Summary
Summary of Lectures + Literature of Toolbox 1
- Course
- Institution
Summary of Lectures + Literature of Toolbox 1 from
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
ezradirks
Content preview
11/11 Lecture 1: Kick-off, Environmental assessment and management approachesThere is no straight-forward solution for sustainability challenges, because there are trade-offs.
- Biofuels: land-use for fuel vs. food
- Battery electric vehicles: fossil resource depletion (and greenhouse gas emission) vs. more
mineral use like lithium and cobalt (poor labour conditions, emissions from mining, child
labour)
Key challenge for research, industry & policymakers is how to do it sustainably.
Course set-up
- Focus around sustainability of products and production processes of firms
- Assess the impact of products/production processes
- Gain knowledge on how products/processes can be managed & improved.
,
,13/11 Lecture 2: LCA Goal & Scope definition
LCA in a nutshell
LCA is a cradle-to-grave model. Started in the 1960s and became real
‘LCA’ in 1990s.
- Different methods, datasets etc. led to different outcomes,
there was no standard methodology.
- Big companies were challenged by green parties to decrease
environmental impact.
- 1990s take-off of LCAs and harmonisation of methodology &
standardisation. Industrial adoption of LCA to make
claims/development. Gained academic recognition & policy
implications e.g. support for regulations.
International standards & Guidelines:
- ISO 14040/14044:2006: it is the base of all LCA methodologies but it is ambiguous and
unspecific because it is very broad.
o ISO 14040 definition of LCA: LCA is a technique for assessing the environmental
aspects and potential impacts associated with a product,
o An LCA consists of the Goal and scope definition, the Inventory analysis, an impact
assessment and the interpretation.
- ILCD handbook: detailed guidance on environmental LCA, criticized for being internally
inconsistent with respect to attributional and consequential modelling.
Use of LCA for
- Decision making (product/process design and development, purchasing (green procurement)
and policy)
- Learning (production system, identification of improvement possibilities, selection of
environmental performance indicators)
- Market claims (LCA-based ecolabelling, benchmarking, nog een )
, Goal definition
Iso 14044 on goal definition:
o Intended application (what)
E.g.
o Reasons for carrying out the study (why)
E.g.
o The intended audience (who)
o Comparative assertions disclosed to the public? (internal/external)
Goal definition should be formulated ‘smart’, include what, why and who.
Scope definition
- Temporal scope: look at the data requirements (e.g. not older than 10 years), minimum time
(e.g. one season), reference year, temporal scope for impacts (GWP over 20/ over 100 years).
- Geographical scope: region for which data will be collected, region where the results are
valid for, what happens where?
- Technological scope: are you looking for the best technology, worst, or average? Should fit
with geographical and temporal scope.
- Which impacts/impact categories: should be a comprehensive set of environmental impact
categories related to the product system and account for the goal and scope definition.
A lifecycle assessment looks at a product and the functions of this product. It covers all processes
from cradle to grave and only measures environmental impacts. It is a quantitative assessment.
Types of LCA and limitations
- Attributional: Accounting Type (descriptive/retrospective) e.g. what are the environmental
impacts of cooking with natural gas?
- Consequential: Change-oriented (Prospective) e.g. what are the environmental impacts of
changing from conventional cars to battery electric cars?
- Attributional studies are more precise, but less complete while consequential studies are
more complete but less precise. Consequential modelling is used for policy and decision-
making.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller ezradirks. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $7.47. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
76449 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now