Assoc.Prof.

Prasert Pavasant 1
2
Raw material Paint
extraction manufacturing
and process
production

Primary
packaging
production
Packaging Paint Functional Unit
process distribution
Secondary is 1 m2 of
packaging painted surface
production
Paint Use Reference flow
= 90.5 g/m2
Auxillaries Equipment
Paint and packaging
production cleaning end of life

3
4
 Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool to review the
environmental impact of products or services
throughout their entire life cycle – (from cradle to
grave) – from raw material extraction through
transport, manufacturing and use all the way to
their end of life.

Resource
Manufacture Distribution Use End-of-life
acquisition

5
 Many product manufacturers take the view that

they are only responsible for their part of the life

cycle (i.e. the manufacturing) and cannot exert
much influence on what happens to their product
once it leaves the factory or site gate.

6
 Let’s take plasterboard as an example product.
The emissions released and energy and water
used during manufacture will be measured
directly by the manufacturer as standard practice.
But what about the environmental damage during
the quarrying of the gypsum to make the plaster?
And the transport of the materials to the factory?
How was the electricity for the manufacturing
process generated, and will the plasterboard be
land-filled when the user is finished with it?

7
 As this example demonstrates, the adverse
environmental impacts associated with a product
may lie in a part of its life span that an
organization may not have considered before. An
organisation with a life cycle perspective can
consider how it can influence and ultimately
reduce these impacts, and encourage its supply
chain to do the same.

8
 Impact
Impact

RA MF USE WD RA MF USE WD
Impact

Impact

RA MF USE WD RA MF USE WD

9
 LCA is increasingly required by firms that wish to

green their supply chain; LCA is a part of the

LEED “green building” certification, and life cycle
results are now required by Federal renewable
fuels legislation through the Revised Renewable
Fuels Standard (RFS2).

10
11
12
 Industry Authority Public
 To improve • To manage resouces • To help make
product • To enhance public decision on the
performance awareness selection of products
 To design new • To enhance/sustain/ • To partially build
eco-products maintain sustainability greener society
 To promote potential through public
the business awareness
13
 Strategy R&D / Product Procurement & Marketing &
Development Development Production Sales
Support of strategic Innovation idea collection: Supporting sourcing and Company and product
decisions: Identification of upstream supply chain positioning/sales support:
• Identify opportunities and environmental critical points improvements: • Compare existing products
evaluate potential of how along the product life cycle as • Bottleneck identification – and services with products
to meet emerging green input for product innovations Prioritization of and services of
markets with more or product improvements environmental competitors.
environmentally benign (e.g., design for reuse, design improvement activities for • Measure and communicate
products, services, or for recycling, design for end suppliers and supply chain environmental
processes of life). • Improve procurement improvements that have
• Evaluate shifts from specifications, choice of been made on a product
products to services, or Innovation idea assessment: raw materials, defining • Signaling of sustainability
processes Comparison of existing environmental engagement
• Evaluate options for products with planned expectations and
industrial symbiosis alternatives requirements of a Meet eco label criteria –
• Position of the company in suppliers and upstream Compare product
the product life cycle chain Innovation controlling: supply chain performance with standards
Measure and follow- of • Measurement and follow- and labeling criteria; assess
Risk assessment: Identify product improvements. up of the environmental the gap from eco label
product and life cycle related performance of suppliers criteria
environmental issues and and materials
threads • In-supplier selection and Improve in-house integration
evaluation and in supplier position (B2B
Bottleneck identification: markets) – Create new
Prioritization of sustainability Support internal production opportunity for customer
tasks and resource process improvement: collaboration (e.g., by
allocation. • Bottleneck identification – implementation of new co-
Prioritization of makership strategy or
Anticipate and/or negotiate environmental improved supply offer).
environmental legislation of improvement activities
other regulation of markets. • Baseline for environmental
cost allocation –
Improvement of product,
calculations, identification
of cost saving
opportunities/efficiency.

14
 Germany (1977) Canada (1988) Japan (1989) Denmark (1989) Korea (1992)

Taiwan (1992) EU (1992) Singapore (1992) China (1993) Thailand (1993)

15
New Zealand (1996) HongKong (2000) Japan (2002)
16
 17
17
50%
45%
40%
35% 32% 32% 32%
30%
25%
20%
20%
15% 13%
12%
10%
5%
5%
0%
Product/ Material/ Process Business Sustainability Certification Others
Packaging Process Improvement Strategy Report Program
Design/ Selection
Development

18
 Measure: understand your position
 Identify hotspots: Insights will help you to focus your

efforts for reducing impacts.

 Compare product performance: Findings will help you to

understand your position against peers.

 Analyze risks in the supply chain: The results will help you

to realize a secure and sustainable sourcing plan.

19
 Take decisions: determine your strategy
 Prioritize actions: Focus efforts to save time and resources.

 Identify new business opportunities: Introduce new low-

carbon products or explore new markets to increase your

market share.

 Set targets: Become a frontrunner and use the leading

methodology to set science-based targets for your

organization.
20
 Communicate: inform relevant stakeholders
 Inform your audiences: Use the environmental excellence of

your products in your branding and stakeholder

communication.

 Benchmarking products: Highlight how your product

compares to peer products to differentiate your market

position.

21
 Goals & scope definition Interpretation
• Function and functional unit
• Reference flow • Follow a systematic method for
• System boundaries evaluating, checking, quantifying,
• Cradle to gate and identifying data/information
• Cradle to grave
• Cradle to cradle collected from the Goals & Scope,
• Assumptions and limitations Inventory analysis, and impact
• Allocation assessments
• Range of impacts assessed
• Occur at multiple stages throughout
the scope of project, such as at the
Inventory analysis collection of new information.
• Data collection procedure • Identification of issues based on
• Life cycle of the product or process
• Input-Output or Flow of materials and energy
results
• Evaluation of the study
• Conclusions and recommended
Impacts assessment
courses of action.
• Assess the potential impacts on the environment
and population of energy, materials, emissions
etc. based on the inventory analysis

22
 The functional unit is the quantified definition of
the function of a product. For example, the
functional unit of an aluminum beverage might be
defined as packaging 330ml of beverage,
protecting it from UV radiation and oxidation and
keeping in the carbonic acid for at least half a
year. The ability to drink the beverages directly
out of the packaging might be an additional
function, which should be taken into account.

23
 In order to compare two products, their functional
units must be equivalent. For example, both glass
bottles and cartons are used for milk packaging.
Since the most common size for each packaging
type might differ, the functional unit is set to be
the packaging for 1000 liters of milk in order to
compare the two packaging systems properly.
 Defining the functional unit can be difficult
because the performance of products is not
always easy to describe or isolate.

24
25
 Part of defining a functional unit is the definition
of a reference flow. The reference flow is the
measure of product components and materials
needed to fulfill the function, as defined by the
functional unit. All data collected during the
inventory phase is related to the reference flow. In
other words, all data used in the LCA must be
calculated or scaled in accordance with this
reference flow.

26
 Product Function Functional unit Function

Protecting
Light bulb
surface
Dish washing Transporting
liquid people
Giving
Floor tile
illumination
Reducing heat
Passenger car
transfer

Insulating glass Cleaning

27
 Product Function Functional unit Reference flow

Light bulb

Dish washing
liquid

Floor tile

Passenger car

Insulating glass

28
 Resource
Manufacture Distribution Use End-of-life
acquisition

Cradle to gate
[-------------------------------------]

Cradle to grave, Cradle to cradle

[-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]

29
Source: Adapted from http://buddhajeans.com/dictionary/cradle-to-gate/
 Growing &
Packaging

Raw
material
Disposal
transportati
on

Distributio Making the

n packaging

Smoothies
manufacturi
ng

30
31
 Raw
materials

Disposal Packaging

Distribution Manufacturing

32
33
 Raw
materials
agriculture

Raw material
Distribution chemicals

Raw material
Packaging
transport

Manufacturing

34
35
Raw material Material, Chemicals, Packaging
Resource Groundwater, Surface water, Ore
Energy Electricity, Steam, Fuel, Compressed air
Utility Tap water, Demineralized water, Cooling
water
Product Product, Co-product, By-product
Emission to air SOx, NOx, PM10, CO2, CH4, N2O
Emission to water BOD, COD, SS, TDS, Oil & Grease
Solid waste Sludge

36
• Meter readings from • Industry data reports,
databases
equipment
• Government documents,
• Equipment operating reports, databases, &
logs/journals clearinghouses
• Laboratory test results • Other publicly available
databases or clearinghouses
• Equipment and process • Journals, papers, books, &
specifications patents
• Best engineering • Reference books
• Trade associations
judgment.
• Related/previous life cycle
inventory studies

ข้ อมูลจากรายงาน
ข้ อมูPrimary
ลจากเครืdata
่ องมือวัด Secondary data
สิ่งพิมพ์ ฐานข้ อมูล 37
 Gather input-output per year
 Calculate input-output per functional unit

38
Material Unit Amount (/Y) Amount (/FU)
Cane Ton 5,000,000
Lime Ton 12,000
NaOH Ton 1,000
PE Bag Ton 150

Energy Unit Amount (/Y) Amount (/FU)

Electricity MWh 80,000
Steam Ton 4,000,000

39
Product Unit Amount (/Y) Amount (/FU)
Sugar Ton 500,000

Emission to water Unit Amount (/Y) Amount (/FU)

BOD Kg 380
NO3- Kg 18
PO43- Kg 350

Solid waste Unit Amount (/Y) Amount (/FU)

Filter cake Ton 200,000

40
 Sugar cane
cultivation and
harvesting

 Foreground data – data

Transportation
specific to the model at hand
 Background data – generic
Sugar
data that can be found in manufacturing
available database (examples,
generic transportation or
electricity) Consumer

Disposal

41
 Time related coverage
 Geographical coverage
 Technological coverage
 Assumption
 System boundary

42
 There are processes which have more than one
function called “multifunctional processes”

Latex
Fertilizer
Wood

Para rubber plantation

43
 Electricity Electricity
Natural gas production with
cogeneration of Heat
heat (CHP)

LPG
Diesel
Crude oil Refinery
Gasoline
process
Fuel oil

Sodium chloride (NaCl) Chlorine (Cl2)

Electrolysis Caustic soda (NaOH)
of sodium
Electricity chloride Hydrogen gas (H2)

44
45
 Impact category selection
 Classification
 Characterization
 Normalization
 Grouping
 Weighting

46
 Identify an impact category (such as global

warming), a category indicator index associated

with it (such as infrared radiation [W/m2]), and a
model used for assessment (such as the IPCC
model) beforehand. If these are shown in a report,
the transparency of assessment results will be
secured.

47
48
49
 Allocate the results of LCI among the relevant
impact categories. This results in the allocation of
two or more environmentally damaging
substances in each impact category. If an
environmentally damaging substance contributes
to two or more impact categories, allocate it to all
the relevant impact categories (for example, NOx
is allocated to both photochemical oxidant and
acidification)

50
 Life cycle inventory Life cycle impact
assessment

Inputs Outputs Midpoint Endpoint

impacts impacts
Raw material
acquisition

Manufacturing,
processing and Product
Electricity Resource use
formulation

Distribution CO2 Global warming Fatalities

Transportation
Coal ore
CH4
Use/Reuse/
Maintenance
SO2 Acidification Ecosystem

Recycle NOx

Other
Other Other impacts
Waste emissions
emissions
management

51
Source: Adapted from http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S1816-79502011000500013&script=sci_arttext
 Potential impact on an impact category differs
depending on the substance. Taking into
consideration this difference, calculate the potential
environmental impact of the product system on each
impact category. Calculation consists of conversion
of the units for the LCI results into a common unit and
cumulative addition of the results. A characterization
factor is used for this conversion (for example, GWP in
the case of global warming). This enables aggregation
of LCI results for each impact category instead of
each substance as before and clarifies which
substance gives the largest contribution in the target
impact category.
52
 780 cal/kg
1,480 cal/kg

2,517 cal/kg

Energy

616 cal/kg
2,632 cal/kg 53
520 cal/kg
 Greenhouse gas GWP (kgCO2eq/kg)
CO2 1
CH4 25
N2O 298 N2O
HFC23 12,800
HFC134a 1,430 CO2 CO2
HFC152a 124
CF4 7,390 CH4 CH4
C2F6 12,200
SF6 22,800
Source: Forth Assessment IPCC Report, 2007)
350
kg CO2e

54
 Life cycle inventory Life cycle impact
assessment
Inputs Outputs Midpoint Endpoint
impacts impacts
Raw material
acquisition

Manufacturing,
processing and Product
Electricity Resource use
formulation

Distribution CO2 1 Global warming Fatalities

Transportation
25
Coal ore
CH4
Use/Reuse/
Maintenance
SO2 1 Acidification Ecosystem

0.5

Recycle NOx

Other ……. Other impacts

Waste emissions
management

55
Source: Adapted from http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S1816-79502011000500013&script=sci_arttext
 Life cycle inventory Life cycle impact
assessment
Inputs Outputs Midpoint Endpoint
impacts impacts
Raw material
acquisition

Manufacturing,
processing and Product
Electricity Resource use
formulation

1,400 kg
Distribution CO2 1 Global warming Fatalities
Transportation
200 kg 25
Coal ore
CH4
Use/Reuse/
10 kg
Maintenance
SO2 1 Acidification Ecosystem

50 kg 0.5

Recycle NOx

Other ……. Other impacts

Waste emissions
management

56
Source: Adapted from http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S1816-79502011000500013&script=sci_arttext
 Life cycle inventory Life cycle impact
assessment
Inputs Outputs Midpoint Endpoint
impacts impacts
Raw material
acquisition

Manufacturing,
processing and Product
Electricity Resource use
formulation

1,400 kg 6,400 kg CO2eq

Distribution CO2 1 Global warming Fatalities
Transportation
200 kg 25
Coal ore
CH4
Use/Reuse/
10 kg 35 kg SO2eq
Maintenance
SO2 1 Acidification Ecosystem

50 kg 0.5

Recycle NOx

Other
Other ……. Other impacts
Waste emissions
emissions
management

57
Source: Adapted from http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S1816-79502011000500013&script=sci_arttext
 LCI Midpoint impact Endpoint impact
CO2 Global warming Sea level
CH4 Ozone depletion
PAH Carcinogen
Carcinogens
VOC
Radiation Respiratory
CFCs
decease
SOx Photo chemical oxidation

NOx Acidification Dying

PM10 Land use Forest
COD Nutrification Extinction of
SS
TDS
Eco-toxicity species
Sludge Mineral
Resource
Scrap Fuel depletion
Greater uncertainty but easier communication 58
59
 Normalization is carried out to understand the
relative strength of the product system subject to
assessment. Calculation is carried out by dividing
the result of characterization by the referential
datum (for example, the annual impact in Japan).

Characterization results
Impact score
Normalization value

60
 The result is indicated non-dimensionally (for
example, the degree of contribution to the
environmental impact of the product subject to
assessment on the total impact in Japan). This
clarifies what impact category receives a large
contribution from the object of assessment.

Characterization results
Impact score
Normalization value

61
 Global Warming
Global Warming

CO2, CH4…
CO2, CH4…
Refrigerator

CFCs

CFCs

Ozone Layer Deletion

Ozone Layer Deletion

62
 Grouping is allocation of impact categories to one
or more groups. Depending on purpose, the
allocated impact categories are rearranged or
ranked. Because there are various impact
categories, grouping is carried out as a measure
to facilitate the interpretation of assessment
results.

63
 The weighting factor established based on the
sense of value is used for converting various
impact category results and, if possible, putting
them together into a single index. In many cases,
a single index is derived by multiplying the result
of normalization by a non-dimensional weighting
factor.

64
Characterization Normalization

Weighting Single score

65
66
 It can include the production or consumption of
resources like energy or carbon emissions
regardless of where the process may be located
or if changed from one form to another
 It provides a complete picture of the product,
process or service i.e. while a small change may
appear to bring environmental benefits, it may
actually create more carbon emissions
downstream, negating its overall benefit.
 A cradle-to-grace allows the manufacturer to
evaluate any change in the production timeline.
67
 They are very specific and often cannot be transposed
across to similar operations
 Sometimes inventory data is difficult to obtain and
best estimates need to be used. This is being
addressed by the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) program
that improves access to high quality life cycle data
 Pulling together data can be time consuming and
costly
 They do not necessarily determine which product or
process performs the best or is the most cost
effective, so may need to be used as a component of a
more comprehensive study

68
 For those operating an ISO 14001 compliant environmental management system
(EMS), giving some considered thought to how it might influence other life cycle
stages beyond its immediate control has become the minimum requirement that
must be fulfilled. Although this makes life cycle thinking a compulsory and core
element of an ISO 14001 EMS, it should not be considered as a box ticking
exercise. Embedding a life cycle perspective into environmental management
can in fact bring significant and tangible business benefits.
 It is becoming increasingly commonplace for environmental credentials, such as
a product’s carbon or water footprint, to be considered in purchasing decisions.
These have become key components to enable those buying products to assess
value. This means that organizations that take a life cycle perspective may have
a competitive advantage over others. They can also reap the benefits of an
improved brand image by demonstrating their commitment to reducing their
direct and indirect environmental impacts.
 While the ISO 14001 requirements do not require formal Life Cycle Assessments
(LCAs) to be conducted, using LCA methods (for example, to produce a carbon
footprint) can be useful to understand the significance of environmental impacts
that may occur across a product’s lifetime.
 Keep an eye out for our next blog in this series, specifically looking at LCAs.

69
 Production processes : Companies can use LCA to identify the part of a production
process that has the greatest environmental impact so they can focus optimization
efforts on that part. Or process engineers can compare two alternative production
processes with LCA to select the process with overall superior environmental
performance. AkzoNobel has done this.
 Waste management : LCA can be used to select among multiple waste management
approaches. Recycling may not always be superior to incineration, for example. An
LCA can reveal if this is the case.
 Product and packaging development : Companies draw on LCA methods in product
and packaging design. It can help them select materials with lower environmental
impacts. It can guide the development of designs that have lower impacts in the use
phase or are easier to recycle. Stonyfield Farm has used LCA to select packaging for
its yogurt.
 Sustainability goals : A company with internal or public sustainability goals can use
LCA to understand the impact of a new process on its ability to achieve those goals.
This can give it advance notice that it may need to adjust some internal goals as a
consequence of launching a new product or process. AkzoNobel uses LCA in this
way.

70
 Strategy and risk management : Some companies use LCA to get a better understanding of
their dependence on critical raw materials, the availability of alternative sources and the
impacts of those sources, and their exposure to interruptions in supply.
 Green marketing : LCA has communication applications. A rigorous, science-based analysis,
conducted in compliance with international standards, provides a sound basis for
communicating with customers about environmental performance and progress. LCAs are
the basis of environmental product declarations, a communication tool of growing
importance.
 Marketing : LCA can be used for the definition of marketing strategies of the organization,
disseminating the advantages related to the products compared to other existing products.
 According to the UNEP/SETAC (2009) LCA can assist in decision-making related to
marketing, for example, for the implementation of an eco-labeling project (Eco labeling), or
the environmental statement of the product. This emphasizes that LCA allows you to develop
a “green” marketing strategy based on the product recycling possibilities.
 With all that has been displayed, it can be perceived that LCA allows to identify opportunities
to improve the environmental performance of products in various points in its life cycle
(UNEP/SETAC, 2009). Thus, it becomes evident the importance of LCA as a tool for
management. In this sense, its application can contribute significantly to the creation of
green innovations within organizations.

71
 Strategic Planning
 Production
 Product Development Process (PDP)
 Research and Development (R&D)
 Social and Environmental Responsibility (SER)
 Marketing
 LCA and Green Innovations
 Product innovation
 Processes innovation
 Service innovation

72
 Cost savings
 Improved environmental cost allocation
 Allows you to target supply chain improvements
 Help to shape corporate sustainability strategy
 Assess/justify impact of material choices and operational
processes
 Assess your product/service/process against those of your
competitors
 Supports communications about environmental friendliness
of products/services/processes
 Improved environmental performance and reputation
 Strengthened customer loyalty

73
 Functional unit: 200,000 km
 Environmental categories: Photo-oxidation
chemical potential (kg C2H4eq), Adiabatic
potential (GJ), Eutrophication potential (kg P eq),
Acidification potential (kg SO2eq), GWP (kg
CO2eq)

74
Overall CO2 emissions of the C-180

75
76
Characterization results of the C-180

77
Normalization results of the C-180

78
LCA results for C350e compared to C250

79
80
Environmental claims for public disclosure

81
82