100
Critical Review
Names and affiliations of reviewers
Critical review reports
Responses to critical review recommendations
Final statement from Critical Review panel chair
(Flanagan and Ingwersen 2014)
Sections 1 through 3 of this illustrative Table of Contents comprise the first, primarily qualitative, part of the report and introduce Sections 4 and 5 which contain most
of the report’s quantitative information. Sections 6 and 7 conclude with an interpretation and recommendations based on the study’s contents. Understanding the structure of these reports reduces the time required by any third party including a design
professional to review, compare, and use their findings. Details about individual
sections and the formats typically used to graphically communicate findings are
included in Chaps. 8 and 9 of this book.
5.3.15 Is a Third-Party Critical Review Required to Validate
the Final Report?
The first and second parties in any LCA are, respectively, the commissioner of the
report and the person or agency who prepares it. These two parties must work
closely together when primary data about proprietary or closely held industrial production processes are used to offer insight about their environmental impacts or
possible improvements. In these cases, nondisclosure agreements are used to protect trade secrets, and the final report remains in the hands of the first party as an
internal document. This was the case 50 years ago for the very first commercial,
proto-LCA, REPA commissioned by the Coca-Cola Company in 1969 whose details
have never been shared with the public.
Third parties include those whose job is to critically review the final report for
methodological consistency with ISO standards and appropriateness. They also
include readers with an interest in its contents and conclusions. LCA reports that
make public comparative assertions that argue for one product over another must
include a section on the critical review process and include a list of reviewer names
and affiliations (ISO 14044 2006b). Designers are third-party LCA consumers when
reading documents such as environmental product declarations (EPDs) or using
software built on formal LCA activities. The ability to identify and differentiate
between higher- and lower-quality LCA information rests largely on knowing what
is in a complete report verified by another expert third party.
Many companies and individuals provide credible expert third-party review.
Even the firm that ran the 1969 study for Coca-Cola, Franklin Associates, still offers
third-party verification services but is now only one small player in a burgeoning
field of global consultancies. In all cases, interpreting statements and assertions
regarding an individual product’s environmental impact requires the ability to trace
back its underlying facts to a trustworthy source within a proper organizing
framework.
5 Life Cycle Assessment
Critical Review
Names and affiliations of reviewers
Critical review reports
Responses to critical review recommendations
Final statement from Critical Review panel chair
(Flanagan and Ingwersen 2014)
Sections 1 through 3 of this illustrative Table of Contents comprise the first, primarily qualitative, part of the report and introduce Sections 4 and 5 which contain most
of the report’s quantitative information. Sections 6 and 7 conclude with an interpretation and recommendations based on the study’s contents. Understanding the structure of these reports reduces the time required by any third party including a design
professional to review, compare, and use their findings. Details about individual
sections and the formats typically used to graphically communicate findings are
included in Chaps. 8 and 9 of this book.
5.3.15 Is a Third-Party Critical Review Required to Validate
the Final Report?
The first and second parties in any LCA are, respectively, the commissioner of the
report and the person or agency who prepares it. These two parties must work
closely together when primary data about proprietary or closely held industrial production processes are used to offer insight about their environmental impacts or
possible improvements. In these cases, nondisclosure agreements are used to protect trade secrets, and the final report remains in the hands of the first party as an
internal document. This was the case 50 years ago for the very first commercial,
proto-LCA, REPA commissioned by the Coca-Cola Company in 1969 whose details
have never been shared with the public.
Third parties include those whose job is to critically review the final report for
methodological consistency with ISO standards and appropriateness. They also
include readers with an interest in its contents and conclusions. LCA reports that
make public comparative assertions that argue for one product over another must
include a section on the critical review process and include a list of reviewer names
and affiliations (ISO 14044 2006b). Designers are third-party LCA consumers when
reading documents such as environmental product declarations (EPDs) or using
software built on formal LCA activities. The ability to identify and differentiate
between higher- and lower-quality LCA information rests largely on knowing what
is in a complete report verified by another expert third party.
Many companies and individuals provide credible expert third-party review.
Even the firm that ran the 1969 study for Coca-Cola, Franklin Associates, still offers
third-party verification services but is now only one small player in a burgeoning
field of global consultancies. In all cases, interpreting statements and assertions
regarding an individual product’s environmental impact requires the ability to trace
back its underlying facts to a trustworthy source within a proper organizing
framework.
5 Life Cycle Assessment