6. SLCA

Question 1

SLCA: Definition by ISO 14040/44

Answer 1

“Compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle”

Question 2

Social Life Cycle Assessment of products

Answer 2

• Development of a method to assess the social effects of products along their whole life cycle.
• Social effects include socio-economic effects. !They can be positive or negative!
• Difference to other social assessment methods (e.g. Social Impact Assessment (SIA)):
  -> Objects: products and services
  -> Scope: life cycle (not projects)
• Complementary method to Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and (Environmental) LCA

Question 3

LCA & S-LCA - Similarities
Both methodologies…

Answer 3

• are based on the ISO framework (though some specificities exist for each of these phases in S-LCA)
• work as iterative procedures
• provide useful information for decision-making
• do not have the purpose to provide information on whether or not a product should be produced
• conduct hotspots assessments
• have a huge need for data (and conduct data quality assessment)
• request peer review when communication to the public or comparative assertions are planned

Question 4

Environmental LCA (LCA) and Social LCA are complementary approaches:

Answer 4

• LCA, in itself, does not provide (and does not intend to provide) all the information needed in order to make decisions in a sustainability perspective.
• Social LCA provides complementary information by addressing social aspects leading to a more comprehensive understanding of the products’ life cycle impacts.

Question 5

LCA & S-LCA - Differences

Answer 5

• Focus: LCA assesses potential environmental impacts; S-LCA assesses social and socio-economic impacts
• Source of Information: LCA mainly focuses on collecting information on (mostly) physical quantities related to the product and its production/use and disposal, S-LCA collects additional information on organization related aspects along the LC

Question 6

Positive impact according to the UNEP 2020

Answer 6

Positive impacts are benefits accruing through the product life cycle that make a positive contribution to the improvement of human well-being, i.e. beneficial impacts (as opposed to negative impacts, which are detrimental).
They can be assessed by looking at positive effects experienced by affected stakeholders or through potentially positive proxies, such as positive social performance.
An example of this would be the changes made by businesses that result in improvements of social conditions beyond mere minimal compliance conditions.
The inclusion of positive impacts should not compromise the continuous work on minimizing negative social conditions, nor should positive impacts be accepted as a waiver for negative impacts.
!Offsetting is not accepted nor foreseen in S-LCA!

Question 7

Reference Scale Approach or Impact Pathway Approach?

Answer 7

• If a practitioner aims to describe a product system, with a focus on its social performance, he/she will use the Reference Scale Approach.
• If a practitioner aims to predict
  the consequences of the product system, with an emphasis on assessing longerterm potential social impacts, he/she will use the Impact Pathway Approach.

Question 8

Three Types of Impact Pathway Approaches

Answer 8

1) QUALITATIVE INDICATOR FRAMEWORK
2) MECHANISTIC-BASED modeling approach
3) REGRESSION-BASED modeling approach

Question 9

Reference Scale Approach (PSIA, 2016 and UNEP 2020)

Answer 9

• Reference scales correspond to performance reference points (PRPs) (-2 to +2)
• PRPs are thresholds, targets or objectives setting different levels of social risk/performance
• Types of PRPs:
  –> Norms
  –> Best-practices
  –> Sector average
  –> Expert knowledge
• Allows for assessing potential social impacts of product systems