals
recycling to determine appropriate levels of allocation.
References
1. Metals Recycling Maps and Allocation Procedures in Life Cycle Assessment
*
t.gloria@life-cycle.biz

Tuesday Posters

18
Tuesday lunch

Life Cycle Assessment of Wood Chips for Biofuels Production

Binod Neupane
*
Anthony Halog, University of Maine

Replacing fossil fuels with biofuels is an important strategy promoted by oil consuming
countries, notably the US. Biofuels is deemed important to mitigate climate change and address
the issues pertaining to depleting petroleum resource stocks. The US government has plans to
produce 36 billion gallons of bio-ethanol and is expected to replace 30 percent of fossil fuels by
2022. Out of the target production, 21 billion gallons of biofuels need to be cellulosic ethanol. In
2005, US produced 3.9 billion gallons of bioethanol which was mostly produced from corn.
Current bioethanol production contributes about 2% to the total US transportation fuel
consumption. To achieve this target, production should grow by at least ten times. Recent studies
have shown that wood chips can supply about 14 million tons of hemicellulose annually, along
with co-production of pulp. In relative terms, net GHG emissions using cellulosic ethanol can be
reduced by 3 times than the net GHG emissions from corn-based bio-ethanol. Wood chips
warrants in depth separate LCA study since most of the published biofuels studies have not
considered this stage to be a potential major environmental impact, which might affect the
veracity of complete cradle to gate LCA results.
The objective of this research is to assess the potential environmental life cycle impacts and
resource consumption in producing woodchips for biofuels production. This is from cradle to
gate analysis (from trees to woodchips). The Eco-Indicator 99 based LCA method was employed
to evaluate the potential environmental and resource depletion impacts. Emissions to air, water
and land in wood chips production are assessed in different stages. Data used are primarily based
on available literature and life cycle inventories databases (Eco- Invent 2.0 and Franklin-98). The
functional unit used in this study is to produce one million BTU energy of bio-ethanol which is
equivalent to 2.303 tons of wood chips needed. Our initial results show that seedling production
and tree harvest stages contribute the highest amount of GHG emissions from trees to wood
chips. Data analysis revealed that fossil fuel consumption and respiratory inorganic effects have
relatively the most significant impact to the environment.
*
binod.neupane@maine.edu

Tuesday Posters

19
Tuesday lunch

Modeling Hydrogen Production Costs with LCA-based Methods

Bastian Wittstock
*
, University of Stuttgart - Chair for Building Physics / Fraunhofer
Oliver Schuller, University of Stuttgart, Dept. GaBi
Monika Kentzler, Daimler AG
Michael Faltenbacher, PE INTERNATIONAL GmbH
Matthias Fischer, Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics/Department Life Cycle
Engineering

Costs are major market drivers for the installation of new technologies. The identification of
such drivers is one question for Life Cycle Costing (LCC) to answer. One example, where a
specifically adjusted LCC approach addresses an area of high relevance for the forecast of
technological development is the implementation of hydrogen as a road vehicle fuel.
The task to accomplish hereby is to identify and remove major technological barriers. Different
cost models provide bases for tackling this challenge. In the United States, with the H2A
studies, a sophisticated hydrogen cost calculation model exists, focusing on economic boundary
conditions. In Europe, the E3database of the Hyways research project provides similar
analyses.
The European research project HyFLEET:CUTE of the 6th Framework Programme performed
cost analyses, using a modeling approach that stems from LCA. Here, cost structures have been
set up in an LCA modeling environment, providing a technical basis of hydrogen costs. This
includes the use of unit processes and flows representing cost contributions, not mass or energy
flows the use of parameters to allow for user interaction into the model and the model layout in
a hierarchical structure. The model is set up in a way to distinguish between costs for hydrogen
production, for monitoring purposes and for means of purification.
Based on this technical cost structure, the influence of different elements of small scale
production units on hydrogen costs is assessed. Special focus is hereby directed to the question
of purity requirements on hydrogen as vehicle fuel and the impacts on costs through different
purity requirements. The model can be used by the industry partners to identify the cost-related
barriers in their respective area of engagement to analyze the possibilities of hydrogen as an
energy carrier. The model is also used to compare the cost calculations of HyFLEET:CUTE with
the results of the U.S. model of the H2A studies.
The presentation will lay out, how the principles and mechanisms of LCA modeling are used to
perform this technology-based cost analysis and it will compare cost results of the
HyFLEET:CUTE project with H2A hydrogen cost results and the E3database results.
*
bastian.wittstock@lbp.uni-stuttgart.de

Tuesday Posters

20
Tuesday lunch

TEA - Total environmental assessment,
boundaries and rebound effects

Philip F Henshaw
*
, HDS systems design science

Locating impact boundaries within systems involves understanding the spread of effects that
either dissipate or multiply. That may vary as natural systems either grow, and so multiply local
effects, or climax when the environment begins to respond by providing resistance and cause
local effects to dissipate instead. The difference is not a matter of what the small changes directly
cause, exactly, but in how the environment responds.
A major uncertainty for LCA is estimating the true boundaries of these impacts, including
estimating their micro-economic and macro-economic rebound effects. LCA measures presently
do not include an assessment of these known types of impacts that are not individually
accountable because they depend on environmental responses beyond view. The most immediate
one is that LCA does not yet included the impacts of providing the information and services to
operate product delivery technology, the impacts of the human technology that runs things. It
also omits the rebound effect of improving efficiencies on one thing promoting the growth of
impacts for others. The hazard is that overlooking the category of environmental response
impacts gives clients misinformation about the impact of their decisions.
The need, then, is to search for answerable aspects of these questions while acknowledging the
unanswerable ones. The accountable environmental response impacts start with ones that can
be estimated statistically. For example, energy is traded globally and so tends to trade at a single
price. All products also compete to minimize energy use and, if you count human services, have
especially wide distributions of kinds of embodied inputs. That implies most spending has
average energy impact, and the global energy intensity of GDP is a good starting point for the
boundary of energy impacts of individual expenditures. That becomes highly informative as a
basis for estimate refinement. It helps indicate how much the direct accounting methods leave
uncounted, as the implied global share of all impacts is often very different from the observed
local measure of direct impacts.
The session would be about just framing these kinds of whole system models. What you get is
TEA (Total Environmental Assessment) , a first step toward accessing the impacts of human
services as well as of creating or relieving bottlenecks in the larger economy with spreading
secondary effects. Doing this requires both a strategy and a way of linking embodied impacts for
different kinds of measures (some way to add apples and oranges) so each metric can retain
its independent definition, connect to others, and all improve the measure of the whole.
*
eco@synapse9.com

Tuesday Posters

21
Tuesday lunch

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Conventional and
Environmentally Preferable Green Seal Certified Cleaning Product

Nana Takyi Wilberforce
*
, Green Seal

The goal of this study was to compare the environmental impacts of environmentally preferable
cleaning products, those that meet the Green Seal standards, and conventional cleaning products.
As a basis comparison, the functional unit of the study was 100 pounds of cleaner. Using the
Ecoindicator-99 model, the impact categories examined included respiratory inorganics,
acidification, eutrophication, fossil fuels, ecotoxicity, carcinogens, land use and climate change.
Normalized results show that the most dominating impact categories for the cleaning products
were: land use, respiratory inorganics and fossil fuels. Between the Green Seal certified and
conventional industrial and institutional cleaners, the conventional cleaner was identified as
having the highest environmental impact in all impact categories analyzed. The high impact of
the conventional cleaner can be explained by the high amount of energy and resources used in
producing the chemical components and the product of the conventional cleaner. Packaging
alone (package/product ratio, packaging material) contributed significantly to the high
environmental impacts for the conventional cleaners.
The comparative life cycle assessment performed in this study showed that the environmentally
preferable cleaning product, a product that meets the Green Seal standards, is the best choice
when considering environmental impacts.
*
nwilberforce@greenseal.org

Tuesday Posters

22
Tuesday lunch

Shifting the Environmental Performance Standard within an
Industry: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Hand Drying
Methods

Jon Dettling
*
, Quantis

Prior efforts to examine the comparative environmental performance of hand drying systems for
public buildings have often led to inconclusive results, with electric dryers and paper towels
performing within a close margin. The entry into the market of high-performance electric hand
dryers shows a potential to for a significant improvement in this sector. For example, the
XLERATOR hand dryer uses less than a quarter of the electricity per use in comparison to
conventional electric dryers.
To examine the comparative performance of these next-generation electric hand dryers, a life
cycle assessment (LCA) has been conducted to compare: 1) the high-efficiency XLERATOR
dryer, 2) a standard hand dryer and 3) paper towel systems (including with and without recycled
paper fiber). The LCA examines the full environmental impacts occurring over the life cycle of
each system and includes several sensitivity tests to examine the dependence of the study results
to the assumptions made. For example, multiple rates of usage, electricity sources and allocation
procedures have been tested. Environmental impacts are considered in the categories of climate
change, energy use, water use, human health, ecosystem quality and resource depletion.
The results indicate a substantial environmental advantage for the high-efficiency XLERATOR
hand dryer in comparison to both conventional hand dryers and paper towel systems. The
sensitivity tests show that the direction of this outcome is not highly sensitive to the assumptions
made or to conditions of use. The results provide an example of how technical innovations and
advances are able to revolutionize the standards for life cycle environmental performance within
an industry. This presentation will show the results of the comparative LCA and discuss the
sensitivity tests that were applied to test the conditionality of the findings.
*
jon.dettling@ecointesys.com

Tuesday Posters

23
Tuesday lunch

A System Dynamics Approach to
Sustainable Supply Chains of Bio-fuels

Shashi Dhungel
*
, University of Maine, Orono
Anthony Halog
**

Alternative energy development pressure has spurred primarily from the concerns of
sustainability, environmental degradation and energy independence. Investment decisions on
alternative energy have never been so promising before. In 2007, United States consumption of
petroleum products stood at 20 million barrels/day of which about 12 million barrels were
imported. This reliance on import insinuates the vulnerability of Americans life and economy in
case of any oil embargo like that of 1973. In order to make the country energy independent
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) was enacted. EISA mandates the
production of 36 billion gallons of qualifying credits from bio-fuels by 2022 of which 21 billion
gallons needs to be produced from non-cornstarch products. Though deemed long lasting and
renewable, energy production from bio-mass in itself is not sustainable. Bio-products adeptness
to produce large amount of fuels needs further scrutiny. Forest is a complex system that
functions and maintains human well-being by providing social, economical and environmental
opportunities. Unsustainable exploitation of biomass could result in non-linear and very
uncertain behavior of the forest system triggering more ills than goods. We have used the System
Dynamic concept to model feedstock supply. A valid working prototype is developed for
scenario analysis to assess whether the emerging conversion technologies using the available
forest feedstock can really contribute towards meeting the development of sustainable bio-fuels
supply chain. This project created a decision support system to model dynamically the interplay
among environmental and socio-economic benefits/impacts of wood-based products and
processes in the emerging bio-energy markets. The prototype developed can serve as a template
to analyze bio-fuel technologies and supply chains that are developing in other regions. This
prototype serves as a fore sighting tool that can be used to forecast the future trends in the
availability of energy tree crops and assess the impacts of chemical conversion technologies in
bio-fuels industry to support greenhouse gas reduction target. This tool could suggest what
optimal technology and feedstock mix to choose to sustainably develop bio-industry sector.
*
shashi_dhungel@umit.maine.edu

**
anthony.halog@maine.edu

Tuesday Posters

24
Tuesday lunch

LCA Case Study of Coloration of Synthetic Textiles

Jeff Yorzyk
*
, Five Winds International
Margaret Zahller, PE Americas
Paul Raybin, Colorep

An innovative process for coloration of synthetic textiles has been developed that minimizes
water use and significantly lowers energy use when compared to traditional processes. It uses a
proprietary transfer process that infuses the fibers of a fabric with color such that bleach
application will not affect the colorfast properties of the dye. In addition, the new process does
not require large run volumes, enabling unit production and significantly reducing waste
generation due to out-of-fashion or overstock materials. This paper describes the ISO 14040
compliant, critically reviewed LCA study that was conducted to evaluate the environmental
impact of this coloration method and the associated upstream processes, and to compare it to
traditional processes.
The new coloration process can be used in multiple product sectors, and two product types were
assessed: a synthetic textile colored to a solid color throughout and a synthetic textile imprinted
with a pattern on one side. The traditional processes that were examined were continuous wet
dye application and rotary screen printing. GaBi 4 Software was used to assess these products
based on primary energy demand, water consumption, global warming potential, acidification
potential, eutrophication potential, and photochemical ozone creation potential.
Cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment results demonstrate that the new process has a lower
environmental impact across many inventory and impact categories, including primary energy
demand and water use. The results also show that the environmental impact of the new
coloration method is concentrated in a few process steps and source materials, which can be
areas of focus for further improvement in environmental performance. This information has been
used to support customer communications materials, including an environmental production
declaration-like document, that competitively position the technology in multiple product
sectors.
*
j.yorzyk@fivewinds.com

Tuesday Posters

25
Tuesday lunch

Life Cycle Assessment of Starch Foam:
Thermopressing versus Extrustion Processes

Natlia Naime
*

Patricia Ponce
**
, IPEN
Gil Silva, University of Sao Paulo
Ademar Benvolo Lugo, IPEN
The styrofoam, corporate name of expanded polystyrene, is a synthetic polymer that comes from
petroleum, a non-renewable resource. This polymer is often used to produce packaging, even
though it is not biodegradable; therefore it can lead up to 150 years to putrefy itself. It leads to an
irreversible buildup of municipal solid waste causing fouling of beaches, scarring of landscapes,
and several problems to marine life [1]. One of the current concerns with the environment is the
accumulated packaging of the not degradable plastics. It creates a great expectation for more
ecological and economically viable alternatives to minimize the environmental impact. Several
materials from agricultural resources have been used to produce renewable biodegradable, and
edible packaging, frequently called agricultural or agropackaging materials, as STARCH [2].
This work reports the influence of plasticizers on the barrier properties (water absorption) [3] and
mechanical properties (compression resistance and flexibility) of foamed articles based on
cassava starch. The starch foam was obtained by thermopressing [4][5] and extrusion (twin-
screw extruder) processes [6], both based in heat treatments at different conditions. Polyethylene
glycol (PEG) and glycerol were selected as plasticizers and water was necessary for the the
foams preparation. The environmental performance of both different techniques of starch foams
production (extrusion process and thermopressing process) were compared using Life Cycle
Assessment (LCA). The mechanical properties of starch foams are influenced by the plasticizer
concentration. The results showed that glycerol was an excellent plasticizer for starch. An
increase in plasticizer content showed a considerable increase in elongation percentage and a
decrease of the foams tensile strength; also increased the permeability of the foams in water.
*
nnaime@usp.br

Regional life cycle impact assessment
characterization models 1 & 2

26
Tuesday afternoon

Special session coordinators:
Shanna Shaked, University of Michigan, Applied Physics

Regionalization is recognized as an important step towards improving the accuracy and precision
of life cycle assessment (LCA) results, thereby increasing its discriminatory power for
comparative assessments. Many types of damage, such as acidification or (eco-)toxicological
impacts on humans and ecosystems, often occur as regional or local impacts, making it important
to evaluate them as a function of where the emission takes place. By regionalizing such impacts,
decision-makers can have greater confidence in the non-global impacts presented in the LCA.
This session aims at addressing the state of the art in the development of regional life cycle
impact assessment characterization models, addressing a wide range of impact categories related
to human health and ecosystems, resource use and depletion, and social issues.
To motivate the need for regionalization of impact assessment, the first half begins with a talk
addressing regionalization of life cycle inventories and the subsequent differences in impacts due
to region of emission. This will be followed by presentations of recent developments and
applications of general spatial impact assessment methods for human health, including an
application to emerging biofuels.
The second half will focus on regionalization in specific impact categories, including
acidification and eutrophication. Regionalization in the expanding field of water use impact
assessment will also be discussed. Finally, because social issues clearly vary among regions, the
most recent developments in regionalized social LCA are presented.

Geographical extrapolation of crop life cycle inventories and impacts
Thomas Nemecek, Agroscope Anne Roches, Frank Hayer, Daniel U. Baumgartner,
Grard Gaillard, Sarah Sim, Lloren Mil i Canals

GLOBOX: a spatially differentiated global fate, intake and effect model for
LCA results for nitrobenzene
Reinout Heijungs


27
Tuesday afternoon

Spatial variability and optimal regional scale for intake fractions linked to a
Canadian emission
Rima Manneh, Manuele Margni, Louise Deschnes

Regionalization of life cycle impact assessment: geographic differentiation vs
archetypes

A Life Cycle Impact Assessment Framework for Characterizing Human
Health Benefits and Impacts from Emerging Biofuels
Agnes Lobscheid, Thomas McKone

Estimation of regional characterization factors for aquatic eutrophication
Alejandro Gallego, Luis Rodrguez, Almudena Hospido, M Teresa Moreira,
Gumersindo Feijoo

Regionalisation of Ecosystem Sensitivity for Acidification: From the Local to
the Global Scale
Pierre-Olivier Roy, Manuele Margni, Louise Deschnes

Spatial and temporal characterization factors for ground-level ozone
Robert Ries

Capability and challenges of regionalized LCIA: the water case
Stephan Pfister, Annette Koehler, Stefanie Hellweg

Regionalisation of impacts from water use
Anne-Marie Boulay

Integration of LCIA and ERA for the assessment of contaminated sediment
remediation options
Michael Ditor


28
Tuesday afternoon

Geographical extrapolation of crop life cycle inventories and
impacts
Thomas Nemecek, Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station
Anne Roches, Agroscope Reckenholz-Tnikon Research Station
Frank Hayer, Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station
Daniel U. Baumgartner, Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station
Grard Gaillard, Agroscope Reckenholz-Tnikon Research Station
Sarah Sim, Unilever - Safety & Environmental Assurance Centre
Lloren Mil i Canals, Unilever - Safety & Environmental Assurance Centre

With the increasing use of LCA for life cycle management in the food sector and the globalisation of the
latter, there is a strong demand for specific data on agricultural products originating from various regions
of the world. A detailed data collection for each situation is not feasible for each food ingredient from
each producing country. There is a need to derive generic LCA data describing averages and variability
over a wide range of situations. As a first step, we developed a method for geographical extrapolation of
crop life cycle inventories and impacts.
A modular crop LCA model was built, by splitting the LCA into nine modules: a basic cropping module
(encompassing the minimum operations and inputs to grow a crop), variable machinery usage, tillage,
nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus fertilisation, plant protection, irrigation and product drying. Each of
the modules is driven by a single parameter that can be relatively easily found for any studied situation
(e.g. a farm; a country; a group of countries). In case such parameters are not available for a given
situation, we developed a model to estimate the parameters from FAOSTAT data for any country growing
a given crop. Therefore it is possible to calculate crop impacts for any producing country as well as global
/ regional average impacts and their variability. The validation of the model with crop and country
specific data from the ecoinvent database (ecoinvent Centre, 2007) gives a relatively good fit for the
energy demand, global warming potential, ozone formation potential, but is less reliable for acidification
potential, eutrophication potential (due to soil and climate dependence of the emissions) and ecotoxicity
potentials (due to lack of detailed data on pesticide use). The results reveal the huge variability in impacts
between different countries for the same crop. By using the underlying variability of agricultural
management parameters, we found that, depending on the crop, N fertilisation and irrigation are the key
parameters driving most of the impacts; furthermore pesticide application dominates the toxicity impacts.
The method can be applied to estimate global median impacts and their variability, as well as for the
assessments of crop production in a larger group of countries. The main results are the impacts per input
unit for each module, the amount of the inputs used for the world production as well as for each country
and the related median impacts, together with their statistical distribution.


29
Tuesday afternoon

GLOBOX: a spatially differentiated global fate, intake and effect
model for LCA results for nitrobenzene

Reinout Heijungs, Leiden University

GLOBOX is a model for the calculation of spatially differentiated LCA toxicity characterisation
factors on a global scale. It can also be used for risk characterisation purposes. The GLOBOX
model contains equations for the calculation of fate, intake and effect factors, and equations for
the calculation of LCA characterisation factors for human toxicity and ecotoxicity. The model is
differentiated on the level of 239 countries/territories and 50 seas. Each region has its own set of
homogeneous compartments, and regions are interconnected by atmospheric and aquatic flows.
Multimedia transport and degradation calculations are largely based on the EUSES 2.0
multimedia model, and are supplemented by specific equations to account for advective air and
water transport between different co untries and/or seas. Metal-specific equations are added to
account for speciation in fresh and marine surface water. Distribution parameters for multimedia
transport equations are differentiated per country/territory or sea with respect to geographic
features, hydrology, and climate. The model has been tested with nitrobenzene as a test chemical,
for emissions to all countries/territories in the world. Spatially differentiated characterisation
factors turn out to show wide ranges of variation between countries, especially for releases to
inland water and soil compartments. Geographic position, distribution of lakes and rivers and
variations in environmental temperature and rain rate are decisive parameters for a number of
different characterisation factors. Population density and dietary intake play central roles in the
variation of characterisation factors for human toxicity. The countries that show substantial
deviations from average values of the characterisation factors represent a significant part of
global GDP. It is concluded that spatial differentiation between countries is an important step
forward with respect to the improvement of LCA toxicity characterisation factors.


30
Tuesday afternoon

Spatial variability and optimal regional scale for intake fractions
linked to a Canadian emission
Rima Manneh, CIRAIG
Manuele Margni, CIRAIG
Louise Deschnes, CIRAIG

The human health impact score of a pollutant in LCIA is obtained by the product of the emitted
mass, its intake fraction (iF) and effect factor. The iF is calculated as the mass fraction of the
pollutant emitted that is taken by the population (Bennett et al. 2002). When developing intake
fractions for human health impact assessment, one has to deal with uncertainty. One source of
uncertainty comes from neglecting to acknowledge spatial variability of the iFs. Questions arise
concerning the level of regionalisation needed in LCIA for toxicity impacts.
The multimedia and multi-pathways model IMPACT 2002 was used (Pennington et al. 2005).
iFs were developed for the Canadian context, for the following spatial resolutions: ecozones
(15), provinces (13) and sub-watersheds (172). Spatial variability was assessed within and across
each type of resolution, in order to determine the optimal regional scale for the evaluation of
human toxicity impacts. The overall spatial variability (ratio of highest to lowest iF) was much
higher for the sub-watersheds resolution and was up to 10 orders of magnitude for water
emissions of acephate and benomyl. The highest iFs were obtained for emissions within regions
of high agricultural and animal production. The analysis indicated that the resolutions based on
the ecozones and provinces were unappropriate, since they did not bring additional
discrimination capabilities among different emission locations.


31
Tuesday afternoon

Regionalization of life cycle impact assessment: geographic
differentiation vs archetypes


The regionalization of impacts in life cycle assessment is a topic of increasing interest. It can
considerably increase confidence in results of non-global impact categories, such as human
health, ecotoxicity or water use. Regionalization reduces the uncertainty of generic
characterization factors and enhances the accuracy of LCA. Several models have been developed
to calculate characterization factors for specific regions in the world. However, because of the
diversity and variations within each region, the number of situations required to calculate a
specific characterization factor soon become computation and data intensive (e.g.,
regionalization based on country level already requires a calculation of about 200 CFs per
pollutant and per media of emission). Rather than using specifi c global regions and sub-regions,
another viable option is the approach of archetypes. This approach groups several regions with
similar defining characteristics, such as population density (urban, rural, remote, etc.);
ecoregions (temperate, tropical, boreal, arctic, etc.); water scarcity; etc. Such an approach can
significantly reduce the number of regional characterization factors to be calculated, providing at
the same time a simple and easy-to-implement solution for life cycle inventory modeling. To
make this approach operational, different archetypes must be carefully defined and results must
be compared with a geographically differentiated model to demonstrate to practitioners and
decision makers that the results obtained with this approach are in line with a true
geographically regionalized approach.
Based on previous research focusing on regionalization, this work explores the discrepencies in
results from the true regionalized approach and the archetype approach for different impact
categories (human toxicity, respiratory inorganics, ecotoxicity, and water use). For each of these
categories, we propose a list of relevant archetypes and corresponding characterization factors,
and we explain why the archetype approach proposes a practical solution toward addressing
regionalization.
This approach uses a multi-criteria (i.e., different impact categories) analysis and will help life
cycle assessment better address the issue of regionalization when considering extended supply
chains.


32
Tuesday afternoon

A Life Cycle Impact Assessment Framework for Characterizing
Human Health Benefits and Impacts from Emerging Biofuels

Agnes Lobscheid, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Thomas McKone, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Petroleum-based transportation fuels impose a significant disease burden. Life Cycle Impact
Assessment (LCIA) provides a framework that addresses both benefits and impacts from biofuels
for a number of key impact categories--including human health. LCIA addresses the links among
emissions, transport, human exposure, and health damage. We have adapted LCIA to evaluate
health impacts of emerging biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol and butanol, relative to
petroleum-based gasoline. This presentation describes the development of spatially resolved
characterization factors (CFs) that yield important information on the human disease burden
(expressed as disability adjusted life years, or DALYs) attributable to atmospherically emitted
pollutants from the following life stages of petroleum-based and emerging bio-based
transportation fuels1) feedstock recovery/production; 2) transport to a fuel production facility;
3) fuel production/refining; 4) storage, transport and distribution of the fuel; and 5) fuel
combustion (vehicle use). We use systems models that track the exchange of chemicals between
air, water, soil, and plant compartments to provide fate and exposure factors. These factors
combine to provide an intake fraction (iF). We combine the iF with chemical-specific effect
factors to estimate spatially resolved CFs for human health impacts (DALYs per year) across all
fuel life stages for: 1) the contiguous US; 2) a generic urban region; and 3) each US county. For
gasoline, we find that the largest disease burden arises from primary and secondary particulate
matter emissions during the vehicle-use stage. For gasoline VOC emissions, the majority of
health damage occurs in large urban regions, and arises from fugitive emissions from service
stations and local fuel distribution by truck. For cellulosic biofuels, we identify where emissions
are likely to occur from the feedstock to vehicle use stages, and provide preliminary estimates of
characterization factors. We estimate that a 10% reduction in gasoline use would avoid up to
20,000 DALYs per year in the US, primarily attributable to less primary and secondary
particulate matter emitted from the vehicle use stage. We characterize the main sources of
uncertainty in our impact estimates and prioritize information needs to better characterize the
human health benefits and impacts of emerging biofuels.


33
Tuesday afternoon

Estimation of regional characterization factors for aquatic
eutrophication

Alejandro Gallego, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Univ. of Santiago de Compostela
Luis Rodrguez, Institute for Environment and Sustainability
Almudena Hospido, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Univ. of Santiago de Compostela
M Teresa Moreira, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Univ. of Santiago de Compostela
Gumersindo Feijoo, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Univ. of Santiago de Compostela

LCA have been traditionally considered a site-independent tool, but nowadays there is a trend
towards making LCA more site-dependent. Specifically for aquatic eutrophication,
characterization factors have been reported for large geographical areas (mainly European and
North American countries). Those factors are not detailed enough for countries which present
large geographical, climatic and economical variability such as Spain. So, this work aims to
calculate the characterization factors for aquatic eutrophication at a regional level, using Galicia
(NW Spain) as a case study. Finally, the comparison of the factors here obtained with literature
values have been used to analyse the influence of spatial differentiation along the causality chain.
Particular ecological and economic reasons justify the estimation of characterization factors in
Galicia taking into account the specific characteristics of three different ecosystems: Atlantic
Ocean, freshwaters and rias. Both the principal pathways of transport and the sources of nitrogen
(N) and phosphorus (P) were considered to calculate the characterization factors. The analysis on
uncertainty carried out identified the principal unsure values: the estimations of fractions of N-
NHx and N-NOx deposited maritime waters, land and freshwaters and the amount of N and P
deposited in the soil that reaches water ecosystems.
By comparing the results obtained with those available in the literature, it is clear that the
application of transport factors in the calculation of characterization factors leads to a more
realistic definition of aquatic eutrophication, especially when P inputs to the soil take place.
When varying the spatial differentiation (continent, country or region), characterization factors
do not vary significantly; however, this variation is likely to increase as long as the definition of
the causality chain is improved as it has been reported for other impact categories. In this sense,
the methodology here described can be adapted when those effect factors became available,
being flexible and suitable for future applications in other regions.


34
Tuesday afternoon

Regionalisation of Ecosystem Sensitivity for Acidification: From the
Local to the Global Scale

Pierre-Olivier Roy, CIRAIG

With the globalization of markets, assuming that the entire life cycle emissions of a product
system occur within a specific geographical area (eg. Europe or Canada) is no longer a suitable
assumption for regional impact categories, since the impact of a same elementary flow varies
from an emission location to another. Furthermore, current LCIA approaches do not allow to
consistently assess and compare emissions occurring from different continents as the
characterization factors (CF) are obtained from different characterization models. Thus, a model
covering a worldwide scale, but also able to account for local conditions needs to be developed
to provide consistent regionalised CFs worldwide. This paper aims to set the basis for the
development of a global characterization model able to consistently evaluate acidifying
emissions at both the local and global scale for the acidification impact category. Fate factors are
evaluated with the GEOSCHEM model. Ecosystem sensitivity was evaluated using the
PROFILE steady-state model. Simulation comparison of ecosystem indicators (pH and/or BC/Al
ratio) with the PROFILE model using coarse worldwide input parameters and field observations
evolution of pH in the soil and/or critical load exceedence over a restrained region (quarter size
of Europe) of North America, proved that it was possible to represent local field observations
adequately or at least in a better way than available worldwide soil interpolation data. The
proposed approach could also overcome the current limitations of the North American LCIA
methods which do not consider ecosystem sensitivity.


35
Tuesday afternoon

Spatial and temporal characterization factors for
ground-level ozone

Robert Ries, University of Florida

Life cycle assessment impact characterization factors often do not consider the spatial and tempo-ral
differences in environmental impact. These can be significant for those emissions whose impacts can vary
with such regional factors as climate, land use, population density, or weather. The formation of ground-
level ozone from tropospheric ozone precursors is one typical life cycle impact category where the spatial
and temporal effects can be significant. This presentation will review a methodology for developing
spatial and temporal life cycle impact assessment character-ization factors and demonstrate the approach
using a case study of the production and use of bio-fuels in the United States.


36
Tuesday afternoon

Capability and challenges of regionalized LCIA: the water case

Stephan Pfister, ETH Zurich, IFU
Annette Koehler, ETH Zurich
Stefanie Hellweg, ETH Zurich

Life cycle assessment is designed to facilitate comprehensive quantification of environmental
impacts related to a product or service. However, spatial differences have been widely neglected
in impact assessment so far. Especially in the case of water, global average impact factors make
no sense as regional features of climate influence greatly the impact. Furthermore, vulnerabilities
of ecosystems also vary considerably in space. To allow for proper impact assessment, regions
have to be modelled individually or attributed to classes of defined features (archetypes).
Recently, new data sources of relatively high spatial resolution and global coverage have become
available for many relevant parameters and their quality is continuously increasing. Furthermore,
technological development has led to simplified use of geographic information systems (GIS)
and increased computer capacity facilitating integration of spatial differentiation into LCA.
These advancements should be used for both, LCI and LCIA. We have developed regionalized
models to calculate spatially explicit impact factors with global coverage for more than 10000
watersheds for 3 different midpoints and applied them to simplified LCA of crop production and
other water intensive industries. The results show the relevance of the location of an activity but
also raise several questions related to regionalized LCIA, such as the question of scale: For
different spatial resolutions, different concepts should be used and values of indicators are not
fully comparable between different scales. As literature data often link to a certain scale, it is a
challenge to adopt the insights consistently to the model resolution. Furthermore, different
parameters are best modeled on different spatial scale and require compromises in the model
design. From the data availability perspective, we are facing the issue of variable data quality
leading to spatially varying modeling uncertainty: Regarding water consumption, in many of the
most vulnerable regions data quality is poor and requires special attention in future research.


37
Tuesday afternoon

Regionalisation of impacts from water use

Anne-Marie Boulay, CIRAIG - cole Polytechnique

Although freshwater only represents 2.5% of the planets water resources, and that less then 1%
of this water is available for human use, this is still enough to fulfill all current human needs.
Most problems are arising from the uneven spatial and temporal distribution of this resource.
Through the project Assessment of Freshwater Use and Consumption within LCA , accepted
by the 2nd phase of the Life Cycle Initiative, a conceptual framework to characterize impacts of
freshwater use was proposed. The methodology developing from this framework addresses
regionalisation issues at several stages of the cause-effect chain leading either to a new mid-point
impact category Water Deprivation for Human uses or to the use of backup technologies to
compensate the lack of water. This paper shows how the impacts of water use vary from a re
gion to another around the world and discusses the key parameters influencing the
regionalisation.
The geographical location where water is being withdrawn and released is an important factor in
characterizing the impacts from water use. This is reflected by six parameters taken into account
in the proposed methodology.
1. The scarcity of the region will determine whether or not the use of water will change
water availability for other users;
2. The regional distribution of water amongst the different users and
3. the local functionality of water for specific activities such as freshwater fishing or
hydropower will affect the degree of competition between users;
4. The socio-economic situation of the country, as monitored by the GDP for example,
offers an assessment of the adaptation capacity of users to a change in water availability :
a country able to adapt to the lack of water will use backup technologies, which will
generate different impacts than deprivation for human uses;
5. The leading desalination technology, which is chosen as backup technology for some of
th e human uses;
6. The energy grid-mix, which will influence the impacts from the use of backup
technologies.
A fictitious example is presented where water use impacts from the same pulp and paper plant
are modeled for several localizations around the world.


38
Tuesday afternoon

Integration of LCIA and ERA for the assessment of
contaminated sediment remediation options

Michael Ditor, CIRAIG

Contaminated site management requires a holistic approach that ensures a net positive
environmental benefit will be gained from remedial action. Such an approach evaluates both the
local primary impacts caused by the site-related contamination and the secondary impacts
associated with the remediation activities themselves. LCA has been used successfully to
evaluate secondary impacts, however site-related impacts are poorly assessed due to the generic
nature of LCIA models. The integration of site-specific environmental risk assessment (ERA)
results within LCIA has the potential for improving LCAs ability to assess contaminated site
remediation options.
Taking a contaminated industrial port as a case study, site-specific data as well as ERA results
are used to develop a local mass balance model and estimate concentrations over time for the
water column and sediment layer, considering processes such as tidal flow, degradation,
diffusion and settling. These concentration profiles are used to assess the local ecotoxicity impact
as well as the contaminant mass transported to the arm of the Pacific Ocean upon which the site
is located. Contaminant impacts within the ocean arm and at the global scale are assessed by
means of the LCIA model IMPACT 2002, with an added zone taking parameter values from the
site investigation to represent the ocean arm.
An LCA is carried out on the following site remediation options: excavation with secure
disposal, capping, and monitored natural attenuation. Each option is evaluated both with and
without the integration of ERA results to assess the extent to which site-specific data can modify
the conclusions obtained using a generic LCIA method.

Biofuel

39
Tuesday early afternoon

Session chair: May Wu
Life Cycle and Uncertainty Assessment of biodiesel compared to other
biomass use
Olivier Jolliet, Shanna Shaked, Josef Kaenzig, Gregory Houillon, Jinglan Hong

Full consequential cradle-to-grave LCA of non-agrifuel ethanol and biodiesel

Integration of Land-use Change Emissions in Biofuel LCA using Mg-year
Accounting
Alexandre Courchesne, Ralph Rosenbaum, Valrie Bcaert, Rjean Samson,
Louise Deschnes

Sustainability Quick Check for Biofuels (SQCB): a tool for standardized and
simplified LCA as driver for sustainable biofuel production
Mireille Faist Emmenegger, Jrgen Reinhard, Rainer Zah

Biofuel

40

Life Cycle and Uncertainty Assessment of
biodiesel compared to other biomass use

Olivier Jolliet
*
, University of Michigan
Shanna Shaked, University of Michigan, Applied Physics
Josef Kaenzig, University of St. Gallen
Gregory Houillon, BG Consulting Engineers
Jinglan Hong, University of Michigan

In a first step this presentation aims to determine the Life Cycle Impacts of biodiesel and compare it with
those of conventional diesel. Special focus is set on testing the robustness of the comparison using both
Monte Carlo techniques and Taylor series expansion with lognormal distribution. The biodiesel/diesel
case study is built starting from the ecoinvent database for diesel and rape methyl esther, and calculating
impact for operating a bus for a 1 liter diesel equivalent drive. Results show that global warming impact
are reduced from 3.1 kg CO
2
equivalent with diesel down to 1.6 kg CO
2
equivalent with biodiesel, thus a
48% reduction of 1.5 kg CO
2
per liter diesel equivalent. Similar trends are observed for non renewable
primary energy consumption, whereas human health impact may vary considerably depending on the bus
technology (particle filter, etc.). The Monte Carlo analysis is run looking at the difference since scenarios
are not independent. It confirms the significance of the reduction since the 95% confidence on the
reduction in greenhouse gas emission still amounts to a 0.9 kg CO
2
. In a second step, biodiesel is
compared to biomass production for heating that is susceptible to also substitute a liter oil used for
heating purposes. The Life Cycle Assessment demonstrates that the heating substitution is twice more
efficient in substituting diesel than the biodiesel application, with a 97% reduction down to only 0.1 kg
CO
2
per liter diesel equivalent. This difference in substitution efficiency is highly significant since the
statistical analysis shows that the 95% confidence limit on the improvement compared to biodiesel
amounts to 0.9 kg CO
2
equivalent. A method is developed to also compare the substitution potential per
ha cultivated area. Depending on the biomass application the substituted CO
2
equivalent and non
renewable primary energy may be 3 to 40 times more efficient than biodiesel. The statistical analysis
confirms the robustness of the advantage of the heating use of biomass compared to biodiesel at a 95%
confidence interval. Results are finally generalized to different types of biofuels (bioethanol, etc.) and
compared to different uses of biomass (biomaterials, agricultural biomass for heating, biopolymers,
surfactants, hydraulic fluids and lubricants, solvents and other chemicals). This is based on a systematic
literature review carried out for the French EPA (ADEME) demonstrating large variation in substitution
efficiency depending on the biomass use.

*
ojolliet@umich.edu

Biofuel

41

Full consequential cradle-to-grave LCA of
non-agrifuel ethanol and biodiesel

*
, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal/CIRAIG

For many years now, LCA practitioners have been discussing if the consequences of a decision
should be included within the LCA framework, thereby proposing approaches labeled as
consequential LCA. Yet, there is no universally accepted methodology to conduct consequential
LCA. This presentation suggests testing the feasibility of consequential LCA methodology using
second generation biofuels as case studies. Up until now, only limited consequences of biofuel
production have been modeled in LCA (ex. indirect land use change). The goal of this study is to
carry out a full consequential cradle-to-grave LCA of ethanol made from corn residues in the
United States, synthetic diesel from willow in Europe and biodiesel from jatropha in Africa. The
objectives of this study are to establish and compare attributionnal and consequential
environmental profiles of the biofuels under study, assess consequential results quality
(including uncertainty assessment), determine their relevance for decision-making and identify
methodology gaps that need to be addressed to produce relevant and reproducible consequential
LCA results. The results demonstrate that it is possible to build a consequential LCA system with
an attributional and disaggregated LCA database. For biofuel made from residues, the
environmental burden measured using consequential LCA is not heavier than the one obtained
with an attributionnal approach. Also, consequential LCA reduces uncertainty related to system
modeling, like allocation choices. For energy crops, consequential LCA increases complexity
and overall uncertainty of the results and does not provide precise values for impact category
indicators (including Global Warming). However, consequential LCA is used to map different
environmental impact intensity cause-and-effect chains of consequences. A better understanding
of these cause-and effect chains, will enable decision-makers to select measures which aim at
reducing or eliminating the most harmful indirect environmental effects of biofuels.

*
francois.charron-doucet@polymtl.ca

Biofuel

42

Integration of Land-use Change Emissions in Biofuel LCA
using Mg-year Accounting

Alexandre Courchesne
*
, CIRAIG
Valrie Bcaert, CIRAIG

The debate of whether and how land-use change emissions should be integrated in biofuel
assessment is taking place as legislation concerning GHG-intensity acceptance are being written.
While consistent methodological frameworks are still lacking, this presentation proposes to
integrate land-use change (LUC) emissions within the life cycle inventory of a LCA by
considering biofuel as a carbon mitigation project rather than an energy vector for transport. This
supposes that the studied function will be in the form of a climate change mitigation metric. A
Mg-year accounting (or Lashof) methodology is used for GHG accounting and as a basis of
comparison. The Mg-year methodology calculates the cumulative radiative forcing (CRF) on a
yearly basis. This dynamic aspect allows the comparison between atmospheric carbon removal
and carbon emission reduction.
The Mg-year accounting methodology is tested in a LCA of three ethanol pathways (maize,
sugarcane and willow) displacing three potential land types (Brazilian tropical forest, Brazilian
Cerrado, or American grassland). The ethanol is used in an E85 blend in Europe. To assess
biofuel for their carbon mitigation properties, a 1 Mg-year reduction (compared to a petrol Euro3
scenario) over 100 years is used as the functional unit. Land-use change emissions are therefore
directly considered in the functional unit. Results show that no biofuel pathway can reduce the
CRF by 1 Mg-year within the 100 year time frame when displacing a tropical forest and that
maize ethanol can never respect the desired reduction when displacing any of the studied land.
Impacts generated by sugarcane ethanol and willow ethanol with land displacement are
calculated.
Mg-year accounting used to calculate payback time (years needed to repay the carbon debt
generated by LUC emission) yields higher values in our case compared to other studies as
emissions from land clearing start to contribute to radiative forcing at the beginning of the
studied time frame. Ultimately, this approach could be used to compare any mitigation project
ranging from an efficient lighting initiative to a sequestering power plant or a reforestation
project.

*
alexandre.courchesne@polymtl.ca

Biofuel

43

Sustainability Quick Check for Biofuels (SQCB): a tool for
standardized and simplified LCA as driver for
sustainable biofuel production

Mireille Faist Emmenegger
*
, Empa
Jrgen Reinhard, Empa
Rainer Zah, Empa

Recent regulations such as the Swiss ordinance on mineral oil tax or future standards for
sustainably produced biofuels (e.g. from the Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels) often require
calculations of the greenhouse gas emissions or even of the environmental impacts on a life cycle
basis. For small or medium producers, such an evaluation may be too costly and prevent them to
enter the market. The Sustainability Quick Check for Biofuels (SQCB) has been designed within
this context. SQCB (www.sqcb.org) is a free web-based tool which evaluates the sustainability
of biofuels on an LCA basis
1
.
SQCB strongly relies on a Swiss LCA study on biofuels
2
, which shows that the most important
steps are agriculture followed by biofuel processing. In contrast, the transportation of biofuels
from the country of production is not relevant for the overall results of the LCA. Relying on
these insights, we determined the most relevant factors of the agricultural step with a sensitivity
analysis. The web-based SQCB questionnaire uses this knowledge to reduce the requested user
entries to the most relevant and easily available parameters of the biofuel production chain.
The questionnaire allows the user to enter his specific data for biofuel production where
available. Data gaps are automatically filled by default values. Based on this input, the inventory
is modelled and linked to the SQCB database. The software then performs the environmental
impact assessment and checks the results against sustainability criteria. Since these results are
immediately available, key environmental factors can be analyzed interactively.
The SQCB follows two goals: first, to improve knowledge in developing countries on LCA and
on the key parameters of the biofuel chain. Secondly, SQCB allows producers to roughly
evaluate if their biofuel fulfils the requirements for tax exemption. Furthermore, due to its
modular concept, SQCB can be adapted to include additional certification schemes by extending
its questionnaire, introducing alternative evaluation methods or adding new benchmarks.
References
1. Zah R, Faist M, Reinhard J, Birchmeier D. Standardized and simplified life-cycle assessment (LCA) as
a driver for more sustainable biofuels, J Clean Prod (2009), doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2009.04.004
2. Zah R, Hischier R, Gauch M, Lehmann M, Bni H,Wger P. Life cycle assessment of energy products:
environmental impact assessment of biofuels. Bern: Bundesamt fr Energie, Bundesamt fr Umwelt,
Bundesamt fr Landwirtschaft; 2007
*
mireille.faist@empa.ch

Bio-based products

44
Tuesday late afternoon

Session chair: Franois Charron-Doucet
Life cycle assessment of biochar production from corn stover, yard waste, and
switchgrass
Kelli Roberts, Brent Gloy, Stephen Joseph, Johannes Lehmann

Evaluations of Domestic Applications of British Columbia Wood Pellets based
on Life Cycle Analysis
Ann Pa, Jill Craven, Tony Bi, Staffan Melin, Shahab Sokhansanj

Sustainable Materials Management of Wood Fibers
Christopher Evans, Deanna Lizas, Adam Brundage, Randy Freed, Henrik Harjula

Briquettes, cubes, or pellets: Greenhouse gas tradeoffs in bioenergy
Tom Wilson, Sabrina Spatari, Paul Adler

Life Cycle Environmental Impacts from Biobased Lubricants
Phoebe Cuevas, Amy E. Landis

Bio-based products

45

Life cycle assessment of biochar production from
corn stover, yard waste, and switchgrass

Kelli Roberts
*
, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University
Brent Gloy, Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University
Stephen Joseph, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New
South Wales
Johannes Lehmann, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University

Biomass pyrolysis with biochar returned to soil is a promising strategy for climate change
mitigation and reducing fossil fuel consumption. Biochar is the stable, carbon-rich charcoal that
results from pyrolysis of biomass materials. Used as a soil amendment, biochar improves soil
health and fertility, soil structure, nutrient availability, and soil water retention capacity, and is
also a mechanism for long-term carbon storage in soils. Slow pyrolysis of biomass in an
industrial-scale facility results in four co-products: long-term carbon sequestration in the form of
stable carbon in the biochar, renewable energy generation, biochar as a soil amendment, and
biomass waste management. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to estimate the net energy,
climate change impacts, and economics of biochar production. The feedstocks analyzed
represent agricultural residues (early and late harvested corn stover), an organic waste source
(yard waste), and energy crops (switchgrass cultivated on both marginal and annual croplands).
For all feedstock scenarios, the net energy of the system is positive, i.e. more energy is generated
than consumed. The excess syngas energy ranges from +2000 to +4000 MJ per tonne of
feedstock. The net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for both stover and yard waste are negative,
indicating that for each tonne of feedstock, more than one-half tonne of CO
2
equivalent
reductions are made. Meanwhile, the switchgrass results highlight the critical role that indirect
land-use change plays on the life-cycle climate change impact of energy crops. Switchgrass
developed on marginal land has the potential to sequester carbon, however, switchgrass produced
on land diverted from annual crops results in net GHG emissions. The economic viability of the
pyrolysis-biochar system is largely dependent on the costs of feedstock production and pyrolysis,
and the value of carbon offsets. Biomass sources that have a need for waste management such as
yard waste have the highest potential for economic profitability and environmental sustainability.

*
kgr25@cornell.edu

Bio-based products

46

Evaluations of Domestic Applications of British Columbia
Wood Pellets based on Life Cycle Analysis

Ann Pa
*
, University of British Columbia
Jill Craven, Clean Energy Research Centre, University of British Columbia
Tony Bi, University of British Columbia
Staffan Melin, elta Research Corporation, Delta, Canada
Shahab Sokhansanj, Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, University of
British Columbia and Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

A LCA database for British Columbia wood pellets has been developed. Currently about 80% of
the pellets produced in BC are exported to Europe. Based on the database, marine transportation
is responsible for 45% of the life cycle energy consumption and is the top contributors to most
pollutants investigated. Exported pellets have an energy penalty of 33% while non-exported
pellets value is only 18.3%. Exported pellets energy value contains 22.2% fossil fuels but non-
exported only contains 7.5%. It is evident that wood pellets can be even greener if utilized in BC.
Based on this finding, two case studies exploring possible domestic usage of wood pellets are
carried out using the LCA database.
The first case looks into the change in environmental impacts and health impact potential (HIP)
if UBC boiler house, which currently runs on natural gas 99% of the time, was to be fueled by
wood pellets. The environmental impacts evaluated are global warming potential (GWP), acid
rain formation potential (ARP), and smog formation potential (SFP). The proposed pellet system
consists of pellet gasification followed by the combustion of the syngas produced.
The result indicates that GWP of the operation can be reduced by 70% if pellets are used but
ARP will increase by approximately 285% while SFP may increase by 185%. This result is
based on a streamlined LCA including all fuel production and transportation. To investigate the
change in HIP, only the actual end usage emissions are included in the evaluation. The HIP
increases by 285% from 24.07 to 92.67 for switching to pellets and the increase is 227% when an
electrostatic precipitator unit is installed.
The second case looks into the change in emission in BC if the current residential log-burning
furnaces are replaced with pellet stoves. In addition to the quantification in the reduction of air
emissions, a simple cost analysis is also carried out to evaluate the economic feasibility of this
proposal. The result of cost analysis will also aid the local government in the development of an
incentive program to promote the switching of current log furnaces to wood pellet furnaces in
BC.
*
apa@interchange.ubc.ca

Bio-based products

47

Sustainable Materials Management of Wood Fibers

Christopher Evans, ICF International
Deanna Lizas
*
, ICF International
Adam Brundage, ICF International
Randy Freed, ICF International
Henrik Harjula, OECD

The pulp and paper industry is a key sector in the global economy with important sustainability opportunities. As the
fourth largest industrial consumer of energy, it represents 5.7 percent of global industrial energy use
1
. This industry
and its products are responsible for nearly 600 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO
2
-e) emissions
per year
2
. This accounts for approximately 2 percent of global CO
2
emissions
3
.
The industrys importance in the global economy, its reliance on vast natural resources, and impact on the climate
warrants further study on the best approaches to reduce the environmental impacts while balancing economic and
social aspects across the wood fiber products life-cycle. To that end, ICF International is supporting the
Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in an analysis to identify opportunities for the
sustainable materials management of wood fibers. The environmental impacts of focus include energy, water use,
and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the life-cycle stages of: wood harvesting, pulping and bleaching,
papermaking, transportation, and end-of-life.
Our study finds that in pulping, reductions in energy use on the order of 20 to 30 percent could be achieved in
conventional mills by existing technologies such as combined heat and power systems. Chemical and thermo-
mechanical pulp mills offer the greatest potential for energy savings. Paper drying in the papermaking stage is the
most energy-intensive process across the life cycle consuming 15 to 25 percent of total energy. Increased and more
efficient use of biomass energyconsidered biogenic if sourced from sustainably-managed forestscan further
reduce GHG emissions. Sustainable forest management practices and certification are key to ensuring that biomass
fuels remain carbon neutral. At end-of-life, recycling paper products saves 7 to 19 GJ of energy per metric ton of
paper recycled and results in a net carbon sink relative to virgin manufacture of paper. Although barriers such as
volatility in energy and recovered paper prices, slow rates of capital turnover, and gaps in information sharing exist,
there is large potential for energy efficiency gains and GHG reductions across the paper life cycle.
OECD intends to use the results of the study within a broader effort to investigate sustainable materials management
of select priority materials. The study is a work in progress and has not yet been adopted by OECD or its member
countries; OECD retains copyright for the results.
References
1. IEA. (2006). Energy Efficient Technologies and CO
2
Reduction Potentials in the Pulp and Paper Industry.
International Energy Agency (IEA), in collaboration with the World Business Council for Sustainable
Development (WBCSD).
2. NCASI. (2007). The Greenhouse Gas and Carbon Profile of the Global Forest Products Industry. National
Council for Air and Stream Improvement.
3. IPCC (2007) Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report Summary for Policymakers.

*
dlizas@icfi.com

Bio-based products

48

Briquettes, cubes, or pellets: Greenhouse gas tradeoffs in bioenergy

Tom Wilson
*
, Pennsylvania State University
Sabrina Spatari, Drexel University
Paul Adler, USDA

Switchgrass has gained recent attention as an alternative energy resource. To be utilized for
energy, switchgrass must be harvested, collected, and transported to the point of utilization. End-
use applications range from electricity via co-firing with coal to biofuel conversion through
residential heating. Currently, switchgrass is packaged in large square or round bale formats. To
further reduce the costs associated with transporting this bulky material, switchgrass may be
densified beyond baling into several different forms: pellets, briquettes, or cubes. The purpose of
densifying biomass is to increase the energy density of the product so that it can be transported
more efficiently, reducing both costs and emissions associated with transportation. The end-use
application will largely dictate the appropriate form of densification due to tradeoffs that exist
between transport distance, product density, and physical limitations of the equipment. Feedstock
preparation is a critical and energy intensive step in the densification process. For quality
production, appropriate moisture content and particle size distribution are essential. This requires
grinding and drying; both processes consume energy. New technology enables some particle size
reduction in the baling process, and this method is compared to the traditional model of particle
size reduction downstream. Preliminary data indicate that in-field particle size reduction requires
only a fraction (0.5%) of the energy of that downstream. In addition, switchgrass may be
harvested in the spring or fall. The fall scenario produces higher yields, but due to stochastic
variability in weather, the fall crop is generally wetter and requires energy input due to drying
necessary for densification. Preliminary analysis indicates that emissions from biomass pellets
for heating applications are 4.7 g CO
2
e/MJ compared to 59, 51, and 83 for fuel oil, natural gas,
and electricity for space heating, respectively. Despite yield losses from overwintering, this
number improves by nearly 60% with the spring harvest scenario to 1.9 CO
2
e/MJ due to the
substantial energy input required for drying with the fall scenario. For the case of the fall harvest
with in-field particle size reduction, life-cycle emissions improve by 12.7% to 4.1 g CO
2
e/MJ
compared to the base scenario.

*
tow106@psu.edu

Bio-based products

49

Life Cycle Environmental Impacts from Biobased Lubricants

Phoebe Cuevas
*
Amy E. Landis
**

Approximately 50 percent of all lubricants, mostly mineral based, are released into the environment
during use, spills, and disposal. This is a concern since traditional lubricants, mostly mineral based, are
not completely biodegradable and have high toxic content. Therefore, new and used lubricants can cause
significant damage to the environment, especially to water sources.
1

Biobased lubricants are being manufactured and employed with the hope of minimizing the life cycle
environmental impacts that are caused by use of mineral based lubricants. These biolubricants are being
produced from agricultural feedstocks, are biodegradable, and have the potential for lower toxicity
2,3
.
Research on biobased lubricants has generated varying conclusions regarding the environmental impacts
of these products. Most of the studies conclude that the agricultural phase has the highest environmental
impact, contributing to acidification, eutrophication, and smog
4,5,3
. Alternatively, studies indicate lower
impacts to the global warming potential and climate change categories from the biobased options than the
mineral based products.
This presentation will present a comparative life cycle assessment of the environmental impacts of
soybean, rapeseed, and mineral based lubricants. The effects of an increase in the use of biobased
lubricants at state level will be discussed in addition to the effects caused by the use of different lubricants
(soybean, rapeseed, and mineral based). The study presents a comparison of the CO
2
emissions from each
of the lubricants, and the contribution to global warming for different use scenarios. In addition, the
impact on demand for agricultural land, water quality impacts, and energy savings from the use of
biolubricants will be presented.
References
1. Schneider, M.P., Plant-oil-based lubricants and hydraulic fluids. Journal of the Science of Food and
Agriculture, 2006. 86(12): p. 1769-1780.
2. IENICA, Biolubricants - Market Data Sheet, I.E.N.f.I.C.a.t. Applications, Editor. 2004, Central Science
Laboratory. p. 1-11.
3. Miller, S.A., et al., A comparative life cycle assessment of petroleum and soybean-based lubricants.
Environmental Science and Technology, 2007. 41(11): p. 4143-4149.
4. Vag, C., et al., A comparative life cycle assessment of the manufacture of base fluids for lubricants.
Journal of Synthetic Lubrication, 2002. 19(1): p. 39-57.
5. McManus, M.C., G.P. Hammond, and C.R. Burrows, Life-cycle assessment of mineral and rapeseed oil
in mobile hydraulic systems. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2004. 7(3-4): p. 163-177.

*
phc6@pitt.edu
**
ael30@pitt.edu

LCA Case Studies

50
Session chair: Mike Levy
Life Cycle Assessment Comparison of Conventional and Passive Groundwater
Remediation Technologies for Solvent Contamination
Monica Higgins, Terese Olson

An LCA-based Environmental Assessment of a Baked Goods Company
Jon Dettling, Dominic D'Amours, Manuele Margni

Real-time Life Cycle Assessment: An implementation for ETH Zrich
Chris Mutel, Christoph Meili, Stefanie Hellweg

Quantitative Analysis of Material Substitution Effects by Life Cycle
Assessment A Case Study of ITO for a Liquid Crystal Display
Kotaro Kawajiri, Kiyotaka Tahara, Yoritsune Noda, Shigeyuki Uemiya

Life Cycle Assessment of Container Glass
Liila Woods, Margaret Zahller, Marc Binder, Joseph Cattaneo

LCA Case Studies

51

Life Cycle Assessment Comparison of Conventional and Passive
Groundwater Remediation Technologies for Solvent Contamination

Monica Higgins
*
Terese Olson, University of Michigan

Groundwater that becomes contaminated through natural or anthropogenic actions can be
remediated using technologies that optimize performance at minimal cost and potential
environmental impact. A permeable reactive barrier (PRB) is an innovative, passive treatment
technology in which a reactive media is installed in situ, transforming contaminants as
groundwater flows through it under the natural gradient. Choosing a PRB reduces environmental
impacts during operation when compared with a conventional pump-and-treat system (PTS) by
eliminating use-phase material and energy inputs. However, reduced operation impacts may be
off-set by increased material production impacts, resulting in negligible life cycle environmental
benefit for PRBs. The trade-off between life cycle phases necessitates a holistic comparison
between the two technologies. The longevity of PRB reactive media is uncertain and is expected
to significantly influence the relative benefits of a PRB when compared with a PTS. Thus,
reactive media longevity must also be investigated for its effect on the magnitude of PRB
impacts and as a parameter in comparisons of the two technologies. In this study, life cycle
assessment (LCA) is employed to investigate and compare a PRB to a PTS, where both case
study systems were designed for the remediation of groundwater containing volatile organic
compounds (VOCs). Potential impacts for the two systems were investigated for a thirty-year
fixed operation time using established life cycle assessment framework and impact assessment
with characterization factors from the Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and
other environmental Impacts (TRACI). Analysis of the PRB system revealed that potential
impacts are driven by the mass of zero-valent iron (ZVI) reactive media. PRB longevity was
investigated among different use-phase scenarios and found to control the magnitude of PRB
system impacts and the extent to which it was optimal relative to the PTS. Minimum longevity
for benefit in choosing a PRB was determined to be between five and ten years in impact
categories where such a minimum existed. The results suggest that strategies for reducing
environmental impacts of the PRB system include consideration of alternative reactive media
and maximizing media longevity.
*
mrhig@umich.edu

LCA Case Studies

52

An LCA-based Environmental Assessment of a
Baked Goods Company

Jon Dettling
*
, Quantis
Dominic D'Amours, Pineridge Foods

Gourmet Baker is a leading supplier of baked goods products to food service and retail markets
throughout Canada and the US. They provide markets throughout Canada with pre-baked and
ready to baked products, including croissants, brownies, cakes, cheesecakes, pastries and much
more. In pursuing their internal commitment to operate in an environmentally responsible
manner, many questions have arisen regarding what actions or and areas of focus should be
chosen within the companys operation to provide the greatest reduction of their environmental
impact. It is unclear what portion of their operations and/or the life cycle of their products incur
the most environmental impacts and provide the best opportunities for improvements.
To address these questions, Gourmet Baker has conducted a company-wide analysis of its
operations based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. The entire operations of the
company and life cycle of its products have been included in this assessment. This includes the
production of raw materials, their pre-processing and delivery to production site, Gourmet
Bakers manufacturing activities, company overhead and operations, finished product
transportation, cooling and/or baking by the customer, and disposal of packaging and other
wastes. The results present an overview of the companys total footprint on the environment
and an ability to see what aspects of the company operations require the most attention. Efforts
and resources for environmental initiatives can then be focused in areas where they will be most
effective.
The results include an ability to compare supply-chain impacts to those of manufacturing,
transportation, overhead, and product usage and end-of life. It also includes an ability to compare
among facilities, product categories, time period and more. This presentation will provide an
overview of the methodology, describe its implementation at Gourmet Baker, show and discuss
the results and describe the companys implementation and next steps.
*
jon.dettling@ecointesys.com

LCA Case Studies

53

Real-time Life Cycle Assessment:
An implementation for ETH Zrich

Chris Mutel
*
, ETH Zurich
Christoph Meili, ETH Zurich

A key consideration for any LCA study is the communication of conclusions. It is customary for
LCA studies to represent a snapshot of current production practices or alternatives. We describe
the implementation of a web-based program for real-time LCA of the ETH Zrich campus,
including heat, electricity, water, mobility, conference travel, and chemical use. Energy and
water consumption data are available on 15 minute intervals, while the other data sources are
averaged from annual totals. The use of a continually updated life cycle assessment of the
university allows for feedback between the model, and faculty and students. This interaction with
LCA results represents a new perspective on how LCA can help improve decision making. The
use of freshly updated data also ensures that LCA results remain relevant for years to come. The
use of a web-based model also allows LCA result data to be easily viewed, interpreted, and used
in other formats and applications. Because data is gathered on a detailed level, comparison
between buildings and departments are possible, allowing for further interaction between
behaviour and LCA results. Possible further linkages between LCA and environmental
management and monitoring systems are also discussed. The software model will be
demonstrated, and is available as an open-source program.
*
mutel@ifu.baug.ethz.ch

LCA Case Studies

54

Quantitative Analysis of Material Substitution Effects by Life Cycle
Assessment A Case Study of ITO for a Liquid Crystal Display

Kotaro Kawajiri
*
, RISS, AIST
Kiyotaka Tahara, RISS, AIST
Yoritsune Noda, Gifu University
Shigeyuki Uemiya, Gifu University

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is practically used for transparent conducting oxide in a liquid crystal
display (LCD). Its total consumption has been remarkably expanding in recent years. However,
indium is rare metal and the shortage in the near future is noticed. Therefore, it is important to
develop its alternatives to reduce future risks of its stable supply and price hike. Some
alternatives to ITO have been developed recently. However, the effects of substitution are
uncertain yet because alternative materials are under research phase and then, the comparison
with conventional materials is difficult.
This paper describes how to evaluate the effects of substituting a future new material for
conventional one by life cycle assessment (LCA) in a case study of ITO. Al-doped ZnO (AZO)
is employed as the alternative to ITO. Based on expert judge and empirical studies, system
boundary and scenario are defined. The inventory of each stage is quantitatively evaluated by the
inventory of ITO and information comparing the case of ITO and that of AZO in patents and
journals.
Most of CO
2
emission comes from production stage and usage stage. Electrical conductivity of
AZO is smaller than that of ITO. Then, the film thickness of AZO becomes large to overcome
the shortage of electrical conductivity. As a result, CO
2
emission at the production stage becomes
large in case of AZO. On the other hand, transparency of AZO is larger than that of ITO. Then,
power supply to the back panel, nearly 70% of total power consumption at the usage stage, can
be reduced by using AZO. Therefore, the total CO
2
emission depends on the balance between
CO
2
emission at production stage and that at usage stage. It is implied that the total CO
2
emission
for LCD can be reduced by substituting AZO for ITO in our condition.
*
kotaro-kawajiri@aist.go.jp

LCA Case Studies

55

Life Cycle Assessment of Container Glass

Liila Woods
*
, PE Americas
Margaret Zahller, PE Americas
Marc Binder, PE Americas
Joseph Cattaneo, Glass Packaging Institute

Member companies of the Glass Packaging Institute (GPI), the trade association representing the
North American container glass industry, have provided current life cycle inventory data on
container glass production. This critically reviewed LCA study contains the first industry wide
primary data available on the production of container glass used for packaging materials (i.e.,
containers used for wine, jam, beer, spirits, nonalcoholic beverages, food, etc.) and represent
over 75% of North American production. The study was conducted in parallel with a study for
the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) member companies to generate data on both
North American and European industry average container glass.
The cradle-to-gate inventory of container glass addresses all inputs and outputs for the
production of 1 kg of container glass. The use of post-consumer cullet (recycled, furnace-ready
scrap glass) requires less energy to melt in the glass producing furnace than virgin batch
materials (silica sand, soda, etc.) but requires treatment to prepare it prior to input into the
furnace (collection of used glass, transportation, crushing, etc.). The impacts of post-consumer
cullet treatment have been included in this study as well as different end-of-life recycling
scenarios therefore allowing for a cradle-to-cradle assessment of container glass. The data
collected in this study show that in 2007 an average of 23% post-consumer cullet was input into
new container glass. GPI member companies have committed to using at least 50% recycled
input by 2013 but will need an increase in glass recycling and post-consumer cullet availability
to meet this goal.
The data from this study will be beneficial to GPI, glass producing companies and LCA
practitioners to understand, communicate and improve processes for the environmental aspects
of container glass, both for the production of glass as well as the impact of end-of-life treatment.
This presentation will summarize the cradle-to-gate results of the life cycle inventory and life
cycle assessment study of container glass production in North America as well as discuss various
end-of-life scenarios. Examples of completed packaging options such as a beer bottle (including
label and crown) and a wine bottle (including label, cork, and foil) will also be addressed.
*
l.woods@pe-international.com

Land Use in LCA: Characterization of Impacts, Geospatial
Heterogeneity, and Renewable Energy Technologies

56
Special session coordinator: Thomas Seager, Rochester Institute of Technology
Although land use impacts are widely acknowledged to have profound consequences for
biodiversity, water quality, and climate, there is currently no consensus regarding the treatment
of land use in life cycle assessment (LCA). This is partly due to the emphasis in LCA on
quantifying an inventory of material flows, rather than characterizing qualitative changes in
scarce resources such as fresh water or ecological habitat. However, the problem of land use is
compounded by the difficulty of describing geospatial heterogeneity in LCA. That is, both the
quantitative and qualitative aspects of land use in LCA depend upon the location of the land --
particularly with regard to renewable energy systems such as wind, solar and biomass, which are
significantly more land intensive than traditional fossil fuels. This special session provides an
interim report on the progress of the Workshop on Land Use and Geospatial Aspects of LCA for
Renewable Energy, which is running concurrently with LCA IX. The Chairs of the parallel
sessions of LCA methods for land use will summarize the workshop discussions in their sessions
in brief presentations and lead discussion with the conference participants in a panel format.
Topics include changes in land use, characterizing land use impacts, understanding geographic
variability in inventory data resulting from land use characteristics, and modeling geospatial
aspects of distribution systems.
Presenters:
The Workshop on Land Use & Geospatial Aspects In LCA of Renewable
Energy Systems
Thomas Seager, Rochester Institute of Technology
This presentation reviews the agenda and policy context for the National Science Foundation
"Workshop on Land Use and Geospatial Aspects of LCA for Renewable Energy" that is being
held concurrent to the LCA IX conference. It reviews some of the new policy initiatives in the
United States that seek to curb renewable energy development and discusses the need for
increased research attention to land use implications of wind and solar energy development,
which have received little or no attention in the context of LCA, despite an increased level of
concern in political or policy arenas.
Re-allocation of land as a consequence of renewable energy development
John Sheehan
This presentation summarizes the interim findings of the "Workshop on Land Use and
Geospatial Aspects of LCA for Renewable Energy" with regard to estimating land use changes
resulting from renewable energy development.

Land Use in LCA: Characterization of Impacts, Geospatial
Heterogeneity, and Renewable Energy Technologies

57

Considering transportation and energy distribution aspects of renewable
energy: Report from the "Workshop on Land Use and Geospatial Aspects of
LCA for Renewable Energy"
James Winebrake, Rochester Institute of Technology
This presentation summarizes the discussion of the parallel session on renewable energy
collection and distribution aspects in LCA of renewable energy.
Impacts
Jane Bare, USEPA Office of Research & Development
This presentation summarizes the interim findings of the "Workshop on Land Use and
Geospatial Aspects of LCA for Renewable Energy" with regard to quantifying impacts resulting
from land use.
Coupling LCA and Geographic Information Systems -- Geospatial Variability
in LCA for Renewable Energy
Roland Geyer, University of California - Santa Barbara
This presentation summarizes the interim findings of the Workshop with regard to geospatial
variability.

Operationalizing LCA within Industry 1 & 2

58
Wednesday morning

Special session coordinator: William Flanagan, GE

Industrial interest in LCA has increased substantially in recent years as a result of several factors
including product-focused regulatory and standard-setting activities, retailer initiatives, consumer
interest, green competition, increased corporate social responsibility, supply chain greenhouse
gas reduction initiatives, and evolving green marketing guidelines. LCA provides the opportunity
to address product life cycle issues across the value chain, ultimately leading to a more efficient
utilization of the planets limited natural resources in order to meet the needs of society with the
lowest environmental impact. This session focuses on the application of LCA within industry,
and offers perspectives from companies that have been practicing LCA for many years as well as
those that have only recently begun to implement life cycle perspectives.

Industrial applications of LCA vary, as each company has its own unique culture driven by
business strategy, competitive landscape, organizational structure, and many other internal and
external factors. The presentations in this session highlight a wide range of LCA applications
that impact a companys products and operations. Specific topics to be addressed include:

Application of LCA in research and development
Collaborative use of LCA with customers and suppliers
LCA in the broader context of Design for Environment
LCA as a tool to develop internal product development metrics
Use of LCA methods to address life cycle greenhouse gas reduction initiatives
Product LCA examples
Streamlined LCA approaches

Product Environmental Metrics for Printer Development at HP
Jason Ord, Tim Strecker

Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to Develop a Corporate Sustainability
Strategy
Gretchen Govoni

Challenges and Benefits of Integrating LCA into Research and Development:
Butamax Biobutanol Case Study
Stephen Tieri, Robin Jenkins, Todd Krieger, Robert Sylvester, Carina Alles,
Susanne Veith, Steve Barr


59
Wednesday morning

The Use of LCAs from within Our Company's Gate to Our Customers and
Market Segments

Using LCA to Develop Climate-Neutral Products - A Practical Example
Connie Hensler, John Jewell

Life Cycle Assessment: Promoting Sustainable Development at Dow
Shawn Hunter

Design for Environment at Rolls-Royce
Stafford Lloyd, Andrew Clifton, Lucia Elghali, Jacquetta Lee,


60
Wednesday morning

Product Environmental Metrics for Printer Development at HP

Jason Ord, HP
Tim Strecker, HP

Hewlett-Packards Imaging & Printing Group (IPG) is charting a course towards environmental
leadership in its markets. To do this, IPG must look beyond just satisfying the regulations and
identify opportunities for groundbreaking improvement. Carefully designed metrics are
necessary to guide design, chart progress and set goals in this effort. IPGs Environmental
Strategy Team is leading an initiative to establish these metrics internally. This paper describes
the development process the authors followed to construct the initial metrics, focused on the
"carbon footprint" of products under development, as well as the lessons learned and results
achieved thus far, implementation, challenges, and future opportunities for improvement.


61
Wednesday morning

Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to Develop a Corporate
Sustainability Strategy

Gretchen Govoni, SABIC Innovative Plastics

As SABIC Innovative Plastics transitioned to new ownership, we were in a position of beginning
to embrace LCA during the same time period that the sustainability program was being modified
to fit the new business model. Therefore, we were able to apply lifecycle concepts into the
development of the new sustainability strategy. Strategy development steps included evaluation
of impacts from raw materials, from our own processes, and impacts downstream of our
operations including the use and end of life phases. Five key strategic pillars were confirmed
based on the lifecycle impacts: bio-based materials, recycle, cleaner chemistry, process
efficiency and application design. Lifecycle assessment resources are currently dedicated to
supporting technology development, product marketing, and manufacturing.


62
Wednesday morning

Challenges and Benefits of Integrating LCA into Research and
Development: Butamax Biobutanol Case Study

Stephen Tieri, DuPont
Robin Jenkins, DuPont
Todd Krieger, DuPont
Robert Sylvester, DuPont
Carina Alles, DuPont
Susanne Veith, DuPont
Steve Barr, DuPont

DuPont's 2015 Sustainability Goals are the expression of a life-cycle-thinking business concept
integrating all of our operations, from research and development to manufacturing to marketing.
Successful new products provide superior functionality and favorable sustainability attributes to
customers and stakeholders, such as reduced energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Choices made early in research and development programs often determine these product
attributes. However, significant uncertainties in evolving technologies, data gaps, and changes in
the business and regulatory environment are all challenges in the effort to integrate LCA into
general business practice. To meet these challenges, DuPont LCA practitioners use LCAs to
identify areas of concern and improvement opportunities in the early development stages.

BP and DuPont have recently formed Butamax Advanced Biofuels to commercialize
Biobutanol. The Butamax business example illustrates how the integration of sustainability
principles into research and development enables innovative and competitive future technology
options with quantifiable environmental benefits in the marketplace. Specifically, our LCA has
guided development of production pathways for Biobutanol that are superior to traditional
biological production of butanol by acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) technology in terms of
greenhouse gas emissions and fossil energy use.


63
Wednesday morning

The Use of LCAs from within Our Company's Gate to Our
Customers and Market Segments


Up until the last year or so, the focus of performing a product LCA has been for company use
only. They were performed to better understand our products environmental and energy
footprints. Sometimes the data was used for external reasons. With increased awareness by the
marketplace and industry sectors, the demand for product LCA information has increased
tremendously. Product LCAs have now been included as requirements and/or options in various
Green building specifications for product approval for use. Product comparisons using LCAs
are being requested by architects, designers and other product segment groups. Working jointly
with our customers using LCAs has provided a new step in supplier-customer synergies. This
presentation will cover Owens Cornings perspective on the external explosion of LCA requests
and our experience with using them with our customers.


64
Wednesday morning

Using LCA to Develop Climate-Neutral Products:
A Practical Example

Connie Hensler, Interface
John Jewell, PE Americas

Interface and its partner PE Americas share a common concern for the environment with particular
interest in mitigating climate change through the elimination of product-related emissions. With the help
of PE, Interface addressed this concern by creating climate neutral products. The total GHG emissions
created during the life cycle of Interfaces carpet products (raw material acquisition, manufacturing,
transportation, use and maintenance, and end-of-life disposal) are modeled using Life Cycle Assessment
via PEs Gabi software. These emissions are then neutralized through the purchase and retirement of an
equivalent number of verified emission reduction credits. As a result of this program, Cool CarpetTM, a
majority of Interfaces global product offering is climate neutral.
Each of Interfaces worldwide business units offer a different range of carpet products and utilize
different manufacturing and distribution networks. To keep the Cool Carpet program simple, a sales-
weighted average product was modeled for each business unit. Dozens of LCAs were performed for 90%
of the top-selling carpets using a parameterized Gabi model. Gabis global parameters easily switch Fiber
type and weight, backing type, recycled content, and EOL disposition.

Once the GWP is determined the next step in the program is offsetting. Not all offsets are created equal
and strict criteria to select carbon offsets for the Cool Carpet program are required. When reviewing
offsets, they must be real, permanent, additional and verifiable carbon offsets certified to a consensus-
based protocol. To identify credible carbon offsets, Interface uses a combination of verification
requirements, standards and additional criteria. Some of these include the Voluntary Carbon Standard, the
Gold Standard, CDM-VER, and VER+. The offsets are purchased and are permanently retired. Each
Interface business unit (manufacturing location) absorbs the cost of offsetting their average product for
every square yard of Cool Carpet sold.

Another advantage of modeling the carpet LCA with Gabi was highlighting differences among the
Interface business units based on their GHG performance. The LCA broke life cycle impacts further into
Fiber, Backing, other Materials, Transport, Process Energy, Use phase (cleaning), and Disposal. Interface
businesses who use less energy and materials or sold more innovative environmental products (like
carpets with high recycled content) spent less money on offsets than their counterparts around the
company, creating healthy competition between the branches.

Because carbon offsetting can be controversial it is important that programs like this be third party
verified. Interfaces Cool Carpet program is verified by SGS. This includes verification of the LCA
methodology, the calculation of the required offsets, and the credibility and retirement of the offsets.


65
Wednesday morning

Life Cycle Assessment: Promoting Sustainable Development at Dow

Shawn Hunter, Dow Chemical

Life Cycle Assessment has been practiced at Dow Chemical for more than 20 years. Dow
continues to be engaged in the development and promotion of LCA methodology and concepts.
The announcement of Dows 2015 Sustainable Chemistry goal, which is based on life cycle
thinking, led to a focused LCA effort and to the establishment of a formal LCA expertise group
within Dows EH&S/Sustainability organization. This group is leveraged across all Dow
businesses to provide LCA support for customer inquiries, collaborative projects, and business
decision making. This presentation will review the goals, activities, and vision of the Dow LCA
group. LCA tools, methods, and processes used by the group will be discussed. Highlights of
recent LCA studies will also be presented, which demonstrate the value of the group in
promoting and integrating sustainability at Dow.


66
Wednesday morning

Design for Environment at Rolls-Royce

Stafford Lloyd, Rolls-Royce
Andrew Clifton, Rolls-Royce
Lucia Elghali, University of Surrey
Jacquetta Lee, University of Surrey

This paper presents a case study of applying a novel approach to interpreting life cycle inventory
information. Data has been taken from a simplified life cycle analysis of certain components of a
low-bypass ratio turbofan engine manufactured by Rolls-Royce, and analysed to provide a
measure of its environmental impact together with a financial measure of current and future
business risks. The paper presents the results of the study and discusses issues in the application
of the approach and how it needs to be developed.

The business risk indicator is derived from a survey of regulatory, legislative and market based
influences arising from public policy developments in response to environmental concerns.
Rolls-Royces products have relatively long life cycles so predicting how these influences are
likely to change into the future is an important requirement. The critical aspect of the approach is
that it provides an environmental cost indicator derived from (potential) operational costs, rather
than attempting to calculate uncertain (and contentious) damage values.

This technique has been developed specifically for the needs of Rolls-Royce as part of a DfE
(Design for Environment) system based on a streamlined life cycle analysis approach. The
requirement for DfE has been defined from a situational analysis of the decision-making contexts
within design processes, and from knowledge of the environmental profile of a typical Rolls-
Royce product. From this requirement the system has been developed to focus (although not
exclusively) on the areas of the product life cycle outside of the use phase, specifically issues
from manufacture and end of life. The DfE system needs to highlight where environmental
concerns pose a risk to the cost or produceability of a product so that environmental information
can be compared with other design decision parameters generally measured in monetary terms.
This necessitates the development of the business risk indicator providing a measure of current
or potential environmental costs.

LCIA 1

67
Wednesday early morning

Session chair: Ralph Rosenbaum
Challenging land use: Uncertainties in the application of the species area
relationship for damage factors of land occupation
An De Schryver, Mark Goedkoop, Rob Leuven, Mark Huijbregts

Interpreting LCIA results: development of Canadian normalization factors, at
individual and national levels
Anne Lautier, Ralph Rosenbaum, Manuele Margni, Louise Deschenes

Mulicriteria Comparison of Ecotoxicity Methods Focused on Pesticides
Frank Hayer, Daniel U. Baumgartner, Christian Bockstaller, Grard Gaillard,
Thomas Kaegi, Laure Mamy, Thomas Nemecek, Joern Strassemeyer

Life cycle health impact and benefits of air conditioning: reduction in extreme
heat mortality versus increase in health impacts due to particulate and climate
change
Olivier Jolliet, Carina Gronlund, Marie O'Neill, Jalonne White-Newsome

Life Cycle Impact Assessment of Global Trade: monetary and impact
disparities in developing vs. developed regions
Shanna Shaked, Damien Friot, Sebastien Humbert, Manuele Margni, Stefan
Schwarzer, Cedric Wannaz, Olivier Jolliet

LCIA 1

68

Challenging land use: Uncertainties in the application of the species
area relationship for damage factors of land occupation

An De Schryver
*
, Radboud University Nijmegen
Mark Goedkoop, PR Consultants b.v.
Rob Leuven, Radboud University Nijmegen
Mark Huijbregts, Radboud University Nijmegen

Anthropogenic land use activities are one of the dominant stressors for terrestrial species and are recognized as
being important to consider in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Land use damage factors, also known as
characterization factors, can be expressed as potential disappeared fraction (PDF) of vascular plant species
1
. PDF
equals 1 Si/Sb, where S is the species number on land use i or baseline land use. The number of species can be
modeled using the species area relationship (SAR:S=c.Az)
2
. The SAR describes the relation between the number of
species observed and the area size, using the species accumulation factor z and the species richness factor c. Land
use damage modeling contains several levels of uncertainties which are recognized but hardly quantified in LCA.
This presentation outlines the influence of various key assumptions and uncertainties within the development of
damage factors for land use, such as uncertainty in species sampling data, choice for the species accumulation factor
z, standard area size and regional effects. A model framework was developed to analyze the uncertainties of damage
factors for 15 land use types
3
. Modeling choices were analyzed by defining three scenarios, based on cultural theory
perspectives, namely the egalitarian, the hierarchist and the individualistic perspectives
4
. The uncertainties of
species number and species accumulation factor z are quantified through Monte Carlo simulation. The results
indicate that depending on the scenario chosen, the damage factors can change from negative to positive values. The
calculated uncertainty range is mainly explained by the uncertainty in the species accumulation factor z, and results
in overlapping uncertainty ranges of the damage factors within each model scenario. We can conclude that modeling
choices and uncertainties within the SAR largely influence the damage factors for land use. The use of model
scenarios is a way of dealing with the different modeling choices. However, within each model scenario, the damage
factors of land use types do not always significantly differ because of the uncertainty of the species accumulation
factor z. This finding stresses the importance of further decreasing the uncertainty of the species accumulation
factor z.
References
1. Muller-Wenk R (1998) Land use - the main threat to species. How to include land use in lca. Iw
diskussionsbeitrag no. 64. 3-906502-66-X. Universitt St. Gallen. St. Gallen, Switzerland
2. MacArthur RH, E.O. W (ed.) (1967) The theory of island biogeography. Princeton University Press, Princeton,
New Jersey
3. Defra (2000) Countryside survey 2000, www.countrysidesurvey.org.uk, assessed 30.12.2008
4. Hofstetter P (1998) Perspectives in life cycle impact assessment. A structured approach to combine models of the
technosphere, ecosphere and valuesphere. London, UK

*
a.deschryver@science.ru.nl

LCIA 1

69

Interpreting LCIA results: development of Canadian normalization
factors, at individual and national levels

Anne Lautier
*
, CIRAIG
Ralph Rosenbaum, CIRAIG - Interuniversity Research Centre for the Life Cycle of
Products, Processes and Services
Manuele Margni, CIRAIG, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal
Louise Deschenes, CIRAIG

Normalization is an optional element of LCA which calculates the magnitude of an impact (midpoint or endpoint)
relative to the total effect of a given reference. Expressing the results of an LCA related to a common basis allows
determining the relative importance of the different effects to the selected reference. A reference value, called
normalization factor, is associated to each impact category of a LCIA methodology. It is often referring to a global,
continental or regional level as a whole or expressed on a yearly person basis.
Normalization factors can be calculated either from a bottom up approach, that considers the impact of individual
consumption, or from a top down approach that considers the total effect of national industrial commercial and
agricultural activities, energy production, transport, and residential activities on a yearly person basis. The goal of
this work was i) to calculate normalisation factors for Canada using both top down and bottom up approaches, and
ii) to compare the results from both.
Top down normalization factors have been calculated from national annual emission inventories using the
characterisation factors from LUCAS (Canadian), IMPACT 2002+ (European), and TRACI (US) respectively.
Bottom up normalization factors have been calculated from statistical data of individual Canadian consumption, and
using both the European coinvent database and the American Economic Input-Output 98 database.
As an example, individual energy consumption totals 427 GJ/pers.yr when considering the top down approach, and
188 and 323 GJ/pers.yr when applying the bottom up approach, using process LCA and Economic Input Output
(EIO) LCA respectively. Similarly, global warming effects amount to 20,6 t-eq CO
2
/pers.yr for the top down
approach, and 9,8 and 14,4 t-eq CO
2
/pers.yr for the bottom up approach, using process LCA and EIO LCA
respectively.
The differences between the top down and bottom up approaches can be explained either by gaps in the individual
consumption inventory or by the fact that Canada is an important exporter of energy, minerals and agricultural
products, which means that the total national emissions cannot be entirely attributed to individual Canadian
consumption. Furthermore, process LCA and EIO LCA also gave different results due to the differences between
both methodologies. Future work will focus on identifying the differences and will lead to a hybrid methodology
that uses jointly process LCA and EIO LCA.

*
anne.lautier@polymtl.ca

LCIA 1

70

Multicriteria Comparison of Ecotoxicity Methods
Focused on Pesticides

Frank Hayer
*
, Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station ART
Daniel U. Baumgartner, Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station ART
Christian Bockstaller, INRA Agronomie et Environnement
Grard Gaillard, Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station
Thomas Kaegi, Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station ART
Laure Mamy, INRA UR 251 PESSAC
Thomas Nemecek, Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station ART
Joern Strassemeyer, Julius Kuehn Institute (JKI) Federal Research Centre for
Cultivated Plants

Several life cycle assessment (LCA) models are available to analyze the toxic effect of chemical substances on the
environment and human health. Often fully contradictory results show substantial limitations and differences
between the models, especially regarding pesticides in agricultural production systems. In the frame of the European
network of competences on pesticides (ENDURE) the performances of the LCA toxicity models EDIP, CML-USES,
IMPACT2002+ were compared together with the risk assessment (RA) methods SYNOPS, I-PHY and PRZM-
USES. The comparison is based on a multi-criteria analysis combining self assessment and cross checking. The
criteria list is based on the work of the COMET Project described in
1
and adopted to pesticide application. It
considers a set of criteria belonging to the three themes: Scientific soundness, practical feasibility and stakeholder
utility. The assessment of the two last dimensions has been validated by applying the methods to a large data set of
surveyed pesticide application strategies for wheat (186 in Saxony-Anhalt) and apple orchards (50 from the German
and 100 from the Swiss side of Lake Constance). For this analysis around 400 active ingredients were characterized
for the LCA methods using physicochemical and ecotoxicological data from the pesticides property database and the
database of SYNOPS. The RA methods show a better scientific soundness compared with the LCA ones regarding
the coverage of agricultural production and production factors. On the contrary, the LCA methods prove their
strength considering the criteria sets environmental issues and human health. Regarding the practical feasibility and
stakeholder utility the methods SYNOPS and I-PHY are favorable because of their graphical user interface and the
presentation of the results. For LCA purposes, it is recommended to use the CML-USES method for the assessment
of the whole production system. As soon as pesticides play a major role, an agricultural LCA study should
systematically be complemented by a RA study.
References
1. Bockstaller C, Guichard L, Keichinger O, Girardin P, Galan M-B and Gaillard G 2009: Comparison of methods to
assess the sustainability of agricultural systems. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 29 (1) 223-
235, DOI: 10.1051/agro:2008058

*
frank.hayer@art.admin.ch

LCIA 1

71

Life cycle health impact and benefits of air conditioning: reduction
in extreme heat mortality versus increase in health impacts due to
particulate and climate change

Olivier Jolliet
*
Carina Gronlund, University of Michigan
Marie O'Neill, University of Michigan
Jalonne White-Newsome, University of Michigan

This paper aims to develop a method to consistently compare on a life cycle basis mitigation of
climate change versus adaptation strategies. The method feasibility is developed and evaluated
on a case study on the use of air conditioning as s response to extreme heat events. Climate
change tends to increase the frequency and magnitude of extreme heat event and the weather
related mortality that include among other cerebrovascular disease, ischemic heart disease and
hypertensive disease. As an adaptation strategy on the one hand, the use of air conditioning has
been shown to reduce extreme heat mortality risks. On the other hand, air conditioning
contributes to increase emissions of both greenhouse gases and in primary and secondary
particulates. This raises two main questions: How does these benefits compare with the increase
in impacts? On a global scale who benefits and who suffers from the use of air conditioning? To
address these questions based on a life cycle approach, both damage and benefits are first
quantified on a common scale of Disability Adjusted Life years (DALYs) as defined by the
World Health Organization. Epidemiologic data show that air conditioning potentially reduces
mortality due to extreme heat by approximately 130,000 DALY/year in North America. In
comparison, epidemiological data also show that the primary and secondary particulates
associated with the life cycle of air conditioning are estimated to generate a similar order of
magnitude of 140,000 additional DALY/year. The greenhouse gases emitted to produce the
electricity to supply the AC units of 80 million households in the US may generate 290,000
DALYs per year, mostly in developing countries (wide uncertainty range from 20,000 to
1,400,000 DALY depending on the considered time horizon and scenario). This case study
demonstrates the feasibility of the approach and suggests as a first estimate that adaptation using
air conditioning generates as a first order of magnitude as much impacts on human health than
avoided in North America and additional impacts in developing countries. In this respect, actions
that contribute to both mitigation and adaptation may be more efficient in reducing impacts on
human health. Further research is required to systematically assess uncertainty propagation in the
various models in order to further test result robustness.

*
ojolliet@umich.edu

LCIA 1

72

Life Cycle Impact Assessment of Global Trade: monetary and
impact disparities in developing vs. developed regions

Shanna Shaked
*
, University of Michigan, Applied Physics
Damien Friot, Ecole des Mines de Paris
Stefan Schwarzer, UNEP
Cedric Wannaz, University of Michigan
Olivier Jolliet, University of Michigan

Increasing globalization results in many developed regions effectively exporting their manufacturing (and associated
emissions) to developing regions. We combine a global production chain model, input-output analyses, and a global
impact model to estimate the disparities in monetary output and health impacts associated with this production. The
health impacts are estimated based on the fate, exposure and intake of pollutants emitted during the manufacturing,
transport and use phases, which occur respectively in the producing nation, the rest of the world and the consuming
nation. In order to determine the health impacts of current consumption patterns, we use a multi-continental
multimedia model and life cycle impact assessment techniques to link emissions resulting from production to the
subsequent health impacts on both the producing and consuming countries.
This model has previously been applied to German textile consumption to show that China and India receive only
13% of the money spent on production, but suffer 61% of the impacts associated with particulate matter emissions.
We have now expanded this model to look at global textile consumption and regionally-allocated impacts associated
with particulate matter and CO
2
emissions. Using the global production chain model, we find that Germany
domestically emits only 75% of the CO
2
emissions globally needed to meet German total household demand. China,
on the other hand, emits twice as much CO
2
emissions domestically as needed by Chinese household consumption.
Thus Germany is effectively exporting 25% of its CO
2
emissions to developing regions such as China.
Along with greenhouse gas emissions, developed regions are exporting the damaging chemical emissions associated
with manufacturing, such as particulate matter, which have more localized health impacts. The higher population
densities in developing regions and lower environmental standards means that exporting these emissions results in
disproportionately higher health impacts. A given emission in India or China can result in 2-8 times more health
damage than if the emission where in US or Europe.
This work is being done in collaboration with the United Nations Environmental Program and other decision-makers
in order to best provide guidance on the optimal methods for decreasing human health impacts and increasing
sustainability in global trade.

*
shaked@umich.edu

LCIA 2

73
Wednesday late morning

Session chair: Manuele Margni
Olivier Jolliet

The influence of value choices on human health damage assessment in LCA
An De Schryver, Mark Huijbergts

Calculation of LCA characterization factors for terrestrial eutrophication at
regional scale
Alejandro Gallego, Luis Rodrguez, Almudena Hospido, M Teresa Moreira,
Gumersindo Feijoo

Crucial improvements needed for Land Use Impact Assessment modeling
concerning biodiversity indicators
Danielle Maia de Souza, Ralph Rosenbaum, Louise Deschnes, Henrique de Melo
Lisboa

LCIA 2

74


Olivier Jolliet
*

This paper presents a framework to analyze the trade-offs between life cycle impacts and
benefits of nanotechnologies, as a replacement for conventional technologies. It first discusses
how the LCA approach applies to nano-based products. The EPA-EU Workshop on Life Cycle
of nanotechnologies hold on 2-3 October 2006 at the Wilson center has shown that:

a) There is no generic LCA of nanomaterials, just as there is no generic LCA of chemicals.
b) The ISO-framework for LCA (ISO 14040:2006) and the UNEP LCIA framework such as
operationalized with USEtox are suitable to the case of nanotechnologies and
nanomaterials.
c) Processes are under development and may be rapidly evolving. This is a very similar
situation to e.g. electronic industry.
d) The main challenge and gap in term of Life Cycle Impact Assessment is linked to the
direct toxicity of nanoparticle.

A matrix approach has been developed to identify the main risks associated to nanotechnologies
over the whole product life cycle (raw material extraction, manufacturing, use phase, disposal
and recycling) and case studies are shown for various nanoapplications. The presentation then
focuses on assessing the impact on human health of the emitted nanoparticles in a consistent way
with other life cycle impacts: First the nanoparticle intake fraction - the fraction of the particle
emitted that is taken in by the population - is calculated using a multi-media model of fate and
exposure. This step is illustrated through an example of fullerenes compared to persistent organic
substances such as dioxins. In a second step, the intake is combined with dose-response
information that assess the probability of various diseases per unit intake to eventually obtain
human health impacts in term of disability adjusted life years.

*
ojolliet@umich.edu

LCIA 2

75

The influence of value choices on
human health damage assessment in LCA

An De Schryver
*
, Radboud University Nijmegen
Mark Huijbergts, Radboud University Nijmegen

Uncertainties involved in environmental decision making, using results from Life Cycle
Assessment (LCA), Risk Assessment or any other analytical tool, are inevitable
1
. Within life
cycle impact assessment methodologies, parameter uncertainty caused by lack of knowledge in
the development of characterization factors can be assessed by applying methods such as Monte
Carlo analysis
2

3
. Uncertainties due to differences in moral beliefs, concerns or interests (also
defined as value choices), e.g., time frames considered and the level of proof needed, are
embedded into the characterization factors and not easy to cope with by practitioners. To handle
value choices arising in the modeling procedure in a consistent way, three coherent perspectives
can be defined based on the Cultural Theory, namely the hierarchist, egalitarian and individualist
perspectives
4

5
. Each perspective reflects a type of people with a specific set of preferences and
contextual values that explains their view on nature and society
6
. This allows the combination of
both scientifically valid impact modeling and the representation of the decision makers or the
human actors world views. Furthermore, it motivates decision makers, methodology developers
and analysts to make transparent their value choices.
This presentation outlines the practical consequences of value choices in impact assessment
damage modeling by using the Cultural Theory. For a range of ecoinvent processes
7
, covering
the most important consumer product groups, the human health damage score was calculated
using three different sets of characterization factors. The applied methodology combined six
human health impact assessment categories: human toxicity, climate change, respiratory
inorganics, ionizing radiations, ozone layer depletion and photochemical ozone formation. The
characterization factors were recalculated and adapted to three predefined sets of value choices
representing the hierarchist, egalitarian and individualist perspectives. The results indicate that
the relative contributions of the human health impact categories change when using a different
perspective and that the products ranking between the three perspectives is product group
specific. For example, for agricultural products the ranking correlation factor is the highest (0.90)
between the hierarchist and egalitarian perspective; and the damage scores are mostly dominated
by the respiratory inorganics impact category for the hierarchist perspective, by climate change
for the egalitarian perspective and by human toxicity for the individualistic perspective.
The differences in results due to value choices in impact assessment modeling are shown and
changes in relative contribution of the different human health impacts to the overall human
damage score and products ranking for each perspective are presented. Furthermore, the value
choices that are the main drivers in result changes are outlined and explained. This study reflects
the consequences of choosing one specific perspective within impact assessment modeling, an
important awareness to have for practitioners and especially decision makers.

LCIA 2

76
References
1. Steen, B. (2006) Describing values in relation to choices in LCA. International Journal of Life
Cycle Assessment, 11, 4) 277-283
2. Geisler, G., Hellweg, S. & Hungerbhler, K. (2005) Uncertainty analysis in Life Cycle
Assessment (LCA): case study on plant-protection products and implications for decision
making. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 10, 184-192.
3. Huijbregts, M. A. J., Gilijamse, W., Ragas, A. M. J. & Reijnders, L. (2003) Evaluating
Uncertainty in Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment. A Case Study Comparing Two
Insulation Options for a Dutch One-Family Dwelling.
4. Goedkoop, M. & Spriensma, R. T. (1999) The Eco-indicator 99: A damage oriented method
for Life Cycle Impact Assessment Methodology. Amersfoort, The Netherlands, PR
Consultants.
5. Goedkoop, M., Heijungs, R., Huijbregts, M., De Schryver, A. M., Struijs, J. & Van Zelm, R.
(2008) ReCiPe 2008. A life cycle impact assessment method which comprises harmonised
category indicators at the midpoint and the endpoint level; First edition Report I.
Characterisation. Den Haag, The Netherlands, VROM.
6. Hofstetter, P. (1998) Perspectives In Life Cycle Impact Assessment. A Structured Approach
To Combine Models Of The Technosphere, Ecosphere And Valuesphere. London, UK.
7. Ecoinvent Centre (2006) ecoinvent data v2.0, ecoinvent reports No. 1-25. 2007, CD-ROM.
Duebendorf, Switzerland, Swiss Centre for Life Cycle Inventories.

*
a.deschryver@science.ru.nl

LCIA 2

77

Calculation of LCA characterization factors for terrestrial
eutrophication at regional scale

Alejandro Gallego
*
, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Univ. of Santiago de Compostela
Luis Rodrguez, European Commission, Directorate General JRC, Institute for
Environment and Sustainability
Almudena Hospido, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Uni. of Santiago de Compostela
M Teresa Moreira, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Uni. of Santiago de Compostela
Gumersindo Feijoo, Dept of Chemical Engineering, Univ. of Santiago de Compostela

One of the major drawbacks of models used currently to calculate characterization factors for
terrestrial eutrophication is the use of information at a country scale. This fact may turn to be a
problem, especially in countries with large geographic, climatic and economic variability such as
Russia, Sweden or Spain. Currently the only way to calculate these characterization factors is by
measuring and calculating local emissions, deposition and critical loads. Galicia (NW Spain), a
region where terrestrial eutrophication caused by the atmospheric deposition of N-compounds
has been reported to be the main threat for the sustainability of the terrestrial ecosystems, was
selected as a case study for the calculation of regional characterization factors. Depositions levels
for NOx and NHy were measured on-field by using data recorded at 34 monitoring sites. Annual
emissions from the principal sources of emission were also quantified using the best available
calculation methods. Exceedances of N deposition has been calculated considering specific
values of immobilization, uptake, denitrication and the leaching processes of different
ecosystems. Regional characterization factors have then been calculated using accumulated
exceedance as impact category indicator and results have been compared with figures available
in the literature for Spain. The values obtained for the regional characterization factors turned out
to be quite different to those obtained for a country scale, although a more detailed comparison
of both studies is required in order to calculate the exact value of the uncertainties associated
with each characterization factor. This study confirms that accumulated exceedance is a good
category indicator for terrestrial eutrophication in LCA as it produces stable characterization
factors with low variations in emissions, which is typical for LCIA applications.

*
alejandro.gallego@usc.es

LCIA 2

78

Crucial improvements needed for Land Use Impact Assessment
modeling concerning biodiversity indicators

Danielle Maia de Souza
*
, UFSC (Federal University of Santa Catarina)/POLYMTL
/CIRAIG
Ralph Rosenbaum, CIRAIG - Interuniversity Research Centre for the Life Cycle of
Louise Deschnes, CIRAIG - Interuniversity Research Centre for the Life Cycle of
Henrique de Melo Lisboa, UFSC - Federal University of Santa Catarina

On the continuous effort to improve the Life Cycle Impact Assessment methodology in Brazil,
the adaptation of current characterization models was made necessary. Considering the global
efforts on the development of indicators for land use impact assessment in LCA biodiversity,
ecosystem functions and services and ecological resources - within Ecosystem Quality,
biodiversity indicators were the one chosen for the evaluation and assessment. The main reasons
are its importance on sustaining ecosystem functions and the core need to focus the sustainability
and conservation of Brazilian biodiversity. An evaluation of the existing models for land use
assessment, according to biodiversity indicators, has been carried out. The aim has been to
analyze the applicability of current mostly used indicators and their weak points on the
assessment - and check out the possible correlation of other indicators which could improve the
analysis of land use occupation and transformation effects on biological diversity in Brazil.
During the analysis it has been identified the necessity to review many aspects which still remain
unclear, such as the land use types and respective intensities of use; the restoration times; the
reference time for the comparison of actual and post-transformation and/or occupation and its
relation with the intensity of use. Different methodologies deal with these issues but most remain
unclear. Further, in many cases, the ecological value of ecosystems are not taken into account,
considering that the states of natural or near-to-natural, supposedly to be reached after
restoration, are mostly considered to be the same, no matter which region the assessment is being
carried out. In land restoration, for example, it is clear that regional differences play an important
role on the assessment. This paper is an effort to review some of the parameters involved in Land
Use Impact Assessment, having in mind, the necessity to adaptation of modeling into countries
like Brazil, with a diverse biological diversity, according to different land uses and regions
with still lack on data availability for the assessment.

*
danideutschland@gmx.net

Buildings

79
Wednesday early afternoon

Session chair: Bastian Wittstock
An Industry Example Use of an LCA Study in the Development and
Registration of an EPD in the US
Connie Hensler

A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Insulating Concrete Forms with
Traditional Residential Wall Sections
Neethi Rajagopalan, Melissa Bilec, Amy Landis

Life-Cycle Assessment of a Green Educational Building: A Case-Study
Uta Krogmann, Nicholas Minderman, Jennifer Senick, Clinton Andrews

Rob Sianchuk, Paul McFarlane

Buildings

80

An Industry Example Use of an LCA Study in the
Development and Registration of an EPD in the US

Connie Hensler
*
, Interface, Inc.

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is an ISO type III ecolabel requiring life cycle
assessment and third party verification. While EPDs are being adopted in Europe, they have little
traction in the US. Interface is the first carpet manufacturer in North America to have registered
EPD.
EPDs follow a credible, verifiable process in their development. Companies must have a
commitment to full disclosure of what is usually confidential information about how products are
made. In addition to this ingredient information, companies must perform a life cycle assessment
pursuant to ISO 14040 standards with goal and scope defined by the Product Category Rules
(PCR). From this information, an Environmental Product Declaration is developed, pursuant to
ISO 14025 standards.
Interfaces first verified and registered EPD is for a modular carpet. The PCR was adopted from
the IBU Institut fur Bauen and Umwelt s PCR Floor Coverings, Environmental Product
Declarations Harmonized Rules for Textile, Laminate and Resilient Floor coverings, 2008. The
LCA study and the EPD were verified by Five Winds International and the EDP was
subsequently registered with The Green Standard.
The process of developing an EPD is extensive and the adoption of EPDs as a decision making
tool in the US is uncertain. The first companies to invest in EPD take a risk in exposing
proprietary information about their products, but hopefully will reap the rewards of the position
of environmental leadership. The value of an EPD beyond demonstrated leadership will depend
on the acceptance of EPDs as a common method for environmental disclosure and guidance for
purchasing decisions. When theres only one EPD out there, theres nothing for comparison.
When it is commonly available on products, comparisons can be made to guide purchasing
decisions and to assist in understanding the environmental footprint of larger systems. A trend in
Europe is use of EPDs for construction products to measure the environmental impact of entire
buildings. While here in the US, there is less support, but the transparency made possible with
EPDs should make it the standard environmental comparisons between products.

*
connie.hensler@interfaceglobal.com

Buildings

81

A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Insulating Concrete Forms
with Traditional Residential Wall Sections

Neethi Rajagopalan
*
Melissa Bilec, University of Pittsburgh

Buildings account for 30-40% of the worlds energy use
1
. In the United States, buildings use 70% of the
nations electricity
2
and emit 40% of the countrys greenhouse gas emissions
3
. Energy efficient structures
which reduce energy consumption and its consequent environmental impacts over the life cycle of the
buildings are increasingly becoming necessary. Wall assemblies made of insulating concrete forms (ICF)
which have the insulation built in with the structure help in addressing the need for energy efficient
structures. This research focuses on life cycle modeling of a 2, 450 square feet single family home in
Pittsburgh.
The LCA is divided into four broad phases-the manufacturing, construction, use and end of life phases.
For the manufacturing phase of the structures, an inventory assessment of 1 square foot of ICF is
compared with 1 square foot of wood frame structure. Preliminary results of LCI on an ICF structure
show that the polystyrene component which is used to make the forms has significant environmental
impact in comparison to concrete. Also ICF has high air emissions when compared to the wood frame
structure in the manufacturing phase.
The energy efficiency of a 2,450 square feet house is modeled in a Department of Energy (DOE) freeware
called eQuest. This software calculates hour by hour building consumption based on hourly weather data
and location considerations. Detailed data about building occupancy, heating, lighting, fenestration details
and building envelope are required for modeling in eQuest. The house is modeled to meet the
requirements of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), the residential energy code in the
US. Various modeling scenarios involving the use of ICF and wood in different structural members are
modeled to identify the best combination with the least energy consumption.
This study will identify the energy intensive phases in a life cycle of a residential structure and will
suggest manufacturing and use changes to reduce significant environmental impacts associated with the
building material. A residential model will be created to understand all the phases of the life cycle of a
house.
References
1. Heijungs, R. F., R., A Special View on the Nature of the Allocation Problem. Int. J. LCA 1998, 3, (5),
321-332.
2. Table R1: Energy Consumption by Sector, Ranked by State
3. Buildings Energy Databook: 1.1 Buildings Sector Energy Consumption

*
ner8@pitt.edu

Buildings

82

Life-Cycle Assessment of a Green Educational Building:
A Case-Study

Uta Krogmann
*
, Rutgers University
Nicholas Minderman, Rutgers University
Jennifer Senick, Rutgers University
Clinton Andrews, Rutgers University

Life-cycle assessments (LCAs) of whole buildings are challenging because buildings are large
scale, complex in materials and function, temporally dynamic and not standardized. As a result
only a few LCAs of whole buildings and even fewer LCAs of green buildings exist. In this study,
an LCA of a new 890 square meter educational facility with classrooms, laboratory space and
administrative offices was conducted with a focus on primary energy consumption and global
warming potential and the results were compared to literature data of conventional buildings.
Green features of the building include daylighting, occupancy sensors, building orientation,
enhanced insulation, solar power, water efficient fixtures, low volatile organic compounds
(VOC) paint, linoleum floor, low VOC carpet, and Forest Stewardship Certified wood.
The building has an initial mass of 1860 metric tonnes and of 1940 metric tonnes if materials for
renovations and replacements over a 50-yr life-time are included. The material placement phase
(raw material extraction and manufacturing) contributes 40.9%, the operations phase 58.1% and
the decommissioning phase 1.1% to the total life-cycle primary energy consumption of 89000
MWh. As expected, the LCA showed that the life cycle primary energy consumption of the
building is much less dominated by the operations phase than in conventional buildings, due to
the energy conserving features and the solar panels. However, the embodied primary energy
during the materials placement phase seems to be higher than in conventional buildings. Similar
effects were also found for the global warming potential and the acidification potential.
The LCA also highlights how building material choices may inadvertently shift impacts across
impact categories and/or geographies (e.g., the eutrophication effects of linoleum). This was
confirmed by other studies that compared wood, linoleum and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
flooring materials and concluded that wood flooring is the most favorable floor material
followed by linoleum and then PVC. However, wood flooring is the most expensive flooring
material.
The case study of this green educational building confirms the effects of the reduced energy
consumption of this building. However, additional data are necessary specifically for green
building materials to expand the study to other than energy related environmental impacts.

*
krogmann@aesop.rutgers.edu

Buildings

83


Rob Sianchuk
*
Paul McFarlane
**

A special topics course, Life Cycle Analysis of UBC Buildings (CIVL 498C), was created for
fourth year civil engineering students at the University of British Columbia (UBC) for the 2008
winter session. The objective of the course was to contribute to the development of an
environmental performance-based tool to establish quantifiable sustainable development
guidelines for future UBC construction, renovation and demolition projects. Each student
completed a cradle-to-gate LCA on the structure and envelope of an assigned academic or
residential building at UBC. The students performed material takeoffs from architectural and
structural drawings using OnCenters OnScreen TakeOff software, and built their respective
LCA models using the Athena Institutes Environmental Impact Estimator version 4.0.
Standardized input and assumption document formats were used to provide transparency, and to
ensure that these LCA studies could be expanded upon in the future by including further building
elements and life cycle stages. This study established a materials inventory and environmental
impact references for 20% of the approximately 15 million ft
2
of floor area currently constructed
at UBC. The preliminary impact assessment results indicated that the average academic building
at UBC has an embodied energy of 263 MJ /ft
2
, global warming potential of 21 kg CO
2
eq/ft
2
,
ozone layer depletion of 5.4x10-8 kg CFC-11 eq/ft
2
, acidification potential of 7 moles H
+
eq/ft
2
,
smog potential of 9.2x10-2 kg NOx eq/ft
2
and eutrophication potential of 5.6x10-4 kg N eq/ft
2
.
For comparison, the average residential building at UBC has an embodied energy of 443 MJ /ft
2
,
global warming potential of 31 kg CO
2
eq/ft
2
, ozone layer depletion of 8.8x10-8 kg CFC-11
eq/ft
2
, acidification potential of 10 moles H
+
eq/ft
2
, smog potential of 1.5x10-1 kg NOx eq/ft
2

and eutrophication potential of 1.1x10-3 kg N eq/ft
2
. Furthermore, approximately 4 million tons
of carbon are stored in the structures of the sampled buildings at UBC, with the majority being
stored in small dimension lumber and plywood. This case study exemplifies the type of
community-scale LCA investigation that is an essential element in contributing to the emergence
of a global life cycle economy.

*
r_sianchuk@hotmail.com
**
Paul.McFarlane@ubc.ca


84
Wednesday late afternoon

Special session coordinator: Catherine Benoit, UQAM

2009 is an important year for the development of Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA). The
publication of the Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment by the UNEP SETAC Life Cycle
Initiative sets the stage, outlining a framework and best-practices for assessing the social and
socio-economic impacts of product life cycles, and also highlights where new research is needed.

This session provides a forum in which to share the results of research and applications in the
development and demonstration of impact assessment methods, databases, and software tools
that bring Social LCA to a wider state of practice. Case studies in Social LCA are welcome as
part of this session scope, as are strategies for and examples of collecting social life cycle
inventory data. Other topics of interest for the session include experiences with stakeholder
engagement and peer review of S-LCA studies.

Development of a screening tool for Social LCA: The Social Hot spots
Database Part 1
Catherine Benoit

Development of a screening tool for Social LCA: The Social Hot spots
Database Part 2
Greg Norris

Comparison of the effects caused by the production of a rose bouquet in
Ecuador to those caused by the production in the Netherlands using the
Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment
Andreas Ciroth, Juliane Franze

Achieving Comprehensive Social Impact Assessment
Lise Laurin, Mellisa Hamilton

Proposition of a characterization model in Social LCA : Fair Salary Index
Julie Parent

Quantifying and assessing working environment related social aspects along
product lifecycles the LCWE approach
Jan Paul Lindner, Tabea Beck, Ulrike Bos, Cecilia Makishi Colodel


85

Development of a screening tool for Social LCA:
The Social Hot spots Database Part 1

Catherine Benoit, UQAM

Product Life Cycles include many unit processes. In fact, every sector can be found, at some
level, in every product supply chain. For this reason, in environmental LCA we use generic or
industry average data for the background processes that make small individual (but possibly
large total) contributions to total impacts over a life cycle. We then identify the processes which
make a major contribution to total impacts, and these hot spots become priorities for data
refinement and possibly for environmental progress as well.
A similar process of identifying hot spots using average data can be very helpful in the early
stages of a social LCA. Social hot spots are unit processes located in a region where a situation
occurs that may be considered as a problem, a risk or an opportunity, in function of a social
theme of interest. The social theme of interest represents issues that are considered as threatening
social well-being or that may contribute to its further development.

The presentation is the first of two which will, in sequence, describe the elements of a global
social hot spot database and modeling system, and will present results for a case study addressing
child labor risk.

The global hot spot database and analysis system is being developed in an open source, non-
proprietary way. An open, transparent database uses and summarizes best-available information
about reported risks and measures relating to each category of concern or impact in social LCA.
The data table summarizes risks and opportunities by sector, by region.

When combined with the global IO model with data on worker participation, we are able to
conduct a life cycle attribute assessment, and also to identify social hot spots in the global
supply chains of products. As with environmental LCA, these social hot spots then become
priorities for data refinement, and may provide the best opportunities for achieving
improvements in social impacts within a given product life cycle.


86

Development of a screening tool for Social LCA:
The Social Hot spots Database Part 2

Greg Norris, Sylvatica

Product Life Cycles include many unit processes. In fact, every sector can be found, at some
level, in every product supply chain. For this reason, in environmental LCA we use generic or
industry average data for the background processes that make small individual (but possibly
large total) contributions to total impacts over a life cycle. We then identify the processes which
make a major contribution to total impacts, and these hot spots become priorities for data
refinement and possibly for environmental progress as well.

A similar process of identifying hot spots using average data can be very helpful in the early
stages of a social LCA. Social hot spots are unit processes located in a region where a situation
occurs that may be considered as a problem, a risk or an opportunity, in function of a social
theme of interest. The social theme of interest represents issues that are considered as threatening
social well-being or that may contribute to its further development.

The system is built upon the GTAP global input-output model. This system provides data for 113
regions, and each is differentiated into 57 sectors. The inputs to each sector, used to produce its
product output, are specified quantitatively; so are the trade flows between each region. The
model forms the backbone of a global input/output LCA model.

To support global social hot spot assessment in LCA, this system is augmented with data on
worker participation levels by sector by region.

The presentation will describe how researchers and LCA practitioners in any region can make
use of the model, to support:

a) Development of environmental and social LCI databases for their country, in a way that takes
explicit account of global trade flows;
b) Identification of social hot spots in product life cycles.


87

Comparison of the effects caused by the production of a rose
bouquet in Ecuador to those caused by the production in the
Netherlands using the Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment

Andreas Ciroth, GreenDeltaTC GmbH
Juliane Franze, GreenDeltaTC

We will present a case study for a social life cycle assessment (sLCA) based on the recently
published Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment of Products as developed by a
UNEP/SETAC Working Group. The general aim is to try out the proposed method, which so
far has not been tested in detail on a specific case. The case study itself is about the impacts of
rose production. It compares the effects caused by the production of a rose bouquet in Ecuador to
those caused by the production in the Netherlands. In both cases, the roses are delivered to the
European market, and put on sale at a venue in Aalsmeeer, the Netherlands. Further objective is
to identify differences and similarities in environmental and social life cycle modelling, and find
both social and environmental hot spots in each of the life cycles. While additional effort will be
needed in terms of data collection,methodological experiences, and software support, the
guidelines as such proved to be applicable. Coupling social and environmental LCA has
synergies so that both together can be performed quicker than if each were conducted separately.
In addition, the case study shows that results can be completely different for the environmental
and for the social dimension, so that it will often be needed to perform both assessments if a
complete picture is required.


88

Achieving Comprehensive Social Impact Assessment

Lise Laurin, EarthShift
Mellisa Hamilton, EarthShift

Just as environmental impact assessments miss important environmental affects and are often
augmented by a risk assessment, the inclusion of social impacts in an assessment method will
miss important social impacts. Because social impact assessment is a relatively new concept,
there will be a learning curve over which the methods will get better and more comprehensive. In
addition, social impacts are less tangible than environmental impacts, and may never be as well
modeled using a life cycle assessment approach. These impacts can also be assessed using a risk
assessment, this time an assessment of social risk.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is often criticized for missing major environmental impacts. As an
example, brominated flame retardants, even those which are no longer manufactured due to the
possibility of risk to human health, are ignored by all major impact assessment methods. The
risks to fish migrations in hydroelectric power generation are also ignored. To ensure that these
important environmental impacts are not ignored in major decision-making, most LCA
practitioners recommend a complimentary risk assessment to capture these other impacts.

Social LCA has even more potential for missing impacts. Cultural biases mean that one societys
benefit is anothers bane. We have seen, however, that social risk assessment as applied using
Total Cost Assessment (TCA) has done an excellent job at digging out the potential social
impacts of a behavior or decision. Applying TCA to several projects, social concerns have come
to the forefront: concerns over noise, immediate human health impacts, disease transmittal from
one location to another, and local employment, for example. While TCA is only one example of
a social risk assessment, we will show how this method has brought the issue of social
sustainability side by side with economic and environmental sustainability. By including this
type of assessment as a compliment to the LCA methodology at the outset, we simplify the initial
task for Social Impact Assessment Method developers and give them a greater chance of success.


89

Proposition of a characterization model in Social LCA:
Fair Salary Index

Julie Parent, UQAM

Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) has evolved a lot in the last year, with the publication of
the Guidelines for SLCA for products and services (2009) by the Life Cycle Initiatives task
force on the integration of social aspects into Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This international
Taskforce has agreed on a general framework for the tool which is presented in the Guidelines.
However, methodological issues still need further research. This is the case for social
mechanisms, which need to be translated into characterization models for calculating indicator
results for the impact categories.

Regarding this need, we proposed an evaluation model for the characteristic Salary, an
important subject when assessing the impact category work conditions.

As it is proposed in the Guidelines for SLCA, two levels of assessment can take place depending
on the goal of the study: hotspot assessment, where the unit processes are at the national and
sectoral level, and case specific assessment, where the unit processes become more precise
regarding the organizations responsible of the activities along the life cycle. Our Fair Salary
Index belongs to the Hotspot assessment and aims to measure the adequacy of the salary
expected to be at the national level. It aggregates indicators helping to identify if a country is at
risk regarding salaries. These indicators have been extracted from ILOs work on Decent Work.
In addition, since an Index will inherently involve subjective steps, hardly avoidable when
dealing with social aspects, we attempted to represent the value system of the ILO, which one
can consider as being based on an international consensus.
Our characterization model aims to assign a score representing the adequacy of the salaries
expected for the countries involved in the life cycle of a product; the score of the index being the
indicator of the subcategory salary.
Finally, the Index is tested on the product system of the Qubec greenhouse tomato. The
subcategory indicator is attached to the product system using a model proposed for the Life
Cycle Attribute Assessment (LCAA), but recognized as being adequate for SLCA in the
Guidelines for SLCA. The case study gives a platform to discuss the signification of the values
once attributed to a product life cycle.
If our work focused on a single subcategory, the method used to build the Index might be
relevant to develop others characterization models.


90

Quantifying and assessing working environment related social
aspects along product lifecycles the LCWE approach

Jan Paul Lindner, Stuttgart University
Tabea Beck, Stuttgart University
Ulrike Bos, Stuttgart University
Cecilia Makishi Colodel, Stuttgart University

The integration of working environment related social aspect into life cycle oriented
sustainability assessments provides important information for decision makers in policy, society
and industry and helps to identify trade-offs between environmental and social impacts.

In the method developed at the University of Stuttgart, Department of Life Cycle Engineering,
the sectoral and the process based approach as mentioned in the Guidelines for Social Life Cycle
Assessment are combined: Industry sector specific statistical data from national censuses is
gathered and allocated to process level. The assumptions this allocation is acting on are that the
social impacts of a process are related to the amount of human labour of the process.
Furthermore, the amount of human labour of a process is related to the effort made to add value
by processing (which is equivalent to the added-value itself). Based on this allocation the
approach enables both the use of statistical data on social aspects and the aggregation of process
specific data along the life cycle of products. The basis for the aggregation and the weighting of
the processes is working time.

The indicators developed so far are qualified working time distinguishing different general
qualification levels, total working time as well as lethal and non-lethal accidents. For all these
indicators process specific data has been generated and integrated into the GaBi software system
enabling the assessment of the impacts also including background systems.

The methodology and data have been employed in different projects in parallel to conventional
LCAs and have demonstrated their viability.

In the presentation the LCWE methodology including the development of the indicators will be
presented. The generation of process specific data from industry sectoral statistical data will be
elaborated and a case study will be shown with the respective results.

Power

91
Session chair: Jennifer Princing
Uncertainty and Variability in Accounting for Grid Electricity in
Christopher Weber, Constantine Samaras, Paulina Jaramillo, Joe Marriott

Scope Dependent Modelling of Electricity in Life Cycle Assessment
Rolf Frischknecht, Matthias Stucki

Variability in life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation
technologies
Garvin Heath, Margaret Mann, Pamala Sawyer

Carbon Footprint of an 800 MW Coal-fired Power Plant with CCS: CO
2
-EOR
and Storage Options
Jitsopa Suebsiri, Anastassia Manuilova, Malcolm Wilson

Life Cycle Inventory and Cost Analysis of Advanced Fossil Energy Electricity
Generation Technology: IGCC & NGCC Case Studies
Robert James, Timothy Skone

Power

92

Uncertainty and Variability in Accounting for Grid Electricity in

Christopher Weber
*
, Carnegie Mellon University
Constantine Samaras, Carnegie Mellon University
Paulina Jaramillo, Carnegie Mellon University/Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering
Joe Marriott, University of Pittsburgh

The electricity sector is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases and conventional
pollutants worldwide. It has long been a focus in life cycle assessment (LCA), both as an object
of LCA studies as well as a major component of the life cycle inventory of producing nearly any
product or service. Despite the seemingly broad study of this important sector, considerable
variation still occurs in how electricity is accounted for in LCA methods. This presentation will
review the status of electricity in LCA, discuss the inherent assumptions in current accounting
methods, and propose recommendations for future modeling and standard-setting. We
accomplish this through a review of different standards for LCA and carbon footprinting (the
Greenhouse Gas Protocol, PAS 2050, and various US government initiatives as well as the ISO
14040 series) and a detailed study of different accounting boundaries for the continental United
States.
We find substantial variation in short run marginal and average electricity grid mixes at scales
from the local grid to the continental boundary. Taking into account only variation in CO
2

emissions from delivered electricity, emissions factors range over one and a half orders of
magnitude at a state level and over a factor of three at the level of grid operational control. As
would be expected, as the area over which the grid is averaged becomes larger, the range of
assessed emissions factors becomes smaller until the full continental United States is eventually
averaged.
While there is a general consensus toward country-specific average grid mix in attributional and
short-run consequential LCA, we argue that the proper mix of electricity generation to use in an
LCA should be more reflective of true market conditions. This begins with using consumption-
based electricity mixes as opposed to production-based mixes, which is becoming standard
practice in LCA but is not fully accepted yet. Additionally, we argue the geographical area for
the consumption mix should be dictated by grid interconnectedness as opposed to arbitrary
national or sub-national borders. Finally, we discuss the implications of this research for
uncertainty and sensitivity analysis in LCA.

*
clweber@cmu.edu

Power

93

Scope Dependent Modelling of Electricity in Life Cycle Assessment

Rolf Frischknecht
*
, ESU-services Ltd.
Matthias Stucki, ESU-services Ltd.

The choice of the appropriate model is subject of current debates related to life cycle inventory analysis. Three
basically different models exist in life cycle inventory analysis: the attributional, the decisional and the
consequential model
1
. The attributional model is used to describe the environmental impacts caused by the average
supply of a product in a given time period. It is mainly used to document the environmental impacts caused by an
existing activity, e.g. environmental reports of a company, or an existing product, e.g. environmental product
declaration of a refrigerator. The decisional approach is used to describe the environmental impacts caused by a
change in supply of a product due to an increase or decrease in consumption in a given time period, considering the
financial and / or contractual relationships between the economic actors. It is used in decision support. It helps to
model product systems by taking relevant changes in the economic system into account, respecting business-
management decisions. The consequential approach is used to describe the environmental impacts caused by a
change in supply of a product due to a massive increase or decrease in consumption in a given time period. Like the
decisional model, the consequential model is used in decision support. It helps to model product systems by taking
relevant changes on a macro-economic level into account, including contraints, shifts in price levels, changes in
capacity loads etc. We recommend using the relative economic size, to classify objects of investigation into three
groups to which the most appropriate LCI models are assigned. An individual decision with comparatively small
consequences is best modelled under ceteris paribus (other things being equal) conditions. Decisions with large
potential consequences should be modelled under the conditions of mutatis mutandis (the necessary changes being
made). Depending on the relative economic size of the object of investigation and the dimension of potential
changes in the economy, the decisional or consequential model is better suited to comply with the mutatis mutandis
condition. We recommend establishing electricity LCI datasets primarily on the basis of the attributional and the
decisional approach. The attributional approach is sensible for environmental reporting and product labelling and
declaration. The decisional approach is sensible for LCAs of product and process development, as well as site and
supplier evaluation carried out by private companies. There are relevant LCA applications, in particular with regard
to national and European policy making, where limitations and interrelations on a macro-economic scale are highly
relevant. Limited availability of biomass, limited hydroelectric power potential or extension of arable land at the
cost of primary forests need to be considered when it comes to an environmental assessment of large-scale policy
measures (like for instance promoting renewable energies). This may be of relevance for companies too, if they offer
products or services that are in line or help to comply with such government policies. The reasoning for the choices
mentioned above is explained and examples covering a large European country and EU-27 are given.
References
1. Frischknecht R. 2007: Modelling of product systems in Life Cycle Inventory Analysis: Synopsis of attributional
and consequential system models properties and differences, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (Ed.), Uster,
Karlsruhe 2007

*
frischknecht@esu-services.ch

Power

94

Variability in life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from
electricity generation technologies

Garvin Heath
*
, National Renewable Energy Laboratory/University of Colorado at
Boulder
Margaret Mann, NREL
Pamala Sawyer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

The climate change mitigation potential of renewable energy (RE) should be evaluated across the full
range of technologies on a consistent basis. Climate change mitigation potential of RE means the
difference in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions between an amount of energy supplied by an RE
technology and by an incumbent technology. Because the most significant source of GHG emissions for
RE technologies often occurs during manufacturing and assembly of the system components, their
emissions must be evaluated considering the full life cycle. For consistency, GHG emissions from
incumbent technologies must also be evaluated over their full life cycle as well.
Life cycle assessments (LCAs) have been performed on many energy technologies by numerous research
groups over the past 20+ years. Some RE and conventional technologies have been evaluated in many
studies, some in few or one, and some have yet to be examined. This presentation will synthesize existing
estimates of life cycle GHG emissions to provide a foundational understanding of the variability of life
cycle GHG emissions for RE and conventional electricity generation technologies. This synthesis is based
on an exhaustive review of the LCA literature, where any reference reporting life cycle GHG emissions
for an electricity generation technology that meets minimal standards of documentation, originality and
relevance to modern designs was considered.
However, direct comparisons amongst LCAs are problematic owing to ubiquitous methodological
inconsistencies. Therefore, NREL is undertaking a substantial effort of methodological harmonization of
the set of existing LCAs on energy technologies. This effort follows the model of Farrell and colleagues
1
,
where, given a set of high quality and fully documented prior LCAs, system boundaries and other
methodological issues can be harmonized ex post facto. Meta-analysis on the set of harmonized results
provides for the possibility of determining the robustness of conclusions about the GHG emissions of the
evaluated technologies, e.g., a central tendency and an estimate of uncertainty or variability, and can
assist in prioritization of future research. This presentation will briefly describe the harmonization
progress to date.
References
1. Farrell AE, Plevin RJ, Turner BT, Jones AD, O'Hare M and Kammen DM. 2006. Ethanol Can Contribute
to Energy and Environmental Goals. Science 311: 506-8. January 27, 2006.

*
garvin.heath@nrel.gov

Power

95

Carbon Footprint of an 800 MW Coal-fired Power Plant with CCS:
CO
2
-EOR and Storage Options

Jitsopa Suebsiri
*
, University of Regina
Anastassia Manuilova, University of Regina
Malcolm Wilson, Office of Energy and Environment, University of Regina

Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) is increasingly seen as an important component of
broadly based greenhouse gas reduction measures, such as the use of renewable energy sources
or nuclear energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) uses 19% of emission reduction
requirements as the target for CCS. Although a fossil fuel power plant is a large source of CO
2

emissions, with CO
2
capture these emissions can be reduced substantially. However, it must be
recognized that CO
2
capture significantly decreases power plant efficiency; therefore, extra
resources (for example, coal in the case of a coal-fired power plant) are needed to compensate
for the lost capacity. Extensive application of CO
2
capture will require the construction of
replacement power plants to compensate for the loss of electricity to the grid. CO
2
transport and
storage also contribute to an increase in emissions and waste generation, as well as an increase in
energy and other resource consumption. To understand the implications, CCS activities should
be studied from a full life cycle perspective.
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a CCS system consisting of an 800 MWe coal-fired power
plant with a CO
2
post-combustion capture unit, CO
2
transport, CO
2
-EOR operations and storage
was conducted. The Weyburn project in Saskatchewan, Canada, provides a case study. Life cycle
inventory data specific for Canada were collected for the study. Where Canadian data were not
available, published data for the US or worldwide averages were used. The analysis of data was
performed using GaBi4 LCA software.
The results of the analysis showed an approximate 30% reduction in CO
2
emissions for the full
life cycle of CCS using the enhanced oil recovery base case. However, the efficiency of the
power plant dropped by 10 percentage points and resource consumption increased by 30% based
on electricity to the grid. In addition to CO
2
, other greenhouse gases (CH
4
, N
2
O, HFCs, PFCs,
and SF
6
) were also assessed and reported in the impact category Global Warming Potential
(GWP). The results of the study demonstrate that LCA methodology clearly identifies the carbon
footprint of CCS activities and the areas where improvement is needed to reduce resource
consumption.

*
jitsopa@gmail.com

Power

96

Life Cycle Inventory and Cost Analysis of Advanced Fossil Energy
Electricity Generation Technology: IGCC & NGCC Case Studies

Robert James
*
, US DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory
Timothy Skone
**
, US DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory

The possibility of legislation requiring greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions has already
incited investments in emerging energy generation technologies or retrofits which claim to
provide both environmental and economic benefits over existing technologies. Investors and
decision makers need a concise way to compare the environmental and economic performance of
current and existing generation technologies. This quantification will be accomplished, in part,
through a series of life cycle analysis (LCA) studies. This effort will expand on existing system
studies on selected electricity generation technologies.
The purpose of this study is to model the economic and environmental life cycle performance of
integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power
generation facilities over a 30-year period. Both technologies were studied with and without
carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). It is assumed that both technologies are built as new
greenfield construction projects. In addition to the energy generation facility, the economic and
environmental performance of processes upstream and downstream of the power facility was
considered.
The upstream LC stages (coal mining and coal transport for IGCC, natural gas extraction and
transport for NGCC) are modeled for both technology cases; the cases with CCS include the
additional transport and storage of the captured carbon. The downstream LC stages (electricity
distribution and end use) are also included. Cost considerations provide the constant dollar
levelized cost of delivered energy (LCOE) and the present value (PV) of the production and
delivery of energy over the study period. Environmental inventories include green house gases
(GHG), criteria air pollutants (CAP), mercury (Hg) and ammonia (NH
3
) emissions to air, water
use and consumption, and land use (acres transformed).

*
rjames@netl.doe.gov
**
tskone@netl.doe.go

Recycling

97
Session Chair: Anny YuShan Huang
The impact of end-of-life LCA allocation methods on materials selection
decisions in cases of open loop recycling
Elsa Olivetti, Anna Nicholson, Frank Field, Jeremy Gregory, Randolph Kirchain

Recycling of PE Plastic Bags in terms of Life Cycle Inventory
Guilherme de C. Queiroz, Eloisa E. C. Garcia

Five recycling models and how they drive the market behavior. Are they
moving us to sustainability?
Laurel McEwen, Lise Laurin

Comparative systems analysis of thermochemical and biochemical recycling
or organic waste towards industrial feedstocks
Philip Nuss

Status of plastics waste recycling systems in Japan and study on the selection
of the recycling methods by LCA methodology
Hajime Nishihara, Yoshimi Ozaki

Recycling

98

The impact of end-of-life LCA allocation methods on materials
selection decisions in cases of open loop recycling

Elsa Olivetti
*
, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Anna Nicholson, BIO Intelligence Service
Frank Field, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jeremy Gregory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Randolph Kirchain, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

One frequently discussed challenge in LCA methodology is the allocation or partitioning of environmental burdens
between various co-products or processes with multiple inflows or outflows. This work considers the allocation
challenge brought by partitioning the benefits or credits and burdens at product end-of-life (EOL) in the case of
open loop recycling. This work explores several analytical variations of EOL allocation in LCA and investigates the
implications of these variants on materials selection decisions across a range of contexts. Currently, ISO 14040
standards do not explicitly address the issue of EOL accounting in open loop recycling
1
and a diverse set of
methods exist to address this challenge
2
. Another LCA standard, focused on quantifying greenhouse gas emissions,
is the Publically Available Specification (PAS 2050) developed in the United Kingdom, which describes seven
allocation strategies and leaves the burden of open loop recycling calculations to the life cycle analyst
3
. In order to
test the robustness of materials selection decisions when using different LCA EOL allocation methods, stylized
analyses across a range of materials are presented, focusing on materials with varying primary and secondary
materials production burdens. The EOL allocation methods that were investigated include: cut-off, loss of quality,
closed loop approximation, 50/50, substitution methods and those methods that include information on supply and
demand price elasticity
4,5,6
. This work illustrates that a) the application of distinct EOL allocation methods give
different values of cumulative environmental impact for the same material, b) these impacts change at differing rates
between the various methods, and c) these disparities can result in different rank ordering of materials preference.
Characterizing this behavior over a range of parameters illustrates the potential trends in allocation method bias for
or against particular materials classes. Results indicate that some methods are more averse to materials with a high
ratio between secondary and primary production burdens while others are more averse to materials with high
primary production burdens. This presentation will include how several metrics of environmental performance, such
as energy, global warming potential and toxicity, are impacted by various EOL allocation methods.
References
1. ISO 14040, "Environmental Management -- Life Cycle Assessment --Principles and framework.," Geneva: International
Organization forStandardization, 1997.
2. J. G. Vogtlander, H. C. Brezet, and C. F. Hendriks, "Allocation inrecycling systems - An integrated model for the analyses
ofenvironmental impact and market value," International Journal of LifeCycle Assessment, vol. 6, pp. 344-355, 2001.
3. "PAS 2050: Specification for the assessment of the life cycle greenhousegas emissions of goods and services," British
Standards Institute, 2008.
4. T. Ekvall and A.-M. Tillman, "Open-Loop Recycling: Criteria forAllocation Procedures," International Journal of Life Cycle
Assessment,vol. 2, pp. 155-162, 1997.
5. European Aluminium Association, "Aluminium Recycling in LCA," 2005.
6. T. Ekvall, "A market-based approach to allocation at open-looprecycling," Resources Conservation and Recycling, vol. 29, pp.
91-109,Apr 2000.

*
elsao@mit.edu

Recycling

99

Recycling of PE Plastic Bags in terms of Life Cycle Inventory

Guilherme de C. Queiroz
*
, So Paulo State Government (SPSG/CETEA)
Eloisa E. C. Garcia
**
, CETEA/GESP

CETEA (Packaging Technology Center / So Paulo State Government) has conducted a LCA
study of PE (polyethylene) plastic bags with emphasis in life cycle inventory, collecting data for
the reference year 2003. The goal of this paper is to present part of this complete study, focusing
the influence of polyethylene recycling rate on the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) of PE plastic bags
in Brazil. The adopted methodology was based on the recommendations of SETAC - Society of
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and the ISO 14040 Standard ISO. Data storage and
modeling were performed by employing of the PIRA Environmental Management System
PEMS. For generating the Brazilian average data of ethylene, HDPE HMW, HDPE/LLDPE and
LDPE, the data were compiled taking into account, respectively, 61%, 100%, 78% and 63% of
the companies involved in each phase of the production process considering products consumed
in Brazil. After the company agreed to collaborate with the Project, appropriate questionnaires
were prepared and sent to data collection and fulfill. The companies were responsible for both
collecting the data and completing the data sheets. The calculation of the Brazilian average
polyethylene recycling was accomplished considering the data supplied by seven companies and
technologies. The calculation of the Brazilian average PE plastic bags was accomplished
considering the data supplied by four companies and technologies. Taking into account the
impact categories adopted in this study it has been shown that recycling helps to improve the PE
plastic bags environmental profile measured as LCI data.

*
guilherme@ital.sp.gov.br
**
eloisa@ital.sp.gov.br

Recycling

100

Five recycling models and how they drive the market behavior. Are
they moving us to sustainability?

Laurel McEwen
*
, EarthShift
Lise Laurin
**
, EarthShift

Modeling reuse and recycling is not easy and yet is critical for many industrial LCAs. As
companies work towards making more sustainable decisions, they are specifying recycled and
recyclable materials in their designs and developing end of life plans to reclaim materials for
recycling. Industry wants credit for these efforts in their LCA models. The credit may or may not
be applied, however, depending on the value choices inherent in the recycling model chosen, and
the credit may or may not be appropriate depending on the material market. For example,
attaching no burden to the use of recycled material, as in the cut-off method, may be appropriate
for seldom recycled materials such as carpet where the demand is diverting waste, whereas for
steel, where nearly all material returned for recycling is reused your demand is more likely
driving virgin production. Understanding these value choices is critical to choosing which
method you select. This paper will diagram the value choices inherent in several common
recycling models (avoided burden, cut-off, economic, market model for system expansion), and
ask the question, What behavior is the method driving? Industry can use this understanding to
select a recycling method that drives sensible behavior in their market.

*
laurel@earthshift.com
**
llaurin@earthshift.com

Recycling

101

Comparative systems analysis of thermochemical and biochemical
recycling or organic waste towards industrial feedstocks

Philip Nuss
*
, University of New Hampshire

Shifting the resource base for chemical and energy production from fossil feed-stocks to
renewable raw materials is seen by many as one of the key strategies towards sustainable
development. Depletion of fossil-fuels and escalating environmental concerns create a need for
novel sustainable routes for the production of commodity and specialty products that have
similar or advanced properties as compared to current fossil-fuel derived substances. The
utilization of biomass in biorefineries for the production of chemicals, materials and energy is
proposed as an alternative to the petroleum-based industry.
Current research focuses mainly on the utilization of lignocellulosic biomass, originating from
agriculture and forestry, as second generation feed-stocks for biofuel and chemicals production.
However, in this regards also the biodegradable municipal solid waste (BMSW) fraction may be
considered as an alternative feedstock. Among the advantages of using BMSW as a primary
feedstock are that it provides a steady source of supply (in contrast to agricultural biomass which
is seasonal) and that, unlike other purpose-grown crops, its production does not consume
additional land and water resources. Furthermore, BMSW is the only feedstock with an already
existing collection and processing infrastructure in place, and it has the advantage of being
separately funded in most instances. Finally, BMSW feed-stocks can be collected at a zero or
negative cost where tipping fees competitive with landfill alternatives can be levied.
This project aims at looking at biochemical and thermochemical processes capable of converting
BMSW into platform chemicals that can be used to further produce polymers and biomaterials.
Looking at the conversion routes towards synthetic materials will be of particular interests as
these are predestined to allow a closer cycle of materials and reduce dependence on either fossil
or biobased raw materials. The work attempts to analyze the efficiency of these routes with
regard to their carbon and energy balance and the system-wide environmental impacts as well as
technological and economic implications, using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Results will be
compared to data available for fossil-fuel based commodity chemicals and it is hoped that results
of this study will add to the current debate on sustainable biomass utilization and to establish
future supply chains for green and sustainable chemical products.

*
philip.nuss@unh.edu

Recycling

102

Status of plastics waste recycling systems in Japan and study on the
selection of the recycling methods by LCA methodology

Hajime Nishihara
*
, Plastic Waste Management Institute
Yoshimi Ozaki, Plastic Waste Management Institute

Japanese plastic production amounts to 14,650,000 tons in 2007 and 9,940,000 tons of the
production quantity are discharged as plastic wastes. The ratio of utilization of the plastic wastes
reached 73%,which was divided into mechanical recycling 22%, feedstock recycling 3%,and
energy recovery 48%. At the moment the recycling methods are not always selected by LCA
methodology.
This study is concerned with the criteria of the recycling method selection, in the cases of
containers and packaging recycling. In order to investigate it, the recycling effects and the
quality of reclaimed plastics are important. The recycling effects are evaluated by energy-
resource consumption saving, which is the difference between the consumption energy of non-
recycling system and that of the recycling system. The quality of reclaimed plastics is evaluated
by the mechanical recycling substitution rate, which shows the value of reclaimed plastics to
virgin resins. For example, 50% of the substitution rate means that the quality of reclaimed
plastics corresponds to 50% of that of the virgin resins.
The criteria are as follows. In terms of the selection of the recycling methods, mechanical
recycling is preferable in case of more than 80% of the substitution rate, energy recovery such as
incineration with power generation and refuse paper & plastic fuel (RPF) is preferable in case of
under 60% of the substitution rate, and feedstock recycling such as coke-oven chemical materials
and blast furnace raw materials is preferable in between 60% and 80%.
We have investigated real recycling cases based on the above criteria.
Firstly, mechanical recycle is selected in the recycle of foamed polystyrene trays, because they
have high quality of nearly 100% substitution rate with their being carried out single sorting and
collecting.
Secondly, in case of containers and packaging, mechanical recycle is compared with the energy
recovery and feedstock recycle. Because the reclaimed plastics have low quality , mechanical
recycle is not suitable under the criteria.
In order to select recycling methods, LCA methodology is one of the most effective ones.

*
nishihara@pwmi.or.jp

Assessing water use in LCA and related
environmental assessments 1 & 2

103
Thursday morning
Special session coordinator: Annette Koehler, ETH Zurich
The topic of water use and depletion of freshwater resources is rapidly gaining momentum and
nowadays is perceived as important as climate change. While water use has been widely
disregarded in LCA in the past, new methodological approaches are being developed both for
inventory modeling of water use and for impact assessment describing the impact pathways up to
different areas of protection. Here different types of freshwater resources and various
environmental mechanisms are being considered. Taking the rapid evolvement of this topic into
account, establishing some central guidance for water-use reporting and assessment is recognized
as major challenge to be taken already in this early phase. This session welcomes presentations
on method development for water-use related LCI schemes, complex LCIA metrics, and
simplified assessment approaches for water footprinting. Aspects of spatial differentiation and
data availability as well as applications to specific case studies will be discussed. The purpose of
this session is to gather researchers and practitioners from business and industry dealing with
environmental assessment schemes of freshwater use and depletion.
Session Chairs:
Emmanuelle Aoustin, Veolia
Ccile Bulle, CIRAIG
Regionalised Assessment of Fresh Water Use in the Swiss Ecological Scarcity
Method 2006
Rolf Frischknecht, Arthur Braunschweig, Norbert Egli, Gabi Hildesheimer
Characterizing direct water use impacts on human health and through
compensation scenarios
Anne-Marie Boulay
Health Damage Assessment Modelling on Agricultural Water Scarcity based
on Regression Analysis of Statistical Data
Masaharu Motoshita
Review of methods addressing water in life cycle assessment
Anna Kounina

Session break here 10:00 to 10:30


104
Thursday morning

Water Use Impacts from Corn-based Bioethanol Production
Yi-Wen Chiu, Annette Koehler

Assessing Water Impacts of Tea and Margarine with a Water Footprint /
LCA Approach. Pilot study in Unilever
Lloren Mila i Canals
Direct and Indirect Water Withdrawals for US Industrial Sectors
Michael Blackhurst, Chris Hendrickson, Jordi Sels i Vidal
The spotlight poster presenters below will speak briefly during this session. All
the posters can be viewed as part of the Thursday Poster Session just after this
session. The abstracts for the posters are listed with that session starting on page
138.
Poster Spotlight 1: Testing of Operational Methods for Impact Assessment of
Freshwater Use on Midpoint and Endpoint level: Insights and Conclusions
Stephan Pfister, Annette Koehler, Stefanie Hellweg
Poster Spotlight 2: Characterization Factors for Damage to Aquatic
Biodiversity caused by Water Use
Sebastien Humbert
Poster 1: Relevance of Water Use in LCAs of Biofuel Production
Poster 2: Water Footprint Principles, Requirements and Guidance
Sebastien Humbert


105
Thursday morning

Regionalised Assessment of Fresh Water Use in the
Swiss Ecological Scarcity Method 2006

Rolf Frischknecht, ESU-services Ltd.
Arthur Braunschweig, E2 management consulting
Norbert Egli, FOEN
Gabi Hildesheimer, oebu
The Swiss Ecological Scarcity method has first been introduced in 1990 and updated in 1997.
The Swiss version of this method was updated and extended in 2006. The update and extension
of the method takes into account the recent developments in Swiss and European (as far as it is
relevant for Switzerland) legislation and environmental targets.

Furthermore, ISO standard revisions and recent developments in scientific knowledge on
environmental effects are also considered where appropriate. The basic principle and main
strength of the method, measuring the environmental scarcity with the help of actual pollutants
(and resources) flows and maximum allowed (so-called critical) flows, remained untouched.
Hence, it is still a distance to political target rather than a damage oriented impact assessment
method.

The method allows for a regional assessment of the emission of pollutants and the consumption
of resources based on regional scarcities. Being a scarce resource in many areas of the world,
regional eco-factors of fresh water consumption were developed. The assessment makes use of
the water stress indicator developed by the UN and OECD. It is proposed classify countries (or
regions) into six water stress levels from low (using less than 10% of the available fresh water
resources) to extreme (using more than 100% of the available fresh water resources).

Several examples show that fresh water consumption matters when assessing water intensive
products (e.g. agricultural products). It is of much less relevance for industrial products, even if
produced in regions with a moderate water stress.


106
Thursday morning

Operational Characterization Method for Water Use:
Case Study Application in the Pulp and Paper Industry

Anne-Marie Boulay, CIRAIG
Although freshwater resource issues are continuously arising, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
models are not yet adapted to address this environmental problem. Building on the framework
proposed by the project Assessment of Freshwater Use and Consumption within LCA of the
UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative, this paper aims to provide an operational method and to
illustrate its results using a case study in the pulp and paper industry.
The method presented here introduces a new midpoint impact category Freshwater Deprivation
for Human Uses, quantifying the volume of freshwater rendered unavailable because of its use as
a function of the type of use (ex: degradative or consumptive), regional water scarcity, water
quality, type of resource used (groundwater, surface water) and ability to adapt to freshwater
scarcity. The calculated characterization factors provide a country level regional assessment,
translating a volume of water used into a drinking water equivalent volume unavailable for
human uses (ex: Canada:0; South Africa:0,54; Jordan:3,88).
It was considered that fresh water deprivation does not occur in area where economic resources
allow the use of backup technologies, i.e. compensation scenarios. The GDP was chosen to act as
an indicator of the adaptation capacity of downstream users to water shortage. For cases where
water deprivation does not occur, default backup technologies are identified for several countries
considered able to compensate water uses. A case study on the pulp and paper industry modeled
and combined impacts from these backup technologies with those allocated to the new impact
category Water deprivation for human uses resulting in all impacts from freshwater use being
included in the LCA results. In addition, data from the pulp and paper industry was used to
model the avoided impacts as a consequence of the improvement of the water use efficiency in a
plant. These impacts are then compared with the impacts directly avoided from a reduction in
water consumption, notably the change in power needed. These results may therefore provide
guidance to a decision maker in focusing its environmental efforts.


107
Thursday morning

Health Damage Assessment Modelling on Agricultural Water
Scarcity based on Regression Analysis of Statistical Data

Masaharu Motoshita, AIST
Population growth and subsequently increasing food demand will collapse the balance of water
demand in the world. Thus, high concerns should be paid on the environmental issues related to
water consumption and deficiency. In the past studies on environmental problems related to
water, qualitative assessment has been mainly conducted and water scarcity has not been given
enough importance for the assessment of environmental impacts. Particularly, the shortage of
agricultural water may lead to prevention of crop productivity and population growth shall cause
multiplier effect through the increase of food demand. The aim of this study was to model the
cause-effect chain of undernourishment damage due to agricultural water scarcity and estimate
damage factors of each country.
In this study, health damage assessment modeling related to agricultural water scarcity was
conducted by applying regression analysis based on statistical data. The cause effect chain of
undernourishment damages due to agricultural water scarcity was simply assumed to be
composed of two steps, food productivity loss caused by the shortage of agricultural water and
subsequent increases of undernourishment damage due to insufficient nutrient conditions in the
agricultural water scarce country. At first, food productivity losses in each country caused by the
shortage of agricultural water were estimated based on a crop productivity model. Secondly, the
estimation model of undernourishment damage was conducted by applying non-linear multiple
regression analysis based on several statistical data in each country. Explanatory variables,
several social and nutritional indices of each country, seemed to affect on undernourishment
damages were selected based on the results of multiple-regression analysis and statistical
significant test.
Based on several simplified assumptions in the description model of cause-effect chain,
prototype of the assessment model on undernourishment damage due to agricultural water
scarcity had developed and damage factors for each country could be preliminary calculated. The
estimated average factor weighted by agricultural use of water in each country was 1.44*10
-8

[DALY/m3]. Especially, African areas showed high sensitivity to agricultural water scarcity.


108
Thursday morning

Review of methods addressing water in life cycle assessment

Anna Kounina, EPFL
Stress on global water resources is recognized as an important issue. Although the impacts
related to water use on human life, biotic and abiotic environment can be substantial, such
impacts are yet still poorly assessed in Life Cycle Assessments (LCA). Currently, most LCA
studies consider water use as simple water inventory and only few methods are available to
evaluate the ecological consequences. Impacts related to water use are not directly proportional
to the consumed or degraded water amount. Among other parameters, the severity of impacts can
depend on the type of water resource used or on water scarcity in the location under study.
This project aims at performing a systematic qualitative review of existing methods (inventory
methods, scarcity indexes, and midpoint and endpoint assessment methods) linked to water
assessment within a LCA framework. This review is split in different stages: the methods are
first briefly described, classified, characterized and finally evaluated. The project will provide as
output: (1) key elements to be considered when modelling the cause effect chains in water
assessment and provide indications for deriving operational characterization methods and factors
to assess water use in LCA to support researchers, (2) interim recommendations on inventory
modelling, scarcity indexes, midpoint and impact assessment methods to support practitioners in
their short term application.
So far, the following methods and indexes are presented and characterized (further methods
might be added to the complete evaluation):
Inventory methods: Classification based on ecoinvent (Frischknecht 2005), Global water tool
(WBCSD 2009), Boulay et al. (2009), Water footprint method (Chapagain and Hoekstra 2004),
Vince et al. (2007), Bauer et al. (2007).
Scarcity indexes: Gleick et al. (1996, Basic water requirement), Falkenmark et al. (1989, Water
resource per capita), Ohlsson et al. (1998, 1999, Social water stress index), Alcamo et al. (1997,
2000, Criticality ratio and index), Seckler et al. (1998, Index of relative water scarcity),
Smakhtin et al. (2004, Environmental water requirement), Pfister et al. (2009, Water stress
index), Raskin et al. (1997, Water resources vulnerability index), Sullivan et al. (2003, Water
poverty index).
Impact method, at midpoint: Water footprint (Chapagain and Hoekstra 2004), Swiss ecological
scarcity method (Frischknecht et al. 2006, 2008), Pfister et al. (2009), Mil i Canals et al. (2008),
Boulay and Bayart et al. (2008).


109
Thursday morning

Impact method, at endpoint (or damage) : Pfister et al. (2009), Motoshita et al. (2008), Boulay et
al. (2009), Maendly and Humbert (2009), Van Zelm et al. (2009), CExD (Bsch et al. 2007).
These methods are assessed according to defined criteria elaborated based on the project
Recommendation of methods for LCIA for the International Reference Life Cycle Data
System (ILCD), initiated by the European Platform on Life Cycle Assessment (EUPLCA), which
builds on the previous work of the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) programme of the
UNEP-SETAC Life Cycle Initiative (Task force 1).
The scientific criteria address the following areas: 1. Completeness of scope; 2. Environmental
relevance; 3. Scientific robustness and certainty; 4. Documentation, transparency and
reproducibility; 5. Applicability.
Each of these criteria is further detailed into a number of sub criteria adapted to the specific
category (inventory, index or impact), reflecting their most important aspects and focusing on
aspects that can support differentiation between the different methods.
In order to systematize the implementation and the interpretation of the water-use assessment in
LCA, it is recommended to reach a clear consensus on a simple and comprehensive approach to
assess this important issue.


110
Thursday morning

Water Use Impacts from Corn-based Bioethanol Production

Yi-Wen Chiu, University of Minnesota
Water is found as a critical requirement in most of the industrial processes and is recognized as
an important environmental resource in LCA studies and LCA database. However, only few
LCA studies have been conducted so far which consider water input and output information
throughout the entire studied product system. The lack of water inputs and outputs in LCA
results to neglect impacts induced by water use. With the increasing awareness of the importance
of water sustainability, there is an urgent need to integrate water use impact with the existing
LCA structure. Therefore, for the proposed special session, we demonstrate the application of a
novel water use impact assessment model (WIAM) which incorporates the potentially
disappeared fraction of species (PDF) as assessment indicator.
In the past five years, the conflict between water and alternative fuels has attracted numerous
research communities to take efforts for determining ethanols water implication. Using
Minnesotas corn-based bioethanol production as a study case, we compute the ecosystem
damage factor for the 81 watersheds in Minnesota considering each watersheds hydrological
regime. We assumed that ethanol facilities acquire corn for ethanol manufacture from nearby
corn fields in order to satisfy the transportation cost efficiency. A cradle-to-gate system has been
set-up to take both irrigation water and process water of the ethanol manufacturing into account.
The impacts associated with the 22 studied ethanol facilities are assessed by employing WIAM.
Our study further shows (a) how water consumption of a product system can be further translated
into ecological impacts by employing WIAM, (b) why it is necessary to take adjacent watersheds
into account for future ethanol-facility site selection, and (c) what significant information
obtained from this approach can support the decision makers in water conservation.


111
Thursday morning

Assessing Water Impacts of Tea and Margarine with a
Water Footprint / LCA Approach:
Pilot study in Unilever

Lloren Mila i Canals, Unilever, UK
Unilever seeks to manage the impact of its water use across the life cycle of a product.
Current methods to measure water use and impact are poor but there is both an increasing
internal need for guidance on the impacts of water use and an increasing external level of activity
to develop standards for water impact assessment. Water footprinting (WF) is one potential tool
to understand water use, and the Water Footprint Network (WFN) provides the forum to work
with others to develop the methodology for use with products. In this sense, Unilever is working
with other WFN partners (university of Twente) to test the application of the WF method to raw
materials and processes of two products (tea and margarine), with explicit distinction of water
sources (region and water type). In addition to the accounting (inventory) activity, indicators for
impacts related to water stress / scarcity are being developed and applied, at the level of detail
where a compromise is reached between practicality and environmental relevance. This pilot
builds from the experience within the team in both LCA and WF areas,
in order to explore advantages and shortcomings of each tool and the synergies between them.
Results for the two case studies will be presented, including water volumes accounting and
preliminary results for the impact assessment. The discussion will focus on how the WF and the
LCA approaches can build from each other, and at what level they need to be kept separate in
order to make the most out of each.


112
Thursday morning

Direct and Indirect Water Withdrawals for US Industrial Sectors

Michael Blackhurst, Carnegie Mellon University
Chris Hendrickson, Carnegie Mellon University
Jordi Sels i Vidal, Carnegie Mellon University
Effective water management is critical for social welfare and ecosystem health. Nevertheless,
information necessary to meaningfully assess sustainable water use is incomplete. Using publicly
available data, we estimate a vector of water withdrawals for all 428 sectors in the 2002 US
economic input-output table. The vector was applied using economic input-output life cycle
assessment (EIO-LCA) techniques to estimate direct and indirect water withdrawals for each
sectors production, both in terms of total water use and per dollar of economic output. We
estimate that the US economy used 500 trillion gallons of water in 2002, excluded household
water use. Given that domestic total non-household water use is approximately 140 trillion
gallons, results indicate that the US imports 3.5 times more water than is used domestically. We
estimate that 60% of water is used indirectly, ie, is embodied in goods and services. Agricultural
activities and power generation constitute a majority of direct water use (>60%). However, these
sectors constitute only 30% of total water use when accounting for indirect supply chain effects.
For 85% of the sectors, indirect or supply chain water withdrawals are larger than direct water
use. Food and beverage processors are the largest indirect water users (20%). Power supply and
grain farming are the most frequent sources of indirect water use. Several industrial sectors have
relatively high water use per dollar of output, namely paint manufacturers, paperboard mills, and
pesticide manufacturers. These results should be useful for environmental life cycle assessment
of US production and other studies, but we conclude that better information on water use is
essential for effective water management.

LCM and Policy 1

113
Thursday early morning

Session chair: Amanda Pike
A supply chain collaboration model for improvement of environmental
performance of a product based on LCA
Katsuyuki Nakano, Masahiko Hirao

Using LCA to measure sustainability
Lise Laurin, Laurel McEwen

Environmental performance of SRI funds
Tomonori Honda, Atsushi Inaba

Incorporating Life Cycle Assessment Methodologies into Remedy Selection
Todd Krieger, David Ellis, Jamie Ginn, Brandt Butler, Gordon Burnett

Environmental clusters as the drivers of LCA-based evaluation of the
environmental performance of a region
Adrienn Buday-Malik, Eszter Siposn Nndori, Klra dr. Szita Tth, Judit Roncz

LCM and Policy 1

114

A supply chain collaboration model for improvement of
environmental performance of a product based on LCA

Katsuyuki Nakano
*
, Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry
(JEMAI)/The University of Tokyo
Masahiko Hirao, The University of Tokyo

We propose an activity model for enterprises along supply chain, called Supply Chain
Collaboration Model (SCCM), to improve environmental performance of a product.
Though LCA has an ability to identify room to improve a product from an environmental point
of view, one company rarely has the whole life cycle information and the authority to re-design
the product and its manufacturing process. Particularly, component manufacturers, standing at
the middle position of the supply chain, receive specifications of the component from their
customers and thus they have small flexibility. To achieve the improvement, collaboration
activities along supply chain enterprises are required.
In the SCCM, techniques to be adopted and information to be shared in the collaborating
enterprises are defined, and the model can be customized for individual practice.
In the model, collaborating enterprises in a product supply chain establish an improvement
project and kinds of shared information are decided. Then, each enterprise implements Material
Flow Analysis (MFA) for its own production process. MFA provides not only the energy and
material loss information, but also the basic data for LCA and Material Flow Cost Accounting
(MFCA). Finally, each enterprise implements LCA and MFCA to quantify environmental
impacts and economic losses in the targeted system boundary. LCA is a technique for identifying
significant issue in the target product or in the production processes and quantifies improvement
measures effects from an environmental point of view. By contrast, MFCA is a technique
quantifying each process loss in monetary unit, and it analyzes improvement measures benefits
from an economic point of view. Hence, implementation of LCA and MFCA together has an
advantage to seek measures which achieve both economic and environmental benefits. In
practice, MFCA information may be utilized inside the enterprise if it is confidential to the
partners.
We performed three practical case studies using the SCCM. As a result, all of the participated
enterprises agreed to take measures for reducing environmental impacts and cost together. In a
case, an enterprise succeeded in receiving environmental data from the business partner, and it
helps to implement reliable environmentally conscious design and environmental claim for a
market.
*
nakano@jemai.or.jp

LCM and Policy 1

115

Using LCA to measure sustainability

Lise Laurin
*
, EarthShift
Laurel McEwen, EarthShift

LCA has the unique distinction of being the only scientifically-based, comprehensive method to
measure green. While LCA should be augmented with environmental risk assessment and
some measure of social assessment, it can be the cornerstone of a companys sustainability
assessment.
But what is sustainability? If our definition is something like the Report of the World
Commission on Environment and Development: Sustainable development is development that
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs. it becomes clear that no company or product in todays environment is
sustainable, except perhaps a few subsistence farmers in remote corners of the world. We are on
a journey to sustainability, were not there yet.
How do we assess products to get from here to there most quickly? Early studies of photovoltaic
panel manufacture showed that panels would have to work at peak efficiency for as much as 6
years to create as much energy as was used to make the panels in the first place. (Corkish, 1997).
Did this heavy upfront energy investment mean that we should have abandoned research in this
area? Studies of reusable drinking cups show that the hot water used for washing brings the
impacts of these cups close to single use cups (OVAM, 2006). Does this indicate that we should
continue work to make the single use cups even less impactful, or is there another alternative?
This presentation will explore several scenarios through possible future paths of development
with the aim to broaden the discussion of the path to sustainability and the care needed to be sure
we dont abandon the most viable paths before their true potential can be understood.
References:
Corkish, Richard, Can Solar Cells Ever Recapture the Energy Invested in their Manufacture?
Solar Progress, (Australia and New Zealand Solar Energy Society) vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 16-17,
1997
OVAM , Comparative LCA of 4 types of drinking cups used at events, OVAM, 2006
*
llaurin@earthshift.com

LCM and Policy 1

116

Environmental performance of SRI funds

Tomonori Honda
*
, AIST/RISS
Atsushi Inaba
**
, Kogakuin University

Socially responsible investment (SRI) is an investment method which maximizes not only
financial return but also social and environmental performance. SRI is thriving. In the United
States, roughly 11 percent of the assets under professional management are now involved in SRI.
Today investment screening of SRI is evaluated by qualitative evaluation of social and
economical aspects. Verification of quantitative evaluation of social and environmental aspects is
necessary in order to know the effect on sustainable society. Many researchers have paid
attention only to a financial performance of SRI funds. They have not evaluated the ameliorating
effect on an environmental aspect. Do these funds contribute to the reduction of environmental
impact? It is expected that CO
2
emission from the listed companies that compose SRI founds is
lesser than that from the listed companies of other funds. This research quantitatively evaluates
CO
2
emission from the listed companies that comprise SRI founds, taking a life cycle thinking
approach. It calculated all of SRI funds and three kinds of general funds sold in Japan.
Environmental performance of funds was evaluated by the secular distortion of GHGs emission.
Based on LCA, this research shows the possibility of not decreasing the environmental impact
(GHGs emission) by SRI. The environmental aspects of SRI funds are not only global warming.
Stock screening methods of SRI is inadequate for the reduction of GHGs emission. It is shown as
a result that the difference environmental performance of General funds(about 1000 funds )
between SRI funds(about 50 funds) .
*
tomonori-honda@aist.go.jp
**
a-inaba@cc.kogakuin.ac.jp

LCM and Policy 1

117

Incorporating Life Cycle Assessment Methodologies into
Remedy Selection.

Todd Krieger
*
, DuPont
David Ellis, DuPont
Jamie Ginn, DuPont
Brandt Butler, URS Corporation
Gordon Burnett, URS Corporation

The EPAs Guide for selecting Remedial Actions at Superfund sites identifies nine criteria to use
when selecting appropriate alternatives for site remediation. Once potential remedial actions that
meet threshold criteria of protecting human health and the environment and compliance with
relevant and appropriate regulations are identified, five balancing criteria, including short-term
effectiveness, are used to identify trade-offs among the identified alternatives. The short-term
effectiveness criterion addresses potential adverse impacts associated with the implementation of
a remedial action.
To the extent possible, remediation processes should minimize or eliminate energy consumption
or the consumption of other natural resources, reduce or eliminate releases to the environment,
especially to the air, harness or mimic a natural process, result in the reuse or recycling of land or
otherwise undesirable materials, and encourage the use of remediation technologies that
permanently destroy contamination. With these goals in mind, the authors are currently
evaluating life cycle assessment methodologies and the use of life cycle assessment software as
tools to quantify the short-term effectiveness of remediation options through the evaluation of
both on-site and total project impacts. Traditional life cycle impact assessment methods, as well
as con-current evaluation of worker exposure hours and other pertinent impacts are evaluated.
At a DuPont site in Martinsville, VA, a soil mixing technology, which added zero valent iron
(ZVI) and clay to contaminated soils, was used to remediate a solid waste management unit
containing an estimated 20 tons of carbon tetrachloride DNAPL (NRC, 2005). Post-treatment
monitoring showed that the treatment was successful. Because highly detailed records of this
project are available it is a good case study for comparing methods which estimate the non-
remediation impacts of the treatment. Additional potential remediation techniques that met
threshold criteria were also evaluated. This case study showcases critical issues associated with
life cycle analysis of remedial alternatives, including functional unit selection, inclusion of off-
site materials, the impact of uncertainties regarding the amount and expanse of contamination,
and translation of life cycle indicators to more traditional risk analysis measures.
*
todd.m.krieger@usa.dupont.com

LCM and Policy 1

118

Environmental clusters as the drivers of LCA-based evaluation of
the environmental performance of a region

Adrienn Buday-Malik
*
, NORRIA - North Hungarian Regional Innovation
Agency/University of Miskolc
Eszter Siposn Nndori, University of Miskolc
Klra dr. Szita Tth, University of Miskolc
Judit Roncz, University of Miskolc
Due to the current global economic situation, innovation-based competitiveness and sustainable
development became as important priority of the European economic policy as it never had been.
As a first step, cohesional strategies and planning processes should still be harmonized, taking
the sustainability principles more into account and effect. According to the key findings of the
study conducted by the European Cluster Observatory, innovation potential nowhere is so high
as it is in a (regional) cluster organisation. Based on the Porterian theory, clusters of today do not
aim at only the common resource management, or common services but more at common
research and development and innovation activities. According to the current trends in cluster-
development, regional clusters are mostly driven by the innovation. During the past five years,
environmental industry clusters sampled the best practices for the innovation-driven clusters
based on the triple helix. According to a research done in Northern Hungary, environmental
clusters, as competence-creating and sustainability transfer organisations can contribute
effectively to the regional development. The key responsibilities of the environmental clusters on
a regional level:

To improve the eco- and energy- efficiency of products and services;
To promote life cycle thinking and monetary- flow analysis;
To participate in environmentally responsible infrastructure development;
To contribute to the eco-innovation potential;
To contribute to an up-to-date environmental data management and reporting;
To initiate cooperation actions among the actors of the environmental industry;
To support environmental and innovation policy-making (e.g.: with participation in
joint researches or development of regional statistical systems).

Through the active operation and strategic involvement of environmental industry clusters,
regional performance assessment and also policy making processes can be enhanced. Due to the
fact, that clusters support the wider application of life-cycle thinking, LCA can renew the
regional performance assessment systems. By the analytical method, we can easily conduct the
sustainability evaluation by setting up an input-output analysis for the functional unit of GDP
produced by the region. The inventory is based on the primer resources as inputs and the general
output, emissions, environmental effects, etc. as outputs.

LCM and Policy 1

119

Obviously, we are facing challenges when applying LCA in regional assessment:
In certain cases there is no reliable statistical data on regional material- and energy
flows.
Databases are not comparable due the fact that in some cases statistical regions and
territories of environmental authorities are different.
Regional application of LCA gives a new aspect to the economic accounting of
environmental effects, but LCA software should be improved and amended with thematic
panels.
*
adrienn.malik@yahoo.co.uk

LCM and Policy 2

120
Thursday late morning
Session chair: Bob Boughton
Californias Green Chemistry Initiative - application of LCA in public policy
Bob Boughton

The role of LCA in recycling policy: a case study in plastic
Brandon Kuczenski, Roland Geyer

Incorporating waste prevention activities into life cycle assessments of
municipal solid waste management systems: Methodological issues and
Toronto, Canada case study
Julian Cleary

LCA of transportation fuels: uncertainty and implications for policy design
Richard Plevin

Global versus local pollution: A case study of LCA applied to Diesel Retrofit
Regulations
Juhong Yuan, Alissa Kendall

LCM and Policy 2

121

Californias Green Chemistry Initiative - application of LCA in
public policy

Bob Boughton
*
, Department of Toxic Substances Control, California

Green Chemistry is a systematic scientific and engineering approach that seeks to reduce the use
of hazardous chemicals and the generation of toxic wastes by changing how society designs,
manufactures, and uses chemicals in processes and products. Rather than managing wastes after
end-of-product life, Green Chemistry shifts our focus to designing chemicals, processes, and
goods that have less or no adverse effectsthroughout their lifecycle (cradle to cradle)on
people and our environment. This green chemistry approach offers substantial opportunity
through better information; innovation and new technology; new high-skill, high-wage jobs;
stronger worker and consumer protection; and a cleaner, healthier environment.
The California Green Chemistry initiative comes at a time of growing concern that the federal
Toxic Substances Control Act, passed three decades ago, has failed to control an explosion of
hazardous materials. Europe has enacted tougher toxics rules than the United States, forcing
many American companies to revamp products sold for export, but the California program would
go further in its disclosure requirements. California law passed last fall has jump-started the
program. AB 1879 requires the state to identify "chemicals of concern" and to evaluate safer
alternatives by implementing a policy option, Accelerate the Quest for Safer Products, creating
a systematic, science-based process to evaluate chemicals of concern and alternatives to ensure
product safety and reduce or eliminate the need for chemical-by-chemical bans. The adopted
rules will lay out the process for products with chemicals of concern to be compared to
alternatives by assessing the "environmental and economic footprint" of each using a life-cycle
perspective. This application of life-cycle thinking for assessing environmental impacts and for
assessing total costs will be described. The background information and progress on the initiative
implementation can be accessed at
www.dtsc.ca.gov/PollutionPrevention/GreenChemistryInitiative

*
bboughto@dtsc.ca.gov

LCM and Policy 2

122

The role of LCA in recycling policy: a case study in plastic

Brandon Kuczenski
*
, University of California, Santa Barbara
Roland Geyer
**
, University of California - Santa Barbara

The main US domestic use for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is in the manufacture of
disposable soda and water bottles, the most-recycled plastic products in the US. Roughly a
quarter of PET bottles disposed of in the US are collected for recycling, though PET packaging
is an outlier in the larger scope of US plastic consumption. PET recycling is comparatively
widespread largely because of substantial support from state legislators in the form of beverage
container deposit programs. We discuss PET recycling from a life cycle perspective, with
particular attention paid to the effects of existing regulations on PET recovery. We then
investigate the potential for life cycle assessment to provide scientific information which can
serve as a basis for the evaluation of recycling policy.
To begin, we use life cycle assessment to describe the environmental effects of the current level
of PET recycling. Our analysis takes the form of an LCA of post-consumer PET, into which we
incorporate a material flow account of the reuse of this substance. Although most PET is down-
cycled from bottle-grade materials into polyester fibers and film, there is some amount of closed-
loop recycling of bottles into bottles. Technical and regulatory limitations exist which obstruct
more wide-spread closed-loop recycling of PET.
Our studies show that post-consumer collection is among the least impactful processes in the
plastic life cycle; yet post-consumer collection is also the bottleneck which most clearly limits
expanded recycling. We examine the implications of our LCA results in the context of evaluating
the environmental performance of existing plastic recycling policies, particularly beverage bottle
deposit programs. Using PET as a model, we then expand our analysis to describe the potential
net benefits that could arise from increased recycling collection and recycled material
reclamation. We discuss how these and similar results might be invoked to evaluate potential
policy initiatives intended to promote plastic recycling or develop markets for post-consumer
plastic waste.
*
bkuczenski@bren.ucsb.edu

**
rgeyer@bren.ucsb.edu

LCM and Policy 2

123

Incorporating waste prevention activities into life cycle assessments
of municipal solid waste management systems: Methodological
issues and Toronto, Canada case study

Julian Cleary
*
, University of Toronto

Academic study of the incorporation of waste prevention activities (WPAs) into municipal solid
waste (MSW) management systems is currently in its infancy, with relatively few papers
addressing this issue. Although life cycle assessments (LCAs) are commonly undertaken to
evaluate the utility of the waste hierarchy, they generally do not address the waste prevention and
product reuse components of this hierarchy. This presentation explores the methodological
aspects pertinent to the incorporation of various types of waste prevention into LCAs of MSW,
including functional units, system boundaries, and temporal dynamics. It also introduces the
Waste Management And Prevention (WasteMAP) LCA, a conceptual model which has the
capability of addressing a wider range of questions than conventional process-based LCAs of
MSW. Product life cycles associated with WPAs comprise the upstream component of the
WasteMAP LCA, while the downstream component encompasses the waste treatment life
cycle. Integral to this model is the requirement that product services provided to the population
and the total amount of MSW managed through treatment and waste prevention are held constant
in all scenarios. This presentation also includes the results from a case study of the WasteMAP
LCA that addresses the MSW management system of Toronto, Canada and WPAs associated
with alternative packaging for wine and liquor. While the form of MSW LCA presented here is
more labor intensive to undertake than is a conventional LCA, WasteMAP facilitates the
evaluation of the life cycle environmental impacts of MSW management, without omitting waste
prevention and product reuse.

*
julian.cleary@utoronto.ca

LCM and Policy 2

124

LCA of transportation fuels:
uncertainty and implications for policy design

Richard Plevin
*
, UC Berkeley

New fuel regulation based on the life cycle GHG emissions of transportation fuels have been
implemented in California
1
and are in development by US EPA
2
. While stakeholders have
focused on the controversial inclusion of indirect land use change emissions, the issue of
uncertainty in the estimates of direct GHG emissions has gone largely unexamined. Beyond the
uncertainty in activity levels and emission factors, GHG estimation is subject to model
uncertainties such as which climate-forcing emissions to include
3
, how best to aggregate these
4
,
and of course whether and how to model indirect effects such as market-mediated land use
change
5
. Using Monte Carlo simulation in GREET, we quantify and compare the uncertainties
in estimates of the direct life cycle GHG emissions for gasoline, diesel, soy biodiesel, corn
ethanol, and cellulosic ethanol, under several different model choice alternatives. Recognition of
uncertainty has several implications for policy design. Policies designed to enable competition
among fuels based on point estimates of life cycle GHG emissions may create perverse
incentives since broad uncertainties, especially for biofuels, limit statistical distinguishability
among fuels
6
. Policies requiring a one-sided test against a baseline fuel (e.g. a 50% reduction in
GHG emissions relative to gasoline) are more amenable to probabilistic implementation.
References
1. CARB (2009). Proposed Regulation to Implement the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, Volume I, Staff
Report: Initial Statement of Reasons. Sacramento, CA, California Air Resources Board: 374.
2. United States Congress (2007). Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
3. Brakkee, K., M. Huijbregts, et al. (2008). "Characterisation factors for greenhouse gases at a midpoint
level including indirect effects based on calculations with the IMAGE model." The International
Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 13(3): 191-201.
4. ISO (2006). ISO 14044: Environmental management Life cycle assessment Requirements and
guidelines. Geneva, International Standards Organization.
5. Searchinger, T., R. Heimlich, et al. (2008). "Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse
Gases Through Emissions from Land Use Change." Science 319(5867): 1238-1240.
6. Basson, L. and J. G. Petrie (2007). "An integrated approach for the consideration of uncertainty in
decision making supported by Life Cycle Assessment." Environmental Modelling & Software 22(2):
167-176.

*
plevin@berkeley.edu

LCM and Policy 2

125

Global versus local pollution: A case study of LCA applied to
Diesel Retrofit Regulations

Juhong Yuan
*

Alissa Kendall, University of California Davis

In December 2008, California approved new regulations on particular matter (PM) and nitrous
oxides (NOx) emissions from all on-road heavy duty diesel vehicles in California (referred to as
the Diesel Truck Rule). Concurrent to this, the State has been struggling to create a plan to
achieve the landmark California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), which requires
reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to1990 levels by 2020. This study performs an LCA
on the Diesel Truck Rule for application to agricultural and forestry fleets in California. These
fleets were selected because they are, in relative terms, older and lower-mileage fleets than other
heavy-duty on-road trucks and have unique operating conditions requiring more onerous filter
operation procedures than the high-speed, high-mileage trucks on most highways. The LCA
includes manufacturing of new equipment and diesel retrofit technology, use-phase of diesel
trucks, and the transportation between all phases. Some scenarios regarding how fleets would
respond to the regulation are modeled; diesel upstream emissions and fuel efficiency are also
considered. The outcome of this LCA highlights an important tension between controlling
criteria air pollutants and GHG emissions. To achieve the Diesel Truck Rule, fleet managers
must purchase new control technologies, increase the number of new trucks in their fleets, and
increase fuel consumption during truck operation. While effectively decreasing on-road
emissions of criteria pollutants, the application of Diesel Rule increases the overall GHG
emissions, and also causes local criteria pollutant emissions where control technologies and
trucks are produced. Currently, LCA studies of this kind do not inform decisions at the policy
level, but our study shows how LCA may be used in a policy context, especially how the impact
assessment methods can assist measuring global and local pollution and help policy
development.
*
yuanjh82@gmail.com

GHG 1

126
Session chair: Alissa Kendall
Evaluation of green house gas emission from chemical products based on life
cycle assessment: practical use of LCA
Junichi Nakahashi

Sustainability of biofuels and bio-electricity: allocation and the GHG
calculators
Ester van der Voet, Lauran van Oers, Lin Luo, Reinout Heijungs

Connecting the Dots in Carbon Accounting
Paul Chalmer

Characterization of Scope 3 Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Streamlined
Corporate Carbon Footprinting
Anny YuShan Huang, Christopher L. Weber, H. Scott Matthews

GHG 1

127

Evaluation of green house gas emission from chemical products
based on life cycle assessment: practical use of LCA

Junichi Nakahashi
*
, Asahi-Kasei Corporation

Recently the global warming issue has stepped up from the stage of a scientific discussion to the
stage of political regulation. Targets for decreasing the GHG emissions for individual countries
are expected to be agreed in the COP15 at the end of 2009. Under these circumstances, the
chemical industry is of course required to contribute to GHG reduction. In 2008, the
International Council of Chemical Associations made a quantitative evaluation of GHG
emissions based on LCA. The study showed that GHG emissions in mining, producing,
processing and disposal was one third the size of the GHG reduction in use. ASAHI KASEI
CORPORATION, a chemical company in Japan, whose products include chemicals, materials,
and fiber for the medical, housing, and electronics industries has begun to evaluate the GHG
emissions of its typical products using LCA. We carried out the evaluation of an ion exchange
membrane, a membrane for water filtration, and polycarbonate made from chemical materials
other than phosgene. The evaluation showed that GHG reduction during the use phase of these
three products alone was larger than the GHG emission of all products of the corporation
combined.
We conclude that expanding sales of chemical products which reduce GHG emissions during use
can contribute to the overall reduction of GHG emissions. We plan to reduce the GHG emissions
from the factories directly and also to expand and develop sales of products which can contribute
to the overall reduction of GHG emission through their life cycle.
We expect UNEP and the Japanese government to create a new mechanism to evaluate GHG
emissions based on LCA over economic sectors
*
nakahashi.jb@om.asahi-kasei.co.jp

GHG 1

128

Sustainability of biofuels and bio-electricity:
allocation and the GHG calculators

Ester van der Voet
*
, Leiden University, Institute of Environmental Sciences
Lauran van Oers, Institute of Environmental Sciences
Lin Luo, Institute of Environmental Sciences
Reinout Heijungs, CML

GHG calculators are developed in various countries of the EU to assess the sustainability of bio-energy
with regard to GHG emissions. These GHG calculators will be used in energy policy, to decide whether
or not specific biofuels to be used for transport or electricity perform sufficiently better than their fossil
equivalents. The GHG calculators as developed in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands each have made
a different preferred choice for allocation. Avoiding allocation by systems expansion (composite
functional unit) or substitution (subtracting of avoided processes) is favoured by some, as being the
preferred ISO-option. Allocation based on the energy content of the outputs has the advantage of being
the most robust in view of legislation and guaranteeing a level playing field for the actors in society.
Allocation based on the market value of the outputs has the most direct link with the actual driving forces
behind the chains. It appears that this choice greatly influences the outcome and therefore also the
assessment of the sustainability of biofuels. Differences are largest when considering bioelectricity from
agricultural residues or waste streams: depending on the allocation methods, the biobased chains perform
much better (over 90% reduction of GHG emissions) to a lot worse (100% increase of GHG emissions).
In the present EU Directive for biofuels a choice has been made for energy-based allocation. No second
generation chains for biobased transport fuels have yet been included in the calculators but here, too, the
differences can be expected to be major depending on the allocation method. The debate in science, but
particularly policy is still ongoing and will no doubt return in full force when the calculators are expanded
to include residues and waste streams for second generation biofuels and for the generation of bio-based
electricity and heat. Case study results showing the influence of allocation choices will be presented for
both biofuels and bio-electricity. Systems expansion, substitution, energy-based allocation and economic
allocation are applied. The results show that substitution generally shows the most GHG profit for bio-
based energy chains. Economic allocation offers the worst results for crop-based biofuels, but very good
results for waste-based electricity. Energy-based allocation leads to surprisingly bad results for waste-
based electricity: here, we encounter the problem that no emissions can be allocated to the service of
waste treatment, which has no energy content. The chains therefore have a very bad performance, while
in fact A way around this has to be found to be able to apply energy-based allocation, in line with the EU
Directive, to waste-based chains.
*
voet@cml.leidenuniv.nl

GHG 1

129

Connecting the Dots in Carbon Accounting

Paul Chalmer
*
, NCMS

Every impact category has its own physics, chemistry, and biology, and every impact assessment
methodology must account for the specific features of the category to which it applies.
Greenhouse gas emission is arguably one of the simplest categories, since it is dominated by a
few actors with well-defined properties. In cases where carbon dioxide is the only greenhouse
gas in play, carbon accounting might seem like a simple exercise in atom counting.
But in setting up a framework within which the choice of wood for a given application can be
compared on a consistent basis with nonrenewable alternative materials, we encounter a
surprising twist. It turns out that the ordinary unit of account for GHG emissions, typically
expressed in units of mass of CO
2
equivalent per functional unit, is deficient. We see that the
physics of the situation demands that we carry out our calculations in terms of a more
complicated quantity, mass of CO
2
equivalent times time kilogram-years, not kilograms.
When a tree is harvested, virtually all of the carbon stored in its roots, and some fraction of its
above-ground carbon, begin a slow process of decay. Even if a replacement is planted
immediately, it will take several decades before the carbon absorbed by the new tree equals the
carbon released by the old. The net effect of the entire process on global warming depends on the
integral under the carbon balance curve, out to the time horizon of the assessment.
For nonrenewables, the carbon released as CO
2
during extraction and refinement is presumed to
remain essentially unchanged over time horizons out to a century. The balance curve in that case
is a flat line, and the aggregate effect is measured by the area of a rectangle. For wood, the
corresponding quantity is a rectangle whose area equals the integral under the carbon balance
curve, and the height of that rectangle is the correct quantity to use for comparison.
Well look at some actual numbers, and see how a not-too-formidable spreadsheet makes the
computations involved relatively painless actually, rather fun and, hopefully, enlightening.

*
paulc@ncms.org

GHG 1

130

Characterization of Scope 3 Greenhouse Gas Emissions for
Streamlined Corporate Carbon Footprinting

Anny YuShan Huang
*
, Carnegie Mellon University/Green Design Institute
Christopher L. Weber, Carnegie Mellon University
H. Scott Matthews, Carnegie Mellon University

Many organizations look to carbon footprint protocols for guidance on measuring the greenhouse
gases emissions resulting from their products or activities, or carbon footprint. Existing protocols
generally require estimation of direct emissions (Scope 1) and emissions from direct purchases
of energy (Scope 2), but focus less on indirect emissions upstream and downstream of the supply
chain (optional Scope 3). Because on average, more than 75% of an industry sectors carbon
footprint is attributed to Scope 3 sources, better knowledge of Scope 3 footprint can help
organizations pursue emissions mitigation projects not just within their own plants but also
across their supply chain, thus motivate more holistic, effective corporate climate change
policies. In this work, Scope 3 footprints of US economic sectors are characterized using a
modified form of the Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA) model to
calculate the sub-total supply chain emissions of upstream suppliers for all 426x426
combinations of producer-supplier pairs. This scoping study identifies upstream emission
sources that are likely to contribute significantly to sectors footprint, help footprinting entities
efficiently focus their efforts on the important parts of their supply chain, and help protocol
organizations provide relevant and effective guidelines for conducting Scope 3 footprint. The
portions of footprint captured by top-10 upstream Scope 3 suppliers are estimated at 3 different
levels of specificity: general economy-wide, industry-specific, and sector-specific. The results
show that footprinting entities can capture a large portion of their total upstream footprint by
collecting emissions information from only a handful of direct suppliers, and Scope 3 footprint
capture rate can be improved considerably with increasing specificity in Scope 3 categories.
Furthermore, employee commute and air transportation may be more important for the services
and institutions industries (7%-30% of the total analyzed footprint, or TAF), but should not be a
focus of the detailed Scope 3 footprint estimates for the manufacturing industries (<1% of TAF).
Protocol organizations should actively make more specific Scope 3 guidelines available for their
constituents by developing sector-specific protocols for as many carbon intensive sectors as
they feasibly can and create industry-specific protocols for other sectors.

*
yah@cmu.edu

GHG 2

131

Session chair: Alison Brady
The energy and climate change impacts of different music delivery methods
Christopher Weber, H. Scott Matthews, Jonathan Koomey

Creating a Greenhouse Gas and Energy LCA for CRT Televisions: Data
Availability and Transboundary Challenges
Christopher Evans, Victoria Thompson

Development of a Construction Materials GHG Database: Case Study of
Concrete
Corinne Reich-Weiser, Chris Erickson, David Dornfeld

Manufaturing Energy Consumption for Solid State Lighting Systems
Deanna Matthews, Mary Ashe, Christopher Weber, Paulina Jaramillo, H. Scott
Matthews

GHG 2

132

The energy and climate change impacts of
different music delivery methods

Christopher Weber
*
,
Jonathan Koomey, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Stanford University

The impacts of information and communication technologies (ICT) on the environment have
been a rich area for research in recent years. ICT has substantially affected commerce, enabling
new methods for connecting producers and consumers (ie, e-commerce) and creating new
electronic products. A prime example is the continuing rise of digital music delivery, which has
obvious potential for reducing the energy and environmental impacts of producing and delivering
music to final consumers. This study assesses the energy and CO
2
emissions associated with
several potential alternative methods for delivering one album of music to a final customer,
either via traditional retail or e-commerce sales of compact discs or via a digital download
service. We analyze a set of six (3 compact disc and 3 digital download) scenarios of the delivery
of one music album from the recording stage to the final consumers home in either CD or digital
form.
We find that despite the increased energy and emissions associated with internet data flows,
purchasing music digitally reduces the energy and carbon dioxide (CO
2
) emissions associated
with delivering music to customers by between 40 and 80% from the best-case physical CD
delivery, depending on whether a customer then burns the files to CD or not. This reduction is
due to both dematerialization of CDs and CD packaging as well as the logistics required to move
physical CDs from production to the household. Given our assumptions, online delivery seems to
be a clearly superior music delivery method when compared to traditional CD distribution.
However, despite the clear dominance of the digital music delivery method, there are scenarios
by which digital music performs less well. For instance, the traditional retail delivery scenario is
nearly equivalent to downloading and burning if the customer walks rather than drives to the
retail store. Similarly, if the file transfer size is increased to 260 MB the download and burn
option looks very similar to the e-commerce delivery CD scenario due to increased Internet
energy use for downloading. We discuss future research needs related to digital media and
dematerialization of information products.
*
clweber@cmu.edu

GHG 2

133

Creating a Greenhouse Gas and Energy LCA for CRT Televisions:
Data Availability and Transboundary Challenges

Christopher Evans
*
, ICF International
Victoria Thompson
**
, ICF International

In 2007, over 900,000 tons of televisions were disposed in the United States, of which roughly three quarters were
cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions (TVs). Disposals of CRT TVs are expected to increase as consumers replace
them with new flat panel models, particularly as result of the transition to digital television in 2009. The tonnage of
CRT TVs entering the waste stream increased by over 40% between 1999 and 2007, and in a 2008 survey of North
American e-scrap recyclers, 75% reported an increase in CRT volumes within the past year.
1,2
The USEPA
estimates that 18% of CRT TVs are recycled at end-of-life in the United States.
To expand the USEPAs Waste Reduction Model (WARM), ICF International undertook a life-cycle analysis of the
energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission benefits of recycling CRT TVs. Other human health and environmental
impacts, while important, are not included in this analysis. Recycling CRT TVs is an open-loop process, meaning
that components are recycled into secondary materials rather than directly into new televisions. Our analysis
accounts for demanufacturing energy, transportation, and non-energy process emissions.
We estimate that net GHG emissions from recycling one short ton of CRT TVs range from an emission of 0.05
metric tons of carbon-equivalent GHGs, to a 0.12 reduction in carbon-equivalent emissions. Energy use in the
recycling process ranges from 2.4 million Btus to a net energy savings of 2.7 million Btus per short ton of CRT TVs
recycled. Combusting plastics contained in CRT TVs produces the largest amount of GHG emissions, but is the only
case where energy recovery offsets the energy associated with recycling CRT TVs. Our results are sensitive to the
assumed composition of CRT TVs, particularly the fraction of steel in CRT TVs relative to CRT glass and plastics.
A substantial fraction of the materials recovered from CRT TVs are sent overseas for recovery. We identify likely
end-markets for metals, lead, CRT glass, and other materials, and discuss the data sources used to model end-of-life
material pathways.
3,4,5
We also conduct a sensitivity analysis to investigate areas of uncertainty and compare our
emission factor with similar studies.
6,7
The availability of life-cycle data for used and end-of-life electronics is poor,
particularly with regard to overseas recycling and end-use markets and processes. More information on these
subjects is needed to better understand CRT recycling pathways.
References
1. EPA. (2007). Electronics Waste Management in the United States: Approach 1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
2. Peters, A. (2009). 2008 North American E-Scrap Processors Survey. Gracestone Inc., presentation at 2008 E-Scrap
Conference.
3. EPA. (2006). Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases: A Life-Cycle Assessment of Emissions and Sinks. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
4. Franklin Associates Ltd. (2001). Energy and Greenhouse Gas Factors for Personal Computers. U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
5. Liu, X., Tanaka, M., & Matsui, Y. (2009). Economic evaluation of optional recycling processes for waste electronic home
appliances. Journal of Cleaner Production, 17(1), 53-60.
6. EC. (2007). Ecodesign of EuP Products - Preparatory Studies LOT 5: Consumer Electronics, Television. European
Commission (EC).
7. Socolof, M. L., Overly, J. G., Kincaid, L. E., & Geibig, J. R. (2001). Computer Display - A Life-Cycle Assessment. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

*
cevans@icfi.com
**
vthompson@icfi.com

GHG 2

134

Development of a Construction Materials GHG Database:
Case Study of Concrete

Corinne Reich-Weiser
*
, Climate Earth/UC Berkeley
Chris Erickson, Climate Earth
David Dornfeld, UC Berkeley

The construction industry is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and
requires comprehensive enterprise-wide life-cycle assessment tools for effective decision-making and
design. In 2002, direct emissions and electricity use by the construction industry produced approximately
2% of total U.S. GHG emissions
1
; however, approximately 70-80% of emissions associated with
construction are unaccounted for by this figure, including the mining, processing, and transportation of
materials upstream of the construction site
2
.
LCA tools/databases for the construction industry are currently limited in scope and provide incomplete
insight for design modifications. Additionally, the primary standard for green buildings in the U.S. is
LEED, which provides only qualitative guidelines for building material choices and may not reduce
lifecycle environmental impacts
3
.
Through ongoing collaboration with Webcor Builders Inc., a construction materials GHG database is
being developed. In this presentation, a hybrid methodology for development of the Construction
Materials GHG database is demonstrated through a case study of concrete. Consistent with an iterative
hybrid methodology
4
, concrete has been chosen as a starting point for the database because it accounts for
between 5-15% of new construction GHG emissions
2
. Initial concrete numbers to refine the input-output
database are being developed through work with Central Concrete Supply Co, Inc., a US Concrete
Company.
The database development will follow the following process: (1) hybrid LCA of construction using the
CEDA 3.0 input-output database
2
, (2) selective data refinement and expansion through supplier hybrid
LCA, (3) hybrid LCA of construction using refined database (4) iterate steps 2 and 3. The methodology
provides the opportunity for a comprehensive database incorporating both sub-contractor and materials
impacts into a building LCA. This iterative hybrid methodology will enable the database to be refined
over time and historical assessments to be updated in real-time.
References
1. Truitt, P. (2009) Potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the construction sector U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
2. Suh, S. (2004) Comprehensive environmental data archive, CEDA 3.0 database, IERS, MN, USA.
3. Scheuer, C.W. and G.A. Keoleian (2002) Evaluation of LEED Using Life Cycle Assessment Methods United
States Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology.
4. Tukker, A., P. Eder and S. Suh (2006) Environmental Impacts of Products Policy Relevant Information and Data
Challenges Journal of Industrial Ecology, 10(3), pp.183-198.
*
corinnerw@gmail.com

GHG 2

135

Manufacturing Energy Consumption for
Solid State Lighting Systems

Deanna Matthews
*
Mary Ashe, Carnegie Mellon University
Christopher Weber, Carnegie Mellon University
Paulina Jaramillo, Carnegie Mellon University

Solid-state lighting (SSL) products lighting with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as the source of light
are a promising technology to significantly reduce the energy consumed by lighting. Current SSL
products operate around 50 lumens/Watt, equivalent to compact fluorescent lights and significantly better
than the 10 lumens/Watt for incandescent lights. Future SSL technology aims to reduce energy
consumption to a range of 75 150 lumens/Watt. However, while SSL luminaires offer great energy
savings during use, the net energy consumption is under question, as the upstream manufacturing
processes for the individual LEDs are energy intensive. We will present results to-date of our research
estimating the life cycle energy consumption of SSL lighting products, specifically a downlight
replacement luminaire.
SSL luminaires consist of an array of individually encapsulated LEDs. Manufacturing of the LEDs is
comparable in many ways to semiconductor manufacturing. LED manufacturing requires the use of high
purity materials, closely controlled processing atmospheres, and precision equipment. Unlike silicon
semiconductor manufacturing, LED processing uses a gallium-nitride (GaN) material base, smaller wafer
size, and an overall processing sequence with fewer steps. Silicon semiconductor manufacturing
processes have been investigated from a life cycle perspective
1
2002,
2
2008, but many LED
manufacturing processes are developing technologies that are proprietary to manufacturers. The research
will leverage the publicly available data from semiconductor LCI studies and combine it with new data
and studies from LED manufacturers and related industries. The new data and studies come from a
Department of Energy initiated effort to form a collaboration of LCA researchers, lighting industry
representatives, and equipment manufacturers with SSL expertise.
At the present time, we have preliminary estimates for the LED manufacturing phase of less than 1 kWh
for a luminaire with 10 LEDs. This is similar to the energy consumption of CFL bulb manufacturing. We
are beginning research into the materials processing phase for both the LED and luminaire materials, as
well as the production of components for the luminaire which are expected to be completed by August
2009 and would be incorporated into the presentation.
References
1. Williams, E. D., Ayres, R. U., and Heller, M. The 1.7 kilogram microchip: energy and material use in the production of
semiconductor devices. Environmental Science and Technology, 36 (24) pp 5504-5510, 2002.
2. Krishnan, N., Boyd, S., Somani, A., Raoux, S., Clark, D., and Dornfeld, D. A hybrid life cycle inventory of nano-scale
semiconductor manufacturing. Environmental Science and Technology, 42 (8) pp 3069-3075, 2008.
*
hsm@cmu.ed

Thursday Poster Session

136
Thursday lunch
Assessing water use in LCA Poster Spotlight
Testing of Operational Methods for Impact Assessment of
Freshwater Use on Midpoint and Endpoint level:
Insights and Conclusions

Stephan Pfister
*
, ETH Zurich, IFU

We developed regionalized characterization factors for the environmental impacts from
freshwater consumption on the midpoint and endpoint level. Midpoint factors are developed for
the existing midpoints abiotic resource depletion and land use (by calculating land-use
equivalents). These are further assessed for their impacts on the areas of protection resources and
ecosystem quality. An additional midpoint category water deprivation is introduced, as a basis
for modeling related effects to human health. Our method can be used within most existing LCIA
methods, either on midpoint or endpoint level. Relative importance of water consumption is
analyzed by integrating it into the fully aggregating Eco-indicator 99 method (EI99). Both,
importance of regionalization in impact assessment and relative relevance of water consumption
are illustrated by the case of several agricultural products produced worldwide. The results show
that in arid regions, water consumption might dominate the aggregated overall impact whereas in
humid regions, impacts from water use are usually not relevant. Consequently, water-
consumption assessment considering a regionalized modeling approach is a crucial development
in LCA. This is particularly important when products traded on the global market shall be
compared and relevant environmental information shall be provided to decision makers in food
supply chains or for consumers interested in sustainable consumption.
Based on the agricultural case studies, we compared the method as add-on of the conventional
EI99 to the Swiss Ecological Scarcity Method 2006 (UBP06), which includes regional impact
factors for water use. In general, the relative impact of water use compared to other impact
categories has been smaller in EI99 than UBP06. We analyzed the reasons for this difference and
reflected also further indicators for water scarcity in order to evaluate the limitations of the
methods presented and give recommendations for the interpretation of the results.

*
pfister@ifu.baug.ethz.ch


137
Thursday lunch
Assessing water use in LCA Poster Spotlight
Characterization Factors for Damage to Aquatic Biodiversity
caused by Water Use

Sebastien Humbert
*
, Quantis

The way society uses water can significantly affect ecosystems and aquatic biodiversity.
However, due to the complexity of this topic, these water use impacts are poorly addressed by
current life cycle impact assessment methodologies. This work proposes a framework to
calculate characterization factors to quantify damage to aquatic biodiversity caused by water use.
Damage can be expressed as the potentially damaged fraction of species (PDF) that disappear
over a certain area affected (in PDF*m
2
) because of a certain amount of water used per year for a
specific purpose.
When this framework is applied to the case of hydroelectric dams, the impacts can be expressed
either per amount of water flowing through the dam per year or relative to the amount of
electricity produced per year. This framework expresses results using PDF*m
2
*yr per unit of
water or electricity. This unit is advantageous in that it is consistent with other damage-oriented
impact categories describing damage to ecosystems and thus allows comparison between
different types of impacts. Suggested characterizations factors are calculated for dams.
Results show that for run-of-river hydroelectric dams, damage to aquatic biodiversity is on the
order of 0.01 (0.002-0.1) PDF*m
2
*yr per m
3
of water turbined or 0.04 (0.01-0.2) PDF*m
2
*yr per
kWh produced. For alpine dams, damage is about 0.001 PDF*m
2
*yr per m
3
of water turbined or
0.0008 PDF*m
2
*yr per kWh produced.
Thus, alpine dams appear to have damages that are approximately 50 times lower than run-of-
rive dams (on a per kWh produced basis), partly explained by the higher efficiency from alpine
dams (higher drop), thus less m
3
of water is needed to produce 1 kWh. Overall, these values are
between 1 and 3 orders of magnitude higher than the total damage to ecosystems currently
evaluated for electricity production, indicating that the damage to aquatic biodiversity by
hydroelectricity is significantly underestimated and should be considered when comparing the
environmental impacts of competing electricity production technologies. These characterization
factors can be directly combined with appropriate inventory databases and used in life cycle
assessments related to water use. This is especially useful for processes using electricity from
hydroelectric utilities, but also for processes using water for irrigation, power plant cooling or
public use. Thus the inclusion of water use damage to aquatic biodiversity within overall damage
to ecosystems quality increases the reliability of final results reported from LCA containing
processes using water.

*
sebastien.humbert@ecointesys.ch


138
Thursday lunch
Assessing water use in LCA Poster
Relevance of Water Use in LCAs of Biofuel Production

*
, Empa

Many countries promote biofuels with the main aim to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
However, the potential of biofuels to reduce both greenhouse gas emissions as well as overall
environmental impacts is highly controversial. Switzerland is one of the first countries to set
requirements in its legislation on tax exemption for biofuels to ensure a reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions while avoiding additional overall environmental impacts.
comprehensive approach which includes overall environmental impacts within the full life cycle
of biofuels. Moreover, water use in biofuel production has only been considered by very recent
papers, without, however, relating their results to overall environmental impacts. This step is
nevertheless very important for a comprehensive assessment of biofuels. Indeed, one recent
publication showed that the assessment of water consumption in an LCA of cotton production
strongly influences the results, especially in water scarce regions (Pfister 2009).
Our paper analyses water use in biofuel production. It shows a case study of rape seed methyl
ester production in Argentina based on irrigated and non-irrigated cultivation, and compares the
results with values for other biofuels from the ecoinvent database. We use regionalized factors
for the assessment of the environmental impacts of water use and show the importance of taking
into account water scarcity in the respective region. Furthermore, we relate the results to the
Swiss legislation, showing that water use should be included in future assessments of biofuels.

*
mireille.faist@empa.ch


139
Thursday lunch
Assessing water use in LCA Poster
Water Footprint Principles, Requirements and Guidance

Sebastien Humbert
*
, Quantis

Freshwater is a very important natural resource, which everyday becomes scarcer and therefore
urgently requires appropriate management tools to be used in an internationally consistent
fashion by different stakeholders. The objective is to propose and ISO Standard on principles,
requirements & guidelines for a water footprint metric of products, processes and organizations,
as well as its communication. It aims at being: i) Coherent with ISO14000 series, ii) Coherent
with environmental metrics such as carbon footprint, LCA (ISO14040), GHG accounting
(ISO14064), iii) Coherent with environmental communication (ISO14020, ISO 14067), and iv)
Consistent with existing and ongoing work of GHG protocol (same boundaries, scope, etc.).
This presentation will outline the foreseen process, starting in 2009 and planned to last 3 years,
aiming at creating such an ISO Standard.

*
sebastien.humbert@ecointesys.ch


140
Thursday lunch

Regionalization and data specifications:
A comparison of Ecospold 2 and ILCD

Chris Mutel
*
, ETH Zurich

Regionalization allows for better and more specific results from LCA studies. However, proper
regionalization requires that geographic information be included in LCI databases. The type of
geographic information determines the type of regionalized LCA that can be performed. In this
poster, we describe the types of regionalized information that will be included in two new data
formats: Ecospold 2 and ILCD. These new formats are being designed for the next generation of
LCI databases, and are intended to allow for the advances in regionalization that are currently
being discussed in conferences and the literature. Because both formats use XML, a direct
comparison can be made between the advantages and drawbacks of each format choice.
Although neither format is finalized, preliminary comparisons indicate that the ILCD format is
designed for simpler implementation and data collection, while the EcoSpold 2 format includes
more complicated geographic information that is more difficult for those inputting data, but
allows for advanced GIS-based regionalization in LCA.

*
mutel@ifu.baug.ethz.ch


141
Thursday lunch

Accounting for Ecosystem Services in Eco-LCA by Combining
Qualitative and Quantitative Information

Shweta Singh
*
, The Ohio State University
Bhavik Bakshi
**
, Ohio State University

Accounting for ecosystem services has been identified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
1
. as
crucial for meeting the goal of sustainability. Ecologically Based Life Cycle Assessment (Eco-LCA) has
been developed recently to address this challenge of accounting for the role of ecosystem goods and
services in industrial activities
2,3
. This approach accounts for a large variety of provisioning services
including fuels, minerals, soil and water, supporting services such as some biogeochemical cycles, and
several regulating services. These services complement existing life cycle inventories and rely on physical
methods such as exergy analysis. The Eco-LCA approach may be applied at the process or economy
scale, and an Eco-LCA model of the U.S. economy has been developed
2
. Despite these developments,
considering the complexity of ecosystems and multitude of services provided, there are still many
ecosystem services which have not been accounted for completely in Eco-LCA. It is important to account
for the role of other ecosystem services, including regulating services, which include climate, flood and
pest regulation. Some of the missing services can be quantified, while for others, only qualitative
information is available. Among services that can be quantified, this work accounts for carbon
sequestration and nitrogen footprint. Carbon sequestration services considered in this work include those
due to land use and land use change, soil sink by croplands remaining cropland, urban trees and organic
landfills. Additional sources of emissions due to anthropogenic activities include emissions due to land
converted to cropland, grassland remaining grassland and other agricultural emissions such as fertilization
and liming. The present work includes these additional sources and sinks of carbon emissions in Eco-
LCA quantitatively and further enhance the Eco-LCA inventory. Agricultural soil management and
manure management is contributing largely to indirect emissions of nitrous oxide and ammonia , nitrogen
runoff and leaching causing negative impacts on ecosystems and loss of ecosystem services such as
fisheries. It also contributes to global warming potential and climate change which necessitates to limit
and calculate nitrogen footprint in economy. Hence, these additional sources of nitrogen emissions are
also included in the Eco-LCA inventory. Ecosystem services required to abate these emissions are also
included in Eco-LCA. For services that are difficult to quantify, the approach adopted in this work is to
represent these services in a qualitative manner. This includes regulating services like air quality
regulation, climate regulation, disease and pest regulation etc. Our approach utilizes process level
information to identify critical ecosystem services on a scale from 0 to 5 and combines this with any
available quantitative information . Hence, this will provide a process specific qualitative inventory for
services which are tough to quantify. Such qualitative insight about the dependence of system on these
ecosystem services will help identify the critical ecosystem services in the life cycle of processes. Even
though such qualitative analysis cannot be used to calculate the usual impact assessment metrics, still it
will provide life cycle view for assessing dependence and impact of systems on ecosystem services.
Hence, the proposed quantitative-qualitative approach will lead to development of a unique inventory
which can provide a holistic analysis of dependence of system on ecosystem services.
References
1. Millenium Ecosystem Assessment report
2. Ecologically based LCA -An approach for quantifying the role of natural capital in product life cycles.
PhD Thesis. Zhang Yi (2008), The Ohio State University
3. Eco-LCA tool
*
singh.281@osu.edu
**
bakshi.2@osu.edu


142
Thursday lunch

Regional Variations and Implications of Life-Cycle Water
Consumption in the Production of
Bioethanol, Petroleum Gasoline, and Electric Power

May Wu
*
, Argonne National Laboratory
Production of energy feedstocks and fuels requires substantial water input for feedstock growth
and conversion to fuel. Water requirements are particularly significant in the production of
biofuel feedstocks like corn, switchgrass, and agricultural residues. Water management has
become a key feature of agricultural practice and energy production processes in recent years. In
the present work, we examine the growing issue of water use in energy production by
characterizing current water consumption in (1) bioethanol produced from corn and from
cellulosic feedstocks (United States), (2) petroleum gasoline (United States, Canada, Saudi
Arabia), and (3) the production of electricity from major sources (United States). Water
requirements and consumption are evaluated for two major life cycle stages: feedstock farming
and feedstock conversion. We analyzed 10 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) farming
production regions for corn, five Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts (PADDs) from
United States and major production regions from Saudi Arabia for conventional gasoline, major
oil sand production regions for oil sand-based gasoline, and state-level production for power
generation. Our analysis revealed that the amount of irrigation water used to grow biofuel
feedstocks varies significantly from one region to another and that water consumption for biofuel
production varies with processing technology. Such variations imply substantial differences in
life-cycle water consumption, even within the United States. Since the feedstock recovery and
production stages account for a majority of water use, life-cycle results depend largely on
locations in which feedstock is stored or grown. In addition, newly proposed energy projects
from multiple sectors could further strain local water resources. Our analysis highlights the vital
importance of water management during the feedstock production and conversion stages of the
fuel life cycle.

*
mwu@anl.gov

Dynamic and temporal modeling in LCA 1 & 2

143
Thursday afternoon
Special session coordinator: Annie Levasseur, CIRAIG
The lack of consideration for temporal aspects in LCA is a repeated criticism of the
methodology. Inventory phase excludes temporal information, like the dynamics of the different
life cycle processes, giving aggregated results. This absence of time resolution in the inventory
results implies the use of some assumptions that can decrease the accuracy of impact assessment
models. In LCIA, the choice of time horizons for integrating impacts and the distribution of these
impacts through time is also an important discussion subject. This session wants to address the
problem of temporal aspects in LCA, in inventory and impact assessment, to look at how time
could be integrated into LCA to increase its accuracy and application scope.
How dynamic LCA can bring consistency in assessing global warming
mitigation scenarios
Annie Levasseur, Pascal Lesage, Manuele Margni, Louise Deschnes, Rjean
Samson
Capturing the Effects of the Timing of Emissions in Life Cycle Greenhouse
Gas Assessments: A Case Study of Photovoltaic Technologies
Alissa Kendall, Brenda Chang, Benjamin A. Sharpe
Modeling process, product and usage evolution in LCA: three case studies
Eric Williams, Liqiu Deng, Callie W. Babbitt, Pei Zhai
Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment of biogas production from micro-algae
Collet Pierre, Arnaud Hlias, Laurent Lardon, Jean-Philippe Steyer
Modeling future emissions from Municipal solid waste incineration in Europe
Dominik Saner, Daniel Lang, Annette Koehler
LCA of Waste Prevention Options for the Residential Construction Sector in
Oregon
Jon Dettling, Dominic Pietro, Jordan Palmeri, Bill Jones, Johnathan Balkema,
Bruce Sullivan, David Allaway, Sebastien Humbert, Olivier Jolliet
Meeting the NEEDS of European environmental sustainability assessment
Rolf Frischknecht, Krewitt Wolfram
Exploring Leverage in Responsible Purchasing - A recursive life-cycle
simulation to explore green purchasing and life-cycle simulation
Evan Andrews


144
Thursday afternoon

How dynamic LCA can bring consistency in assessing
global warming mitigation scenarios

Annie Levasseur, CIRAIG
With Kyoto Protocol enforcement in many countries, mitigation mechanisms for GHG like
temporary abiotic carbon sequestration scenarios are more and more accepted to meet political
targets. To assess the impact of these scenarios, LCA appears to be the preferred tool to avoid
burden shifting over whole life cycle. A consensus exists to use GWP (Global Warming
Potential) index, developed by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), as
characterization factors to assess impacts on climate change. Although many practitioners are
aware that GWP index is available for different time horizons, such as 20, 100 and 500 years,
only few of them realize that there is often an inconsistency regarding time frame between an
aggregated inventory result and the choice of the time horizon used in GWP. In fact, multiplying
an inventory result by a set of GWPs for a chosen time horizon assumes that every emission of
the aggregated life cycle inventory result is occurring at time zero, which is not true, especially
for long-lived products or scenarios.
A new dynamic LCA approach is proposed to overcome this limitation and bring consistency
between the inventory and the impact assessment time horizon. This approach consists in i)
computing a dynamic inventory to discriminate time dependant emissions over the whole life
cycle and ii) calculating dynamic characterization factors for each time step up to the defined
time horizon using the AGWP (Absolute Global Warming Potential). A case study for temporary
carbon sequestration by afforestation has been developed to illustrate the benefits of this
dynamic approach. Dynamic LCA results are showing the change in radiative forcing caused by
GHG emissions, at any time t following the beginning of the studied life cycle. The comparison
with traditional LCA shows that the dynamic approach gives lower results for a given time
horizon, due to the improved consistency in the time frames. Dynamic LCA also brings the
temporal resolution necessary for comparing temporary carbon sequestration scenarios.


145
Thursday afternoon

Capturing the Effects of the Timing of Emissions in
Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Assessments:
A Case Study of Photovoltaic Technologies

Alissa Kendall, University of California, Davis
Brenda Chang, University of California, Davis
Benjamin A. Sharpe, University of California, Davis
With few exceptions [1], studies estimating life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for
renewable energy systems, such as photovoltaics (PV) report GHG emissions on an emissions
intensity basis, such as per-kWh or per-MJ. To calculate emissions intensity, life cycle
assessment (LCA) practitioners typically implement a straight-line amortization of the initial
emissions, such as emissions from capital investments or manufacturing, over an assumed time
horizon [2, 3]. Because the impact of a GHG increases with time in the atmosphere, disregarding
when an emission occurs underestimates its climate change effect. This is particula rly true if a
large emission occurs at the beginning or in advance of a products life cycle.

To address this shortcoming in current LCA practices, we have developed a scaling factor,
referred to as a time correction factor (TCF) [4]. To calculate the TCF we use a methodology
founded on the same principles as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes global
warming potentials (GWPs). The TCF is applied to life cycle emissions intensity estimates for
various PV technologies. Results show that actual climate change effects are nearly 80% greater
than those reported. While this research applies the TCF to better compare climate change effects
of alternative PV technologies, the broader concept has a role to play in developing a method to
capture the true climate effect of GHG emissions during the impact assessment step of LCA.

[1] O'Hare, M. et. al, 2009. Proper Accounting for Time Increases Crop-Based Biofuels GHG Deficit versus
Petroleum. Environmental Research Letters 4, 024001.
[2] Fthenakis, V. & E. Alsema, 2006. Photovoltaics Energy Payback Times, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and
External Costs: 2004-Early 2005 Stuts. Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, 14, 275-280.
[3] Raugei, M., S. Bargigle & S. Ulgiati (2007) Life cycle assessment and energy pay-back time of
advancedphotovoltaic modules: CdTe and CIS compared to poly-Si. Energy 32, 1310-1318
[4] Kendall, A., B. Chang, & B. A. Sharpe, 2009. Accounting for Time-Dependent Effects in Biofuel Life Cycle
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculations Environmental Science and Technology, doi: 10.1021/es900529u.


146
Thursday afternoon

Modeling process, product and usage evolution in LCA:
three case studies

Eric Williams, Arizona State University
Liqiu Deng, Arizona State University
Callie W. Babbitt, Arizona State University
Pei Zhai, Arizona State University
LCA was initially designed to produce a static snapshot of materials flows and impacts
associated with a supply chain. In many cases the temporal evolution of processes, products and
usage patterns can significantly affect LCA results, a challenge which the community has long-
recognized and worked to grapple with. This presentation reviews three case studies addressing
methods and data to work towards temporal characterization of life cycle inventories. The first
case study examine photovoltaic manufacturing and develops a retrospective model of product
and process evolution to describe trends in energy and carbon overhead of the supply chain. The
inventory method is a variety of hybrid analysis combining process and economic input-output
approaches. The second case study of semiconductor manufacturing examines how different
definitions of functional unit can affect the temporal evolution of the inventory. In particular, the
energy to produce a typical microprocessor for a given year is roughly constant (typical
product normalization) while the energy per transistor (functionality normalization) decreases
rapidly. The third case study addresses the empirical analysis of the temporal evolution of
computer usage patterns. Data is gathered describing fifteen years of computer use at Arizona
State University. One of the main results is that product lifespan, the time from purchase to
disposal, has declined steadily, from around 10.7 years in 1985 to 5.5 years in 2000. This
suggests that dynamic modeling of lifespan is needed for LCA of some products.


147
Thursday afternoon

Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment of
biogas production from micro-algae

Collet Pierre, Montpellier SupAgro
Arnaud Hlias, Montpellier SupAgro
Laurent Lardon, INRA
Jean-Philippe Steyer, Montpellier SupAgro
Fossil fuel depletion and climate change have lead many research groups and private companies
to focus on use of biomass to produce renewable energy and fuel. Because of their high
production yield, micro-algae have been pointed as an interesting alternative. A relevant mean to
upgrade the energy value of micro-algae with optimal performances is the anaerobic digestion of
the algae. It enables achievement of environmental benefits and production of energy from
renewable resources. However such processes only exist at lab-scale. In order to assess and
optimize its performances and environmental impacts, one has to stimulate its behaviour through
dynamical models. In broad outline the two major compartments of the system (micro-algae
culture and anaerobic digestion process) are linked by internal flows (micro-algae, digestates)
and receive external flows (light, cosubstrates). As a consequence, overall behaviour is
determined by the interaction of several time-dependent processes. For example, the temporal
availability of winery effluents induces a better anaerobic digestion due to the high C/N ratio of
this kind of cosubstrate, and consequently a bigger production of biogas. So, due to the close
loop operating, the needs of chemical fertilizers are lower, and the emissions caused by their
production too. This shows the necessity to realize a dynamic Life Cycle Assessment. In our
context, a pertinent Life Cycle Inventory can not be achieved without taking into account the
dynamic of several processes; some economic flows are determined according to the temporal
evolution of processes. Consequently, we integrate dynamic system modeling of micro-algae
growth and anaerobic digestion of biomass in the LCA in order to obtain dynamic flows. This
approach allows us to obtain dynamic data for the Life Cycle Inventory. This is a preliminary
step to more accurate impact assessment.


148
Thursday afternoon

Modeling future emissions from
Municipal solid waste incineration in Europe

Dominik Saner, ETH Zurich
Daniel Lang, ETH Zurich
With increasing amounts of municipal solid waste being directed to incineration plants the
question of future incineration emission loads becomes increasingly important. Emission loads
depend on waste amount, waste composition as well as incineration technology, and therefore
heavily vary over space and time. A temporal modeling of emissions from municipal solid waste
incineration for application in different environmental assessments such as life cycle assessment,
substance flow analysis, and pollutant exposure assessment was conducted to address the issue of
prospective emission situations.
Applying Formative Scenario Analysis (FSA) future scenarios reflecting socio-economic and
demographic developments, technological evolution and different policy settings were generated
for municipal solid waste incineration in the coming decades in Europe. Impact variables, which
formally describe the driving forces of different scenarios were elaborated. Scenarios were
constructed, analyzed for consistency, and used to define input parameters for a probabilistic and
spatially-resolved emission model that allows to quantify the incineration emissions into air and
water. The waste-input specific, transfer-coefficient based emission model for different waste
incineration and flue gas cleaning technologies considers 33 European countries and consists of
two databases: one of all existing and planned municipal solid waste incineration plants in
Europe, specifying their location and technological installations and a European waste inventory
of combustible wastes, including information on current and future national municipal waste
quantities, waste types, material compositions and elemental compositions of the waste
materials. All input and model parameters are stochastically modeled returning uncertainty
ranges for the resulting emission loads. The model thus provides temporally differentiated LCI
data for municipal solid waste incineration plants in 33 European countries on a time scale of 4
decades.
In the presentation, the set-up of future scenarios and their temporally varying impact variables
will be elaborated. The crucial step of translating scenarios into temporal input parameters of the
incineration model will be discussed and the trade-offs between scenario-based (temporal) and
stochastically modeled future emission loads analyzed. The results for the pollutant loads show
that batteries now and in the future are a main source of heavy metals and that N and S inputs
from biodegradable waste into incineration become increasingly important due to prohibited
landfilling of biowaste.


149
Thursday afternoon

LCA of Waste Prevention Options for the
Residential Construction Sector in Oregon

Jon Dettling, Quantis
Dominic Pietro, Quantis
Jordan Palmeri, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Bill Jones, Earth Advantage, Inc.
Johnathan Balkema, Oregon Home Builders Association
Bruce Sullivan, Earth Advantage, Inc.
David Allaway, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Olivier Jolliet, Quantis
Within Oregon, the residential construction sector is responsible for a significant portion of the waste
generated. While the Oregon DEQ recognizes the importance of waste prevention actions in this sector, it
is also recognized that the residential housing sector is an extremely important contributor to other
environmental impact areas through its material demands and energy use: a classic case of the potential
for shifting burdens. There is therefore a need to ensure that the waste prevention actions that the state
government may take are optimized to achieve maximal benefit (and avoid net impacts) in multiple
environmental impact categories.
A life cycle assessment has been undertaken to identify the residential construction waste prevention
practices that provide the greatest overall environmental benefit. Supporting information for the study has
been compiled with the help of the Oregon Home Builders Association (OHBA), Earth Advantage Inc.
(EAI, the leading building energy certifier in the state), and the Oregon DEQ in addition to a wide range
of subject-matter experts on the building practices. A whole-building LCA framework has been
established that integrates detailed data on building materials and energy use (supplied by OHBA and
EAI, respectively) with detailed information about the context of residential buildings in Oregon.
More than two dozen possible waste prevention practices have been identified. In a first screening-level
phase, these practices were evaluated to narrow the list to those practices showing the most promise. The
best performing practices are being evaluated in a second phase in which the level of detail was greatly
enhanced and the study was expanded to consider the practices within the framework of a state-wide
residential building stock.
In both phases of the project, temporal considerations are highly important. The choice of a lifetime for
the modeled residential structures, as well as replacement schedules, highly influences the relative
contributions of various aspects the home. When considering state-wide building stock, both the longevity
of structures and the chosen time horizon are important.
This presentation will discuss the context of the project, the methodologies used, discuss the findings of
the first phase and provide some preliminary results of the second phase.


150
Thursday afternoon

Meeting the NEEDS of
European environmental sustainability assessment

Rolf Frischknecht, ESU-services Ltd.
Krewitt Wolfram, German Aerospace Centre
Mixing LCI data from databases representing todays situation with LCI data for energy systems
and technologies that will only be realised in some decades from now leads to results that do not
well represent the environmental impact of the intended future situation. This is the more true for
technologies with low or zero direct emissions such as wind, or photovoltaic. Within the recently
completed European NEEDS project, the environmental efficiency of the production of selected
relevant commodities are adapted to a 2025 and 2050 situation, differentiating three possible
scenarios of economic developments and energy policies. Using background data based on unit
processes a change in selected datasets propagates into every dataset. This substantially improves
accuracy and consistency of the resulting product systems. In the NEEDS project the future
energy mix including a share of these new technologies is taken into account as well as changes
in the mining, materials and transport sectors. It is shown that a consistent modification leads to
results that are significantly different from those using unmodified data.


151
Thursday afternoon

Exploring Leverage in Responsible Purchasing - A recursive life-
cycle simulation to explore green purchasing and
life-cycle simulation
Evan Andrews, Sylvatica
Responsible purchasing among institutions is growing. Green procurement, one such example of
this, proliferates as companies increasingly seek to manage risks and opportunities in their
supply chains. While great progress has been made, one question is often deferred because it is
either not understood, or deemed too difficult to address: How deep should green purchasing
efforts go into the supply chain? Should suppliers be judged solely on their environmental
impacts, or should they also be judged on their purchasing decisions as well? Is it worth the
effort to request data from deep in the supply chain? If the goal is to make the world a better
place, just how much leverage do purchasers have towards this end? How much faster does the
economy green if purchasers take a life-cycle perspective, rather than one-tier green, when
making buying decisions?
The presentation will tackle these topics through the lens of a life-cycle simulation. The model
allows for dynamic interplay of companies, and uses market information to simulate how the
economy might change in response to green purchasing decisions. The market features includes
pricing, competition, and constrained production among other variables. For example, a supplier
that would otherwise be the best candidate to furnish a good might not bid because the job would
put her over capacity. Similarly, purchasers make procurement decisions based on the context in
which they find themselves, such as whether their company has committed to green purchasing.
The results of the study will be presented. Scenarios will be compared where green purchasers
do, and dont, dig into their supply chains. There will also be discussion of insights gained and
future work.

Towards a consistent management of uncertainty
in Life Cycle Assessment

152
Thursday early afternoon

Special session coordinator: Olivier Jolliet, University of Michigan
Currently, the quantification and communication of uncertainty in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), in both
inventory and impact assessment, is often omitted. Addressing these issues, this session focuses on the
integration of uncertainty management into daily LCA practice. It explores approaches to estimate,
visualize, interpret and communicate any kind of uncertainty information in LCA and its inclusion in
decision-making. Identification and quantification of main sources of uncertainty in all stages of an LCA
is a special point of interest; all with the ultimate goal of minimizing resources needed to perform
uncertainty analysis in LCA. LCA case studies, where uncertainty was consistently considered, are
welcome. Innovative method for uncertainty calculations are of high interest. Uncertainty information
routinely reported for LCA results will improve trust and confidence in the method as users and decision
makers will be provided with measures of confidence in the result, enabling for example to differentiate
between compared options with scores that are essentially equal (revealed by overlapping uncertainty
ranges) or well distinguishable. It will also provide a measure of confidence for impact indicators. This
session explicitly invites all stakeholders from developers to practitioners and decision-makers to present
and discuss their views, experiences and ideas related to practical uncertainty management in LCA.
Sampling and analytical approaches toward propagating uncertainties in LCA
Reinout Heijungs, Olivier Jolliet, Ralph Rosenbaum, Andreas Ciroth, Thomas McKone,
Manfred Lenzen, Jinglan Hong
Uncertainty and scenario analysis in the life cycle of biofuel systems: modelling
issues and applications
Fausto Freire, Joo Mala
Analytical Uncertainty Propagation in Life Cycle Inventory and Impact
Assessment: high-efficiency versus conventional electric hand dryer and paper towel
systems
Olivier Jolliet, Jinglan Hong, Shanna Shaked, Ralph Rosenbaum, Jon Dettling
Confronting the Uncertainties in Life-Cycle Impact Assessment for Highway
Transportation Fuels
Thomas McKone, Agnes Lobscheid
Incorporating Variation and Uncertainty in Strategic Life Cycle Decisions
Jeffrey Dahmus, Elsa Olivetti, Jeremy Gregory, Randolph Kirchain
A method to combine simulation and approximation formulas for uncertainty
calculation revisited
Andreas Ciroth


153

Sampling and analytical approaches toward
propagating uncertainties in LCA

Reinout Heijungs, Leiden University
Manfred Lenzen, University of Sydney
Jinglan Hong, University of Michigan
The analysis of uncertainty in LCA studies has been a topic for more than ten years, and many
commercial LCA programs now feature Monte Carlo analysis. Yet, a full Monte Carlo analysis
of a large LCA system, for instance containing the 4000 unit processes of ecoinvent v2.0, is
hardly carried out by LCA-practitioners. One important reason for this is the computation time
involved. A promising alternative for the Monte Carlo method is the analytical error propagation,
by means of a Taylor series expansion. This p aper will explore three different implementations
of the idea behind the Taylor series expansion. It compares the theoretical background and
mathematical formulas involved. A case study on fossil diesel versus biodiesel approaches these
techniques from a practical angle, and moreover allows us to contrast their results with those
from a Monte Carlo analysis.


154

Uncertainty and scenario analysis in the life cycle of biofuel systems:
modelling issues and applications

Fausto Freire, ADAI. Dep. of Mechanical Engineering. Universisty of Coimbra
Joo Mala, ADAI, University of Coimbra, and ISEC
Recently there has been a significant growth in the number of published studies addressing the
life cycle of biofuel systems. However, several aspects have been found to affect the life cycle
calculations: land use change, data quality, modeling assumptions, and so on. Therefore, a
comprehensive evaluation of uncertainty in the life cycle of biofuels is needed. This presentation
evaluates the implications of uncertainty and scenario analysis in the life cycle energy efficiency
and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of rapeseed oil and biodiesel (rapeseed methyl ester)
displacing fossil diesel. Several sources of uncertainty have been inves tigated: i) uncertainty
related to parameters; ii) uncertainty concerning how co-product credits are accounted for,
namely in terms of the multiple options associated with the potential uses of the co-products
(rape meal and glycerin); and iii) uncertainty in terms of temporal scenarios of the impact model,
which include an assessment of the implications of different time horizons for GHG emissions
(20, 100 and 500 years). Energy requirements and GHG emissions have been calculated in terms
of probability distributions using system expansion and three allocation approaches. Concerning
how co-products are accounted for, it can be observed that results strongly depend on the
substitution scheme considered. Avoided GHG emissions show considerably higher uncertainty
than energy savings, mainly due to land use (nitrous oxide emissions from soil) and land use
conversion (carbon stock changes). Thus, the large degree of uncertainty is mainly associated
with the cultivation stage. Re sults demonstrate the relevance of applying uncertainty
approaches, emphasize the need to reduce uncertainty in the environmental life cycle modeling,
particularly GHG emissions calculation, and show the importance of integrating uncertainty into
the interpretation of results.


155

Analytical Uncertainty Propagation in Life Cycle Inventory and
Impact Assessment: high-efficiency versus conventional
electric hand dryer and paper towel systems

Jinglan Hong, Shandong University
Shanna Shaked, University of Michigan
Ralph Rosenbaum, CIRAIG, cole Polytechnique de Montral
Jon Dettling, Quantis
Uncertainty information is essential for the proper use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and
environmental assessments in decision making. So far, parameter uncertainty propagation has
mainly been studied using Monte Carlo techniques that are relatively computationally heavy to
conduct, especially for the comparison of multiple scenarios, often limiting its use to research or
to inventory only. The present paper aims to develop and apply to both inventory and impact
assessment an explicit and transparent analytical approach to uncertainty. This approach applies
Taylor series expansions to the uncertainty propagation of lognormally distributed parameters
and discusses its validity that is linked to the degree of lognormality of the output result. It
estimates the degree of confidence in the prediction that the impact of scenario A is lower than
B, accounting for correlations between input variables in different scenarios.
The approach is tested on a case study comparing a high-efficiency electric hand dryer
(XLERATOR) with a conventional hand dryer and paper towels. The study indicates that the
high-efficiency electric hand dryer, provides significant environmental benefits over the course
of its life in comparison to the other options considered. The major cause of its advantage in
comparison to conventional electric hand dryers is the reduction of the electricity consumption
during the use of the dryer by nearly 4-fold. The uncertainty in the results shows that the
confidence in the benefit of the high efficiency in comparison to the other systems drier is very
high, with less than a one in a million chance that the opposite case is true. Under the baseline
study assumptions, the paper towels show similar environmental performance to the
conventional electric dryer: resulting in a slight increase or decrease, the direction of which will
depend on variations in the product, its use and the assumptions of the study.
To obtain accurate uncertainty estimates, the case study shows that it is crucial to account for
both common inventory processes and common impact assessment characterization factors
among the different scenarios.
Overall, the analytical Taylor series expansion based on lognormal distribution was
straightforward to implement in an excel spreadsheet and easily provided the explicit
contributions of each parameter to the overall uncertainty.


156

Confronting the Uncertainties in Life-Cycle Impact Assessment for
Highway Transportation Fuels

Agnes Lobscheid, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
This presentation provides a detailed case study using life-cycle emissions from highway
transportation fuels and vehicles in order to explore and evaluate how uncertainty can impact
decisions and how uncertainty can be addressed in life-cycle comparisons. Life-cycle impact
assessment (LCIA) strives to compare one or more impacts in order to inform product choices.
The reliability and consistency of decisions and policies based on LCIA are diminished by a
failure to confront and communicate the inherent uncertainties. Multiple sources of uncertainty
arise in any impact assessment, but are particularly problematic for comparisons. These sources
include lack of knowledge in defining the problem, variation in measured data, disagreement
among alternate sources of information, natural heterogeneity, the selection of one model form
over another, simplifications of model structure, extrapolation errors, and value judgments. This
presentation considers comparisons for the life-cycle impacts among a range of transportation
fuel/vehicle alternativespetroleum-based gasoline, tar-sands gasoline, corn-ethanol, cellulosic
ethanol from a number of sources, low-sulfur diesel, and hybrid vehicles. For all major
components of the systems that provide highway transportation, both the magnitude and
uncertainty associated with emissions impacts are provided on a vehicle-kilometer-traveled
(VKT) basis. These transportation components include
fuel feedstock recovery/production,
fuel production,
vehicle operation, and
vehicle manufacture.
The emissions considered include greenhouse-gas emissions, direct particulate matter (PM)
emissions; pollutant emissions that indirectly increase PM levels, and ozone emissions from each
life-stage component. These emissions are used to characterize human health impacts and
compare overall impacts on human health among fuel/vehicle alternatives. Factors that are key
sources of uncertainty include assumptions about the source of energy inputs for non-operational
life-stages, choices about the spatial resolution applied to emissions impacts, exposure response
factors for air pollutants, the health damage factor for greenhouse-gas emissions, and the choice
on how to allocate impacts in time.


157

Incorporating Variation and Uncertainty in
Strategic Life Cycle Decisions

Jeffrey Dahmus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Elsa Olivetti, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jeremy Gregory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
As environmental sustainability rises in prominence among both consumers and firms, the role of
life cycle assessment in strategic business decisions has grown. With this growth has come an
increased awareness of the considerable data and resource requirements that most life cycle
assessments require. The work presented here focuses on streamlining typical life cycle
assessment methods, while still yielding actionable results. These results can in turn be used to
guide strategic decisions that can move firms towards more environmentally sustainable products
and operations.
The streamlined quantitative life cycle assessment approach explored here, comprehends both
variation and uncertainty. While these issues are not new to the field of life cycle assessment, the
inclusion of such factors in streamlining the life cycle assessment, namely in terms of
determining what data and what level detail of data is collected, is unique. In addition to
streamlining the life cycle assessment process, the inclusion of variation and uncertainty can also
play a critical role in determining the range of possible strategic approaches available to a firm.
Thus, comprehending these factors is an important component of streamlining existing life cycle
assessment methods.
This work will present a streamlined quantitative life cycle assessment method, data on variation
and uncertainty in a sampling of industrial processes, and a case study showing how such
streamlined life cycle assessment methods, complete with variation and uncertainty data, can
guide strategic firm decisions around environmental sustainability.


158

A method to combine simulation and approximation
formulas for uncertainty calculation revisited

A combination of simulation and approximation for uncertainty calculation in LCA has been
developed in a thesis 1998-2001 (Ciroth, A., Fehlerrechnung in kobilanzen, doctoral thesis, TU
Berlin 2001; english: Ciroth, A., Fleischer, G., Steinbach, J.: Uncertainty Calculation in Life
Cycle Assessments - A Combined Model of Simulation and Approximation, Int J LCA 9 (4) 216
226 (2004)). Back then, the method was applied for a "virtual case study", based on randomly
generated data. The method claims to be faster than simulation alone and yet to be able to
calculate the uncertainty as accurately, even in a looped product system. Simulation was only
needed for those parts that could not be well reflected by approximation, and the method
developed measures to indicate how far approximation is applicable.
The approach is now applied on a large product system from the ecoinvent database. Results are
compared to those obtained by approximation formula alone and to those obtained by simulation
alone, in terms of time demands and result. Specifically, thresholds proposed in the thesis will be
checked. Finally, an implementation in LCA software for the combined method will be shown.

Design

159
Thursday late afternoon

Session chair: Jan Paul Lindner
Multi-objective process design optimization using LCA
Etienne Bernier, Franois Marchal, Rjean Samson

An Innovative approach for sustainable packaging design: the packaging i-
report
Coppelia Marincovic, Nuno Da Silva, Laura Flanigan

Ecodesign of Single-use Products: Consideration of Design Specifications
within LCA
Mylne Fugre, Valrie Bcaert, Julie-Anne Chayer, Manuele Margni, Rjean
Samson

Design

160

Multi-objective process design optimization using LCA

Etienne Bernier
*
, CIRAIG
Franois Marchal, Industrial Energy Systems Lab, EPFL

We investigate the application of LCA in the conceptual phase of process design using multi-objective
optimization techniques when at least one objective concerns the environmental impact, illustrating with a
natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant model. Integrating LCA results allows the process
design to account for the impact of the off-site emissions avoidable or not. Impact mitigation actions of
significant potential are considered on-site and off-site, a necessary step since true Pareto-optimality
cannot neglect procurement and waste management options. LCA is also useful to calculate on-site
emission abatement costs with a life-cycle perspective, which is potentially useful to anticipate the
inflationary effects of emission legislation. In the NGCC plant, a CO
2
capture process is optimized with
respect to electricity cost and global warming potential using an evolutionary algorithm. The simulation
combines a process flow-sheeting model, a process integration model and a LCA
1
. The natural gas input
shows a large off-site emissions abatement potential by sequestering CO
2
from the gas sweetening
process, by replacing methane-leaking equipment and by blending in synthetic natural gas (SNG)
produced by wood gasification and methanation
2
. From these options, only the first two are Pareto-
optimal at any CO
2
capture rate. With a cost of $7.80/GJ for natural gas and $20/ton for CO
2
handling, the
minimum on-site CO
2
abatement cost, achieved with a capture rate of 90%, reaches $62.43/ton on a life
cycle basis excluding sequestration leakage, compared with $60.30/ton without considering the life cycle.
The difference is attributed mostly to the additional off-site emissions associated with CO
2
transportation
and with increased fuel consumption. The optimal internal process configuration is unaffected by LCA
and includes a wide CO
2
absorber, a relatively simple CO
2
stripper and heat exchange between the lean
absorbent and a low-pressure steam boiler. Finally, carbon neutrality is optimally achieved with 97% CO
2

capture and with 3% SNG in the fuel mix. However, carbon neutrality throughout the life cycle requires
19% SNG instead, raising questions about the definition of neutrality.
References
1. Bernier, E., F. Marechal and R. Samson. (2009). Multi-Objective Design Optimization Using Life
Cycle Assessment Results of a Natural Gas Combined Cycle with Carbon Dioxide Capture. Energy,
ECOS2008 special issue. Accepted.
2. Gerber, L., Gassner M. and F. Marechal (2009). Integration of LCA in a thermo-economic model for
multi-objective process optimization of SNG production from woody biomass. In: Proceedings of
19th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering, Cracow, Poland. Accepted.
*
etienne.bernier@polymtl.ca

Design

161

An Innovative approach for sustainable packaging design:
the packaging i-report

Coppelia Marincovic
*
, PE Americas
Nuno Da Silva, PE Americas
Laura Flanigan, Five Winds

PE Americas, in collaboration with a Worlds leading confectionery company, developed a
parameterized Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model to support the design of sustainable
packaging for the companys products and help designers in their decision making process.
The i-report is an innovative combination of a complex Life Cycle Assessment model and a
user-friendly interface that makes it accessible by designers, regardless of their prior knowledge
of Life Cycle Assessment. The tool allows designers to easily compare the environmental
impacts of different packaging design options, by generating environmental profiles of products
at a very early stage in the design process. The model generates in parallel full Life Cycle
Assessments, with no simplification, for all scenarios of interest that can then be easily
compared.
The model is a process-based cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment of the packages, created
in GaBi 4, from which key environmental indicators (Global Warming Potential, Primary Energy
Demand, Eutrophication Potential and Smog Potential) are calculated. The model is fully
parameterized, so that the user can vary different parameters for each scenario of packaging
design. Once all the parameters are entered in the model, the environmental indicators are
calculated instantaneously, and the results are visualized through graphs and color-coded tables
in the user-friendly interface.
The packaging i-report is an innovative tool that provides designers with a comprehensive
understanding of the environmental impacts of their packaging design, at a very early stage in the
design process. By enabling the user to easily compare different options, packaging products are
consistently designed to be more sustainable.
*
c.marincovic@pe-international.com

Design

162

Ecodesign of Single-use Products:
Consideration of Design Specifications within LCA

Mylne Fugre, CIRAIG
Valrie Bcaert
*
, CIRAIG
Julie-Anne Chayer, CIRAIG

Designers require methodologies to analyze existing designs in order to improve a products
environmental footprint. LCA can be used to identify products hot spots over a life cycle
perspective. Nevertheless, LCA is not a suitable tool to evaluate all the so-called secondary
characteristics of products, such as the qualitative functions based on consumers perception. For
instance, aesthetics or products perceived risks are key design specifications of several products
since they are significant to consumers. Those functions may be classified as secondary within
LCA terminology, but they are defined as primary in terms of design specifications.
Consequently, in spite of the difficulty in establishing causality links between them and the
products life cycle, it is relevant for product designers to know about the environmental impacts
of those secondary functions.
As a result, this project aims to develop a new ecodesign approach by combining in a matrix the
results of an LCA with the functional profile developed by Lagerstedt et al.
1
. This is illustrated
with a case study of a single-use product demonstrating the usefulness of this matrix to
designers. For this specific case, the matrix was built by taking into account the relationships
between the different components of the product and their respective environmental impacts and
functionalities. To be able to adapt this matrix to different types of consumer products, several
levels of aggregation were developed.
This matrix based approach highlights the relationships between quantitative LCA results and
qualitative information on product specifications, a clear benefit for product designers. From a
functional point of view, the resulting matrix allows a more comprehensive identification of
product hot spots. Thus, this approach leads to a more relevant identification of environmental
hot spots.
References
1. Lagerstedt, J., C. Luttropp, and L.-G. Lindfors, Functional Priorities in LCA and Design for
Environment. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2003. 8(3): p. 160-166.
*
valerie.becaert@polymtl.ca

EIO

163
Session chair: Joe Marriott
Quantifying Land Use in Consumed Goods using Input-Output Life Cycle
Assessment Methods
Christine Costello, Michael Griffin, H. Scott Matthews, Christopher L. Weber

Business appropriate hybrid life-cycle assessment a case study of Playworld
Systems, Inc.
Carter Brooks, Chris Erickson, Corinne Reich-Weiser

Evaluating Economic Value as a Proxy for Environmental Impact in Material
Systems
Jeremy Gregory, Susan Fredholm, Randolph Kirchain

Hybrid Assessment of the Life Cycle Energy Intensity of Laptop Computers
Rachel Deng, Eric Williams, Callie Babbitt

A Hybrid Input-Output, Bottom-Up Approach for Assessing Supply Chain
Environmental Improvement Potentials
Eric Masanet

EIO

164

Quantifying Land Use in Consumed Goods using
Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment Methods

Christine Costello
*
Michael Griffin, Carnegie Mellon University
Christopher L. Weber, Carnegie Mellon University

Land use (LU) is gaining popularity as an important sustainability metric
1
,
2
. There is an emerging need to
understand the quantity, location, and impacts of LU associated with consumed products, particularly given the
rising concern over food and fuel security and increased interest in bio-based products
3
,
4
. Whereas many resources
exist for connecting land to primary and intermediate products such as raw agricultural output, connecting LU to
final consumed goods like food products and biofuels is still a nascent science. Here we create a metric for land use
associated with final products in a consistent manner and seek to quantify the tradeoffs between categories of LU,
e.g., forested to agricultural or agricultural to developed. An inventory of LU in the United States was created based
on publicly available data, land used to produce commodities were assigned to the appropriate economic sectors of
the 2002 U.S. economy. This inventory was incorporated into an Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment
model (EIO-LCA). The grain and oilseed sectors of the economy are disaggregated to specifically consider the
following crops: corn, wheat, rice and soybeans. Agricultural land uses are one to three orders of magnitude larger
than all other sectors of the economy and dominate the supply chain for the majority of products consumed.
Agriculture- and food-related land area associated with household consumption is three to five times larger than any
other consumption category. This model will be expanded to explore the change in land use due to the expansion of
biofuels and increased global meat consumption using Multi-Regional Input-Output methods
5
. Quantification of LU
in the supply chains of consumed goods is a necessary first step to effectively link the LU activities to related
environmental consequences (e.g., carbon loss, pollutant runoff, etc). The challenges and limitations of assigning
land areas to the economic sectors and choosing appropriate units (e.g., acre/$-yr, acre/$-operational life) will also
be discussed.
References
1. Canals, L.M., C. Bauer, J. Depestele, A. Dubreuil, R.F. Knuchel, G. Gaillard, O. Michelsen, R. Mueller-Wenk,
and B.Rydgren. 2007a. Key Elements in a Framework for Land Use Impact Assessment Within LCA.
International Journal of LCA. 12(1): pp. 5-15.
2. Canals, L.M. 2007b. Land Use in LCA: A New Subject Area and Call for Papers. International Journal of Life
Cycle Assessment. 12(1): pp. 1.
3. Fargione, J., J. Hill, D. Tilman, S. Polasky and P. Hawthorne. 2008. Land Clearing and the Biofuel Carbon Debt.
Sciencexpress. (7 Feb) 4pp.
4. Searchinger, T., R. Heimlich, R.A. Houghton, F. Dong, A. Elobeid, J. Fabiosa, S. Tokgoz, D. Hayes, T-H. Yu.
2008. Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land Use
Change. Sciencexpress. (7 Feb). 4 pp.
5. Weber, C.L. and H.S. Matthews. 2008. Quantifying the Global and Distributional Aspects of American
Household Environmental Impact. Ecological Economics, 66: pp. 379-391.
*
ccostell@andrew.cmu.edu

EIO

165

Business appropriate hybrid life-cycle assessment:
a case study of Playworld Systems, Inc.

Carter Brooks, Climate Earth
Chris Erickson, Climate Earth
Corinne Reich-Weiser
*
, Climate Earth/UC Berkeley

Business executives are increasingly in need of comprehensive enterprise-wide carbon footprint
assessments that can be used in developing strategies, setting business priorities and establishing
goals. These assessments must be done in a repeatable and auditable manner so that they can be
periodically updated to track progress and identify any unexpected behavior.
Common bottom-up LCA approaches based on process analysis may be ill-suited for
repeatable enterprise-wide analysis, due to the extensive cost, difficulty in setting boundaries,
and the potential shortage of qualified people to meet increasing demand.
The use of Economic Input-Output models to create top-down carbon footprint assessments
provides an opportunity to quickly and cost-effectively produce enterprise-wide data appropriate
for executive decision making, setting goals and priorities as well as forming a baseline
quantitative model of the enterprise footprint which can support increasing detail while also
being utilized for tracking and monitoring progress against mitigation goals. Greenhouse gas
emissions can be categorized into three groups: scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3. Scope 1 emissions
are all emissions directly coming from anything that is owned by a company (for example:
natural gas for heating or emissions from company owned vehicles) - these emissions are
calculated using mass balance analysis and standard combustion factors. Scope 2 emissions are
emissions from electricity consumption. Scope 3 is everything else, including the emissions
associated with the supply chain and any utilized services. Scope 3 emissions are primarily
calculated through a mapping of financial data to IO data. By utilizing revenue and expense data
as a basis for analysis, and software modeling techniques to increase efficiency of data collection
and processing, companies can very quickly receive comprehensive footprint analyses that
provide a framework for decision making and for tracking and monitoring mitigation programs.
This presentation will discuss multi-year findings from a case study of Playworld Systems Inc
demonstrating the strength of a hybrid approach to produce results that can be rapidly updated
and actionable. The underlying input-output data used for the hybrid assessment is CEDA 3.0
from Professor Suh at the University of Minnesota. The presentation will also illustrate
comparisons between process and IO databases and offer conclusions about the advantages and
caveats surrounding the use of hybrid methodology.
*
corinnerw@gmail.com

EIO

166

Evaluating Economic Value as a Proxy for
Environmental Impact in Material Systems

Jeremy Gregory
*
, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Susan Fredholm, PE Americas

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) has proven to be a valuable tool for evaluating embodied energy
and environmental impact in products and material systems. However, LCA is complex,
expensive, and time-consuming, making it inaccessible to many stakeholders making important
decisions in material recovery systems. Alternatively, economic value is information that is
readily available for materials recovery stakeholders. Furthermore, economic value of materials
reflects quality, the cost of production or use (including energy consumption), and scarcity rents
for current use of that resource. Thus, end-of-life material recovery metrics that include value
provide significant information about the effectiveness with which resources are reclaimed and
returned to productive use, providing an indicator of both retained quality and environmental
impact.
In light of this situation, two key research questions emerge: Is economic value an effective
proxy for embodied energy and environmental impact in material systems, and when would it be
appropriate to apply this proxy? These questions are explored through the use of dimensionless
energy (cumulative energy demand), environmental impact (Eco-indicator 99), and economic
value metrics that reflect the energy saved, environmental burden avoided, and value retained,
respectively, by using secondary materials instead of primary materials. A variety of material
systems are evaluated including plastics, paper, and metals. Values for energy and environmental
metrics are calculated using several LCA databases, and values for economic value metrics are
calculated using publicly available data on primary and secondary material values.
Interestingly, when the dimensionless economic value metrics are plotted against either the
dimensionless energy or environmental impact metrics for the various material systems (all of
the metrics range from 0-100%), many of the points lie near the line of unity (i.e., the metrics are
nearly equivalent). This is true for all plastics and most metals. This correlation suggests that
market behavior is moving in parallel with environmental impact for materials decisions.
However, there are some exceptions, and the research explores the instances when there is no
correlation between metrics and the sensitivity of the correlation to fluctuations in material value.
*
jgregory@mit.edu

EIO

167

Hybrid Assessment of the Life Cycle
Energy Intensity of Laptop Computers

Rachel Deng, Arizona State University
Eric Williams, Arizona State University/Civil and Environmental Engineering
Callie Babbitt
*
, Arizona State University

With the rapidly increasing number of personal computers in use, environmental impacts, such
as energy consumption, become extremely important in computer design, use, and management.
Existing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies of computers have sought to quantify energy
intensity of computer manufacturing and use, but have reported significantly different results,
depending on the processes and materials included in the assessment. Furthermore, these studies
have, in the past, focused only on desktop computers, which have recently been surpassed in
sales by laptop computers, a trend expected to continue in the future.
Therefore, this study examined energy intensity of the manufacturing and use of a laptop
computer, and included in the scope both a bottom-up construction of the supply chain based on
equipment and facility level data on material and energy, as well as a top-down economic input-
output (EIO) model to account for processes for which direct data were unavailable. A bill of
materials was generated by direct disassembly of a Dell Inspiron 2500 laptop. Corresponding
process data were obtained from primary literature for semiconductor fabrication; printed circuit
board manufacturing; silicon wafer production, plastic, aluminum, steel, and glass production;
LCD screen manufacturing; and laptop assembly. For materials and processes where no data
were available, the Carnegie Mellon EIO-LCA model was used to obtain energy inputs relative
to the economic contribution of these components toward the total computer value.
Results indicate that total energy for a laptop computer is approximately 15% less than energy
consumed in a desktop computer life cycle. Energy use for manufacturing energy dominates over
the use phase, even more so than previous hybrid LCA studies of desktop computers. These
trends are robust under plausible variations in product lifespan assumptions, primary energy
definitions, and geographic and process variability in material extraction. Results also indicate
that truncation error from excluded processes in the bottom-up process model is significant,
perhaps particularly so due to the complex supply chains of IT products. We suggest that some
form of hybrid analysis (be it the method used here or another form) is needed to better estimate
the life cycle impacts of computers.
*
babbitts@gmail.com

EIO

168

A Hybrid Input-Output, Bottom-Up Approach for Assessing Supply
Chain Environmental Improvement Potentials

Eric Masanet
*
, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory/University of California,
Berkeley

There is growing interest in the assessment of supply chain environmental "footprints,"
especially with respect to energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. After a footprint is
established, some critical questions remain, including: By how much can this footprint be
reduced? What are the technologies that can facilitate these reductions? What are the costs
associated with various levels of improvement? This presentation summarizes recent exploratory
research by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to help answer these questions. This work
has developed a supply chain energy use and GHG emissions analysis framework that couples
input-output LCA approaches with detailed bottom-up process and technology models to
estimate energy efficiency and GHG mitigation potentials for complex supply chains.
Specifically, the model incorporates process and technology specific fuel end use coefficients for
many of the economic sectors in traditional IO models. A fuel end use is defined as an energy-
consuming technology or process within a given sector, such as lighting and heating, ventilation,
and air conditioning (HVAC) in the commercial sector or motors, steam systems, and process
heaters in the industrial sector. This modeling resolution allows energy and policy analysts to
better understand the underlying technologies and processes contributing to the energy and GHG
emissions footprints of supply chains. Furthermore, the bottom-up detail facilitates the analysis
of specific supply chain technology improvement options -- from both environmental and
economic perspectives to identify a roadmap for reducing supply chain footprints at different
cost levels. A U.S. case study is provided to illustrate the utility and policy-relevance of this new
approach toward reducing supply chain environmental footprints.
*
ermasanet@lbl.gov

Databases

169
Session chair: Christopher Mutel
ecoSpold version 2 improved data format meeting the challenges of future
LCI databases

Generation of LCI Databases experiences in setting up and updating
databases or integrating additional public databases
Harald Florin, Martin Baitz, Mathias Fischer

Mathematical analysis of the ecoinvent database with the purpose of
developing new validation tools
Andreas Ciroth

Development of the U.S. Extension Database for GaBi
Eric Munsing, Martin Baitz, Harald Florin

Databases

170

ecoSpold version 2 improved data format meeting the
challenges of future LCI databases

Roland Hischier, ecoinvent Centre/Empa
Bo Weidema
*
, ecoinvent Centre

A variety of data (exchange) formats in the area of LCA have been developed within the last
about 10 to 15 years. Among all these different formats, the ecoSpold data format is probably the
most widely used format worldwide, implemented in all leading LCA software. Only from the
ecoinvent database about 4000 datasets are already available in this format. Currently, this
database is one of the most widely used data sources for background Life Cycle Inventory (LCI)
data worldwide. While Swiss in origin, the ecoinvent database has become with its version 2
already much more international in scope, including e.g. data on US agriculture, worldwide
sourcing of raw materials or the production of electronics in Asia. That quest towards more
internationalisation will be continued in the development to version 3 of the database as it has
been already presented at the LCA VIII conference last year in Seattle. The following two central
elements support hereby this globalisation: the cooperation with national database initiatives
(NDI) and a change of the structure of the database to facilitate its maintenance and extension by
introducing the principle of parameterisation.
Therefore a new version 2 of the ecoSpold format has been developed in order to support this
strategy. In detail, the format changes have been done in order to further facilitate database
maintenance and extension (including forecasting), to provide better support for alternative
modelling options (e.g. consequential and attributional), and to support mass balances, energy
balances and monetary balances, language versions of text fields, as well as a better
documentation. And last but not least, facilitating data exchange with the ILCD format has also
been among the considerations in this development.
In our presentation, the main improvements will be described, such as an option for parent-child
relationships between processes, expressing geographical information using GIS coordinates, the
use formulas and variables in numerical fields, the use of UUIDs for internal references in
datasets, options to declare multiple properties of exchanges, as well as options to use transfer
and emissions coefficients; but also issues like backwards compatibility and implementation will
be touched upon.

*
weidema@ecoinvent.org

Databases

171

Generation of LCI Databases experiences in setting up and
updating databases or integrating additional public databases

Harald Florin
*
, PE International
Martin Baitz, PE International
Mathias Fischer, University of Stuttgart

PE International and the University of Stuttgart have been developing databases for Life Cycle
Assessment (LCA) for 20 years. During this period the databases have been upgraded several
times and the scope has also been expanded to account for the changing requirements of LCA
practitioners. The presentation will focus on the methods for generating LCI databases. This
typically involves identifying the intended application and the type of user, developing and
defining an LCI modeling methodology handbook, setting up a comprehensive quality and
consistency evaluation procedure, strict administration of the database generation process and the
installation of a very experienced project management team. During the set-up of LCI databases,
the requirements for their continuous development and maintenance must also be considered.
The upgrading process of databases is generally very time-consuming and the effort required can
be comparable to that of the initial set-up procedure. The presentation will also cover the
challenges of integrating databases from different sources (e.g., ILCD databases or the US LCI
database). During this process, the matching of nomenclature is typically the most important step
and needs to be conducted very precisely. It is also essential that the completeness and
consistency of Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) information is preserved and updated
during such import procedures.

*
h.florin@pe-international.com

Databases

172

Mathematical analysis of the ecoinvent database with the purpose of
developing new validation tools

Andreas Ciroth
*
, GreenDeltaTC GmbH

LCA data quality assurance is today mostly done manually and by expert judgment. Automatic
quality assurance and validation tools are barely used. This presentation will give an overview of
automated data validation and quality assurance for LCA, and show the potential and benefits,
and also pitfalls. Tools and techniques (among them exploratory data analyzes, statistical tests,
and analyzes for data pattern detection) will be briefly described and characterized. Their
application and results will be demonstrated. The presentation will draw from a recent project
that I performed for the ecoinvent centre, called mathematical analysis of ecoinvent data. Aim
of this project was to develop a pilot for automated data validation and quality assurance of
ecoinvent data, based on an analysis of the complete ecoinvent database. Results of this project
will be reported. Results show that automated validation techniques are an addition, but an
important one, to expert knowledge. Further, results show how an integrated system of data
quality assurance for LCA can look like, where a set of tools for automated data validation and
quality assurance are an important element. Concluding, it will be discussed if, and how, such an
integrated system could be adapted to other LCA data sources worldwide.

*
ciroth@greendeltatc.com

Databases

173

Development of the U.S. Extension Database for GaBi

Eric Munsing
*
, PE Americas
Martin Baitz, PE International
Harald Florin, PE

The growth of the LCA industry in the US has been matched by demand for environmental
impact data for North American boundary conditions. To provide LCA practitioners with high-
quality data based on current industry sources, PE Americas has introduced a set of US-specific
LCI databases for the GaBi software, creating the largest up-to-date database of North American-
specific LCA data available. Incorporating both the U.S. LCI database and over 350 datasets
developed by PE, the database provides life cycle inventory data for common industry processes,
chemicals, and infrastructure systems. The development of the database will be discussed, with
emphasis on the quality assurance system used during development of the database to ensure
ensuring that consistent assumptions were applied throughout the database and to assure that
differences between the PE and U.S. LCI datasets were identified and understood. This quality
assurance process offers valuable insights for other LCA practitioners managing data from
multiple sources, and is crucial to working with the U.S. Extension Database for GaBi.

*
e.munsing@pe-international.co

International Standardisation of Carbon Footprinting 1 & 2

174
Friday morning
Special session coordinator: Matthias Finkbeiner, TU Berlin
Carbon footprinting (CF) is really fashionable these days. Like with all fashion, not all that
glitters is gold. But, on the other hand we have the market demand. Whether it is real or just
perceived or just desired seems not so important. There is enough momentum for numerous
international, national and sectoral initiatives underway to deal with CFP. The session seeks to
provide information on the current international standardisation projects and discuss synergies,
potential inconsistencies and options for alignment between them. Among the main international
activities are the upcoming ISO 14067 on the quantification and communication of carbon
footprints for products and the development of a GHG Protocol for products and Scope 3 by the
World Business Council for Sustainable Development and World Resources Institute. The
UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative has a project group to support these standardisation
activities. In addition, numerous carbon footprint projects are organised by national or sectoral
organisations, e.g. the British Standards Institution, the Carbon Trust and the Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the United Kingdom, the Japanese Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in Japan, ADEME in France), the German Ministry of
Environment or the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
The outline of the section is to start with five introductory presentations. They will include
Japanese and German programmes as two examples of national initiatives on carbon footprinting
and three international initiatives (ISO, WRI/WBCSD, UNEP/SETAC). The presentations will
be followed by a structured panel discussion. There are about 10 methodological issues (from
treatment of carbon storage, system boundaries, cut-offs etc.) for which the standards may have
different requirements. The idea is to address some of those at the panel to establish an overview
of state-of-the-art and emerging consensus. This special session is co-organised by the
UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative.
Introduction to the international standardisation of carbon footprinting
Matthias Finkbeiner

Introduction to the Japanese carbon footprint trial programme
Atsushi Inaba, Chie Nakaniwa, Masayuki Kanzaki

Product Carbon Footprint Work on Methodology and Communication by
the German Government
Ulf Dietmar Jaeckel


175
Friday morning

PAS 2050 and the International Standardisation of Carbon Footprinting
Graham Sinden

Status of ISO 14067
Sergio F. Galeano

Developing International Standards on Product Life Cycle and Scope 3
Carbon Footprint Management - An Overview of the GHG Protocol Product
and Supply Chain Standard
Pankaj Bhatia

The carbon footprint project of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative
Guido Sonnemann, Sonia Valdivia, Jim Fava, Matthias Finkbeiner


176
Friday morning

Introduction to the Japanese carbon footprint trial programme

Atsushi Inaba, Kogakuin University Tokyo
Chie Nakaniwa, Japan Environmental Association for Industry
Masayuki Kanzaki, Japan Environmental Association for Industry
In Japan, a preliminary trial project of carbon footprint was conducted in 2008, where enterprises
obtained the best available primary and secondary data and calculated carbon footprints for the
purpose of recognizing specific issues. 30 enterprises participated in this project and calculated
carbon footprints of 62 commercial goods of food, beverage, commodities and others. They were
shown at Eco Products 2008 exhibition in December, 2008 and consumers reflections ware
collected.
In the trial project, primary data were mainly collected at production sites, where primary data
coverage of material production stage of food and beverage tend to be higher than other
industrial goods. Reviewing those resulted calculation procedures and consumers reflections,
several issues were recognized including strategy of primary data collection and labeling method
of carbon footprint, both of which originated from the nature of carbon footprint, i.e., disclosure
of compressed information about whole supply chain of a commercial good. Based on these
results, the drafting of the product category rules for some products are now going on.


177
Friday morning

Product Carbon Footprint Work on Methodology and
Communication by the German Government

Ulf Dietmar Jaeckel, German Ministry of Environment
In order to preserve consumer awareness and at the same time provide incentives for companies
to improve the carbon footprint of their products the Federal Ministry for the Environment
commissioned work on methodology for PCF. Improvement of existing approaches is the aim,
no single German way. After discussions with all interested parties including the international
community, we have now developed a memorandum on methodology which gives guidance for
analysing a PCF. It is an offer rather than a mandatory requirement and an input to the
international discussion aiming at harmonisation of methodologies on the European and
international level.
On communication the existing Blue Angel system was revised. In a cluster-approach criteria
will be more focussed and allow a Blue Angel for Climate Change which shall be established
as the climate label in Germany. To support that, criteria for the 100 most climate-relevant
consumer product groups and services are or will be developed. Today criteria for 30 product
groups are already available.


178
Friday morning

PAS 2050 and the International Standardisation of
Carbon Footprinting

Graham Sinden, Carbon Trust
PAS 2050, Specification for the assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods
and services, provides organizations, governments and consumers with a single, internationally
applicable standard for product carbon footprinting. In addressing the single impact category of
global warming, PAS 2050 sought to provide and clarify specific methodological approaches to
issues encountered in product carbon footprinting. Key contributions to methods development in
product carbon footprinting include the treatment of biogenic carbon storage and delayed
emissions from product system life cycles, certainty regarding the greenhouse gasses considered
in the assessment, the inclusion and treatment of land use change, and other key aspects of the
assessment. Specific approaches for data acquisition and the treatment of uncertainty with
product carbon footprinting, and refinement of the existing international guidance on allocation
to co-products, are further contributions of the standard that both simplify its application and
support greater comparability of the results arising from product carbon footprint studies. Since
its publication in October 2008, PAS 2050 has been applied by a wide range of organizations in
many countries around the world, has been adopted by a number of organizations as the default
approach to product carbon footprinting, and has formed the basis of case studies covering a
wide variety of products. This presentation will briefly review the development process for PAS
2050, before considering the contribution PAS 2050 has made to the product carbon footprinting
and life cycle assessment communities.


179
Friday morning

Status of ISO 14067

Sergio F. Galeano, Georgia Pacific LLC
IISO 14067 is a standard in development with two parts: quantification and communication. It is
one of the three international-type of standards competing for a final acceptance in the market
place. At the moment of preparing this presentation, the "zero" version of a Working
Draft(WD2) is just circulated to the editing committee for preparation of the final WD#2,
comments on which will be discussed at Vienna next October with the hope to move to a
Committee Draft(CD #1).

The standard is being developed in a fast track and it in the stage of logical consolidation and
improvement. Because the nature of this LCA Conference, the author stresses in his presentation,
the LCA aspects of Part 1, quantification, logically based on the ISO 14044 LCA standard. The
author describes areas of present discussion which need resolution preferably before a CD. The
role of the standard as a tracker of progress or a comparison tool is also discussed with
limitations in the latter to be clarified. The resolution of these issues will frame the practicality
and credibility of the document which, in turn will determine the added value ultimately offered
by the standard to the stakeholders.


180
Friday morning

Developing International Standards on Product Life Cycle and
Scope 3 Carbon Footprint Management - An Overview of the
GHG Protocol Product and Supply Chain Standard

Pankaj Bhatia, World Resources Institute
Building on the success of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard over the last decade,
the GHG Protocol Supply Chain Initiative is poised to develop and promote the widespread
adoption of new international standards for measuring and managing GHG emissions across
corporate and product supply chains, through a broad, global multi-stakeholder process of
businesses, policymakers, and other experts and stakeholders. The initiative will produce two
new standards: 1) GHG Protocol product life cycle accounting and reporting standard (for
assessing supply chain GHG emissions at the product level), and 2) corporate value chain (scope
3) accounting and reporting standard (for assessing supply chain GHG emissions at the corporate
level). Led by WRI and WBCSD the GHG Protocol will develop the new standards through a
broad, inclusive, multi-stakeholder process, based on the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard and
ISO 14040-44 life cycle assessment standards, which will serve multiple business and GHG
program objectives. WRI believes that the design and form of the GHG Protocol supply chain
and product accounting framework must be driven by the objectives and functions it will serve,
with a long-term goal of supporting and catalyzing widespread GHG reductions across business
value chains.
In the last six months the GHG Protocol has established a global stakeholder partnership of more
than 1000 active members that include a Steering Committee of more than 20 members made up
of global businesses, governments, and academics; seven Technical Working Groups of more
than 175 members; and a Stakeholder Advisory Group of more than 180 members. To date the
Technical Working Groups have held more than 100 conference and two meetings to develop
draft requirements on key accounting issues including setting the product system boundary,
selecting the allocation method, choosing data, and providing a public report. This presentation
will provide an overview of the GHG Protocol supply chain initiative, outline key elements of
the accounting framework under development, and identify key issues for further discussion.


181
Friday morning

The carbon footprint project of the
UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative

Guido Sonnemann, UNEP
Sonia Valdivia, UNEP
Jim Fava, Five Winds International
Matthias Finkbeiner, TU Berlin
The aim of this project of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative is to further develop the
internationally recognized GHG protocol for enterprises to also include the supply chain and the
whole life cycle of products. Therefore, the development and promotion of the GHG protocol is
of great importance for the widespread adoption of a new standard for measuring and reporting
GHG emissions across corporate and product supply chains, through a broad, international multi-
stakeholder process of businesses, policymakers, and other experts and stakeholders. The main
target for the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative is to ensure coherence and consistency with
state of the art LCA-practice and the ongoing standardisation efforts for carbon footprint. The
global network and competence of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative can add value to
these initiatives. Consistent with the goal, the UNEP/SETAC project will not generate its own
standards or documents, but provide a platform for active participation and written contributions
to the main international standardisation projects, i.e. WBCSD/WRI and ISO. The Initiative is
represented in the Steering Committee of the GHG Protocol process and the ISO TC207/SC5-
Chair leads the project group for UNEP/SETAC and is represented on the International Life
Cycle Board of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative. Several experts of the Initiative are
involved on the Technical Working Group level. All these representatives exchange information
and coordinate positions in remote and personal meetings of the project group.

LCI

182
Friday early morning

Session chair: Evan Griffing
Development of a US Truck Transportation LCI Dataset
Susan Fredholm, Coppelia Marincovic, Peter Canepa, Matthias Fischer, Michael
Faltenbacher, Nuno Da Silva

Modeling the Life Cycle Impacts of Electronics
Peter Canepa

Life Cycle Inventories of Crude Oil Consumption Mixes and Fuels produced
from these 2030
Oliver Schuller, Michael Dr. Faltenbacher, Jan Paul Lindner

Life Cycle Inventory of Copper Primary Production from Copper Oxides in
Chile
Claudia Pena, Claudio Zaror, Mauricio Bustamante, Mabel Vega

LCI

183

Development of a US Truck Transportation LCI Dataset

Susan Fredholm
*
, PE Americas
Coppelia Marincovic, PE Americas
Peter Canepa, PE Americas
Matthias Fischer, University of Stuttgart, LBP-BaBi
Michael Faltenbacher, PE International
Nuno Da Silva, PE Americas

Transportation by truck is a part of almost every products life cycle. The environmental impacts
associated with this travel are dependent upon regional conditions including emissions
regulations and the chemical composition of fuel. PE Americas (PEA) therefore recently
developed an LCI dataset for truck transportation in the United States. The truck models are
based upon the most recent US public literature available as of October 2008. Sources include
but are not limited to US EPA statistics, microdata from the US Census Bureaus Vehicle
Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS), and current US vehicle emission regulations.
The 28 modeled diesel-fueled trucks fall into one of eight different weight categories based on
their Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). The type of goods being transported has a
significant impact on the vehicles gross operating weight. Many retail products have a relatively
low density and thus the truck will fill its volume before reaching the weight limit (cube-out),
whereas many construction materials will reach the weight limit first (gross-out). PEAs US
truck models vary fuel consumption as a function of both payload (mass of goods carried) and
utilization ratios (how often the truck drives full vs. empty). Each model of truck is constructed
with inputs of cargo and fuel, and outputs emissions of CO
2
(carbon dioxide), SO
2
(sulfur
dioxide), NH
3
(ammonia), CO (carbon monoxide), PM (particulate matter), NMHC (non-
methane hydrocarbons), NOx (nitrogen oxides), N
2
O (nitrous oxide), and CH
4
(methane).
A comparison of PE Americas US truck transportation models with that of PEs European
models demonstrates US truck transportation has greater CO
2
and SO
2
emissions due to greater
fuel consumption per mile, much higher NH
3
and CO emissions, and lower N
2
O, NOx, CH
4
and
PM emissions.
*
s.fredholm@pe-international.com

LCI

184

Modeling the Life Cycle Impacts of Electronics

Peter Canepa
*
, PE Americas

Electronics are some of the most widely-consumed and obsolescence-prone consumer goods on
the market today. These products are a composed of hundreds, even thousands, of separate
electrical, electro-mechanical, and mechanical components that contain hazardous material,
precious metals, and plastics. If inadequately handled at end-of-life these products can lead to
environmental and health impacts. As a result of this potential risk, regulatory schemes like
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and the Restriction of Hazardous
Substances (RoHS) directive have been put into practice to address inadequate disposal and
material composition of electronic products.
While these regulatory mechanisms are successful, they do not fully address the life cycle
impacts of electronics. To better understand the upstream impacts associated with the
manufacturing of electronic components a massive data collection project was undertaken and
led to the generation of an LCI database for electronics. The daunting task of accurately
collecting LCI data for the more than 10 million electronic components currently on the market
begot the need for a simplified classification scheme. Through collaboration with the Japan
Electronics and Information Technologies Industries Association (JEITA) a classification
scheme was developed and industry data providers identified. The resultant database is
comprised of 120 representative (type and function) global average datasets for electronic
components. Using this database each component on an electronic product can easily be related
to a cradle-to-gate LCI by function, size, housing types, mounting technology, and material
composition.
This presentation will detail the methodology used to develop the database and highlight the
difficulties faced when trying to model the life cycle impacts of electronic products including:
accurate representation of disparate passive and active components, capturing cradle-to-gate LCI
data for input raw materials in electronics, and eliminating the need for data collection on
component manufacturing for electronic products. Additionally, a selection of actual examples
from industry projects where this database was applied will be used to illustrate key findings and
next steps for the database.
*
p.canepa@pe-international.com

LCI

185

Life Cycle Inventories of Crude Oil Consumption Mixes and
Fuels produced from these 2030

Oliver Schuller
*
, University of Stuttgart, Dept. GaBi
Michael Dr. Faltenbacher, PE INTERNATIONAL GmbH
Jan Paul Lindner, Fraunhofer IBP, Dept. Life Cycle Engineering (GaBi)/University of

The globally increasing demand on crude oil and petroleum products caused by increasing
mobility, consumption and not least due to the advanced economic growth in countries like
China or India, presents our society a challenge. In with addition to this increasing demand and
the interconnected question of security of supply as well as the volatility of crude oil prices, the
issue of climate change is playing an increasingly important role. Especially the release of green
house gases is one of the big topics when talking about fulfilling the national and international
CO
2
reduction regulations / goals.
Life Cycle Assessment is a suitable tool to compare alternative drive trains (e.g. Hydride
vehicles, Fuel fuels) with conventional drive trains in a comprehensive way. The same applies
for alternative fuels (e.g. biofuels, hydrogen) which are often benchmarked with conventional
fuels (based on fossil crude oil). To analyse and to find out which role alternative fuels will play
in the future, potential analyses of future scenarios (2030) are conducted, to calculate for
instance, the possible GHG reduction potential again compared to conventional fuels. Often not
considered in these scenarios is the fact that the conventional fuels and not least crude oil
production will change over the time. This will be adressed here.
This presentation will show ways to forecast the Life Cycle Inventories of future crude oil mixes
and fuels produced from these, allowing more detailed and not least accurate benchmarks. The
major steps needed to obtain the inventory are:
1) LCA of possible crude oil supply chains including sensitivity analysis
2) Development of a method / framework combining determining economic, technological and
political boundary conditions with the technological system parameters of the crude oil supply
chain
3) Scenario analysis and calculation of future crude oil mixes and fuels produced from these
The presentation will highlight the results of the conceptual method / framework for modelling
the future LCI of crude oil mixes and fuels produced from these, which are influenced by multi
criteria, in order to obtain more accurate Life Cycle Inventories.
*
oliver.schuller@lbp.uni-stuttgart.de

LCI

186

Life Cycle Inventory of Copper Primary Production from
Copper Oxides in Chile

Claudia Pena
*
, Chilean Research center for Mining and Metallurgy (CIMM)
Claudio Zaror, University of Concepcin
Mauricio Bustamante, Chilean Research Center of Mining and Metallurgy (CIMM)
Mabel Vega, University of Concepcin

Chile is the major copper producer worldwide and accounts for around 40% global reserves.
Therefore, copper exports are a key component of the Chilean GNP. In recent years, copper
production from copper oxide ores has increased, and this trend is expected to be maintained
during the next decade. In this context, this paper presents the life cycle inventory of cathodic
copper obtained from copper oxides in Chile. This is the first attempt to built a national
inventory database of such production process. The system boundaries comprise extraction of
minerals, and energy resources, all major transformations and associated chemicals, fuels and
electricity subsystems, transportation systems, leaching, solvent extraction and electrowinning.
Material and energy balances were built on the basis of data obtained from industrial operations,
official environmental {Conama} and production reports {Annual Reports}, literature, and other
sources. Data associated to imported chemicals, machinery or other input generated overseas,
was obtained from the ecoinvent database. Methodological aspects are presented in this paper, as
well as main environmental loads. In this respect, water and energy represent key environmental
aspects, since most copper production in Chile takes place in areas where water is scarce, and
most electricity is generated from imported coal. Finally, the Chilean electricity production
inventory is also presented here.
*
cpenau@gmail.com

Fossil Fuels

187
Friday late morning
Session chair: Michael Deru
A Case Study in Allocation Methods: A Life Cycle Accounting of CO
2

Emissions from an Enhanced Oil Recovery System
Paulina Jaramillo, Michael Griffin, Sean McCoy

Land use and habitat fragmentation of oil sands production: a life cycle
perspective
Sarah Jordaan, David Keith, Brad Stelfox

Gate-to-gate Environmental LCA of Brine Aquifer Sequestration of CO
2
and
CO
2
Robert Dilmore

Re-evaluating LCA models to determine CO
2
emissions in refineries:The
crude oil quality factor
Jessica Abella, Oyeshola Kofoworola, Heather L. MacLean, Joule A. Bergerson

Fossil Fuels

188
Friday late morning

A Case Study in Allocation Methods: A Life Cycle Accounting of
CO
2
Emissions from an Enhanced Oil Recovery System.

Paulina Jaramillo
*
, Carnegie Mellon University/Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering
Michael Griffin, Carnegie Mellon University
Sean McCoy, Carnegie Mellon University

Injection of CO
2
into oil reservoirs to increase oil extraction is an established Enhanced Oil
Recovery (EOR) method. Recently, the use CO
2
recovered from power plants has been identified
as a potential method of sequestering CO
2
. The National Energy Technology Laboratory
estimates that there are substantial amounts of CO
2
from power plants that could be sequestered
via EOR projects. The oil produced however, is a carbon rich fuel that is eventually combusted.
In this study we analyze the total life cycle CO
2
emissions in an EOR system. The boundary of
the system includes an IGCC power plant with CO
2
capture, transport of this CO
2
via pipeline,
EOR field operations (which include CO
2
injection into the reservoir, CO
2
recycling and
ultimately sequestration), transport of crude oil, crude oil refining and the combustion of the
refined petroleum products. We find that the CO
2
emissions within the system boundary are
between 3.5 and 5 times larger than the CO
2
injected and sequestered in the EOR field. However,
if we assume that oil and electricity produced within the system boundary replace an equivalent
amount of oil and electricity produced from conventional sources, there would be a net reduction
in emissions. This emissions reduction would be about a third of what is injected and sequestered
in the EOR field.
Allocation of emissions (or emission savings) is an integral part of performing life cycle
inventories of transportation fuels. Argonnes GREET model performs emission allocation based
on energy content of the co-products, while studies about the life cycle ethanol emissions
perform allocation using system boundary expansion. In this study we explore how different
methods can be used to allocate the emissions associated with the EOR system. Two different
industries are contained within the system boundary of the EOR project (the power sector and
the oil sector). Any net emission/emission reductions associated with the production of oil
through captured CO
2
-EOR will have to be allocated among these sectors, especially once a
carbon market develops. We find that emissions allocation in this system can be complicated and
any emission savings can easily be double counted. For this reason, strict allocation guidelines
should be developed.
*
pjaramil@andrew.cmu.edu

Fossil Fuels

189
Friday late morning

Land use and habitat fragmentation of oil sands production:
a life cycle perspective

Sarah Jordaan
*
, University of Calgary/Institute for Sustainable Energy Environment
and Economy
David Keith, University of Calgary/Institute for Sustainable Energy Environment and
Economy
Brad Stelfox, Forem Consulting Ltd

Methods for the inclusion of landscape fragmentation in life cycle assessment are not well
established. We describe an approach that can be used to compare land disturbance between
spatially compact and diffuse activities that contribute to the life cycle of a single product, in this
case synthetic crude oil (SCO) from Albertas oil sands. We examine both direct and peripheral
land use of oil sands development by quantifying land disturbance using a parameterized
measure of fragmentation that relies on edge effects with an adjustable buffer zone. This
approach is used to compare production using surface mining and in situ extraction technologies.
In situ technologies disturb less land per unit of production than surface mining, but the spatial
footprint of in situ production is more dispersed and results in the fragmentation of landscapes.
In situ recovery also requires significantly more natural gas to extract bitumen. Natural gas
production requires infrastructure that is comprised of largely linear features which results in
land disturbance and fragmentation. We incorporate time by assessing the land disturbance
intensity (m2/m3 SCO) of oil sands technologies and the upstream natural gas production over
the lifespan of each development on the landscape. Oil sands technologies have a maximum land
use intensity of 0.3-0.6 m2/m3 SCO and 0.07-0.2 m2/m3 SCO respectively for surface mining
and in situ recovery
1
. The land use intensity of in situ recovery alone can increase significantly
during the operational phase of the project, when the land use intensity is 0.03-0.06 m2/m3 SCO,
if the land disturbance associated with natural gas production is considered (for one case, adding
another 0.2-0.3 m2/m3 SCO). The impacts of fragmentation associated with the creation of linear
features will vary depending on the species or impact of interest. We then examine land
occupation (m2-year/m3 SCO) by varying the extent of the impacts of fragmentation. Using a
life cycle perspective, we show that the land area influenced by in situ technology is comparable
to land disturbed by surface mining when fragmentation and upstream natural gas production are
considered. The results suggest that land disturbance due to natural gas production can be
relatively large per unit energy. We go further to apply this approach to assess the land
disturbance and fragmentation of key transportation fuels that could be produced in Alberta. This
approach can be applied in the comparison of other energy developments generating the same
product, such as coal mining and natural gas production when both fuels are used to generate
electricity.
References
1. S. M. Jordaan, D. W. Keith, B. Stelfox (2009). Quantifying land use of oil sands production: a life cycle
perspective. Environmental Research Letters, 4.
*
smjordaa@ucalgary.ca

Fossil Fuels

190
Friday late morning

Gate-to-gate Environmental LCA of Brine Aquifer
Sequestration of CO
2
and CO
2

Robert Dilmore
*
, United States Department of Energy, National Energy Technology
Laboratory

Capture of CO
2
from large point sources and sequestration in geologic sinks has been proposed
as a means of controlling atmospheric emissions of this large-volume greenhouse gas.
Preliminary results are presented for analyses of two CO
2
management alternatives: CO
2
-flood
enhanced oil recovery and large-scale geologic sequestration of CO
2
in brine aquifers. These
attributional analyses consider the gate-to-gate greenhouse gas emissions, criteria air pollutant
emissions, land use, water use and consumption, and net energy yield for all phases of site
activity: site evaluation and characterization, facility design and construction, facility startup and
operation, facility closure and decommissioning, and post-closure site monitoring, verification,
and accounting of CO
2
storage.
In geologic sequestration, CO
2
that has been separated from large point sources (e.g., coal-fired
power plant) is compressed to a supercritical fluid, transported to an injection facility, and
injected into underlying deep geologic sinks for long term storage.. As much as 88.6% of the
domestic geologic sequestration capacity for CO
2
lies in deep saline formations - large-volume
aquifers containing water with total dissolved solids concentrations of 10,000 mg/liter or greater
that is not suitable for human consumption, and have relatively impermeable overlying stratum
(or strata). These impermeable strata act as a seal to prevent the upward migration and leakage of
stored CO
2
.
In CO
2
-flood enhanced oil recovery (CO
2
-EOR), carbon dioxide is injected into depleted oil
reservoirs to stimulate oil production beyond that which was achieved through pressure depletion
(primary) and water flood-stimulated (secondary) recovery methods. In addition to stimulating
additional oil production, some CO
2
storage may be achieved through CO
2
-EOR activity. CO
2
-
EOR scenarios are considered ranging from current practice with relatively low CO
2
injection
volumes to next-generation practices coupling high CO
2
injection volumes to increase CO
2

flood sweep efficiency with post oil recovery reservoir pressurization to maximize CO
2
storage.
Results of these studies are intended to inform policy makers, industry representatives, and
managers of research programs about environmental costs and benefits of these CO
2

management alternatives.
*
dilmore@netl.doe.gov

Fossil Fuels

191
Friday late morning

Re-evaluating LCA models to determine
CO
2
emissions in refineries:The crude oil quality factor

Jessica Abella
*
, University of Calgary/EESG
Oyeshola Kofoworola, University of Toronto
Heather L. MacLean, University of Toronto
Joule A. Bergerson, University of Calgary

Most LCA models to determine CO
2
emissions in refineries do not consider important crude oil
parameters such as hydrogen content, the true boiling point curve (TBP), and micro-carbon
residuum (MCR). The consideration of these parameters in the LCA models, additional to
sulphur content and API specifications, provides a better understanding of the effects the quality
of crude oil has on refinery CO
2
emissions estimation. From a global economy perspective,
major consideration of crude oil quality specifications is required for a comprehensive
understanding of the transportation fuels GHG emissions in a well-to-wheel (WTW) basis due to
increasing participation of heavy and oil sands crudes on world oil production and refining. This
paper extends the research conducted by Charpentier, Bergerson, and MacLean (2009) which
found inconsistencies in using LCA models to calculate GHG emissions for the oil sands and
conventional crude oils, and which suggested that many inconsistencies could be attributed to the
quality of crude oils. Running a petroleum refinery linear programming model and through a
factor analysis, this research studies the simultaneous effects of several key crude oil parameters
(i.e. sulphur, density, hydrogen, TBP, MCR) on the refinery CO
2
emissions estimation.
Specified/target product slates changes and refinery configuration modifications (i.e. coking and
hydrocracking basis) are also explored. Finally, the study compares the methods and results for
specific pathways with those in the GHGenius and GREET WTW transportation fuel to
demonstrate the impact of considering a more complete set of parameters in the refinery module.
Preliminary results indicate that the quality of the crude should be a priority over refinery
configuration and product slate in the estimation of total CO
2
emissions for a refinery. Also, the
hydrogen content appears to be as significant as sulphur and API parameters and more
instructive of crude quality when calculating total CO
2
emissions for a refinery. The results of
this research will provide insights on the assignment of CO
2
emissions in policies such as a Low
Carbon Fuel Standard to different crude oils, use of LCA methods to assign these values, and the
improvement of LCA models.
*
jpabella@ucalgary.ca


192
Session Chair: Chris Weber
Environmental Impacts of Diet Changes in the EU
Reinout Heijungs, Arnold Tukker, Ren Kleijn, Arjan de Koning, Oliver Wolf

An EPD program for Costa Rican products
Wesley Ingwersen, Silvia Alvarez, Ana Quiros, Carli Koshal, Milagros
JeanCharles, Diego Acua

Energy balance for locally-grown versus apple cv. 'Braeburn' fruit imported
from New Zealand
Michael Blanke

Life Cycle Assessment of Frozen Tilapia Fillets from Indonesian Lake and
Pond-Based Intensive Aquaculture Systems
Nathan Pelletier, Peter Tyedmers

LCA of the Global Warming Potential of California Rice Production and
Processing Systems
Sonja Brodt, Alissa Kendall, In-Sung Lee, Juhong Yuan, James Thompson, Gail
Feenstra


193

Environmental Impacts of Diet Changes in the EU

Reinout Heijungs
*
, CML
Arnold Tukker, TNO
Ren Kleijn, CML
Arjan de Koning, CML
Oliver Wolf, JRC-IPTS

The study Environmental Impacts of Products (EIPRO) showed that expenditure on food and
drink, transport and built environment drive over 70% of the environmental impacts of EU
consumption. The EU was hence interested in the environmental impacts related to diet changes
in the EU. The following approach and results come from a study of TNO and CML, with
support of the EC JRC IPTS.
1. The FAO Food Balance Sheets provided data on existing diets in the EU. Diet
recommendations from most EU countries and the WHO lead to three alternative diet scenarios.
2. An Environmentally Extended Input Output model, E3IOT, was used to calculate impacts of
the food baskets in each scenario. Additionally, 1st order income effects were taken into account
by assuming a change in disposable income for non-food products would lead to proportional
change in expenditure on non food products.
3. Dynamic 2nd order economic effects were estimated with a partial equilibrium model, CAPRI,
showing e.g. what alternative products the food and agriculture sector will produce if the original
demand changes due to diet changes. The feedback of CAPRI in E3IOT gives insight in 2nd
order environmental effects.
4. Experiences with consumption policy were reviewed to identify to what extent diet change can
realistically be stimulated.
Moderate diet changes can lead to 8% less impact related to food consumption, or 2% less
impacts of the total consumption expenditure in Europe. The 2nd order CAPRI calculations show
that production however will not diminish dramatically, which implies that impacts in Europe
will not diminish, although these are now related to exports rather than domestic consumption.
*
heijungs@cml.leidenuniv.nl


194

An EPD program for Costa Rican products

Wesley Ingwersen
*
,University of Florida
Silvia Alvarez, University of Florida
Ana Quiros, ECO GLOBAL/ALCALA
Carli Koshal, University of Florida
Milagros JeanCharles, University of Florida
Diego Acua, University of Costa Rica

Environmental product declarations (EPDs) provide information on environmental impacts of
products assessed according to product-specific LCA rules and are designed primarily for
business-to-business communication. EPDs may be supported by federal policy as a market-
driven approach to increasing sustainability of production and consumption. EPD programs have
been established in Europe and Asia, but are yet to be used as instruments in developing
countries. Through the 2009 Conservation Clinic, a collaborative program between the
University of Florida and the University of Costa Rica, a feasibility study was conducted for
implementing EPDs for Costa Rican products. Particularly, EPDs were considered as possible
instruments for producers of agricultural exports bound for markets in Europe and North
America, with the reasoning that EPDs may influence supply-side decisions in these markets.
The products of this effort were a policy study and a pineapple EPD stakeholder workshop. The
policy options study was conducted to explore how Costa Rican national policy could be used to
support an EPD program, drawing on examples from other national programs and determining
how such a program could be orchestrated in Costa Rica. The stakeholder workshop brought
together producers, experts, and government representatives to discuss the use of a EPDs in the
pineapple industry, including a discussion of preliminary rules and indicators for a pineapple-
specific LCA. The results of these two activities will be synthesized into a list of best practice
recommendations for launching an EPD program in Costa Rica, with particular emphasis on the
requirements for instituting EPDs of pineapple including the roles to be played by institutional
and industry actors and LCA experts.
*
wwi@ufl.edu


195

Energy balance for locally-grown versus apple cv. 'Braeburn' fruit
imported from New Zealand

Michael Blanke
*
, University of Bonn

Energy balances wre calculated as part of a LCA for apple cv. 'Braeburn' , which were either
imported or locally-grown in the Bonn-Meckenheim fruit growing region, one of the major fruit
growing regions in Germany. The LCA study aimed to compared apple fruit of the same variety
for sale at the same time in April when both regional and imported fruit are available in the
Rhein-Ruhr area with a market potential from ca. 10 million inhabitants. One kg of apples was
used as the functional unit. Imported apples of the same cultivar were grown in a Southern
hemisphere summer in Nelson, New Zealand and were pickes at the end of March. with
subsequent 28d transport by sea for sale in May in Germany. Locally-grown cv. 'Braeburn'
apples were pickes in mid-October and required a primary energy of nearly 5 MJ/kg fruit
including ca. 1 MJ/kg for the six months CA storage at 1C during a Northern hemisphere winter
until mid April. This compared favourably with 7.5 MJ/kg for overseas shipment from New
Zealand. Overall, the primary energy requirement of regional produce, stored locally for several
months on-site, partially compensated for the larger energy required to import fresh fruit from
overseas.
*
mmblanke@uni-bonn.de


196

Life Cycle Assessment of Frozen Tilapia Fillets from
Indonesian Lake and Pond-Based Intensive Aquaculture Systems

Nathan Pelletier
*
, Dalhousie University/School for Resource and Environmental Studies
Peter Tyedmers, Dalhousie University

We used LCA to evaluate the cradle-to-destination port life cycle impacts associated with the
production, processing and transportation of frozen, packaged Indonesian tilapia (Oreochromis
niloticus) fillets to ports in Chicago and Rotterdam. Specifically, we modelled cumulative energy
use, biotic resource use and global warming, acidifying, and eutrophying emissions per kg of
fillet. We identify the importance of least-environmental cost feed sourcing for reducing supply
chain environmental impacts. We also highlight the need for more effective nutrient cycling in
intensive aquaculture, and point to the environmental tradeoffs inherent in substituting
technological inputs for ecosystem services in intensive pond versus lake-based production
systems. We further call for more nuanced consideration of comparative environmental
advantage in the production and inter-regional trade of food commodities than has been
characteristic of historic food miles discussions. We conclude that although significant
opportunities exist for improving environmental performance in tilapia aquaculture, this product
compares favorably to several other fisheries, aquaculture, and animal husbandry products
according to the suite of impact categories considered in this study.
*
nathanpelletier@dal.ca


197

LCA of the Global Warming Potential of California
Rice Production and Processing Systems

Sonja Brodt
*
, Agricultural Sustainability Institute, University of California, Davis
Alissa Kendall
**
, University of California, Davis
In-Sung Lee, University of California, Davis
Juhong Yuan, University of California, Davis
James Thompson, University of California, Davis
Gail Feenstra, University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
Program

This study uses life cycle assessment methodology to assess the global warming potential of rice
production, drying, and milling in Californias Sacramento Valley region. A better understanding of the
climate impacts of California rice production is needed due to the large estimated contribution of global
rice production to anthropogenic methane in the atmosphere, the lack of studies on high-yield, air-seeded,
temperate rice production systems, and the prominence of rice in the agricultural economy of northern
California.
The objective of this study was to develop a baseline model that assesses the relative greenhouse
gas emissions of different stages of the production and processing systems, in order to identify
problem areas and the most fruitful areas for focusing on mitigation. We used a life cycle
assessment approach to characterize the CO
2
, CH
4
, and N
2
O emissions resulting from the
flooded rice field itself, all agricultural inputs and field operations, including the embodied
emissions in manufacturing and distribution of inputs, rice harvest and post-harvest straw
management, transport to the processing facility, and the drying and milling processes. We
modeled our system on a UC Davis Cost of Production Study that describes inputs and
operations on a hypothetical 243-ha (600 acres) farm using practices judged to be typical for
conventional rice production in this region of California. We obtained emissions data from
published studies, government emissions models such as the state of Californias EMFAC for
vehicle emissions, publicly available LCI databases, and the ecoinvent database accessed
through Simapro. In addition, we assessed the impact of co-product displacement, in this case,
rice hulls used for electricity generation and soil amendments, and rice bran used as cattle feed.
In addition to outlining the relative greenhouse gas contributions of different components of the
rice production system, we will discuss the inherent challenges and our strategies for addressing
the allocation of emissions from agricultural by-products, especially when these by-products are
used in a diversity of industries and may be displacing other products that are themselves by-
products.
*
sbbrodt@ucdavis.edu

**
amkendall@ucdavis.edu


198
Friday late morning
Session chair: Adam Cone
Multi-functional compost for sustainable agricultural production:
Improvements of resource and disease management using life cycle approach
Kiyotada Hayashi, Keiichi Murakami, Naoto Kato

Eutrophication footprints of foods and comparison to carbon footprints
Xiaobo Xue, Amy Landis

Evaluating Tradeoff between Material Type, Lightweighting and
Recyclability using Life Cycle Assessment - a Case Study on Wine Packaging
Xavier Bengoa, Danielle Maia de Souza, Rjean Samson

Life cycle analysis and carbon footprint of imported Huelva Strawberries
Michael Blanke


199
Friday late morning

Multi-functional compost for sustainable agricultural production:
Improvements of resource and disease management using
life cycle approach

Kiyotada Hayashi
*
, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
Keiichi Murakami, Mie Prefecture Agricultural Research Institute
Naoto Kato, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization

Increased food and feed trade necessitates considering effective management of food by-product
and animal waste. Waste resource management is essential to decrease negative environmental
impacts of waste products such as animal waste from intensive dairy farms, which depend on
imported feed grains and hay, and unutilized by-products of imported agricultural food. It is also
important in reducing the negative impacts caused by artificial fertilizer application. In addition,
waste resources can be used for making compost that can replace soil disinfectant and the
replacement reduces environmental toxicity. Therefore, utilization of multi-functional compost
has the potential to be effective resource and disease management. This study investigates the
environmental impacts of multi-functional compost made from dairy animal waste and activated
bleaching earth used in the manufacture of edible oil.
Comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) was used in this study, which was carried out in an
area in Mie Prefecture, Japan. Multi-functional compost made using a vertical airtight compost
machine was compared with conventional compost prepared in an open stirrer; it can be effective
in preventing plant diseases caused by soil fungi (Fusarium). Furthermore, LCA of greenhouse
tomato production was conducted to assess the post-application effects of the compost. The
background data for the assessment of compost were accumulated by interviewing the machine
manufacturer and the authority in the cooking-oil company. The data available on the JLCA
database and ecoinvent 2.0 were also used. The information compiled for agricultural extension
services was used for evaluating post-application effect of the compost.
The results indicate that lesser amounts of greenhouse and acidification gases are directly
emitted during the production of multi-functional compost than during the production of
conventional compost. However, greenhouse gas emissions from the production process of the
vertical airtight compost machine were greater than that of the open stirrer. Moreover, distinct
differences were observed between the post-application effects of the two types of compost. We
believe that the use of multi-functional compost would alleviate the negative environmental
impacts of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. The results imply that the development of multi-
functional agricultural inputs is a practical method for establishing sustainable agricultural
systems.
*
hayashi@affrc.go.jp


200
Friday late morning

Eutrophication footprints of foods and
comparison to carbon footprints

Xiaobo Xue
*

Vast quantities of food is demanded to satisfy basic human needs every day. Food supply has
become an important contributor to the depletion of natural resources and water quality
degradation. Excessive nutrients exported from farming and food processing activities already
has resulted in serious hypoxia and eutrophication issues in surrounding ecosystems
1
. Changing
food consumption patterns offers a unique opportunity for consumers to lower their personal
eutrophication footprints. Concerned consumers are calling for mitigating environmental burden
of food supply. Policymakers and producers therefore require scientifically defensible
information about food products and production systems. Despite significant recent public
concern and scientific attention to environmental impacts of foods mainly focused on their
Carbon footprints, few studies have systematically compared the life cycle nutrients flows
among different food types
2
. A few studies exist which look at overall diet but these have been
focused on the relevance of carbon footprint and food consumption pattern. The study of
nitrogen and phosphorus inventories for food categories and the potential of reducing
nitrification through shifting food consumption patterns have not yet been addressed. This study
utilizes a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach to quantify the nitrogen flows during food
production, processing, packaging and distribution stages over main food types. This study
compares solutions to reduce excessive nitrogen outputs, evaluates effectiveness and efficiency
of possible solutions. Results show that different food groups exhibit a largely variable nitrogen-
intensity. While red meats exhibit the highest nutrient intensity among all food categories,
cereals/carbohydrates has the lowest eutrophication potential. Dietary shifting from red meat to
cereals/carbohydrates may be an effective way to mitigate eutrophication impacts resulting from
food consumption.
References
1. Miller, S.E.; Landis, A.E.; Theis, T.L. Feature: Environmental tradeoffs of biobased
production. Enviro. Sci.Technol. 2007,41(15), 5176-5182
2. Weber, C.L.; Matthews, H.S., Food-miles and the relative climate impacts of food choices in
the United States, Enviro. Sci.Technol. 2008,42(10), 3508-3513
*
xix17@pitt.edu


201
Friday late morning

Evaluating Tradeoff between Material Type, Lightweighting and
Recyclability using Life Cycle Assessment:
a Case Study on Wine Packaging

Xavier Bengoa
*
, CIRAIG
Danielle Maia de Souza, CIRAIG

In a context of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the question of which type of
packaging is environmentally preferable is a recurring issue, as it often holds a large
responsibility in the overall impacts associated to a product. However, assessing whether it is the
type of material chosen for packaging, its weight or its recyclability, that prevails when
minimizing the products ecological footprint, is an issue whose answer is not straightforward.
Through a case study on wine packaging, this paper aims at evaluating the environmental burden
of different packaging alternatives and identifying the key parameters using the Life Cycle
Assessment methodology. Twelve options are compared, including standard and lightweighted
glass bottles (750 and 1500 ml), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles (750 and 1000 ml), a
750 ml aluminum bottle, a 250 ml aluminum can, a 1000 ml aseptic multilayer brick, a 1500 ml
multilayer wine pouch and two bag-in-box (3000 and 4000 ml). All these options fulfill the same
function: To hermetically hold 750 ml of wine while conserving its quality from conditioning
until consumption during two years. They are all considered to be filled and transported to
Montreal, where wine is sold and consumed. The packaging waste is then managed according to
the most realistic practices in Quebec province. Preliminary results have shown significant
differences among the options. While lightweighted glass bottles show slightly lower impacts
than standard ones, PET bottles appear to be no better than the lightweighted bottles, in spite of
being much lighter and recycled. Further, very light as well, aluminum packaging options are
credited with very high environmental impacts, especially when not recycled. On the other hand,
multilayer pouches and aseptic bricks show much lower scores for all impact categories, in spite
of not being recyclable in Quebec. While these preliminary results still need to be confirmed,
they show that lightweighting and recyclability do not suffice to determine which is the preferred
choice among the different packaging alternatives.
*
xavier.bengoa@polymtl.ca


202
Friday late morning

Life cycle analysis and carbon footprint of
imported Huelva Strawberries

Michael Blanke
*
, University of Bonn

The objective of this study was a carbon footprint as part of a life cycle analysis (LCA) of
strawberries grown in spring in Huelva, Spain for consumption in Western Europe, using
Germany as example. This is at a time when locally-grown, forced strawberries are not yet
available in Northerwestern Europe, but consumers demand for fresh strawberries for fresh fruit
consumption, fruit salads, ice cream and cake. Life cycle analysis (LCA) was performed for the
amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the strawberry as a product as carbon
footprint, including the emissions of the three most important GHGs emitted from agricultural
activities; carbon dioxide (CO
2
), nitrous oxide (N
2
O) and methane (CH
4
) and used to calculate
CO
2
equivalents, based on an extended BSI PAS2050 standard. The LCA pilot project comprised
the complete life cycle from the supply of the strawberry plantlets in Spain, growing and
agrochemicals, packhouse in Huelva in transparent plastic PET punnets, truck-haul, to the RDCs,
shopping trip of the consumer, dwell time and local disposal of the strawberrry package in
Germany. A 500 g fresh strawberry package was defined as functional unit and had a carbon
footprint of ca. 450 g CO
2
eq ; the largest part was attributed to the transport to the consumer (ca.
205 g) and packhouse and the consumer shopping (65 g CO
2
eq), strawberry cultivation (60 g
CO
2
eq), while agrochemicals (40 g CO
2
eq) played a minor role. This study was only made
possible by joint efforts of REWE Food Group Kln, the local 'Best alliance' extension service
Campina Verde in Huelva, the Spanish packhouses, transport companies, local redistribution
centres (RDC) and disposal experts. This study is part of one of the largest carbon footprint pilot
project (http:www.pcf-project.de), involving 15 products, 13 international companies, 2
universities (Bremen and Bonn) and 3 NGOs (WWF Germany, Potsdam Institute for Climate
Impact Research (PIK) and THEMA1) under the auspice of the Institute for Applied Ecology
Hamburg/Berlin with the first results released on 27 January 2009 at Rotes Rathaus, Berlin with
ca. 300 journalists. This huge pilot project and its findings and the recommendations derived
contribute to a situation, in which the PCF Pilot Project Germany actively helps to shape the
international debate on the determination and communication of carbon footprints. The standards
and recommendations dervied from this project will be presented and open for discussion.
*
mmblanke@uni-bonn.de

Friday Poster Session

203
Friday linch

Life cycle energy and GHG emissions of
biomass-to-electricity systems in Portugal

Joo Nunes, ADAI. Dep. of Mechanical Engineering. Universisty of Coimbra
Fausto Freire
*
, ADAI. Dep. of Mechanical Engineering. University of Coimbra.
University of Coimbra

Lignocellulosic biomass has received recent attention in Portugal as a key renewable energy
source to play an important role in electricity production and advanced technologies are being
considered as a promising high efficiency pathway. However, the actual benefits of biomass-to-
electricity systems have not been previously assessed in a life cycle perspective. This paper
presents the development and implementation of a comparative life cycle model aiming at
assessing the full cradle-to-grave energy and environmental performance of alternative
lignocellulosic biomass-to-electricity production pathways for Portugal. Twenty-four alternative
scenarios have been defined considering different combinations of: i) forest biomass types
(residues and energy crops), ii) biomass collection and transportation processes and iii)
electricity production technologies (gasification and direct combustion). An extensive data
collection has been carried out in Portugal to build the life cycle (LC) inventory for the 24
scenarios. A LC model has been developed based on a systemic description of the various
scenarios with the aim of evaluating and finding the most sustainable solutions throughout the
various LC stages. The primary energy fossil requirement and the Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
emissions associated with the production of 1 MJ of electricity are presented, for each phase of
the life cycle. The results calculated for the 24 scenarios show that the fossil energy requirement
can vary from 0,062 MJ to 0,166 MJ per MJ of electricity produced. The most efficient pathway
is obtained with gasification of forest residues. The processes that require more fossil energy are
biomass chipping and transportation (from 19% to 50% of total fossil energy requirements).
GHG emissions range from 5,7 gCO
2
eq to 11,5 gCO
2
eq per MJ of electricity produced. The
present analysis demonstrates that biomass-to electricity can be a sustainable option regarding
fossil energy use (primary energy savings: 2,12,8 MJ/MJ electrical) and GHG emissions
avoided (121228 gCO
2
eq/MJ electrical), but advanced energy conversion technologies, namely
gasification, must be employed.

*
fausto.freire@dem.uc.pt


204
Friday linch

Life Cycle Assessment of overhead and underground primary
power distribution systems in Southern California

Rebe Feraldi
*
, UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science & Management
Sarah Bumby, UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science & Management
Ekaterina Druzhinina, Bren School, UCSB
Danae Werthmann, UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science & Management
Dr. Jack Sahl, Southern California Edison
Roland Geyer, University of California - Santa Barbara

High electrical-power demand has spurred discussion on trade-offs between overhead and
underground power distribution systems. Many regions in the United States, European Union,
and Australia are considering revising protocol for new power distribution installations and/or
conversion of existing infrastructure to underground mode. Studies generally concur that
underground distribution is much more costly to install, but may improve reliability and decrease
maintenance costs. Recently, a few comparative environmental assessments of overhead and
underground cable production have been conducted. However, current literature lacks a full
investigation of the life cycle environmental impacts of both distribution methods, including all
infrastructure components. This project thus examines the difference between the potential
environmental impacts of overhead and underground primary power distribution systems. It is
based on a full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which has been conducted using LCA software
GaBi 4.3, which draws from a wide range of data sources. The analysis synthesizes detailed
information on the use phase, including installation, maintenance, and decommissioning of cable
and associated infrastructural components. The study is also specific to Southern California
Edison, one of the largest electric utility suppliers in the United States. The results cover a wide
range of environmental concerns, such as climate change, photochemical smog, acidification,
and toxicity.

*
rferaldi@bren.ucsb.edu


205
Friday linch

Environmental and energy life cycle analysis of microgeneration
applied to five grid connected
renewable technologies in a Quebec context

Mourad Ben Amor
*
, CIRAIG
Pascal Lesage, Sylvatica
Pierre-Olivier Pineau, CIRAIG/HEC Montreal

This study aims at evaluating the environmental and energy life cycle performances of five
commonly used small scale grid-connected renewable plants deployed in different regions of
Quebec (Canada) and to compare these to centralised electricity production. One of the main
applications of the study results is to inform different stake-holders of the advantages and
limitations of the application of microgeneration as an energy policy tool.
Two types of photovoltaic panels and three types of wind turbines are considered. The two
mounted, slanted roof, photovoltaic panels differ according to the cell type (3 kWp mono- and
polycrystalline). The three micro-wind turbines differ according to the power rate (1kW, 10 kW
and 30 kW) and the installation type (10 m guyed tower, 22 m guyed tower and 30 m lattice
tower). Other necessary components for the connection and the transmission of the produced
energy are also considered (e.g. inverter (DC/AC), cables, etc.). The data are calculated for a
final delivery of 1 kWh at the plant.
A scaling down effect is noticed between micro-wind turbines power rates and the studied
impacts. This explains the 1 kW bad performancess compared to the 30kW. In case of low and
medium winds, the two photovoltaic plants seem to be the best alternatives. However, under
good wind conditions, the selection depends on power plants. Also, compared to the current
centralised electricity production, the grid connected renewable technologies performances are
much better as they offer substantial benefits as far as energy savings and environmental impacts
are concerned. However, this is not the case for poor winds regions.
As seen from the results, implementing a renewable microgeneration policy based on average
values without taking into account regional context could, therefore, be less beneficial than
anticipated. Such results are key to assess the extent to which distributed generation can reduce
the use of the distribution network and centralised electricity production.
Future work will include an in-depth analysis of the actual displaced electricity production, based
on a consequential LCA methodology and considering diurnal and seasonal patterns of electricity
production and consumption.
*
ben.amor@b2b2c.ca


206
Friday linch

Environmental Impacts of the Recycling and Use of Waste Medium
Density Fibre Board and the Benefits of Wood Fibre Recovery

Amy Mitchell
*
, Research Scientist at Gnosys UK
Gary Stevens, MD of GnoSys/Professor University of Surrey

Over the course of a year in the UK at least 285,000 tonnes of waste medium density fibre board
(MDF) arising as industrial process waste is generated from MDF producers and industrial users
such as furniture manufacturers. The current disposal practices for this large amount of waste
include either disposal to landfill or incineration, with MDF waste being used as a fuel for heat
generation. The disposal of this waste has a significant environmental impact. Recycling of MDF
to recover the original wood fibres for closed-loop recycling presents an elegant solution to
reduce these impacts. This can be achieved through the use of a new technology which utilises a
microwave based process to reclaim the wood fibres for re-use in MDF manufacture.
This presentation will discuss the environmental impacts of the reclamation of wood fibre from
waste MDF relative to the impacts of the current disposal practices. Additionally, the impacts of
using this recycled wood fibre in recycled MDF (rMDF) production will be examined relative to
the impacts of current MDF manufacturing process to assess the potential benefits of closed loop
recycling.
Through this investigation it was found that over the majority of the impact categories measured,
recycling of the MDF waste through the microwave process shows a lower environmental impact
when account is taken of the avoided burdens within MDF production in comparison with all
other disposal routes. The use of recycled wood fibre from MDF waste in rMDF production
resulted in reduced environmental impacts in terms of carbon emission and global warming
potential, along with reductions in many other impact categories. These findings indicate that
there is likely to be environmental advantage to diverting MDF waste to fibre recovery, however
there must be a balance between the diversion of MDF waste to recycling and its use in energy
production to support the MDF production processes or to feed energy from waste production in
general. These aspects will also be discussed.
*
a.mitchell@gnosysgroup.com


207
Friday linch

Analysis of Aluminum flow and stock in Korea

EunSil Jang
Seok-Jin Hong, Konkuk Univ.
Ji-Sun Jung, Konkuk Univ.
Ji-Yong Lee, LG Electronics
Tak Hur
*
, Konkuk Univ.

MFA is conducted to define the flow of aluminum with the following procedures: the definition
of the system boundary, the determination of flow and stock, and the material flow illustration
and interpretation. In the definition of system boundary, geographic boundary was set as Korea
in the year 2007. In the determination of flow and stock, data are collected from different sources
to calculate through the Aluminum cycle, which consists of five stages; material, semi-
fabrication, industry, recycling, and disposal. The static data are collected primarily, in the case
of lack of these data, related documents and the interviews of the experts are used. These
collected data are calculated on the basis of mass balance principle. In the material flow
illustration and interpretation, flow, process, and stock of Aluminum cycle are drawn. The flow
of Aluminum in material entering the semi-fabrication is about 1,830 Kt/year with primary
ingots (53%) and secondary ingots (47%). Counting in import and export, rolled (424 Kt/year),
extruded (211 Kt/year), and casting process (965 Kt/year) in semi-fabrication flow into
industry. It is retained as stock (288 Kt/year) excluding discard flow (657 Kt/year) of
industry. The part of this discard flow (57%) is recycled as secondary ingot with imported Al
scrap (467 Kt/year) in recycling. Finally, estimated 283 Kt/year is landfilled in disposal. To
analyze the stock (ton) and stock density (ton/km
2
) of Aluminum in seven cities and nine
provinces, allocation factors that are estimated considering characterization of each were used.
The results of the stock is showed as follows; Gyeonggi-do(2,733Kt), Seoul(2,003Kt),
Gyeongsangnam-do(720 Kt). However the stock density is identified to Seoul(3.31 Kt/ km
2
),
Busan(0.93Kt/ km
2
) and Gwangju(0.58Kt/ km
2
) orderly. Therefore the waste management needs
to focus on cities, in order to increase the recycling of end-of-life Al effectively.

*
takhur@konkuk.ac.kr


208
Friday linch

Life-cycle Inventory of Manufacturing Engineered
Wood Flooring in the Eastern United States

Richard Bergman
*
, University of Wisconsin
Scott Bowe, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Because of the environmental impacts that a building product and its associated manufacturing
process pose to the physical environment, building products have come under increased scrutiny
by a growing segment of environmentally concerned stakeholders. The economic costs, the
energy use, and the environmental impact of residential building materials are playing an
increasing role in the product choice decisions of the general public and contractors. Life-cycle
inventory (LCI), a major component of life-cycle analysis, is emerging as an unbiased,
scientifically rigorous method of understanding a products total impact from gate to gate. This
study examined engineered wood flooring in the eastern United States. The LCI results for this
product may provide a means of comparing wood and non-wood materials such as carpet, vinyl,
or tile on an energy and environmental basis. Methodology put forth by the Consortium for
Research on Renewable Industrial Materials was used. One square meter (10 mm thick basis)
was selected as the unit basis for the final product of engineered wood flooring. Five engineered
wood flooring manufacturers were surveyed in the eastern United States that represented 18.7%
of total annual production in 2007. For the year 2007, data were collected for annual production,
energy use and generation, material inputs, product outputs, and other by-products. Engineered
wood flooring was produced from either 3- or 5- ply hardwood veneer panels. Some preliminary
results found were weight-averaged values of 26.3 and 21.2 thousand cubic meters of dried
veneer and wood flooring produced per manufacturing facility, respectively. Most facilities used
urea-formaldehyde resin for gluing hardwood veneer into panels. These data were modeled using
SimaPro to estimate the environmental footprint of engineered wood flooring manufacturing in
the United States.
*
rbergman@wisc.edu


209
Friday linch

Life Cycle Consumptive Water Use and Greenhouse Gas
Implications of Unconventional Oil

Aweewan Mangmeechai
*
W. Michael Griffin, Carnegie Mellon University
Paulina Jaramillo, Carnegie Mellon University/Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering

Despite significant attention on the environmental impacts of unconventional oil, e.g., oil sands,
oil shale, and coal-to-liquid (CTL), few studies have focused on their life cycle greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions and life cycle consumptive water use. This study looks at the life cycle GHG
emissions and consumptive water use of unconventional oil and then compare to those of
conventional oil. Consumptive water use defined as water withdrawn that is evaporated,
transpired, incorporated into products, consumed by humans, or otherwise removed from the
immediate water environment. The life cycle analysis boundary includes these following stages:
crude oil extraction; refining; crude oil combustion; and reclamation. The life cycle GHG
emissions and consumptive water use for electricity consumption throughout the crude oil life
cycle are also included in this analysis. We find CTL is the worst in GHG emissions while oil
shale In-situ requires the largest amount of consumptive water use. Life cycle GHG emissions
and consumptive water use of oil sands are the least among unconventional oil. Life cycle
consumptive water use for oil sands (surface mining and In-situ), oil shale surface mining (high
and low scenarios), oil shale In-situ (high and low scenarios), and CTL (high and low scenarios)
are -61% to -9%, -35% to -11%, -51% to 46%, and -60% to 19% lower or higher than that of
U.S. domestic crude oil. The life cycle GHG emissions of oil sands (surface mining and In-situ),
oil shale surface mining (high and low scenarios), oil shale In-situ (high and low scenarios), and
CTL (high and low scenarios) are 14%-21%, 4%-19%, 46%-98%, and -5%-113% higher than
those of U.S. domestic crude oil. If the U.S has a goal to enhance energy security while seeking
to reduce the environmental impacts of petroleum, CTL, oil shale, and oil sands are not the right
path.
*
amangmee@andrew.cmu.edu


210
Friday linch

Sustainable implications of vertical farming for
Philadelphian urban food supply

Alex Stadel
*
, Drexel University
Sabrina Spatari
**
, Drexel University/Department of Civil, Architectural, and
Environmental Engineering

The carbon intensity of food production has come under scrutiny in the popular literature, which
raises questions of how to supply local food needs in order to reduce energy-food miles. This,
along with the malnutrition of inter-city citizens, requires a new alternative for providing fresh
produce. This study investigates opportunities for reducing transportation energy and greenhouse
gas emissions through the construction of vertical farms. These structures are designed to grow
hydroponic crops to meet dietary needs in US urban centers. Using the city of Philadelphia as a
case study, a model is constructed using data from GREET 1.8c, eQUEST, and the Carnegie
Mellon EIOLCA tool to aggregate construction, operation, and deconstruction emissions for a
1.2 million square foot vertical farm over 50 years. Using a hybrid change-oriented Life Cycle
Assessment (LCA) and Economic Input Output (EIO) approach, the results will compare the
global warming potential (GWP) per hundredweight of vegetable production of traditional
farming against the progressive idea of vertical urban agriculture. We model the farming process
and transport of produce from a traditional farm in the United States, with a focus on the import
of crops into Philadelphia from California and other agriculturally prominent states. Current
estimates indicate that traditional farming creates 43kg CO
2
equivalents per hundredweight of
crop production and import to Philadelphia. The goal of this comparison is to examine whether
the prospect of a built urban agriculture environment can reduce the carbon intensity of food
production and transport relative to the current preference.
*
alexstadel@gmail.com
**
spatari@drexel.edu


211
Friday linch

Life cycle analysis of environmental load and reduction potential
related to food consumption in Japan

Naoki Yoshikawa
*
, Ritsumeikan University
Koji Amano, Ritsumeikan University
Koji Shimada, Ritsumeikan University

Agriculture is one of the major emission sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs) including non-
CO
2
gases and figured as a cost-effective sector for GHGs emission reduction. Japanese food
supply, especially wheat and animal feed, mostly relies on imports from U.S. and Australia by
long distance maritime transportation although rice, staple food of Japanese, is mostly self-
sufficient. Life cycle approach would be applied for evaluating agricultural biomass utilization
policy in regional level and environmental load of agricultural production in commodity level,
which has advantage of allowing quantifying net environmental reduction. On the other hand,
global studies of agricultural GHGs reduction potential are difficult to implement life cycle
analysis because of its geographical scale.
We estimated environmental load (GHGs emission and final disposal of waste) related to food
consumed in Japan and its reduction potential including some cost analysis by actions of energy
use, fertilizing, biomass utilization, distribution and recycling. This country-level evaluation is
implemented by aggregating commodity level or regional level estimation, and calculated cost
efficiency of environmental load reduction. Scenario analysis is used to consider uncertainty of
estimation conditions.
*
ec081018@se.ritsumei.ac.jp


212
Friday linch

Public Perception of Carbon Footprint(s) as additional Food Label

Michaela Schlich
*
, Nutritional and Consumer Science, Institute for Management,
University Koblenz Landau, Campus Koblenz
Daniela Thomae, Justus Liebig University Giessen
Elmar H. Schlich, University Giessen

At present different efforts are made for introducing Carbon Footprint (CF) as additional label on
food packages in Europe. This is a contribution to the increasing public attention which is paid to
all questions related to climatic change.
Food packages serve for many objectives. First of all, the package protects food from the
environment in order to keep it for degustation, health and wellness. At the same time the
packaging protects the environment from foods so as to prevent pollution. Secondly the package
serves as carrier of product information. This task is strictly regulated by legal requirements
regarding information about producer, trademark, quantity, price, composition, ingredients,
nutritional recommendations, and even recipes for the preparation at home
1
. Sometimes
information about farm management (e.g. kind of organic farming) could be presented as well
2
.
The poster exemplary compares the recent state of CF-label development in the UK
3
, France
4
,
Sweden
5
, and Germany
6
. The public perception of such additional food label in Germany has
recently been investigated by interviewing experts (n = 95) and private consumers (n = 150). The
results are more or less bleak:
Most consumer don't care about greenhouse gas emissions or are simply not able to understand
Carbon Footprint.
The system borders and boundary conditions of label calculation differ across EU. This leads to
increasing confusion and distrust, and could turn out to be a trade obstruction.
The part of consumer behavior in terms of shopping by car, of storing and cooking food at
home and of loss by mistreatment is substantial but not included into CF-label.
Aspects like seasonality, regional farming, business size and ecologies of scale
7,8
are
neglected.
Obviously it is necessary to improve the scientific database of entire supply chains for food in
order to calculate reliable CF-labels. In the long run we must endeavor to achieve a situation
where consumer can simply rely without further ado on a carbon footprint label that should at
least be compatible within EU.
References


213
Friday linch
1. Lebensmittelkennzeichnungsverordnung. Verordnung ber die Kennzeichnung von
Lebensmitteln. Bundesministerium der Justiz, Bundesrepublik Deutschland (2007).
2. Verordnung (EG) Nr. 967/2008 des Rates vom 29. September 2008 zur nderung der Verordnung
(EG) Nr. 834/2007 ber die kologische/biologische Produktion und die Kennzeichnung von
kologischen/biologischen Erzeugnissen. BMELV (2008).
3. Publicly Available Specification: Specification for the assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas
emissions of goods and services. London, BSI: October 2008.
4. Fourdrin E. Environmental communication on consumer goods in France. Vortrag beim Treffen
des federal public service belgium: Toward consumer-oriented environmental information on
consumer goods. 22. January 2009
5. Krav, Svenskt sigill u.a.: Project Description for the Project Standards for Climate Marking of
Foods Version No 2.0, Authorized by SG 15 February 2008.
6. Projekt Carbon Footprint Ergebnisbericht: Product Carbon Footprinting - Ein geeigneter Weg zu
klimavertrglichen Produkten und deren Konsum? Erfahrungen, Erkenntnisse und
Empfehlungen aus dem Product Carbon Footprint Pilotprojekt Deutschland.
7. Schlich E, Fleissner U: The Ecology of Scale: Assessment of Regional Energy Turnover and
Comparison with Global Food. Special Issue of Int J LCA (2004).
8. Schlich E, Schlich M: The Ecology of Scale: Further Examples and Comments. InLCA (2004).

*
schlich@uni-koblenz.de


214
Friday linch

Dynamic LCA modelling of long life structures: Buildings

Matthias Fischer
*
, Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics/Department Life Cycle
Engineering
Jan Paul Lindner, Fraunhofer IBP, Dept. Life Cycle Engineering (GaBi)/University of
Bastian Wittstock, University of Stuttgart - Chair for Building Physics / Fraunhofer

LCA of long life structures and products like cars, planes, infrastructure or buildings are
currently performed on a static approach. That includes that the time aspect is not further
considered and one single point in time is chosen as reference. This is in case of the production
phase an adequate and meaningful assumption as the production period is usually short. But
regarding the use phase the time related boundary conditions change so that the LCA results
show a more and more dynamic progress. Regarding the end-of-life phase it can be stated that
the boundary conditions after a long life time could differ seriously and in case of a big relevance
of this life cycle step it is required to adjust the modeling accordingly. The time dimension and
the dynamic development of general boundary conditions, legal boundaries, technologies,
technical parameters, supply chains and technical systems lead to a variability in the material and
energy flow system which influences the LCI results. The impacts to environment depend on
emission time, chemical fate and other dynamic effects which influence the LCIA results
additionally to the dynamic LCI. So the LCA interpretation should include in addition to the
classical steps also an overall consideration of time dynamic aspects in the goal and scope
definition, technical system, LCI and LCIA as well as time aspects in the interaction of the
different LCA phases. Based on previous own work on parameterized modeling, time series and
future scenarios as well as LCA of buildings within the German Sustainable Building
Certification System the presentation will show temporal influences on LCA and compare static
and dynamic modeling approaches. Especially changes within the use phase of a building will be
analyzed and presented.
*
matthias.fischer@ibp.fraunhofer.de


215
Friday linch

Ecologically based Life Cycle Assessment of Building Materials

Mason Earles
*
Anthony Halog, University of Maine

Conventional LCA techniques inadequately account for products' natural capital consumptions.
Doing so would allow for more complete inter- and intra-sector comparisons of the life-cycle
impacts of building materials such as wood, concrete and steel.
The EcoLCA method has recently arisen to address the challenge of providing comprehensive
resource accounting in LCA and standardizing a unit for resource aggregation. To address the
issue above, the proposed research seeks to accomplish the following objectives: (1) Compare
the life-cycle performance of common building materials, such as wood, concrete, and steel,
using the emerging EcoLCA technique and (2) use hybrid EcoLCA to characterize the
environmental profile of current research on engineered wood based building materials. Within
EcoLCA, Ecological Cumulative Exergy Consumption (ECEC) provides a standardized unit for
comparing overall resource intensity.
While preliminary, this study compares four NAICS sectors using the online EcoLCA tool:
Engineered Wood Member Manufacturing, Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing, Ready-
Mix Concrete Manufacturing, and Reconstituted Wood. Early results suggest that the Ready-Mix
Concrete Manufacturing sector has the largest ECEC per million dollars, while Engineered
Wood Member Manufacturing measures the lowest . Results do not yet exist for the hybrid
EcoLCA study of specific materials under development at the University of Maines Advanced
Engineered Wood Composites Center.
*
mason.earles@gmail.com

International Capability Development Activities on
Life Cycle Topics

216
Friday early afternoon
Special session coordinator: Sonia Valdivia, UNEP
Strengthening life cycle thinking in our societies is becoming a key element in the design of our
future. Our awareness of the need to take more life cycle based decisions is being raised through
a wide range of daily occurrences and events.
It is clear that people and organizations with differing world-views or from dissimilar cultures
put life cycle thinking into practice differently. Governments may rather introduce green public
procurement policies, ecolabels or regulations for energy efficient design from cradle to gate,
while corporations may be able to implement supply chain programs, ecodesign in the design
phase, LCM in the current activities, etc.
The UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative has acknowledged the need for capability development
as core aim. It is deploying a number of international efforts in developed economies and Non
OECD countries. Co-organization of international conferences, training programs in emerging
economies, set up of platforms for networking of national life cycle networks and business
clusters, elaboration, translation in 6 UN languages and dissemination of international guidance
documents and training materials and the LCA Award for Non OECD countries are some of the
activities.
This session has the aim to introduce some facts, aspects, thoughts and challenges around
capability development processes to enable life cycle based decisions through the presentation of
experiences of business and governments as well as through active discussions with the
participants and the identification of common areas of interest which could represent a building
block for future joint work.
Life Cycle Thinking Worldwide Business and Governments Challenges and
Needs
Sonia Valdivia, Guido Sonnemann

The Associao Brasileira do Ciclo de Vida and capability development
activities in Brazil and contribution to the international community
Cassia Ugaya

Developing LCM Capability in Africa How successful was LCM2009 in
Cape Town
Philippa Notten

Life Cycle Topics

217

European Platform on Life Cycle Assessment - International Interaction in
Support of Business and Government
David Pennington

Capability Development, Life Cycle Data and Methodologies related Activities
in Mexico and Latin America
Nydia Suppen

National LCI Databases based on a common international, technology LCI
database

Progress in Chinese Capability Development on Life Cycle based Tools -
Towards a Chinese LCA/LCM Platform
Hongtao Wang

We Need a Truly International Life Cycle Database System
Mark Goedkoop

Life Cycle Topics

218

Life Cycle Thinking Worldwide Business and Governments
Challenges and Needs

Sonia Valdivia, UNEP
Guido Sonnemann, UNEP
The Life Cycle Initiative is a joint programme of The United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) launched in
2002. The Initiative has the aims to enhance global consensus of life cycle methodology and
data, to improve knowledge and capacity to apply life cycle thinking in decision making of
business, government and even the general public and to facilitate the implementation of life
cycle approaches. UNEP has witnessed a positive progress worldwide with respect to the
internalization of life cycle thinking in both governments and businesses policy development
and activities; however, there is still an enormous gap between the levels of implementation in
developing economies and industrialized countries. The Initiative acknowledges the role of
government in mainstreaming life cycle applications in business and the society and recognized
the need for better understanding of the challenges, requisites, and priorities of governments and
business. The present study will present results from a first survey done (a) on the level of
networking on life cycle topics at national level, (b) on business benefits, needs and challenges
when implementing life cycle based tools, and (c) on governments level of understanding on the
life cycle concept and knowledge to apply life cycle thinking in policy design and development
in developing and emerging economies. These results are relevant for the Initiative and help it to
refine the current work and design middle term activities in the regions.

Life Cycle Topics

219

The Associao Brasileira do Ciclo de Vida and
capability development activities in Brazil and
contribution to the international community

Cassia Ugaya, Universidade Tecnolgica Federal do Paran - Brazil
The Associao Brasileira do Ciclo de Vida (ABCV) is a non profit organization and has the
aims to promote and build capacity of life cycle assessment in Brazil, disseminate the
implementation of life cycle based approaches and tools in the country, facilitate life cycle
information in the country and other Latin American countries and advice Brazilian private, non
profit and governmental institutions related to life cycle thinking. One important activity was the
organization of the Second Latin-American Conference of Life Cycle Assessment (CILCA) in
Sao Paulo in 2007, the 1st LCM Brazilian Conference in 2008 and the 2nd LCM Brazilian
Conference in 2010. The ABCV is also member of the International Life Cycle Board of the
UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative and has the main role to present the views, needs and
expectations of emerging countries such as Brazil in the design of activities of the
UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative.

Life Cycle Topics

220

Developing LCM Capability in Africa How successful was
LCM2009 in Cape Town

Philippa Notten, The Green House
Life Cycle Assessment is still an emerging field in Africa, with limited capability for
implementation. However, advances have been considerable. These include improved
information sharing and networking opportunities between African colleagues, advances in data
and software availabilities, and training opportunities. An international Life Cycle Management
Conference was recently held on African soil for the first time, with LCM2009 taking place in
Cape Town in early September. This presentation will highlight what the recent LCM2009
conference has meant for African capability development and discuss some of the other barriers
and opportunities to implementation of LCM in South Africa in particular.

Life Cycle Topics

221

European Platform on Life Cycle Assessment - International
Interaction in Support of Business and Government

David Pennington, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC)
The European Platform of Life Cycle Assessment (EPLCA) has been established to support the
development of scientifically robust, consistent and quality-assured life cycle methodology and
data.
As stated in the European Integrated Product Policy Communication (IPP) of 2003, the European
Commission has recognised LCA as the best framework for assessing the potential
environmental impacts of products, but the debate is ongoing about good practice. To support
this work and the global need for consistent methods and data, the European Platform of Life
Cycle Assessment (EPLCA) has been established. One of the main activities of the Platform is to
develop guidance on LCA methodology based on best practice worldwide and to improve the
access to consistent and quality-assured data. As Life Cycle Assessment is a global issue, the
International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD), consisting of mainly a Handbook and a
Data Network, was initiated via the Platform. International interactions are supported via e.g.
Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and Collaboration Agreements (CA) with governmental
organizations in Brazil, China, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand as well as more broadly with the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Similar interactions are equally ongoing with
representatives of business. The platform supports capacity building, both directly and indirectly,
e.g. via trainees, by organising workshops, via participation in international research projects, as
well as through bilateral collaboration with partners outside from Europe agreed in MoUs and
CAs. High level strategic guidance documents on Life Cycle Thinking and Assessment in
support of governments and business are being prepared, in addition to the technical guidance
documents of the ILCD Handbook. A data editor and database application are provided for free-
of-charge use globally.

Life Cycle Topics

222

Capability Development, Life Cycle Data and Methodology related
Activities in Mexico and Latin America

Nydia Suppen, Centro de Analisis de Ciclo de Vida y Diseo Sustentable
The Center for Life Cycle Analysis and Sustainable Design (CADIS) of Mexico is a leading
organization on innovation, development and training, and in sustainable consumption and
production. Its activities extend to other Latin American countries with whom they cooperate
more specifically on joint traininig, adaptation of life cycle methodologies for the Latin
American context and the development of life cycle databases (e.g. in the fields of energy and
building). Moreover, the Center for Life Cycle Analysis and Sustainable Design is a co-organizer
of the Fourth Latin-American Conference of Life Cycle Assessment (CILCA) in Mexico in
2011. This Center has also strong linkages with North American organizations regarding the
development of life cycle assessment studies. The positive increase of life cycle related activities
in Mexico has been possible due to the intervention of CADIS.

Life Cycle Topics

223

National LCI Databases based on a common international,
technology LCI database

Roland Hischier, ecoinvent Centre
Bo Weidema, ecoinvent Centre
While Swiss in origin, the ecoinvent database has the aim to respond to global needs and,
therefore, efforts have been done during the last years to expand the international scope. The new
version (version 2) includes, e.g., data on US agriculture, worldwide sourcing of raw materials
and the production of electronics in Asia. This internationalisation will be continued in the
development of version 3 which is planned to be launched end of 2011.
More cooperation with national and local initiatives is crucial for ecoinvent to keep this
development of internationalization; this offer was presented at the last North-American LCA
conference in Seattle. Key factors of such a cooperation with national database initiatives (NDI)
are aspects like national responsibility or use of common quality rules.
It is expected that v3 of ecoinvent will present a new database structure which will be even more
suitable to promote the internationalization. This new data structure will combine the
completeness of input-output tables with process details used e.g. in the current version (v2) and,
thus, provide a simple way to create consistent national versions out of the core part of the
ecoinvent database. It will result in an international technology LCI database which will require
very little efforts for the respective NDI.
Within its presentation, the management of the ecoinvent Centre will show the mutual
advantages of its strategy for LCA users worldwide; resulting for all in a much broader access to
transparent, consistent and quality-controlled life cycle inventory datasets and a contribution to
capability development worldwide.

Life Cycle Topics

224

Progress in Chinese Capability Development on Life Cycle based
Tools - Towards a Chinese LCA/LCM Platform

Hongtao Wang, Sichuan University
Despite the fact that local LCA infrastructures, especially a Chinese LCA database, are still
missing, China has seen increasing interest in LCA and LCM. The roles of the Sichuan
University and ITKE are essential and aim at providing a platform for LCA/LCM in China. This
presentation will highlight experiences and lessons learned, LCA related R&D activities in
Sichuan University and ITKE and news on the Chinese Conference on Life Cycle Management.
With the help of LCA award for non-OECD countries (2008), an exploratory LCA study on
generation and transmission of electricity in China had been conducted by the Sichuan
University, which led to the methodology and guidelines for developing a national average LCI
database. The updating of Chinese LCIA parameters is under way, including an updating of
characterization factors, normalization references and weighting factors. EPD (i.e. type III
environmental declaration) is a promising way to communicate life cycle information among
producers and consumers as well as a market based mechanism to inspire LCA/LCM practices.
A Chinese EPD program has been established following the methodology of ISO 14025.
Development of Product Category Rules of flat glass and aluminum-plastic panel as national
standards will be introduced. Several Chinese software tools for LCA/LCM practice have been in
development by Sichuan University and ITKE. The general LCA tool, eBalance, is designed for
LCA case studies. The software suite, eDeclare, supports the full verification procedures of EPD
and carbon footprint programs. A free tool for data collection is proposed, featuring with the
documentation format for data collection developed in LCA award project. Tsinghua University
and Sichuan University in collaboration with the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative will co-
organize the 2nd Chinese conference on Life Cycle Management (CLCM2009) and the 3rd
Chinese Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production from the 14th to the 16th
November in Beijing, China. This international conference aims to bring Chinese and
international LCA/LCM experts, policymakers, producers, retailers and intermediaries together
to explore the potentials of life cycle approaches for Sustainable Consumption and Production
(SCP), especially for policy making in China.

Life Cycle Topics

225

We Need a Truly International Life Cycle Database System
Mark Goedkoop, PR Consultants b.v.
There is a rapidly increasing need to provide the world a truly international and transparent
dataset. The world is asking for data on carbon, and many more impacts, not in a few years, but
now, or at least in one or two years. Such a supply of data cannot come from uncoordinated
regionally different projects. The lack of harmonisation is a problem. It also cannot come from
one single regional centre, as one trade block cannot set the rules. It can also not come from
commercial consultants; the world cannot become dependent on a commercial consultant.

What we can do though, is to sit together, talk and accept some kind of international
coordination, preferably by a body that is not linked to any regional trade block, such as the
UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative. What we can also do is mobilise individuals to share the
data they have been collecting in their work. By now there are many thousands of individuals
working on a daily basis. We have proposed an open source database system to mobilise this
huge LCA workforce, and this is now accepted as a UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative project.
Of course there are risks around this approach, and these should be carefully managed. We need
to avoid risks from being too slow and divided. Over the last decade the LCA community has
been slow in satisfying the demands of society. By being too divided, and too slow the LCA
community as a whole loses relevance, and credibility.

The presentation provides an outlook on how we can mobilise the LCA community, and how we
can effectively satisfy the huge demand for LCA data and methods, so we all become a thriving
community.


226
Session chair: Matthew Pietrzykowski
Estimating the environmental impacts of chemical production and chemical
mixtures under data-scarce conditions
Gregor Wernet, Stefanie Hellweg, Stavros Papadokonstantakis, Konrad
Hungerbhler

Data Mining and LCA: A Survey of possible marriages

Are results more reliable when life cycle inventory databases are mixed to
bridge data gaps?
'Nigho Idris, Gayle Rece

A Consequential Life Cycle Assessment Method for a Large System Affected
by Non-Marginal Variations
Thomas Dandres, Pablo Tirado, Pascal Lesage, Rjean Samson

New inventory computation algorithm to support regionalization
Guillaume Bourgault, Pascal Lesage


227

Estimating the environmental impacts of chemical production and
chemical mixtures under data-scarce conditions

Gregor Wernet
*
, ETH Zurich
Stavros Papadokonstantakis, ETH Zurich
Konrad Hungerbhler, ETH Zurich

Chemicals are present in the production life cycle of almost every consumer product. The need
for LCI data of chemical production is therefore high. However, chemical production data are
often confidential. Companies are reluctant to provide data, so many studies do not publish
inventory data (e.g.
1,2
). In addition, measurements of energy flows in production are oftentimes
not available, so LCI generation may require additional efforts
3
. Therefore, publicly available
data exist for only relatively few of the roughly 100000 chemicals in production. Estimation
models on a process level can be of use but still require knowledge of the synthesis route
4,5
. The
methodology described in
6
demonstrates the fundamental feasibility of a structure-based
approach using neural networks, which can be applied with no knowledge of the production
process. However, a lack of data prohibited the development of generally applicable models in
6
.
In new work with several industry partners, a larger dataset of 392 LCIs was created, covering
not just basic chemicals but also advanced and fine chemicals (e.g. the CED of the dataset ranged
from 30 to 1400 MJ-eq/kg). This allowed the creation of fully functional models suited to a wide
range of organic chemical classes, from basic to fine chemicals. These models were then
optimized to perform adequately for screening LCA and supply chain management, and they can
be of use in process design or optimization. They require only a description of the molecular
structure as input and deliver estimations of key parameters, such as the CED, the GWP or other
LCIA results, in seconds. Results show that the structure-based approach can deliver useful and
accurate tools for a wide range of organic chemicals. These new models complement process-
based approaches by allowing screening LCAs of chemicals where data scarcity would otherwise
be prohibitive. They therefore offer new options to LCA practitioners facing large data gaps or
unable to acquire chemical production data. A tool containing the new MSMs was created to be
freely available for download. The use of this tool is demonstrated and results are shown to
display the capabilities of the models.
References
1. Saling, P., Kicherer, A., Dittrich-Krmer, B., Wittlinger, R., Zombik, W., Schmidt, I., Schrott,
W., Schmidt, S. (2002). "Eco-efficiency Analysis by BASF: The Method." Int J LCA 7: 203-
218
2. Curzons, A.D., Jimnez-Gonzalez, C., Duncan, A.L., Constable, D.J.C., Cunningham, V.L.
(2007). "Fast Life Cycle Assessment of Synthetic Chemistry (FLASC) Tool." Int J LCA 12:
272-280


228
3. Szijjarto, A., Papadokonstadakis, S., Fischer, U., Hungerbhler, K. (2008). "Bottom-up
Modeling of the Steam Consumption in Multipurpose Chemical Batch Plants Focusing on
Identification of the Optimization Potential." Ind Eng Chem Res 47: 7323-7334.
4. Hischier, R., Hellweg, S., Capello, C., Primas, A. (2004). "Establishing Life Cycle Inventories
of Chemicals Based on Differing Data Availability." Int J LCA 10: 59-67
5. Geisler, G., Hofstetter, T.B., Hungerbhler, K. (2004). "Production of Fine and Speciality
Chemicals: Procedure for the Estimation of LCIs." Int J LCA 9: 101-113
6. Wernet, G., Hellweg, S., Fischer, U., Papadokonstantakis, S. and Hungerbuhler, K. (2008).
"Molecular-Structure-Based Models of Chemical Inventories using Neural Networks."
Environ Sci Technol 42(17): 6717-6722.
*
gregor.wernet@chem.ethz.ch


229

Data Mining and LCA: A Survey of possible marriages

*
, General Electric Global Research

A survey of data mining techniques is presented together with possible applications to aid the
analyst in evaluating an LCA model. The core of an LCA is an empirical model that requires a
variety of input data. The model outputs are functions of the data, the transformations, subjective
choice and inherent error. This presentation will focus on tools born out of statistics, artificial
intelligence, computer science and other disciplines designed to work with, manage and
interrogate LCA data and models.
The LCA modeling process is iterative and requires the analyst to challenge the data and model
frequently with focused questions such as: During the data gathering stage, were there errors in
collection, missing data or data input? Once an inventory is built, what type of inherent structure
is present? How do the data naturally aggregate? Did the data collection produce enough
representative data for the scope of the study? Given an adequate data inventory to address the
question asked of the model, how certain is the information, and how will this certainty manifest
itself in the results? Can credible assessments be made based on the model's output? Data mining
techniques can help with these questions.
Tools like clustering, signal processing and transformations can address concerns in LCA data
inspection. Neural networks, supervised and unsupervised discrimination as well as multivariate
data reduction help with LCI exploration. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses can be approached
with stochastic methods, experimental design, Bayesian approaches, genetic algorithms and
more. The goal of this discussion is to present a variety of techniques that are available to the
LCA practitioner that may not have been considered and to give some simple examples of their
application.
*
pietrzyk@research.ge.com


230

Are results more reliable when life cycle inventory
databases are mixed to bridge data gaps?

'Nigho Idris
*
, Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Gayle Rece, Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH, USA

A well known issue to LCA practitioners is LCI data gaps. With many initiatives to improve LCI
data availability such as Ecoinvent and the European Life Cycle Database project in Europe, the
NREL database in the US and many others, it became easier to find specific data. In addition,
many commercial LCA software providers collaborated with these initiatives to make the data
available within their software. As data gaps in life cycle studies always lead to underestimated
impacts, it is often preferred to include data from a different database, even if the geographical
context is not in line with the scope of the LCA study. A number of issues however arise from
this practice which leads to increased uncertainty on the final results. Examples are: a different
selection of elementary flows, or a different background data for an aggregated dataset. As
impact assessment methods may include indicators that are sensitive to the selection of these
elementary flows, the question arises about the reliability of the results obtained. This case study
shows a comparison of different materials from various LCI databases and the difference this
creates in a simple product context for a variety of environmental indicators.
*
idris.o@pg.com


231

A Consequential Life Cycle Assessment Method for a
Large System Affected by Non-Marginal Variations

Thomas Dandres, CIRAIG
Pablo Tirado, CIRAIG
Pascal Lesage, Sylvatica
Rjean Samson
*
, CIRAIG

Consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) has been developed to estimate environmental
consequences of variations occurring in life cycles. CLCA is usually conducted by identifying
the processes and/or resources affected by a marginal variation in the products life cycle;
economic models are often used to estimate how a process/resource is affected by the markets
perturbation. To the authors knowledge, CLCA has been used only on product systems affected
by marginal variations. While the principle of the consequential approach remains the same for
systems affected by non-marginal variations, the methodology will need to be adapted. For this
purpose, a CLCA study of a massive development of the future bioenergy production in the
European Union (EU) is conducted. The consequential approach implies modeling land use
changes and competition for biomass (wood, cereals, grass) and their substitutes. The current
CLCA approach would recommend an identification of the affected technology and resource that
will be affected by the increase of bioenergy production in total energy production. However,
considering the volumes of goods and the land surfaces involved, looking for new market
equilibriums and land use assignment using only price elasticity and past tendencies may be
misleading regarding true environmental consequences. A non-marginal increase in bioenergy
demand is expected to affect many types of technologies and resources instead of a single
marginal technology and resource as it is currently modeled in the CLCA approach. Thus to
evaluate the importance of differences in consequences resulting from marginal and non-
marginal perturbations, results obtained from current CLCA approach will be compared with
those from a new CLCA approach involving macroeconomics models. In both approaches, the
partial equilibrium model PRIMES has been used to identify affected technologies and the
general equilibrium model GTAP will simulate the global perturbation of world markets in the
new approach. Then indirect environmental impacts resulting from this perturbation will be
assessed by LCA methods. However, because GTAP doesnt seem to be perfectly adapted to
model bioenergy production consequences, additional data and GTAP developments will be
used. Finally, beside expected improvement of CLCA results, the labor and time required to run
GTAP will be discussed.
*
rejean.samson@polymtl.ca


232

New inventory computation algorithm to support regionalization

Guillaume Bourgault
*
, CIRAIG

The most widely used LCA computational structure, matrix inversion, yields an inventory
arbitrarily aggregated around unit processes. For example, the inventory of train transport is
calculated for the whole life cycle, but if it has been used at several instances in the supply chain,
individual contributions cannot be accessed. This is also done regardless of the country where
the emissions are actually released, and those emissions are multiplied by the same set of
characterization factors as if they all had been emitted in a comparable environment. Recent
developments in impact regionalization indicate that the same substance can have an impact that
varies by several orders of magnitude, depending on the geography, hydrology, population
density, etc. This is also problematic because the most frequently encountered unit processes are
often those with the most important impacts, such as electricity production and transport. If
regionalization of the inventory is to be achieved, LCA will have to make use of another
computational structure that allows reconstruction of the whole supply chain tree. The sequential
method gives the information needed, but is not applicable to databases as large as ecoinvent,
because of memory and computation time limitations. A new computation algorithm, dubbed
total inventory disaggregation, is introduced. This hybrid between matrix inversion, the
sequential method, structural path assessment and accumulative structural assessment allows
access to the finest details of the supply chain in a short computation time when using regular
desktop computers. With a complete supply chain tree, the path between emissions and the
reference flow can be identified. This is the only way to compare computed results with real-life
supply chain data. Data are produced in the form of a spreadsheet that is easy to analyze with
graphs, filters, sorting and pivot tables. They can also be exported to data mining software for
more sophisticated analyses. When global, consistent database and impact methods become
available, an entire branch of the supply chain tree could be reassigned with a regionalized set of
characterization factors, and its inventory could be replaced with results computed with a
suitably regionalized database.
*
guillaume.bourgault@polymtl.ca


233
Session chair: Michael Blanke
Land use in LCA: a consequential approach for accounting for impacts on
ecosystems
Miguel Brandao

Towards an LCA-based environmental management of meat producing farms
Daniel U. Baumgartner, Martina Alig, Grard Gaillard, Frank Hayer, Thomas
Nemecek

Environmental Performance of the Portuguese Dairy Sector using a life cycle
approach
rica Castanheira, Ana Cludia Dias, Luis Arroja

Whats at Steak? The ecological economics of animal husbandry 2000 2050
Nathan Pelletier, Peter Tyedmers


234

Land use in LCA: a consequential approach for
accounting for impacts on ecosystems

Miguel Brandao
*
, EC

Land-use products have a significant environmental impact along their life cycles and the need to
assess them systematically is well documented. LCA methodology, developed primarily for
industrial systems, cannot be applied to land-use systems without methodological developments.
The impacts of production systems on the ability of ecosystems to function have not traditionally
been included in LCA. The purpose of this paper is to address these methodological issues, in
particular the impacts from indirect land-use changes and impacts on ecosystem functions and on
climate change, in the LCA of crop production from cradle-to-gate.
Ecosystem health is largely dependent on the ecological functions of the soil, which in turn are
highly correlated to the amount of organic matter present in soil. Equally, above-ground biomass
is also important as it harbors and feeds biodiversity, in addition to protecting the soil. The
magnitude of the changes in the carbon stock in both above-ground biomass and soil organic
matter is therefore proposed as a proxy indicator for impact on ecosystems in the LCA of land-
use products.
The results show that biofuels, in some cases (particularly annual crops), may not present any
greenhouse gas savings and impact negatively upon ecosystems, due to both their direct and
indirect effects on land use, such as soil carbon changes.
It is recommended that the differences in the magnitudes of the carbon flows associated with the
different land uses is substantial and worth exploring as an aid to the development of an overall
strategy of reducing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This study
therefore shows that, for assessing the sustainability of agricultural activities, it is useful to
extend the impacts considered in Life Cycle Impact Assessment to include changes to both
above- and below-ground carbon as an indicator of impacts on ecosystem health, but also that
considerations of consequential land-use changes are extremely important and should, thus, not
be forgotten.
*
miguel.brandao@jrc.it


235

Towards an LCA-based environmental
management of meat producing farms

Daniel U. Baumgartner
*
, Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station ART
Martina Alig, Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station ART
Grard Gaillard, Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station ART, Zurich
Frank Hayer, Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station ART
Thomas Nemecek, Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station ART

Within the food chain, agriculture often has an important share in the environmental burden. The high
variability of the environmental impacts of farms with the same main production submitted to the same
legislation indicates that the farmer is a key-player for an efficient environmental farm management (e.g.
1
observed on dairy farms differences of up to factor 4 for the energy demand per kg milk). This
hypothesis is now analysed more deeply.
We assess 35 meat producing farms in Switzerland using the SALCA (Swiss Agricultural Life Cycle
Assessment) methodology. The analyses are carried out on the farm level and meat production branch
level, i.e. beef and pork. The functional units applied are ha utilised agricultural area (UAA), MJ
digestible energy, CHF gross profit and kg meat production. Every participating farmer receives a
feedback with the farm results allowing him to draw conclusions for the management of his farm.
The high variability of the environmental impacts between the different farms is confirmed, with e.g. for
energy demand a factor of over 15 between the farm with the highest and the one with the lowest energy
demand per ha UAA. Even between farms of the same farm type there is still a factor of 3 to 5. This
suggests that there is a considerable management effect. Furthermore it indicates that there is a potential
for optimisation.
The important input groups differ between the assessed environmental impacts, but also vary according to
the type of farm and between the farms of the same type. For eutrophication e.g., the important input
groups are the fertilisation/ nutrients, the purchase of feedstuffs and animals, as well as the animal
husbandry/ handling of manure.
The present variability of results between the farms underlines the necessity of a sufficient number of
sampled farms for making general conclusions. Furthermore, the sample design must take the farm type
into consideration. While parts of the results are linked to the farm type others are due to the farm
management. Hence, identifying management options, e.g. for energy carriers, feedstuff or animal
purchase, are important to lessen the environmental burden of meat producing farms.
References
1. Gaillard, G. & Rossier, D., 2004. kobilanzierung des Landwirtschaftsbetriebs. Methode und
Anwendung in 50 Landwirtschaftsbetrieben, Schriftenreihe der FAL 53, Zrich, Schweiz, 57p.
*
daniel.baumgartner@art.admin.ch


236

Environmental Performance of the Portuguese Dairy Sector using a
life cycle approach

rica Castanheira
*
, ADAI. Dep. of Mechanical Engineering. University of Coimbra.
Ana Cludia Dias, CESAM. Department of Environment and Planning. University of
Aveiro
Luis Arroja, CESAM. Department of Environment and Planning. University of Aveiro

The present study contributes to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the dairy
sector in Mainland Portugal. For that purpose, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was used as an
environmental management tool. The environmental impacts associated with UHT milk, curd
cheese and yoghurt were estimated over their life cycle, which includes dairy farm, industry,
transport, chemical production and energy production systems.

The result of the quantification of the environmental impacts of the dairy farms in Mainland
Portugal in year 2005 was 4.9 thousand tons of Sb eq year
-1
for the abiotic depletion potential,
1813 ktons of CO
2
eq year
-1
for the global warming potential, 508 tons of C
2
H
4
eq year
-1
for the
potential formation of photochemical oxidants, 27.5 thousand tons of SO
2
eq year
-1
for the
acidification potential and 8.9 thousand tons of PO
4
3-
eq year
-1
for the eutrophication potential.
The majority of these impacts were caused by the dairy farm and the industrial systems. The
dairy farm was the main responsible for global warming (57%), acidification (77%) and
eutrophication (84%), whereas the milk industry had the main contribution for the depletion of
the abiotic resources (48%) and the formation of photochemical oxidants (5%).

In the UHT milk subsector, the majority of the environmental impacts were due to the activities
taken place in the farms and in the milk production industry. On the other hand, in the curd
cheese subsector, the cheese production industry is only the main responsible for the
acidification and eutrophication categories. Finally, for the yoghurt subsector, the activities
associated to the yogurt production industry contribute less than 10% for all the impact
categories.

This study provides useful information that can assist the dairy industry in identifying the main
environmental impacts and their sources, allowing the industry to improve its environmental
performance, not only at the mill level but also on the other systems along the production chain.
*
erica@dem.uc.pt


237

Whats at Steak?
The ecological economics of animal husbandry 2000 2050

Nathan Pelletier
*
, Dalhousie University/School for Resource and Environmental Studies
Peter Tyedmers, Dalhousie University

Ranking among the top two or three contributors to every critical environmental problem, from
local to global scales, animal husbandry is a major driver of anthropogenic environmental
change. For example, it has been estimated that the livestock sector accounts for 18% of
anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions a share greater than that of transport.
Increasingly, the global food economy is being driven by a shift in food consumption patterns
towards livestock products. To meet the demands of a growing population consuming diets
higher in animal products, world-wide production levels are anticipated to double by 2050,
putting further stress on planetary resources and biogeochemical cycles. Given that impacts per
unit production must be cut in half just to maintain current damage levels, this must certainly
figure among the central challenges of environmental governance in the modern era.
Drawing information from a series of on-going LCA studies of North American beef, pork and
poultry production, as well the global salmon and tilapia aquaculture sectors, this presentation
will compare and contrast the supply chain cumulative energy and biotic resource use,
greenhouse gas emissions and reactive nitrogen fluxes characteristic of these major industrial
animal husbandry systems. It will further present the results of several scenario-modeling
exercises which quantify the potential impacts of meeting projected demands for animal products
in industrialized countries from 2000-2050, and explore the mitigation potential of alternative
development trajectories as influenced by population, affluence and technological variables. This
information should be of interest to diverse audiences, including producers, consumers, policy
makers, and food system sustainability advocates.
*
nathanpelletier@dal.ca
List of Attendees Sorted by Last Name

Attendees1

Jessica Abella University of Calgary
Jen Ace Yale
Nadereh Afsharmanesh Earth Friendly Products
Carina Alles Dupont
Evan Andrews Harvard DCE
Robert Anex Iowa State University
Emmanuelle AOUSTIN Veolia Environnement
Alejandro Pablo Arena Universidad Tecnologica Nacional
Anne Asselin Quantis
Roian Atwood Sole Technology
Deana Aulisio University of New Hampshire
Craig Aumann Alberta Research Council
Callie Babbitt Arizona State University
Michael Baeriswyl MIT BOSTON
Kristen Balderston

David Banks Princeton University
Daniel U. Baumgartner Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station
Christian Belanger National Research Council Canada
Mourad Ben Amor CIRAIG
Catherine Benoit UQAM
Richard Bergman University of Wisconsin
Etienne Bernier CIRAIG
Paul Bertram Kingspan
Pankaj Bhatia World Resources Institute
Tony Bi University of British Columbia
Karyn Biasca University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Stephanie Bird Reckitt Benckiser
Mike Blackhurst Carnegie Mellon University
Michael Blanke University of Bonn
Christian Bouchard Laval University
bob boughton Department of Toxic Substances Control, California
Anne-Marie Boulay CIRAIG - cole Polytechnique
Guillaume Bourgault CIRAIG
Sandra Bourret Cascades
Rachel Bowman University of Maine
Alison Brady ADM
Miguel Brandao EC
Clare Broadbent World Steel Association
Sonja Brodt Agricultural Sustainability Inst., Univ. of California, Davis
Roxanne Bromiley PE Americas
Cecile Bulle CIRAIG
Jonathan Buonocore Harvard School of Public Health
Allison Campbell Walmart

Attendees2

Peter Canepa PE Americas
marie capdevielle Colgate-Palmolive Company
Joby Carlson Arizona State University
Alberta Carpenter NREL
rica Castanheira
ADAI. Dep. of Mechanical Engineering. Universisty of
Coimbra.
KImi Ceridon Kalepa Tech LLC
Paul Chalmer

Franois Charron-Doucet Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal
Julie-Anne Chayer CIRAIG
Jun-Ki Choi Brookhaven National Laboratory
Keith Christman ACC
Andreas Ciroth GreenDeltaTC GmbH
Andres Clarens University of Virginia
Julian Cleary University of Toronto
Lisa Cleckner Syracuse University
Edouard Clement CIRAIG
David Cockburn Tetrapak
Adam Cone

Kenneth Copenhaver UIC Energy Resources Center
Christine Costello Carnegie Mellon University
Alexandre Courchesne CIRAIG
Phoebe Cuevas University of Pittsburgh
Gil da Silva University of Sao Paulo
Nuno da Silva PE Americas
Jeffrey Dahmus Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dominic D'Amours Pineridge Foods inc.
Thomas Dandres CIRAIG
An De Schryver Radboud University Nijmegen
Nicole Deisl PE Americas
Michael Deru NREL
Jon Dettling Quantis
Harnoor Dhaliwal EarthShift
Shashi Dhungel University of Maine, Orono
Goretty Dias University of Guelph
Robert Dilmore National Energy Technology Laboratory
Michael Ditor CIRAIG
Laura Draucker WRI
Marylene Dussault Sylvatica
Mason Earles University of Maine
Cashion East Applied Sustainability Center, Univ. of Arkansas
Matthew Eckelman Yale University
Christopher Evans ICFI

Attendees3

Alexandra Ewing Vanderbilt University
Shirley Fagnen CIRAIG
Mireille Faist Emmenegger Empa
Jim Fava Five Winds International
Rebe Feraldi UCSB Bren School of Environ. Science & Management
Matthias Finkbeiner TU Berlin
Paul Firth UL Environment
Angela Fisher GE Global Research Center
William Flanagan GE Global Research Center
Harald Florin PE
Brandi Ford BD
Susan Fredholm PE Americas
Susanne Freidberg

Fausto Freire ADAI. University of Coimbra
Rolf Frischknecht ESU-services Ltd.
Brittni Furrow Arizona State University
Alejandro Gallego University of Santiago de Compostela
Caroline Gaudreault NCASI
Maria Gausman Procter and Gamble
Roland Geyer University of California - Santa Barbara
Shana Gillis

Thomas Gloria Life-Cycle Services
Mark Goedkoop PR Consultants b.v.
Gretchen Govoni SABIC Innovative Plastics
Jeremy Gregory Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Michael Griffin Carnegie Mellon University
Evan Griffing Environmental Clarity LLC
Nadine Gudz InterfaceFLOR
Kifle W. Hagos University of Rhode Island
Paul Haley Pineridge Foods inc.
Melissa Hamilton EarthShift
Eric Harrington

Dave Hartter Newell Rubbermaid
Kiyotada Hayashi National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
Frank Hayer Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station
Garvin Heath National Renewable Energy Laboratory
William Heenan Steel Recycling Institute
Reinout Heijungs CML
Connie Hensler Interface, Inc.
Lloyd Hicks

Monica Higgins University of Michigan
Roland Hischier ecoinvent Centre
Tomonori Honda AIST

Attendees4

Anny YuShan Huang Carnegie Mellon University
Doug Huizenga IERE
Sebastien Humbert University of California
Shawn Hunter The Dow Chemical Company
'Nigho Idris Procter & Gamble Company
Hugues Imbeault-Ttreault CIRAIG
Atsushi Inaba Professor
Wesley Ingwersen University of Florida
Gary Jakubcin Owens Corning
Robert James Department of Energy
EunSil Jang

Paulina Jaramillo Carnegie Mellon University
Robin Jenkins DuPont
Gilbert Jersey ExxonMobil Research and Engineering
John Jewell PE Americas
Olivier Jolliet University of Michigan
Sarah Jordaan University of Calgary
FRANCIS JORDAN Rutgers University
Kotaro Kawajiri RISS, AIST
Daniel Kellenberger Scion
Alissa Kendall University of California, Davis
Vikas Khanna ConocoPhillips
Keith Killpack Scientific Certification Systems
Hyung Chul Kim Columbia University
Annette Koehler ETH Zurich
Joel Kohn Clemson University
Anna Kounina EPFL
Todd Krieger DuPont
Uta Krogmann Rutgers University
Brandon Kuczenski University of California, Santa Barbara
Elizabeth Kujan BD
George Lam EarthShift
Anne Landfield Greig Four Elements Consulting, LLC
Lise Laurin EarthShift
Anne Lautier CIRAIG
Chantal Lavigne National Research Council Canada
Christie Lee Preserve
ann lee-jeffs johnson and johnson
Pascal Lesage Sylvatica
Annie Levasseur CIRAIG
Mike Levy American Plastics Council
Jan Paul Lindner Fraunhofer IBP, Dept. Life Cycle Engineering (GaBi)
Stafford Lloyd Rolls-Royce

Attendees5

Sarah Macedo Formaldehyde Council, Inc.
Susan MacWilliam Saskatchewan Research Council
Jacob Madsen Mr
Danielle Maia de Souza UFSC (Federal University of Santa Catarina)
James Maiorana Colgate Polmolive
Rima Manneh CIRAIG
Cynthia Manson Industrial Economics, Incorporated
Anastassia Manuilova University of Regina
Manuele Margni CIRAIG, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal
Coppelia Marincovic PE Americas
Christopher Marozzi Knoll, Inc.
Joe Marriott University of Pittsburgh
kenneth martchek Alcoa
Eric Masanet Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Nabil Massouda

Laurel McEwen EarthShift
Thomas McKone Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Jean-Francois Menard Ecointesys - Life Cycle Systems Sarl
Lloren Mila i Canals Unilever
Shelie Miller Clemson University
Minal Mistry GreenBlue
Amy Mitchell Research Scientist at Gnosys UK
Michael Moscherosch Johnson & Johnson CPPWW
John Mosheim First Environment, Inc.
Masaharu MOTOSHITA AIST, Japan
Michael Mozur SETAC
Eric Munsing PE Americas
Chris Mutel ETH Zurich
John Mutton Dow Chemical
Junichi Nakahashi Asahi-Kasei Corporation
Katsuyuki Nakano JEMAI
Eszter Nandori Sipos University of Miskolc
Rachael Nealer Student
Thomas Nemecek Agroscope Reckenholz-Taenikon Research Station
Binod Neupane University of Maine
Briana Niblick University of Pittsburgh
Anna Nicholson Clear Carbon Consulting
Hajime Nishihara Plastic Waste Management Institute
Alex Nogueira Escola Politecnica USP
Daniel Normandin CIRAIG
Greg Norris Sylvatica
Philippa Notten The Green House
Philip Nuss University of New Hampshire

Attendees6

Elsa Olivetti Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jason Ord Hewlett-Packard Company
Thaddeus Owen Herman Miller
Ann Pa Univerity of British Columbia
Julie Parent UQAM
Kairas Parvez MeadWestvaco Corporation
Nathan Pelletier Dalhousie University
Claudia Pena Chilean Research center for Mining and Metallurgy
David Pennington EC
Stan Perkins PE Americas
Dan Pettit Kraft Foods
Stephan Pfister ETH Zurich, IFU
Alan Phipps Pure Strategies
Collet Pierre Supagro
Dominic Pietro Quantis
Matthew Pietrzykowski General Electric Global Research
Amanda Pike University of Tennessee Center for Clean Products
Richard Plevin UC Berkeley
Gildas Poissonnier Deloitte
Jennifer Princing Dow Corning
Guilherme de C. Queiroz So Paulo State Government (SPSG/CETEA)
ANA QUIROS ECO GLOBAL
Neethi Rajagopalan University of Pittsburgh
Paul Ranky CIMware USA Inc
Gayle Rece Procter & Gamble
Daniel Reed The University of Tennessee
Corinne Reich-Weiser Climate Earth
Michael Richardson First Environment, Inc.
Brittany Riordan CDM
Kelli Roberts Cornell University
Omar Romero ITAM - Industrial Eng.
Ralph Rosenbaum CIRAIG
Lee Rouse Omni Tech International, Ltd
Pierre-Olivier Roy CIRAIG
Brent Ruttman Nano
Rosie Saad CIRAIG
Abdelhadi Sahnoune ExxonMobil Chemical Company
Rejean Samson CIRAIG, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal
Dominik Saner ETH Zurich
Carolina Santiago

Paul Sauv OIQ
Rita Schenck IERE
Dan Schibel General Mills

Attendees7

Elmar H. Schlich University Giessen
Dr. Michaela Schlich University Koblenz-Landau
Peter Schulte Pacific Institute
Thomas Seager Rochester Institute of Technology
Shanna Shaked University of Michigan, Applied Physics
Rob Sianchuk University of British Columbia
Shweta Singh The Ohio State University
Karen Sohn UNEP
Guido Sonnemann UNEP
Sabrina Spatari Drexel University
Susan Spierre RIT
Alex Stadel Drexel University
Martha Stevenson GreenBlue
David Stoms University of California Santa Barbara
James Stone South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Vee Subramanian Arizona State University
Jitsopa Suebsiri University of Regina
Terry Swack Sustainable Minds
Tom Swarr Sustainability by Design LLC
Adam Taylor U. Tennessee
Caroline Taylor Energy Biosciences Institute, UC Berkeley
Jonathan Thort Groupe de recherche applique en macrocologie (GRAME)
Greg Thoma University of Arkansas
Stephen Tieri DuPont
Ladji Tikana Deutsches Kupferinstitut BV
Wayne Trusty The Athena Institute
Sonia Valdivia UNEP
Jason Valenstein Booz Allen Hamilton
Ester van der Voet Leiden University, Institute of Environmental Sciences
Gabrielle van Durme

Matt VanDuinen PE Americas
Venkatesh Vasudevan ExxonMobil
Rjean Villeneuve Centre Qubcois de Dveloppement Durable
Hongtao Wang Sichuan University
Ying Wang Dairy Management Inc.
Christopher Weber Carnegie Mellon University
Maria Wellisch Natural Resources Canada
Gregor Wernet ETH Zurich
Philip White Arizona State University
Nana Takyi Wilberforce Green Seal
Eric Williams Arizona State University
Tom Wilson Pennsylvania State University
Monique Wismer Saskatchewan Research Council

Attendees8

Bastian Wittstock University of Stuttgart
Peter Woodbury Cornell University
Liila Woods PE Americas
Ronald Wroczynski GE
May Wu Argonne National Laboratory
Randi Wytcherley

xiaobo xue University of pittsburgh
Jeff Yorzyk Five Winds International
Naoki Yoshikawa Ritsumeikan University
Juhong Yuan

Margaret Zahller PE Americas

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LCA IX Abstracts

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Life Cycle Assessment IX

Toward the Global Life Cycle Economy

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