Mary Ann Curran

Life cycle assessment in the agri-food sector: case studies, methodological issues, and best practices

As stated in the foreword, this book aims to offer a major step forward in identifying the complex methodological issues of crop production through example case studies and best practices. The numerous authors conducted an extensive review of the open literature survey and share their assessment of the current practice of evaluating the life cycle impacts of five selected crops and some of their derived products. The subsequent assessment is intended to be based on worldwide activities, although the editors and authors are all members of the Italian Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Network, Associazione Rete Italiano LCA (www.reteitaninalca.it). Paolo Masoni, the current Chair of the BRete,^ provided the Foreword. The book consists of six chapters. The first chapter is entitled BLife Cycle Assessment in the agri-food sector: An overview of its key aspects, international initiatives, certification, labeling schemes and methodological issues.^ It describes the main methodological and data availability issues, together with a survey of major international initiatives and labeling schemes used to inform customers about the environmental quality of food products. This overview chapter is followed by five chapters that address specific crops: olive oil, wine, cereal and derived products, livestock and derived edible products, and fruit. Each chapter presents an extensive search of the open literature. The findings are presented using a similar, but not exact, format in all the chapters related to the various crop sectors. The topics included cover the following:

Considerations and a report on the state of practice

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an analytical tool to evaluate the environmental consequences of products and their production systems. A great deal of effort has been devoted to developing methodology and guidelines for conducting LCAs. However, many companies are devising shortcuts to the full LCA model. We conducted discussions with twenty-one LCA practitioners and researchers to investigate techniques being used to simplify or streamline the LCA methodology. We found a wide variety of approaches being used to accomplish the streamlining from convening informal in-house expert panels to identify life cycle issues to developing and applying formal, structured tools.

Report from the EPA conference on streamlining LCA

As part of a comprehensive research program on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology and practices, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted a meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 12 & 13, 1995, on Streamlining LCA. Organized by Research Triangle Institute’s Center for Environmental Analysis for the EPA, the conference provided a forum where practitioners and researchers could present the most up-to-date information on streamlined approaches. Time was also allotted for facilitated discussion which allowed the participants to express their thoughts and experiences with streamlined LCA applications, leading to butter understanding of the subject.

Assessing environmental impacts of biofuels using lifecycle‐based approaches

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to inform decision makers about the data and information generated by commonly‐used, holistic environmental assessment approaches.Design/methodology/approach – Descriptions of eight types of lifecycle‐based methods are provided: Carbon/Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Management, Ecological Footprint, Energy Assessments, Fuel Cycle Analysis, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Risk Management (LCRM), Material Flow Analysis (MFA), and Sustainability Indicators. Example assessments of bio‐based products are provided because of the current environmental and socio‐economic relevance of bio‐feedstocks.Findings – Assessment methods that focus on single impact indicators, such as air emissions (Carbon Management and Fuel Cycle Analysis) and energy, typically show biofuels in a favorable light compared to conventional gasoline (petrol). Ecological Footprint addresses land use implications; LCRM addresses possible impacts to human and ecological health due to chemical contaminant exp...

Life-cycle based government policies a survey

This paper examines how different Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) approaches, from full LCA’s to more qualitative LCA’s, are being used internationally in the development of government policies. Examples from 14 countries are provided for recent initiatives in various forms of policy which were developed to move national environmental policies toward the more life-cycle based programs. They indicate that a broader frame of reference is beginning to be used by those who write such policies. Discussion is also provided on the barriers that slow the adoption of life-cycle approaches in the development of government policies.

How many case studies should we publish, if any?

Dear Readers, From the beginning, it has been the editorial policy of this journal that academic as well as applied life cycle assessment (LCA) studies be published (Klöpffer 1996). This concept has been very successful (as seen in the Journals increasing impact factor) and will not be changed in principle (Klöpffer et al. 2013), at least not in the foreseeable future. Papers based on academic studies, of course, contribute to the advancement of knowledge in LCA methodology. Papers based on applied LCA studies also bring value by covering a wide range of practical issues, from the application and testing of the methods developed in the academic field, to the application of established methods to specific product systems in “case studies.” It is this last point which is sometimes criticized as boring or lacking new information. Reinout Heijungs provided his thoughts on journals that publish papers that do not address methods and techniques, but merely employ them:

Evaluating the Environmental Impacts of a Nano-Enhanced Field Emission Display Using Life Cycle Assessment: A Screening-Level Study

Carbon nanotube (CNT) field emission displays (FEDs) are currently in the product development stage and are expected to be commercialized in the near future because they offer image quality and viewing angles comparable to a cathode ray tube (CRT) while using a thinner structure, similar to a liquid crystal display (LCD), and enable more efficient power consumption during use. To address concerns regarding the environmental performance of CNT-FEDs, a screening-level, cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted based on a functional unit of 10,000 viewing hours, the viewing lifespan of a CNT-FED. Contribution analysis suggests the impacts for material acquisition and manufacturing are greater than the combined impacts for use and end-of-life. A scenario analysis of the CNT paste composition identifies the metal components used in the paste are key contributors to the impacts of the upstream stages due to the impacts associated with metal preparation. Further improvement of the manufacturing impacts is possible by considering the use of plant-based oils, such as rapeseed oil, as alternatives to organic solvents for dispersion of CNTs. Given the differences in viewing lifespan, the impacts of the CNT-FED were compared with a LCD and a CRT display to provide more insight on how to improve the CNT-FED to make it a viable product alternative. When compared with CRT technology, CNT-FEDs show better environmental performance, whereas a comparison with LCD technology indicates the environmental impacts are roughly the same. Based on the results, the enhanced viewing capabilities of CNT-FEDs will be a more viable display option if manufacturers can increase the products expected viewing lifespan.

Developing a tool for environmentally preferable purchasing

LCA‐based guidance was developed by EPA under the Framework for Responsible Environmental Decision‐making (FRED) effort to demonstrate how to conduct a relative comparison between product types to determine environmental preferability. It identifies data collection needs and issues, and describes how to calculate numeric impact indicators for a given product or service across eight human health and environmental impact categories that were selected specifically to meet the goal of the effort: global climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, acidification, photochemical smog formation, eutrophication, human health, ecological health, and resource depletion. Case studies were conducted on motor oil, wall insulation, and asphalt coating. It was concluded that the FRED LCA approach can be performed in a much shorter time period than is typical for a more detailed LCA. This more practical duration for procurement decisions is achieved though the focusing of data collection and a simplified impact assessment procedure.

Life-cycle improvements analysis: procedure development and demonstration

The use of life-cycle assessment (LCA) methods for identifying, evaluating, and selecting among alternative opportunities for improving the energy, resource, and environmental release profile of a product or process is in its infancy. Methods development and demonstration efforts are being supported by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The authors discuss some of these efforts in the context of linkages with other related product design and development tools.<<ETX>>

Strengths and Limitations of Life Cycle Assessment

This chapter discusses strengths and limitations of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) not by linear analysis but by elucidating limitations embedded in strengths. It elaborates perceived and real limitations in LCA methodology grouped by research need, inherent characteristic or modeling choice. So, LCA practice continues to suffer from variations in practice that can result in different LCA results. Some limitations, such as modeling missing impact indicators and making life cycle inventory more readily-available, will be addressed through continued research and development of the tool. Other modeling choice-related limitations, such as matching goal to approach setting a proper functional unit or appropriately scoping the assessment, need to be addressed through continued education and training to assist users in the proper application of the tool. Still other limitations in LCA practice would benefit by the development of harmonized guidance and global agreement by LCA practitioners and modelers.