Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

and Green Purchasingand Green Purchasing

Ms Linda W. P. Ho
Chief Executive Officer
Green Council
25 March 2011
ABOUT GREEN COUNCIL
3
Executive Diploma in Green
Management for Corporate
Key Green Council Initiatives
Hong Kong Green Label Scheme (HKGLS)
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China Environmental Label
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Cyber Green Centre
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Hong Kong Green Purchasing Charter (HKGPC)
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Hong Kong Green Awards (HKGA)
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Eco-product Certification Scheme (ECS)
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Contents
About Green Council
Introduction of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
History of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
What is LCA?
Why LCA?
The ISO 14040 framework
Synergy of Green Purchasing and LCA
Green Council
Established in 2000
Non-Government Organization (NGO)
Non-Profit-Making Organization
Non-Partisan Environmental Organization
Major Objectives
1. To enhance the environmental awareness of
the general public
2. To assist local and international enterprises in
improving their environmental performance
3. To help Hong Kong establish a greener image
worldwide
List of Green Council s Activities
1. Hong Kong Green Label Scheme (HKGLS)
2. Hong Kong Green Purchasing Charter (HKGPC)
3. Hong Kong Green Awards (HKGA)
4. Cyber Green Center (CGC)
5. Representative of China Environmental Labelling
6. Environmental related congress, symposium, forum, seminars and
Exhibitions
7. Training of EMS and specific on Green Purchasing
8. Environmental, product and CSR Audits
9. Green Carnival
10. International Coastal Cleanup
11. Community Educations
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History of LCA (1)
Early 1960 s Concerns about the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, which sparked
interest in finding ways to account energy use and to project future
resource supplies and use
1963 Harold Smith published the one of the first LCA report on energy
requirements for the production of chemical intermediates at
World Energy Conference
Late 1960 s The studies in
The Limits to Growth and A Blueprint for Survival
initiated the trend on predicting finite resources in the world
1969 The Coca-Cola Company conducted LCA study on different beverage
containers
1970-1975 USEPA refined The Coca-Cola LCA methodology and created the
Resource and Environmental Profile Analysis.
Environmental Protection Agency. 2006. Life Cycle Assessment: Principles and P
ractice. EPA/600/R-06/060. Office of Research and
Development. Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
What is LCA? (1)
Life Cycle refers to the major activities in the course of the
product s life-span from its manufacture, use, and maintenance, to
its final disposal, including the raw material acquisition required to
manufacture the product. (USEPA, 2006)
Life Cycle Assessment (also known as Life Cycle Analysis) is a
methodology for assessing each and every environmental impacts
associated with the products, processes, or services by:
Defining the goals and scope
Compiling an inventory of inputs and outputs
Evaluating environmental impacts
Reporting outcomes
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INTRODUCTION LIFE CYCLE
ASSESSMENT (LCA)
History of LCA (2)
Late
1970 s
1980 s
Late
1980 s
Environmental concerns shifted to issues of hazardous waste
management and solid waste. The life cycle logic was incorporated into
emerging method of risk assessment and analyzing the environmental
problems.
A broad base of consultants and researchers across the globe has been
further refining and expanding the LCA methodology
1991 11 State Attorneys General in the USA denouncing the use of LCA results
to promote products until uniform methodology and consensus reached
on how environmental comparison can be advertised non-deceptively
1992 ISO 14000 family grew out of ISO's commitment to support the objective
of sustainable development discussed at the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development, in Rio de Janeiro
1993 ISO launched the new technical committee, ISO/TC 207, Environmental
management
1997-2006 ISO developed the LCA standards
Environmental Protection Agency. 2006. Life Cycle Assessment: Principles and P
ractice. EPA/600/R-06/060. Office of Research and
Development. Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

What is LCA? (2)

Raw Materials
Energy resources
Raw Materials
material
processing
Product
manufacture
Distribution
and storage
Use
Disposal/
Emissions to Air
Emissions to Water
Solid Wastes
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Recycling
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Life Cycle
Recycling
http://www.scienceinthebox.com/en_UK/programs/compactdetergents_en.html
Why LCA? (1)
Why a product-oriented information tool?
Increased attention for product policy
Cradle to Cradle
includes recycling
several national policy plans
EU s Integrated Product Policy
UNEP s International Declaration on Cleaner Production
etc.
Influence consumption and production patterns
clean(er) production
ecolabel
product stewardship
etc.
Why LCA? (3)
Why a method?
To structure the large amount of complex data
To facilitate comparisons across product alternatives
To enable benchmarking
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Life Cycle Stages
Why LCA? (2)
Why an integrated information tool?
Prevent problem shifting
to other life cycle stages
to other substances
to other environmental problems
to other countries
to the future
LCA Standards
ISO 14040:2006 Environmental management -- Life cycle assessment
Principles and
framework
ISO 14044:2006 Environmental management -- Life cycle assessment Requirements an
d
guidelines
ISO/TR 14047:2003 Environmental management -- Life cycle impact assessment
Examp

les of
application of ISO 14042
ISO/TS 14048:2000 Environmental management -- Life cycle assessment
Data
documentation format
ISO/TR 14049:2000 Environmental management -- Life cycle assessment Examples of
application of ISO 14041 to goal and scope definition and inventory
analysis
PAS 2050 Life Cycle GHG Emission of goods and services BSI
Standard
USEPA LCA Resources: http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/lcaccess/resources.html
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ISO
Standard
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ISO 14040 framework (1)
Life cycle assessment framework
Goal
and scope
definition
Inventory
analysis
Impact
assessment
Interpretation
Direct applications:
- Product development
and improvement
- Strategic planning
- Public policy making
- Marketing
- Other
SYNERGY OF GREEN PURCHASING AND
LCA
What is Green Purchasing?
+
+
Quality
Cost
Delivery
+
=
Purchasing
Source: The Green Purchasing & Green Public Procurement Starter Kit
Source: ISO 14040
Environment
=
Green
Purchasing
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ISO 14040 framework (2)
ISO: Compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the
potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its
life cycle
International Standard ISO 14040
complementary International Standards ISO 14041, 14042,
14043
no Technical Report to 14040, but Technical Reports to 14041

and 14042
14044 merges the revised 14040-14043 (2006)
Definition of Green Purchasing
Green Purchasing is the purchase of goods and
services that minimize environmental impacts. It
includes the purchase of product that have
a lesser or
reduced effect on human health and the environment
when compared with competing products that serve
the same purpose.
From the United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
Target Fields of Green Purchasing
Paper
Printer
Furniture
Work wear
Office Supply
Motorcar
Food
PC
Lighting
Electric Appliance
Services
Products
Parts and Materials
Source: The Green Purchasing & Green Public Procurement Starter Kit
Electronic Parts
Printing
Construction
Hotel & Meeting
Cleaning
Banking
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Distribution
Electricity
Energy
Canteen
Catering
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Synergy of LCA and Green
Purchasing
It is estimated that as much as 75% of the environmental impacts
(as well as the costs) that a product throws off throughout its lifetime
is determined at the design stage. (IDSA, Design: Green 2004,
www.designgreen.org)
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The product life cycle is the basis of
green supply chain management
Consider the life cycle of the
supply chain to minimize the
environmental impacts
E n v . i m p a c t s
ConceptConcept DesignDesign
Raw
Green Purchasing
G r e e n P u r c h a s i n g
G r e e n P u r c h a s i n g

materials
Raw
materials
Green Purchasing
Manufactu
re
Manufactu
re
Green Purchasing
Distributio
n / retail
Distributio
n / retail
Typical Supplier Chain
Green Purchasing
Consumer
use
Consumer
use
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Green Purchasing
E n v . i m p a c t s
E n v . i m p a c t s
E n v . i m p a c t s
E n v . i m p a c t s
LCA is a tool for making green
purchasing decision
1. Develop a systematic evaluation of the environmental consequences
associated with a given product.
2. Analyze the environmental trade-offs associated with one or more specific
products/processes to help gain stakeholder acceptance for a planned action.
3. Quantify environmental releases to air, water, and land in relation to each l
ife
cycle stage and/or major contributing process.
4. Assist in
identifying significant shifts in environmental impacts between life
cycle stages and environmental media. (e.g., eliminating air emissions by
creating a wastewater effluent instead)
5. Assess the human and ecological effects of material consumption and
environmental releases to the local community, region, and world.
6. Compare the health and ecological impacts between two or more rival
products/processes or identify the impacts of a specific product or process.
7. Identify impacts to one or more specific environmental areas of concern.
Synergy of LCA and Green Purchasing
(Example)
GP:
1. Take-back
services
GP:
1. Durable design
2. Clear instruction
GP:
1. Hybrid vehicles
GP:
1. Recyclable
2. Biodegradable
Worldwatch Institute,
Worldwatch Paper 166:
Purchasing Power:
Harnessing Institutional

Procurement for People

and the Planet, July 2003,
www.worldwatch.org
GP:
1. Organic fiber
2. Recycled fiber
3. Energy efficiency
machineries
GP:
1. Solution /Yarn Dye
(save dye and water)
2. Low/no hazardous
chemicals (e.g. shrinkresist
substances
3.
Energy efficiency
machineries
GP:
1. Energy efficiency
machineries
2. Water treatment
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Synergy of LCA and Green
Purchasing
LCA
Reduce Env.
Release
identify the environmental impacts of every single stage of the product life cyc
le
from raw materials extraction, production process, packaging, transportation,
usage and disposal/recycle.
Green Purchasing
Minimize the environmental impacts of every single stage of the product life
cycle.
Raw material  biodegradable, recyclable, durable, low embody energy (low
carbon emission)
Production  water treatment for reuse, high energy efficiency machineries
Packaging  recycled content, biodegradable .
Transportation  use hybrid vehicles, route planning
Usage  eco-design
Disposal/recycle  take back services, parts reuse
Green/Ecolabelling
ISO14024
(Type I)
- life cycle,
selective, thirdparty
verified
ISO14021
(Type II)
- self declared
claims
ISO14025
(Type III)
- life cycle
information
Disposal /
recycling
Disposal /
recycling

Other Types
and Variations
single-attribute
with vertification
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LCA in Type III Ecolabelling
1. Disclose LCA information of the product
2. Different product base on different product category rules to prepare
the LCA data sheet (e.g. greenhouse gases emission, acidification,
eutrohpication, etc.)
3. ISO 14025 Type III ecolabel
4. Base on the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 LCA methodology
5. Verify the LCA information from the applicant and grant the logo to
the products
6. LCA information display adjacent to the logo
Carbon Label
How to choose LCA software
Depending on resource
the data and data quality can have an effect on the price of a software tool
Depending on application and purpose
Some LCA tools are more suitable for particular applications
Depending on the level of transparency and flexibility required
Design own database? Environmental indicators? Able to trace back each result
in order to find mistakes?
User-friendliness
Design similar to MS office? With drag-and-drop feature?
Database
Data quality, compatible with well-known database, size of database
Methodology
CML 96, CML 2002 (updated 2007), Ecoindicator 95, Ecoindicator 99, Ecological
scarcity, EDIP 97, EDIP 2003, Impact 2002+, TRACI
Uncertainty and variability analyses
Service and Support
N. Unger, P. Beigl and G. Wassermann. General requirements for LCA software
tools. Institute of Waste Management, BOKU
University of Natural Resources and
Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
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Environmental Product Declaration of
Beer
Some LCA Tools
BEES 3.0d
Eco-Bat 2.1
EcoScan 3.1
EIME V3.0
EPD Tools Suit 2007
GaBi 4.3
JEMAI-LCA Pro ver.2
KCL-ECO 4.0
LEGEP 1.2
LTE OGIP; Version 5.0; Build-Number 2092; 2005/12/12
SimaPro 7
TEAM 4.5
The Boustead Model 5.0.12
USES-LCA
Etc .

Information from: http://lca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/lcainfohub/toolList.vm

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) training course
2011/3/28
http://www.environdec.com/
Date: 13-15 April 2011
25 people per class
Target: environmental consultant,
purchasers, environmental manager,
environmental officer, academic,
engineers, certification bodies,
laboratory technicians, etc.
Detail please visit
www.greencouncil.org
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Thank you
Green Council Contact Details:
Website 
www.greencouncil.org
Email  info@greencouncil.org
Telephone  (852) 2810 1122
Facsimile  (852) 2810 1998
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