Page 69 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

2.3 Illustration of the Component ‘Definition of Goal and Scope’ Using an Example of Practice 53

Unit processes that are not considered are named explicitly.

Not to be considered:

• Production and disposal of the infrastructure (machines, aggregates, means of
transportation) and their maintenance
• Production and sterilisation of the respective filled good as well as its cooling
• Environmental aspects that result from activities of the consumer (transport
to the shop, refrigeration processes)
• Environmental effects by accidents.

2.3.2.2 Technical System Boundaries and Cut-Off Criteria
As cut-off criteria the ‘1% and the 5% rule’ are specified for the process level, which
is common practice.

The goal is to consider input materials in product systems if they cover,
within the respective sub-process of the life cycle, more than 1% of the mass
of the desired output in the process. At the same time, however, the sum
of the neglected materials within a process should amount to no more than
5% of the output.

Here also an explanation is given that production and sterilisation of the filled
good are not considered, but that the comparison refers to the packaging alone.

The system boundaries only include environmental impacts due to the pack-
aging material. The expenditures and emissions caused by the production
of the filled good (plus its upstream-processes) are, in analogy to UBA
studies, 61) not included in the LCA. This also applies to the transportation
of the packed filled good in the course of distribution. Since, however, the
distribution as a process step lies within the system boundary of the LCA,
an allocation of the emissions between beverage packaging and filled good
is necessary.

2.3.2.3 Demarcation to the System Surrounding
The rules, according to which the demarcation to the system surrounding was
treated in the example, are described. In the study, the handling of allocation is
already defined within the description of the scope definition. According to ISO
14040/44, this is intended. Since, however, the discussion of these work steps takes
place in Chapter 3 ‘Life Cycle Inventory Analysis’, appropriate detailed definitions
are explained there. The handling of system expansion and credits within the

61) Plinke et al. (2000) and UBA (2002).