Page 385 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

6.4 One Life Cycle Assessment or Three? 369

A weighting between the three dimensions should not take place. Thus
transparency remains, which can surely be regarded as an advantage of this
option. The assignment of pros and cons in comparative analyses is clear; there
are no – and there should not be – compensational factors between the three
dimensions ecology, economy and social aspects.

6.4.2
Option 2

LCSA = LCAnew (6.2)

(including LCC and SLCA as additional impact assessments in the impact assess-
ment of the LCA (‘LCA new’).
This option means that on the basis of one (extended) inventory up to three
impact assessments are accomplished (LCC has no formal impact assessment, the
results are the costs in a common currency), which can refer, for example, to a
common set of areas of protection. The advantage here is that only one inventory
model must be defined in goal and scope. Also the results of an inventory of LCA
(LCI) can be used as starting point for the product-related social assessment, as
introduced in the method by Hunkeler. 68)
There are advocates for both options, and a possible future extension of ISO
14040 series is crucial for the discussion. Therefore the following important
question arises: Is option 2 compatible with ISO 14040? In Section 4.1.3 it reads:
LCA addresses the environmental aspects and impacts of a product system.
Economic and social aspects and impacts are, typically, outside the scope of the
LCA. Other tools may be combined with LCA for more extensive assessments.

Already the introduction quotes:

LCA typically does not address the economic or social aspects of a product, but the
life cycle approach and methodologies described in this International Standard
can be applied to these other aspects.

These quotations from ISO 14040 clearly speak in favour of option 1 (Equation
6.1) and a separate standardisation of LCC and SLCA consistent with LCA would
be a logical consequence. On the other hand, the standards ISO 14040 and 14044
could again be changed in the future in order to make option 2 (Equation 6.2)
ISO-conformable (‘LCA new’). This would, however, also have as a consequence
that the already extensive standard ISO 14044 would have to be extended by detailed
regulations for LCC and SLCA.
There are two further hypothetical possibilities to quantify LCSA (Equations 6.3
and 6.4).

68) Hunkeler, 2006.