3.1 Introduction
39
( ˇ
Cuˇ cek et al. 2012), the complementary use, and combination in a footprint family
(Fang et al. 2014; Galli et al. 2012), and even a single weighted footprint metric
(Ridoutt and Pfister 2013b). This study may also be well connected to the policy
domain, with potential to inform and support the development of existing environmental policy frameworks and projects, such as Product Environmental Footprint
(PEF) (EC 2015), Environmental Footprint Analysis (EPA 2014), PAS 2050 (BSI
2011), and the related ISO standards (e.g., ISO 2006).
This chapter aims to propose a general conceptual and mathematical structure
that underlies most, if not all, environmental footprints that are en vogue at present,
to achieve a harmonization of structure, terminology, and notation, to distinguish the
inventory aspect and characterization aspect of different footprints, and to provide
clarity on some theoretical issues underlying footprint methods. To that end, the
remainder of this chapter is structured as follows: Sect. 3.2 critically examines the
inventory analysis and impact characterization in each of the selected footprints;
Sect. 3.3 offers insights on the implications of our findings for the classification and
integration of footprints; discussion and conclusions are presented in Sects. 3.4 and
3.5, respectively.
3.2 Investigation into the Inventory and Characterization
Aspects of Selected Environmental Footprints
3.2.1 Overall Terminology and Structure of the Analysis
In theory, inventory analysis and impact characterization are two successive steps
for quantitatively modeling the consequences of human exploitation of the nature.
The fundamentals of the two elements are briefly stated as follows (Finkbeiner et al.
2014; Finnveden et al. 2009; Hauschild et al. 2013; Heijungs and Suh 2002; Hellweg
and Milà i Canals 2014; Udo de Haes and Heijungs 2009):
• Inventory analysis: a step aimed at tabulating and compiling the exchange of
substances (i.e., emission of wastes to and extraction of resources from the environment) within the boundary of an investigated system (e.g., product, organization, nation). In the framework of life cycle assessment (LCA), this corresponds to
life cycle inventory (LCI), a compilation of the inputs (resources) and the outputs
(emissions) within the system boundaries of the study across its life cycle. The
input and output substances are called elementary flows according to the ISO
(2006). In the framework of substance flow analysis (SFA), it corresponds to the
system definition and quantification (Van der Voet et al. 1995). In some analytical
tools, this activity has no specific name, but it is recognizable as such; see, for
instance, Eurostat (2014) for economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA)
and Miller and Blair (2009) for input–output analysis (IOA).
39
( ˇ
Cuˇ cek et al. 2012), the complementary use, and combination in a footprint family
(Fang et al. 2014; Galli et al. 2012), and even a single weighted footprint metric
(Ridoutt and Pfister 2013b). This study may also be well connected to the policy
domain, with potential to inform and support the development of existing environmental policy frameworks and projects, such as Product Environmental Footprint
(PEF) (EC 2015), Environmental Footprint Analysis (EPA 2014), PAS 2050 (BSI
2011), and the related ISO standards (e.g., ISO 2006).
This chapter aims to propose a general conceptual and mathematical structure
that underlies most, if not all, environmental footprints that are en vogue at present,
to achieve a harmonization of structure, terminology, and notation, to distinguish the
inventory aspect and characterization aspect of different footprints, and to provide
clarity on some theoretical issues underlying footprint methods. To that end, the
remainder of this chapter is structured as follows: Sect. 3.2 critically examines the
inventory analysis and impact characterization in each of the selected footprints;
Sect. 3.3 offers insights on the implications of our findings for the classification and
integration of footprints; discussion and conclusions are presented in Sects. 3.4 and
3.5, respectively.
3.2 Investigation into the Inventory and Characterization
Aspects of Selected Environmental Footprints
3.2.1 Overall Terminology and Structure of the Analysis
In theory, inventory analysis and impact characterization are two successive steps
for quantitatively modeling the consequences of human exploitation of the nature.
The fundamentals of the two elements are briefly stated as follows (Finkbeiner et al.
2014; Finnveden et al. 2009; Hauschild et al. 2013; Heijungs and Suh 2002; Hellweg
and Milà i Canals 2014; Udo de Haes and Heijungs 2009):
• Inventory analysis: a step aimed at tabulating and compiling the exchange of
substances (i.e., emission of wastes to and extraction of resources from the environment) within the boundary of an investigated system (e.g., product, organization, nation). In the framework of life cycle assessment (LCA), this corresponds to
life cycle inventory (LCI), a compilation of the inputs (resources) and the outputs
(emissions) within the system boundaries of the study across its life cycle. The
input and output substances are called elementary flows according to the ISO
(2006). In the framework of substance flow analysis (SFA), it corresponds to the
system definition and quantification (Van der Voet et al. 1995). In some analytical
tools, this activity has no specific name, but it is recognizable as such; see, for
instance, Eurostat (2014) for economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA)
and Miller and Blair (2009) for input–output analysis (IOA).