Page 22 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

6 1 Introduction

plant but due to outsourcing of the washing to another enterprise. For this reason,
washing water was not a factor anymore in the operational input–output analysis
within the system boundary of the investigated site.

Nevertheless, operational input–output analyses are useful for many applica-
tions, for example, as data bases in environmental management systems. 15)
A simple consideration shows that operational input–output analyses also pro-
vide data bases for the LCA of products: Every production process, for example,
the production of 500 g of potato salad in a screw cap glass jar, takes place at
a specific company, at a specific site. If data, for example, for energy and water
consumption of the system ‘1000 screw cap glasses, each containing 500 g potato
salad supplemented by cucumber, egg and yoghurt dressing’ have to be procured,
every company that is part of the production and transportation of the packed
product as well as businesses involved in the waste management of the used
packaging must have analysed their processes in such a way that the data can be
allocated to the product under investigation. This is not simple: an agricultural
corporation generally does not only produce milk and a dairy not only yoghurt;
the manufacturer of glass jars provides glasses for diverse customers, and so on.
If, however, all companies involved in manufacture, distribution and end-of-life
management of the product (supply chain) had data from their specific opera-
tional input–output analysis in a product-related format, these results could be
merged. Nevertheless, product-related data acquisition is not common practice in
operational input–output analyses.
Coupling of such operational input–output analyses along the life cycle of
products would provide the possibility of LCA chain management. 16) Companies
that are part of a product system could explore and realise potentials for the
optimisation in co-operation. There is the hope that, in this way, life cycle thinking
and, in the end, also life cycle acting, may emerge (Life Cycle Thinking and Life Cycle
Management –LCM).

1.2
History
1.2.1
Early LCAs

LCA is a relatively recent methodology, but not as recent as many believe.
Approaches to life cycle thinking have already been reported in early literature.
The Scottish economist and biologist Patrick Geddes has developed as early as in

15) Braunschweig and M¨ uller-Wenk (1993), Beck (1993) and Schaltegger (1996).
16) Udo de Haes and De Snoo (1996, 1997).