LCA LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

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Conceptual map

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Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is:

a methodology of analysis that evaluates a set of interactions that a product or a service has with the environment, considering its entire life cycle that includes points pre-production (and therefore extraction and production of materials),production,distribution,use (and therefore reuse and maintenance),recycling andThe final disposal.

The LCA is an internationally recognized through a number of ISO (International Organization for Standardization).

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ISO 14040:2006 defines the LCA as a management technique that allows the environment to identify and evaluate, with reference to a product (service, process or activity) considered at all stages of its life cycle:

2) potential impacts associated with the uses of materials, energy and waste placed in different environmental media (air, water, soil);

1) environmental aspects associated with the same, by compiling an inventory that identifies and quantifies the flows into (consumption of energy and materials) and outputs (releases into the environment);

3) opportunities for environmental

improvements at various stages of the life cycle.

Definition

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The life cycle consists of the consecutive stages of interlinked andproduct, process, or activities from the acquisition ofraw materials or generation of natural resources tofinal disposal (ISO 14040:2006, 3.1).

The analysis includes the entire life cycle (cradle to grave):• extracting and processing raw materials;• the production, transportation, and distribution;• the use, reuse and maintenance;• recycling and final disposal ... “

(SETAC – Society of Enviromental Toxicology and Chemistry-, 1993).

Definition

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History of the methodology

The LCA methodology has been developed since the late '70s in the United States.

Between 1997 and 2000, the LCA methodology has been implemented in standards ISO 14040-14043 updated in 2006, ISO 14040 and ISO 14044.In the Ronchi Decree is explicitly required the use of LCA in the execution of plans for waste disposal.It is explicitly required by EMAS II and EMAS III.

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•unique new way to deal with the analysis of industrial systems:  the approach focuses on those separate study of the individual elements of the production system, is followed by an overview of the production system, in which all the processes of transformation are considered as participating in the function for which they were designed.

Two typical applications of LCA:

1) Comparison between multiple systems that perform the samefunction;

2) To highlight the critical phases of a system.

Characteristic and typical of the LCA

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to carry out comparisons between different alternatives is the product, processes or services that serve the same function:eg. steel tubes / PVCPET bottles / glass / tins,transport by train / carto identify opportunities to improve the environmental profile of the product at various stages of its life cycle (Eco efficiency);to make decisions in industry and in governmental and non-governmental (eg strategic planning, priority setting, design products or processes);marketing, communicating with the public focusing on the environmental, eco-labels, etc..

What is useful to….

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ISO 14040 STANDARDISO 14040

Environmental management: life cycle assessment

ISO 14040: framework Nella 14040general requirement of consistency with the requirements met in the new standard

ISO 14044: only one standard

definition of the objective and scope of the analysis, compilation of an inventory of inputs and outputs of a given system

ISO 14041:

evaluation of potential environmental impacts related to these input and output

ISO 14042:

ISO 14043 Finally, the interpretation of results

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At European level, strategic importance adoption of LCA as a tool suitable for basic and scientifically identification of significant environmental aspects is clearly expressed in the interior of the Green Paper COM 2001/68/EC and COM 2003/302/EC on Integrated Product Policy, and it is suggested, at least indirectly, also € ™ internal European Regulations: EMAS (761/2001/EC) and Ecolabel 1980/2000/EC.The rest of the LCA is a fundamental support to the development of environmental labeling schemes: environmental criteria in the definition of reference for a given product group (Type I eco-labels: label), or as the main instrument to achieve Environmental Statement product: DAP (type III environmental label).

Regulatory standards

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Un esempio: Produzione di piastrelle di gresmaterial

processese

Impact

Environmental effect

Quantification with units field for the corresponding categories of impact criteria established scientific

clay, feldspar and sand

grinding, pressing, firing, polishing and distribution

Damage to health from dust generated during the production of sand and feldsparReduction of the stock of non-renewable resources (especially fossil fuels) for cooking, for grinding and for distribution, the emission of nitrogen oxides during deployment.

Global warming potential

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objective and scope of the analysis

Inventory

Impacts evaluation

Interpretation

4 PHASES:

PHASES OF LCA (ISO SCHEME)

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1. Definition of objectivesIn phase 1 are defined purpose of the study,

  the product in question, its function, the boundaries of the life cycle studied.

Categories are established to consider the impact and quality of data used.

The objectives and scope of influence the system to be studied and the direction and depth of the study.About the study: what you want to know;• 2 systems compared to a standard or report an (eco)?• get information on "hot spots" of the system?• More strategic or product design?

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2. Inventory

are collected quantitative data on the input and output (resources and emissions) of any single process.

This book is the most laborious step.It can be of great help to the availability of computer systems,

particularly databases containing comprehensive information on the technical characteristics of materials and processes.

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INVENTORY

The inventory system of gathering data and calculation procedures to quantify the inputs and outputs relevant to a product.It is based on the detailed description of all economic processes incoming and outgoing.And 'the longest phase of the LCA and expensive.And 'governed by ISO 14044:2006, par.4.3.Is to bring all the flows of matter and energy functional unit, which from the start, go back through the production system and environment.

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L’INVENTORY (2)

These flows are expressed in physical units (units of mass and energy) and include:- The taking and preparation of raw materials,- Turning them into finished products, co-products,by-products and contaminants released into the air, water and soil,- The removal of sources of energy,- Their use,- The associated releases in different environmental compartments at different stages of the life cycle of the system examined.

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L’INVENTARIO COMPRENDE:

• All raw materials and energy inputs;• All emissions output- air- water- soil

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4 times for the development of the inventory:

A. Construction of flow charts,B. Data collection,C. Definition of boundariesD. Calculation of data.

Stages of the inventory

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LCA maintains relations of material and energy flows between the environment and the system studied in theory all interactions between the system and the environment must be considered, eg. plastic production, emissions, placing recipients in the bodies, degradation of chemicals in the soil, use of forests, production of odors and radiation. The definition of these boundaries or not the scenario changes dramatically.

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2) boundaries between the system and other systems studiedProblem of allocation3) The system boundaries should be clearly specified. These boundaries indicate the processes included in the system. Ideally, all stages of the life cycle should be considered but, for lack of time, data, or resources, the opposite could happen.Other reasons may be preferred to those who perform the LCA to set boundaries: eg. when in comparative LCA there are processes in common.

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The concept of allocation is introduced whenever we analyze systems that perform multiple functions, such as joint production systems to goods,recycling or cascade systems.The allocation problem in all systems is to divide the multiple functions of materials and energy consumption and pollutant emissions from two or more goods that are obtained simultaneously in the same process.The ISO 14044:2006 expressly regulate this aspect in the analysis of inventory

Allocation

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The inventory ends with a series of items related to raw material consumption and pollutant emissions to air, water, soil.Usually it's several tens of voices, however, for comparative purposes and for research purposes on a single system, are quite difficult to interpret (you need an expert!).

Inventory ends

Surely no one could say what effect the system studied is more environmentally responsible, or which of the systems is less responsible for an effect.But,

LCA is a tool for decision support,

which must, therefore, the results provide quite understandable. Need for impact assessment step.

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3.Evaluation

In Step 3, evaluation, and resources are classified according to the emissions impact categories,  we proceed to the characterization of resources and substances (we quantify the damage of each resource and emission in the different categories of impact),categories of impact (we quantify the damage of each category of impact damage in several categories, which are sets of categories of impact), and the weights are assigned to individual categories of damage depending on their dangerousness.Part of the quantitative data to be used for the characterization can be extracted from databases. The calculation of the scores may be based on several alternative schemes, also conceptually different.Can be assigned different weights to the possible impact categories, and may take several quantitative models for damage assessment of the impact categories within the same category of damage.

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Multi step method o CML

Is to classify quantitatively the effect that they cause polluting emissions on the environment (greenhouse effect, acidification, etc..) And then come to a further aggregation of evaluating the effects of them.

destinations

Linked with environmental problems.

BENEFITS

•classification,• characterization,• Standardisation,• evaluation.

ISO 14044:2006

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The classification is to define the categories of impact and allocation of all raw material consumption and pollutant emissions in the categories of environmental impact, global, regional and local level that they cause, it is the qualitative relationship between inventory data and impact categories.

Multi step method

Diminuzione delle risorse (ADP)Effetto serra (GWP)Diminuzione dello strato di ozono (ODP)Tossicità umana (HT)Tossicità ambientale (ECA)Formazione di ossidanti fotochimici (POCP)Acidificazione (AP)Eutrofizzazione (NP).

EFFECTS

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The characterization is, however, the quantification of this report.According to ISO 14044:2006 characterization involves the conversion of inventory results in a common unit of measurement by means of specific characterization factors and aggregation of converted these results within the categories of impact. The outcome of the calculation is a result of numeric indicator.Complex studies have identified the different incidence of all greenhouse gases (global warming potentials) of this effect refers to a substance which in case of reference is the CO2.

Multi step method o metodo CML – FASE 2

disadvantages:

• There is a temporal dimension of emissions• There is a spatial dimension / local emissionsThese numbers, however, measure the system's contribution to such effects, but do not tell us what contribution is more important than the others.

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To do this you should perform the normalization phase,The normalization is defined by ISO 14044:2006 as the "calculation of category indicator results relative to some reference information"At this stage the contributions of the system to each effect are normalized to the amount of that effect, which occurs annually in a given area (Italy, Europe, worldwide) in a given period of time (one year).In this way you can get an idea of both the relative contribution of the system as a contribution both to the effects is greater.

Multi step method o metodo CML – FASE 3

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Multi step method o metodo CML – FASE 4

The evaluation or weighting impact categories is the stage where a weight is attributed to several effects of importance so that the effects of the system can be compared with each other to achieve a further aggregation of data.This implies the multiplication of the normalized effects for different weighting factors, which are determined based on scientific principles (sustainable levels, etc..) And socio-economic, reflecting that is, social preferences.

“eco - indicator”

which expresses the environmental performance of the system.In the ISO has not yet been defined as a single set of weighting factors for the effects

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4. interpretation

The last phase is the interpretation un'LCA.It is the specialist for feed back on how to analyze the results of the study, and use them to inform subsequent applications, such as the design of environmentally friendly products or the development of policies to address.

The interpretation phase is also proposed to present the results of the LCA in an easily understandable, comprehensive and coherent manner, in accordance with the definition of the objective and scope.

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WHY APPLIED ITIncreased awareness of the importance of environmental issues and finding a way "sustainable" to produce, consume, recycle;

The Life Cycle Thinking:responsibility (extended) producer does not end at the factory gate, ie the acquired knowledge that the consumption and post consumption have a significant environmental load compared to the production

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The awareness that the shift (shifting) from one technology to another or from one option to resolve very often in a transfer of pollutants in another place:

The realization that the clichés are (?) To be not true:

eg. recycled paper is not always the most

environmentally friendly of virgin paper, or vs.

biodiesel. The fossil diesel;

The need for a methodology that allows to structure

such complex information and make it understandable

(few hundreds of substances to be covered, transport,

etc..)

WHY APPLIED IT

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CRITICSQuality of data and databases…

the data are confidential and not verifiable

Risk of environmental FRAUDS

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LCA methods often provide a representative image (background data),

not accurate and sometimes not true with high costs.

LCA in its current form is not economically efficient.

The high costs of implementation of the LCA, acquisition and

management of databases, are then outsourced by the company on

society (taxpayers) in sharp contrast with

  the principle of "polluter pays".

CRITICS

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The LCA is concerned with the potential impacts of a product on the

environment rather than real ones.

But it makes little sense from the point of living environment

aggregate emissions that occur in different places and times and have

no effect on the local impacts of types (eutrophication) and then of

ecosystems that have characteristics of the background (receiving)

different.

An efficient accounting of environmental burdens of a product you can

play only on a site-specific information on each site with the life cycle.

CRITICS

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IN THE FUTURE

Methodology standardization

External Relations Standardization (peer reviews),

Public databases

Simple approach

Low costs

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IN THE FUTURE…Need for a site-dependent with a great cooperation between all actors in the life cycle.

The info should be certified by external auditors.

Need for financial support.

Importance of EMAS and ISO 14001.Need for support to encourage cooperation between suppliers-producers-consumers avoiding the creation of cartels.

ISO 9000 Concept of the relationship between supplier extended to environmental aspects.

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It is proposed to introduce a socio-political dimension in quantitative evaluations of their ACL in order to quantify the potential social impacts on people caused as a result of the life cycle of a product.More than 200 indicators related to human dignity, child labor, excessive work, crime, etc.. using the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.The assessments are not easily quantifiable social unambiguously and can be linked to the functional unit, but pertains to the work of an organization as a whole

SLCA

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ECO-DESIGN – LIFE CYCLE DESIGN

Establishes the criteria to be taken in the design phase.

The Methodology of Eco-Design are heading in the direction required to dine at the best solution to achieve environmentally sound and economically sustainable maps are used for the selection of materials and their characteristics and performance indices and indirect environmental effects associated with the use energy and materials (ISO 14001)

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CONCLUSIONI

Necessary to bridge the "gap" between the development of increasingly refined models and the real possibilities of application by economic operators in the management of their daily reality.Development of formats and procedures that you must pay to the company even of ISO 14025 and Type III environmental declarations of Marketing of LCA as a tool to transform marketing tool for innovation