10.4 Life Cycle Assessment
Integrated Bio-cycle Management (IBM) is an alternative system, natural
ecosystem-based development, that could manage our tropical natural resources
(Agus et al. 2019a). As we know, the tropical natural resources, biotic and abiotic,
are fundamental from both the ecological and socio-economic point of view, being at
the basis of life-support. However, since the demand for finite resources continues to
increase, the sustainability of current production and consumption patterns is
questioned both in developed and developing countries (Crenna et al. 2018).
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to assess a product’s environmental impact
over an entire life cycle, from resource procurement to final disposition (Straka and
Layton 2010). One ensures that IBM sustainability standards are being met, and the
other measures the environmental impact of specific tropical natural resources
products over a life cycle. Tropic natural resources have been barely considered
within LCA, and specific improvements are needed to capture better impacts related
to multifunctional and multi-product system use. Based on Straka and Layton
(2010), LCA is a tool to evaluate multiple environmental impacts and some social
impacts attributed to a product or process. Inputs and outputs are measured over the
entire life process, to minimize adverse environmental impacts over the life cycle of
a product or process.
Natural resources are defined as an area of protection and are part of the Life
Cycle Impact Midpoint-Damage Framework (Oers and Guinée 2016). Tropical
natural resources in the LCA are the category of “resource depletion” that must be
conserved, whereas other management systems consider current and future resource
use (Ludwig et al. 2015). IBM’s tropical natural resource depletion is expected to be
less than without IBM’s management or with other management.
The depletion of abiotic and biotic resources is, therefore, a fundamental issue for
sustainability assessment, entailing and affecting environmental and socio-economic
aspects (Klinglmair et al. 2013). The depletion of a resource means that its presence
on Earth is reduced. Other related terms are scarcity and criticality. The scarcity of a
resource means that the amount available for use is, or will soon be insufficient
(“demand higher than supply flow”). Meanwhile, the criticality of a resource means
that it is scarce and, at the same time, essential for today’s society (Van Oers and
Guinée 2016). Therefore, resource scarcity is the rationale on which this category is
commonly based on current practice, while different methodologies are used in the
context (Ludwig et al. 2015).
Based on Van Oers and Guinée (2016), LCA should not strive to take into
account all these different aspects of criticality assessment, i.e., environment, economy, and social aspects. They may be part of a broader life cycle sustainability
assessment (LCSA), but even then, a general approach will be difficult, as many of
the criticality aspects are highly time- and region-dependent and even differ for
different stakeholders. LCSA is a framework for (cradle-to-grave) system analysis,
which, besides environmental aspects, may also focus on economic and social
issues. However, the impact categories for IBM’s tropical natural resources
220
C. Agus et al.
Integrated Bio-cycle Management (IBM) is an alternative system, natural
ecosystem-based development, that could manage our tropical natural resources
(Agus et al. 2019a). As we know, the tropical natural resources, biotic and abiotic,
are fundamental from both the ecological and socio-economic point of view, being at
the basis of life-support. However, since the demand for finite resources continues to
increase, the sustainability of current production and consumption patterns is
questioned both in developed and developing countries (Crenna et al. 2018).
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to assess a product’s environmental impact
over an entire life cycle, from resource procurement to final disposition (Straka and
Layton 2010). One ensures that IBM sustainability standards are being met, and the
other measures the environmental impact of specific tropical natural resources
products over a life cycle. Tropic natural resources have been barely considered
within LCA, and specific improvements are needed to capture better impacts related
to multifunctional and multi-product system use. Based on Straka and Layton
(2010), LCA is a tool to evaluate multiple environmental impacts and some social
impacts attributed to a product or process. Inputs and outputs are measured over the
entire life process, to minimize adverse environmental impacts over the life cycle of
a product or process.
Natural resources are defined as an area of protection and are part of the Life
Cycle Impact Midpoint-Damage Framework (Oers and Guinée 2016). Tropical
natural resources in the LCA are the category of “resource depletion” that must be
conserved, whereas other management systems consider current and future resource
use (Ludwig et al. 2015). IBM’s tropical natural resource depletion is expected to be
less than without IBM’s management or with other management.
The depletion of abiotic and biotic resources is, therefore, a fundamental issue for
sustainability assessment, entailing and affecting environmental and socio-economic
aspects (Klinglmair et al. 2013). The depletion of a resource means that its presence
on Earth is reduced. Other related terms are scarcity and criticality. The scarcity of a
resource means that the amount available for use is, or will soon be insufficient
(“demand higher than supply flow”). Meanwhile, the criticality of a resource means
that it is scarce and, at the same time, essential for today’s society (Van Oers and
Guinée 2016). Therefore, resource scarcity is the rationale on which this category is
commonly based on current practice, while different methodologies are used in the
context (Ludwig et al. 2015).
Based on Van Oers and Guinée (2016), LCA should not strive to take into
account all these different aspects of criticality assessment, i.e., environment, economy, and social aspects. They may be part of a broader life cycle sustainability
assessment (LCSA), but even then, a general approach will be difficult, as many of
the criticality aspects are highly time- and region-dependent and even differ for
different stakeholders. LCSA is a framework for (cradle-to-grave) system analysis,
which, besides environmental aspects, may also focus on economic and social
issues. However, the impact categories for IBM’s tropical natural resources
220
C. Agus et al.