Life cycle assessment 273
Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and the United Nations
Environmental Programme led to the revival of LCA. The following decades
have witnessed a large and growing inclusion of LCA in the governance and
the testing of Product Environmental Footprint (PEF ) in the European
Union (EU). A possible transformation to a circular economy might call for
even greater use of LCA.
This chapter explores how LCA is currently employed in public policy
and how its use can guide the governance of a transition towards a circular
bioeconomy. In order to distinguish between different uses of LCA, the
chapter presents LCA along three dimensions: (1) as results; (2) as a method;
and (3) as a mindset. Existing legislation is used to exemplify each of the
dimensions. The focus is to demonstrate the advantages and pitfalls of using
LCA in governance and the consequences of choices of results, method and
mindset. Throughout the chapter, most information is related to the use of
LCA for assessment of environmental performance (also referred to as
environmental LCA), and it will be emphasised whenever LCA as a term is
applied in connection to other aspects of sustainability.
14.2 Life cycle assessment as results
Governance processes need access to information about the topics to be governed. LCA promises to bring results to include in governance processes, all
the way from large processes of societal change to small processes such as the
procurement of single items. This section describes the various results from
LCAs and how they are used in governance.
14.2.1 Being good from just performing life cycle assessment
Historically, there are examples where performing an LCA has been a result in
itself. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are based on an LCA of a
material or product and should give purchasers information about the environmental performance of products. There has been a large increase in the number
of EPDs available, especially relating to the built environment. The Building
Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) certification scheme awards points to buildings which have collected EPDs for
important materials or components (Norwegian Green Building Council,
2012). Similarly, public and private purchasers have used EPDs as a binary
environmental criterion in projects. If an EPD is made, the manufacturer of a
product can tick the appropriate box and be qualified for a tender process.
A result from an LCA is, however, not proof of something being environmentally friendly. This is of course because an assessment of a product’s
environmental profile alone says nothing about how it compares to the
environmental profiles of similar products or the usability of the product.
This might seem obvious, but there is still a reason to stress this point. Since
many eco- labels, such as the Green Dot or the Nordic Swan, are awarded to
Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and the United Nations
Environmental Programme led to the revival of LCA. The following decades
have witnessed a large and growing inclusion of LCA in the governance and
the testing of Product Environmental Footprint (PEF ) in the European
Union (EU). A possible transformation to a circular economy might call for
even greater use of LCA.
This chapter explores how LCA is currently employed in public policy
and how its use can guide the governance of a transition towards a circular
bioeconomy. In order to distinguish between different uses of LCA, the
chapter presents LCA along three dimensions: (1) as results; (2) as a method;
and (3) as a mindset. Existing legislation is used to exemplify each of the
dimensions. The focus is to demonstrate the advantages and pitfalls of using
LCA in governance and the consequences of choices of results, method and
mindset. Throughout the chapter, most information is related to the use of
LCA for assessment of environmental performance (also referred to as
environmental LCA), and it will be emphasised whenever LCA as a term is
applied in connection to other aspects of sustainability.
14.2 Life cycle assessment as results
Governance processes need access to information about the topics to be governed. LCA promises to bring results to include in governance processes, all
the way from large processes of societal change to small processes such as the
procurement of single items. This section describes the various results from
LCAs and how they are used in governance.
14.2.1 Being good from just performing life cycle assessment
Historically, there are examples where performing an LCA has been a result in
itself. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are based on an LCA of a
material or product and should give purchasers information about the environmental performance of products. There has been a large increase in the number
of EPDs available, especially relating to the built environment. The Building
Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) certification scheme awards points to buildings which have collected EPDs for
important materials or components (Norwegian Green Building Council,
2012). Similarly, public and private purchasers have used EPDs as a binary
environmental criterion in projects. If an EPD is made, the manufacturer of a
product can tick the appropriate box and be qualified for a tender process.
A result from an LCA is, however, not proof of something being environmentally friendly. This is of course because an assessment of a product’s
environmental profile alone says nothing about how it compares to the
environmental profiles of similar products or the usability of the product.
This might seem obvious, but there is still a reason to stress this point. Since
many eco- labels, such as the Green Dot or the Nordic Swan, are awarded to