Page 22 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

Chapter 2

The development of life cycle assessment methods
and applications

Karli L Verghese, Tim Grant and Ralph E Horne

Momentum is gaining towards understanding the environmental impacts of human activities
– where they occur and to what degree. Life cycle assessment (LCA) has much to offer in this
regard, provided there is sufficient methodological rigour, standardisation and data to enable
genuinely comparative studies and reliable results to be generated. Despite an internationally
agreed scientific approach enshrined in the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) standards (14040 series), there remain various routes to consider the material and energy
flows across processes in a supply chain – and therefore various possible outcomes of this con-
sideration. As LCA practice has developed through a combination of empirical and theoretical
advances, so this development has influenced both contemporary LCA studies and the range
of approaches used today.
Interest in the application of LCA has grown steadily since the early 1990s. From relatively
few organisations interested primarily in resource extraction (e.g. BHP Billiton and Pioneer),
LCA activity widened rapidly to encompass activities as diverse as building material manufac-
turing, furniture production, food and beverage packaging supply chains, and water utility
companies. Government departments are using LCA increasingly and exploring means by
which it can provide input to policy development for a range of purposes from procurement to
carbon trading. Concurrently, researchers have been developing methods and datasets in an
effort to refine and improve LCA quality.
As a prelude to a discussion of current LCA practice and future prospects, this chapter
critically reviews the development of LCA methods and applications. While there is specific
focus on Australia, international developments in LCA are also considered as an essential
backdrop, particularly regarding methodology and data development and standardisation.
This chapter consists of four main parts, as follows:
s discussion of the broad policy context relating to LCA in Australia (directly and
indirectly) across various sectors and jurisdictions;
s critical review of relevant LCA stakeholder forums in Australia;
s discussion of relevant regional and international initiatives; and
s an account of current challenges, developments and initiatives in Australia.

2.1 Policy context relating to LCA in Australia
Policy is invariably a reaction to an identified social, cultural, economic or environmental need.
Often this identification is made by non-governmental organisations or individuals, well in

9

100804•Life Cycle Assessment 5pp.indd 9 17/02/09 12:46:14 PM