Life Cycle Assessment: A Key to Driving Sustainability

Transcription

1 Life Cycle Assessment: A Key to Driving Sustainability

2 Outline What is the Life Cycle Approach? How are LCAs Used? Life Cycle Thinking Exercise Case Studies: X

3 What s IN a Life Cycle Approach? Qualitative Quantitative Life Cycle Thinking Life Cycle Assessment Influenced by: Intended application/purpose Completeness of the life cycle stages and impacts to be examined Amount of primary data to be collected versus use of existing data bases Number of suppliers and complexity of the product system Critical review process

4 Present System TAKE MAKE WASTE Economy Cradle to Grave

5 Analysis of Resources & Risk What is your company heavily reliant on to provide your products or services? (fossil fuels, oil, metals, minerals, etc.) Sustainability requires thinking of the present and future Questions: What resources are we dependent on for the sustainability of our company? What will be the cost and availability of these resources in the future? What are alternative resources to ensure we are competitive and can supply the market in the future?

6 Life Cycle Approach The consideration of Life Cycle impacts, without the application of extensive data collection and application of the ISO methodologies. Includes concepts such as: Product chemical exclusions ( black lists ) Material selection / ranking tools Product stewardship / life cycle management Design for Environment Environmental supply chain management Industrial ecology

7 Life Cycle Approach: Applications Market / Regulatory Drivers Technology Assessment Internal Use Process Optimization Cost savings Product Stewardship Benchmarkin g Choice of suppliers GHG Measuremen t Mandatory Reporting Voluntary Reporting Product Developmen t Regulatory Affairs Product Disclosure Sales Support Marketing Product Branding External Use Strategic Drivers

8 Life Cycle Approach Tool Box Eco-design Checklists or Scorecards Green Procurement Guidelines or Scorecards Environmental performance indicators Social Sustainability Assessments Life Cycle Costing Ecological and Carbon Footprints Eco and Energy Labelling Life Cycle Assessment Environmental Product Declarations

9 What is a Life Cycle Assessment?

10 How LCA s are Used Helps a manufacturer to understand all impacts and can be used along with economic analysis to make products more sustainable Evaluate product design or material changes For example, recycled content vs. virgin materials Transportation impact analysis Analysis of chemicals including impacts of banned/restricted substances of concern Evaluate benefits of closed loop (cradle-to-cradle) design A tool that architects, builders and homeowners use to evaluate and select sustainable products and materials for buildings To satisfy green building standards (LEED, NGBS) and sustainable purchasing/supply chain requirements

11 Class Exercise: Example of Life Cycle Thinking Tire Manufacturing

12 Life Cycle Thinking True sustainability of products and materials requires a thorough understanding of the impacts in all life cycle stages. It is important to use life cycle thinking as we design and manufacture products.

13 Car Tire Life Cycle End of Life Raw Materials Extraction Use Transportati on/distributi on Manufacturing

14 What is a Tire Made From? Rubber? Fabric? Steel?

15 What is a Tire Made From? Natural rubber Polyisoprene Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) Polybutadiene Halobutyl rubber Carbon black Silica Sulphur Zinc oxide Complex organic compounds Antioxidants Textile fabric Steel

16 Material Considerations Which of these might be hazardous? How do you find out? What alternate chemicals might be used? Less toxic Bio-based/Rapidly Renewable Are any of these chemicals produced as waste or by-product in another facility? Is future availability, supply limitations, or market volatility a concern for any of these? Can these materials be recycled?

17 Car Tire Life Cycle End of Life Raw Materials Extraction Use Transportation/ Distribution Manufacturing

18 How is a Tire Made? Compounding/ Mixing Extruder Calendar Tire Building Machine (assembly) Curing Finishing Testing

19 Manufacturing Considerations Can any process be made more efficient? Can waste heat be re-used elsewhere? How can the scrap rate be minimized? How can defect rates be minimized? Curing is one of the most energy-intensive processes in making a tire. Can other joining systems or chemicals be used that require shorter or cooler curing? Other considerations?

21 Product Use What stage of a tire s life involves the most energy consumption? (~1036 MJ/tire) (~51,155 MJ/tire) Manufacturing Use Tire life cycle performance can be affected more by focusing on reducing use phase energy! Reducing rolling resistance Increasing life span Reducing air leaks Designing products for sustainability must consider all cradle-to-grave product phases.

23 Typical End-of-Life 54% (~2.5 million tons/yr) are burned (some as fuel alternative to coal). 17% are ground up and used in other applications (asphalt, playgrounds, etc.). 12% are used as ground fill in civil engineering projects. Remaining: exported, agricultural, punch/stamp, arc furnace fuel.

24 End-of-Life Considerations How can a tire be designed for easy recycling? Can a tire be designed for re-treading and still meet all safety regulations? How can a take-back program be instituted? How can distributors and consumers be incented to return used tires?

25 Real Tire Examples Goodyear/DuPont initiative to replace isoprene with bio-isoprene using soybean oil Increase tread life 10% Decrease annual petroleum oil usage by 7 million gallons Bridgestone developing gauyule shrub as commercially viable source of rubber Ford may start using discarded tires for the seals and gaskets of new vehicles

26 LCA Basics

27 The LCA Process Life cycle assessment is conducted as defined by two International Standards Organization (ISO) standards: ISO 14040, which lays out the principles and framework of LCA. ISO 14044, which describes requirements and guidelines. LCA is an iterative process and requires an understanding of all inputs and outputs throughout the life cycle. It consists of the four phases: Goal and Scope Definition. The product is described, the goal of the study and the system boundaries are defined, and the functional unit is defined. Life Cycle Inventory. Data is collected. The manufacturing process is evaluated and process and material flows diagrams are prepared and analyzed. This data is integrated into the LCA software for conducting the assessment. Life Cycle Impact Assessment. The significance of potential impacts is evaluated using the data collected in the LCA analysis. Interpretation. The results of the study are reviewed and interpreted.

28 Steps for Conducting an LCA (ISO 14040) 1. Goal and Scope of the Life Cycle Assessment 2. Modeling the Product System 3. Identification of Data Types and Boundaries 4. Data Collection 5. Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) 6. Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) 7. Interpretation 8. Report 9. Critical Review (can be optional)

29 Goal and Scope vs. Level of Effort Application Audience Scope Quantification Corporate Strategy/ Internal Communication Product Design/ Modification Facility Siting/ Operations Public Information/ External Communication External Policy-making/ Governmental Internal I n c r e a s i n g External I n c r e a s i n g I n c r e a s i n g

30 Goal & Scope: The Functional Unit Example Functional Units for LCA Product Comparisons Defined by function, NOT by mass (which could be different!) Functional Unit One washload of clean clothes Packaging for 1 kg of detergent One cleaned toilet Product 1 Traditional laundry detergent Paperboard packaging (box) Traditional formula and Nylon brush Product 2 Concentrated laundry detergent Flexible polypropylene packaging (Doypack) Removable head brush w/ formula impregnated

31 Functional Unit Example Some marketing pieces will try to use the wrong units for comparison or will not explain which units they are using Comparison by weight, not functional unit Brick and Mortar (1kg) Source: BEES 4.0e Vinyl Siding (1kg) HH noncancer HH cancer Water intake Smog Ozone depletion Indoor air quality Habitat alteration Global warming Fossil Fuel depletion Eutrophication Ecotoxicity Criteria air pollutants Acidification Brick siding weighs almost 35 lbs per square foot of wall coverage, while vinyl siding only weighs half a pound per square foot

32 Functional Units Comparisons of LCA results should always be made using functional units Functional units are based on how the product is used For siding, the functional unit is area of wall covered HH noncancer HH cancer Water intake Smog Ozone depletion Indoor air quality Habitat alteration Global warming Fossil Fuel depletion Eutrophication Ecotoxicity Source: BEES 4.0e Brick and Mortar (1 sq ft) Vinyl Siding (1 sqft) Criteria air pollutants Acidification

33 Goal & Scope: System Boundaries Cradle-to-Grave Cradle-to-Gate Gate-to-Gate Gate-to-Grave

34 Goal & Scope: Data Boundaries Primary Data is collected wherever possible in the study Recorded data (usually a one-year average of actual production values) Engineering data (calculated data from equipment specifications) Estimated data (developed using process expectations) Background data is used to represent very hard to get data, usually on upstream raw material extraction and primary processing Available through a number of publicly available databases Often a proxy is used if there is a data gap Geographic challenges Process technology challenges

35 Life Cycle Inventory Electricity Fuel Employees and Customers Materials and Resources Money Water Precipitation Motor Vehicles Energy Food and Beverages Products and Packaging Supplies, Chemicals and Equipment Combustion Products Jobs and Taxes Money Chemicals Noise Satisfied Customers Stormwater Runoff Products Wastewater Recyclable Materials Community Connections Emissions Light Pollution Trash and Landfill Waste CO 2 CO NO X

36 Case Studies

37 Case Study: Clif Bar Problem Statement: What is the most environmentally friendly packaging for our product? Solution LCA of material options Qualitative scoring of industry, existing/likely suppliers, and potential for improved sustainability performance Consideration of Customer concerns Corporate values

38 Case Study: Kimberly-Clark Problem Statement: How do we identify key Life Cycle issues related to our product over time? Solution Development of flexible LCA models that can be updated annually with production data

39 Case Study: Colorep AirDye Problem Statement: How do we demonstrate our new technology is environmentally preferable to investors? Solution Developing third-party verified, comparative quantitative process information Using the information publicly to demonstrate commitment to consumers

40 Case Study: Rio Tinto Kennecott Problem Statement: How do we engage customers with a green differentiator for a commodity product? Solution Leading the metals and mining industry by developing product information & declarations Cradle-to-gate studies of products (copper, molybdenum, gold and silver) and byproducts (sulfuric acid) Using high-level profiles publicly to demonstrate commitment Providing additional, detailed LCA inventory information to customers via Non-Disclosure Agreement

41 Case Study: NAIMA Problem Statement: How do we ensure correct data is being used to represent fiberglass and rockwool products? Solution Industry-wide study of common fiberglass and rockwool insulation products Multiple suppliers Automotive sector Submit data for use in common databases Engage LCA industry

42 Environmental Claims and Declarations (ISO) Type I Type II Type III Environmental Labels Selected criteria as hurdles, demonstrating environmental excellence Environmental Claims Individual issues, describing specific environmental characteristics Environmental Declarations Life Cycle Performance data, aiming for continuous improvement Life Cycle Thinking Life Cycle Thinking Life Cycle Assessment Mandatory Certification Issued by a private or public, accredited institution Like: GreenSeal, EPA Design For Environment Certification possible Issued by the manufacturer Like: water consumption of a washing machine, or energy use of a computer. Mandatory 3 rd party validation certification Issued by a private, accredited institution Like: UL Environmental Product Declaration

43 What is an Environmental Product Declaration? An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) presents quantified environmental data for products or systems based on information from a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Promote transparency to the public Similar to a food label for building products EPDs are developed based on the requirements of International Standard Organization (ISO) 14025

44 Value of an EPD Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) can contribute to earning points in LEED v4 (future requirement in Green Building Codes) Satisfy requirements of companies and organizations with Sustainable Supply Chain requirements (CB Richard Ellis and GSA) Reflects continuous environmental improvement of products Verified environmental attributes

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46 Summary

47 Key Learnings Always understand your goal! LCA requires expertise and experience in the business context of the organization Data required for LCA cuts across the organization Learning curve associated with LCA partner! Companies typically outsource LCA studies to understand tool and value, then move to build internal capacity

48 Selecting an LCA Consultant Demonstrable experience Publicly available example reports Client references Database of background material Does it include all materials in your system? How will they handle material not in a database? Conformance to a standard (ISO 14040) Are they knowledgeable about use if the standard? Can they demonstrate and understanding of how to bridge the ISO requirements related to how you want to USE the results? (outcomes vs. deliverables)

49 Questions? Jeff Yorzyk, PE, CEM, MBA Cardno Tad Radzinski, PE, LEED AP, SFP Sustainable Solutions Corporation