Regional Environmental Life Cycle Assessment for Improving Food Chain Sustainability
Regional Environmental Life Cycle Assessment for Improving Food Chain Sustainability

Author: Pegah Amani

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-02-02

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 3658240091

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Current LCA methodologies employed to assess the intensity of environmental impacts lack a regional view, even though the sensitivity of the receiving environment is important in determining the specific levels of risks. This book seeks to redress the balance and develop a globally applicable, affordable and feasible approach to determine differentiated sets of possible impacts with higher environmental burdens derived from food supply chain processes. To this end, the earth’s land surface is divided into so-called “ecoregions”, defined by their specific characteristics such as soil, climate, and topography/physiography, and associated with the relevant risks for each ecoregion. The use of ecoregions and respective environmental risks can help enterprises recognize the environmental effect of their products but also help improve the reliability of comparisons between LCA results in different regions.

Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA)
Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA)

Author: Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-09-21

Total Pages: 206

ISBN-13: 9811645620

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Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (ELCA) that was developed about three decades ago demands a broadening of its scope to include lifecycle costing and social aspects of life cycle assessment as well, drawing on the three-pillar or ‘triple bottom line’ model of sustainability, which is the result of the development of the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA). LCSA refers to the evaluation of all environmental, social and economic negative impacts and benefits in decision-making processes towards more sustainable products throughout their life cycle. Combination of environmental and social life cycle assessments along with life cycle costing leads to life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA). This book highlights various aspects of life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA).

Life Cycle Management
Life Cycle Management

Author: Guido Sonnemann

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-07-16

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 9401772215

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This book provides insight into the Life Cycle Management (LCM) concept and the progress in its implementation. LCM is a management concept applied in industrial and service sectors to improve products and services, while enhancing the overall sustainability performance of business and its value chains. In this regard, LCM is an opportunity to differentiate through sustainability performance on the market place, working with all departments of a company such as research and development, procurement and marketing, and to enhance the collaboration with stakeholders along a company’s value chain. LCM is used beyond short-term business success and aims at long-term achievements by minimizing environmental and socio-economic burden, while maximizing economic and social value.

Handbook on Life Cycle Assessment
Handbook on Life Cycle Assessment

Author: Jeroen B. Guinée

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2006-04-11

Total Pages: 692

ISBN-13: 0306480557

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Environmental policy aims at the transition to sustainable production and consumption. This is taking place in different ways and at different levels. In cases where businesses are continuously active to improve the environmental performance of their products and activities, the availability of knowledge on environmental impacts is indispensable. The integrated assessment of all environmental impacts from cradle to grave is the basis for many decisions relating to achieving improved products and services. The assessment tool most widely used for this is the environmental Life Cycle Assessment, or LCA. Before you is the new Handbook of LCA replacing the previous edition of 1992. New developments in LCA methodology from all over the world have been discussed and, where possible, included in this new Handbook. Integration of all developments into a new, consistent method has been the main aim for the new Handbook. The thinking on environment and sustainability is, however, quickly evolving so that it is already clear now that this new LCA Handbook does not embrace the very latest developments. Therefore, further revisions will have to take place in the future. A major advantage of this Handbook is that it now also advises which procedures should be followed to achieve adequate, relevant and accepted results. Furthermore, the distinction between detailed and simplified LCA makes this Handbook more broadly applicable, while guidance is provided as to which additional information can be relevant for specialised applications.

Life Cycle Impact Assessment
Life Cycle Impact Assessment

Author: Michael Z. Hauschild

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-03-24

Total Pages: 345

ISBN-13: 9401797447

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This book offers a detailed presentation of the principles and practice of life cycle impact assessment. As a volume of the LCA compendium, the book is structured according to the LCIA framework developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO)passing through the phases of definition or selection of impact categories, category indicators and characterisation models (Classification): calculation of category indicator results (Characterisation); calculating the magnitude of category indicator results relative to reference information (Normalisation); and converting indicator results of different impact categories by using numerical factors based on value-choices (Weighting). Chapter one offers a historical overview of the development of life cycle impact assessment and presents the boundary conditions and the general principles and constraints of characterisation modelling in LCA. The second chapter outlines the considerations underlying the selection of impact categories and the classification or assignment of inventory flows into these categories. Chapters three through thirteen exploreall the impact categories that are commonly included in LCIA, discussing the characteristics of each followed by a review of midpoint and endpoint characterisation methods, metrics, uncertainties and new developments, and a discussion of research needs. Chapter-length treatment is accorded to Climate Change; Stratospheric Ozone Depletion; Human Toxicity; Particulate Matter Formation; Photochemical Ozone Formation; Ecotoxicity; Acidification; Eutrophication; Land Use; Water Use; and Abiotic Resource Use. The final two chapters map out the optional LCIA steps of Normalisation and Weighting.

Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment of Products
Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment of Products

Author: United Nations Environment Programme

Publisher: UNEP/Earthprint

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 104

ISBN-13: 9789280730210

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The Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment of Products provides a map, a skeleton and a flash light for stakeholders engaging in the assessment of social and socio-economic impacts of products life cycle. The map describes the context, the key concepts, the broader field in which tools and techniques are getting developed and their scope of application. The skeleton presents key elements to consider and provide guidance for the goal and scope, inventory, impact assessment and interpretation phases of a social life cycle assessment. The flash light highlights areas where further research is needed. Social Life Cycle Assessment is a technique available to account for stories and inform systematically on impacts that otherwise would be lost in the vast and fast moving sea of our modern world. May it help stakeholders to effectively and efficiently engage to improve social and socio-economic conditions of production and consumption

Taking Stock of Industrial Ecology
Taking Stock of Industrial Ecology

Author: Roland Clift

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-12-11

Total Pages: 373

ISBN-13: 3319205714

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How can we design more sustainable industrial and urban systems that reduce environmental impacts while supporting a high quality of life for everyone? What progress has been made towards reducing resource use and waste, and what are the prospects for more resilient, material-efficient economies? What are the environmental and social impacts of global supply chains and how can they be measured and improved? Such questions are at the heart of the emerging discipline of industrial ecology, covered in Taking Stock of Industrial Ecology. Leading authors, researchers and practitioners review how far industrial ecology has developed and current issues and concerns, with illustrations of what the industrial ecology paradigm has achieved in public policy, corporate strategy and industrial practice. It provides an introduction for students coming to industrial ecology and for professionals who wish to understand what industrial ecology can offer, a reference for researchers and practitioners and a source of case studies for teachers.

Life Cycle Assessment in the Agri-food Sector
Life Cycle Assessment in the Agri-food Sector

Author: Bruno Notarnicola

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-01-06

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 3319119400

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The book presents an overview of the International practices and state-of-the-art of LCA studies in the agri-food sector, both in terms of adopted methodologies and application to particular products; the final purpose is to characterise and put order within the methodological issues connected to some important agri-food products (wine, olive oil, cereals and derived products, meat and fruit) and also defining practical guidelines for the implementation of LCAs in this particular sector. The first chapter entails an overview of the application of LCA to the food sector, the role of the different actors of the food supply chain and the methodological issues at a general level. The other chapters, each with a particular reference to the main foods of the five sectors under study, have a common structure which entails the review of LCA case studies of such agri-food products, the methodological issues, the ways with which they have been faced and the suggestion of practical guidelines.

Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (Open Access)
Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (Open Access)

Author: Olivier Jolliet

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2015-11-18

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 1439887705

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Environmental Life Cycle Assessment is a pivotal guide to identifying environmental problems and reducing related impacts for companies and organizations in need of life cycle assessment (LCA). LCA, a unique sustainability tool, provides a framework that addresses a growing demand for practical technological solutions. Detailing each phase of the LCA methodology, this textbook covers the historical development of LCA, presents the general principles and characteristics of LCA, and outlines the corresponding standards for good practice determined by the International Organization for Standardization. It also explains how to identify the critical aspects of an LCA, provides detailed examples of LCA analysis and applications, and includes illustrated problems and solutions with concrete examples from water management, electronics, packaging, automotive, and other industries. In addition, readers will learn how to: Use consistent criteria to realize and evaluate an LCA independently of individual interests Understand the LCA methodology and become familiar with existing databases and methods based on the latest results of international research Analyze and critique a completed LCA Apply LCA methodology to simple case studies Geared toward graduate and undergraduate students studying environmental science and industrial ecology, as well as practicing environmental engineers, and sustainability professionals who want to teach themselves LCA good practices, Environmental Life Cycle Assessment demonstrates how to conduct environmental assessments for products throughout their life cycles. It presents existing methods and recent developments in the growing field of LCA and systematically covers goal and system definition, life cycle inventory, life cycle impact assessment, and interpretation.

Life Cycle Approaches to Sustainable Regional Development
Life Cycle Approaches to Sustainable Regional Development

Author: Stefania Massari

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2016-12-08

Total Pages: 363

ISBN-13: 1317378539

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Life Cycle Approaches to Sustainable Regional Development explains the ways life cycle methodologies and tools can be used to strengthen regional socio-economic planning and development in a more sustainable manner. The book advocates the adoption of systematic and long-term criteria for development decision-making, taking into account the full life cycle of materials and projects. It describes life cycle practices from both a scientific and a practitioner point of view, highlighting examples and case studies at regional level. The applications are relevant to key economic sectors, as well as for internal planning and administrative procedures. It concludes with a synthesis chapter that distills the key messages from the authors into practical guidance points on how best to use such approaches to enhance sustainability in regional development. The book is essential reading for regional and urban planners who are integrating life cycle thinking into their policy regimes, as well as for researchers working to further evolve life cycle methodologies.