Potentials and Limitations
of Combined Life Cycle Approaches
and Multi-dimensional Assessment
Johanna Berlin and Diego Iribarren
Abstract The use of life cycle approaches—purely or in combination with non-life
cycle methods—to assess product systems from a multi-dimensional perspective
arises as a current need in the path towards actual sustainability. While pure life
cycle approaches involve mainly life cycle sustainability assessment, a wide range
of novel approaches are currently under study in order to overcome the limitations
typically linked to multi-dimensional assessment and multi-criteria decision analysis. This is done through the synergistic combination of life cycle (mainly, life
cycle assessment) and non-life cycle (techno-economic assessment, data envelopment analysis, energy systems modelling, agent-based modelling, land change and
ecosystem services modelling, urban metabolism analysis, interdisciplinary policy
assessment, material flow analysis, etc.) methods. The main potentials, fields of
application and pending issues associated with these tools are summarised herein.
1 Introduction
While life cycle methodologies such as life cycle assessment (LCA), carbon
footprinting (CFP) and emergy analysis focus on the evaluation of the environmental realm of systems, other approaches such as life cycle costing (LCC), social
life cycle assessment (SLCA) and life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA)
attempt to extend life cycle thinking to other spheres of sustainable development
[1]. Though valuable and useful, the life cycle-based approaches proposed to date
have not yet succeeded in providing a well-accepted and sound evaluation of
sustainability issues. In this respect, it is acknowledged that the combined use of life
J. Berlin (&)
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Eklandagatan 86,
412 61 Göteborg, Sweden
e-mail: johanna.berlin@ri.se
D. Iribarren (&)
Systems Analysis Unit, IMDEA Energy, 28935 Móstoles, Spain
e-mail: diego.iribarren@imdea.org
© The Author(s) 2018
E. Benetto et al. (eds.), Designing Sustainable Technologies,
Products and Policies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66981-6_34
313
of Combined Life Cycle Approaches
and Multi-dimensional Assessment
Johanna Berlin and Diego Iribarren
Abstract The use of life cycle approaches—purely or in combination with non-life
cycle methods—to assess product systems from a multi-dimensional perspective
arises as a current need in the path towards actual sustainability. While pure life
cycle approaches involve mainly life cycle sustainability assessment, a wide range
of novel approaches are currently under study in order to overcome the limitations
typically linked to multi-dimensional assessment and multi-criteria decision analysis. This is done through the synergistic combination of life cycle (mainly, life
cycle assessment) and non-life cycle (techno-economic assessment, data envelopment analysis, energy systems modelling, agent-based modelling, land change and
ecosystem services modelling, urban metabolism analysis, interdisciplinary policy
assessment, material flow analysis, etc.) methods. The main potentials, fields of
application and pending issues associated with these tools are summarised herein.
1 Introduction
While life cycle methodologies such as life cycle assessment (LCA), carbon
footprinting (CFP) and emergy analysis focus on the evaluation of the environmental realm of systems, other approaches such as life cycle costing (LCC), social
life cycle assessment (SLCA) and life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA)
attempt to extend life cycle thinking to other spheres of sustainable development
[1]. Though valuable and useful, the life cycle-based approaches proposed to date
have not yet succeeded in providing a well-accepted and sound evaluation of
sustainability issues. In this respect, it is acknowledged that the combined use of life
J. Berlin (&)
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Eklandagatan 86,
412 61 Göteborg, Sweden
e-mail: johanna.berlin@ri.se
D. Iribarren (&)
Systems Analysis Unit, IMDEA Energy, 28935 Móstoles, Spain
e-mail: diego.iribarren@imdea.org
© The Author(s) 2018
E. Benetto et al. (eds.), Designing Sustainable Technologies,
Products and Policies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66981-6_34
313