L6. SLCA Flashcards
Social Life Cycle Metrics for Chemical Products – WBCSD
A publication that aims to guide chemical users throughout a Social impact assessment of a chemical product with life cycle perspective. It was published in 2016.
Handbook of Product Social Impact Assessment
- Data collection as a two-stage approach. New and innovative tools can help identify hotspots within the product value chain before embarking on in-depth data collection.
- Impact assessment method qualitative
- Clear distinction between social impacts within a product’s value chain and the use phase
- Separate chapter on Circular Economy strategies
Similarities between LCA and S-LCA
- Both based on the ISO framework
- Both works as iterative procedures
- Both conduct hotspots assessments
- Both have a huge need for data
- Both request peer review when communication to the public or comparative assertions are planned
Differences between LCA and S-LCA
- LCA assesses potential environmental impacts; S-LCA assesses social and socio-economic impacts
- 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 LCA
S-LCA Guidelines Aim
Assessment of social impacts of a product as complete as possible, over the whole life cycle.
The Guidelines define:
- stakeholders
- impact categories
- subcategories
- inventory indicators for distinct impacts
Positive Impacts
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). 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.
Actual and potential social impacts
- Actual social impacts: Assessed with observed and verified primary specific data (no proxy indicators)
- Potential social impacts: If the conditions for actual impacts are not met
S-LCA Step by Step
- Goal and Scope
- Inventory Analysis
- Impact Assessment
- Interpretation
Goal and Scope (SLCA)
- Organizational or Process/Product?
- Stakeholder Group: Workers, Local Community, Society, Consumers, Value Chain Actors, Children?
- Relevant Subcategories
- Goal, Scope, FU, Reference Flow, System boundaries
Inventory Analysis
- Site specific data
- Generic data (e.g.: SHDB, PSILCA)
Impact Assessment (SLCA)
- Type I: Reference Scale:
Aims to assess social performance
1. Establishing reference scales for impact assessment
2. Assessing data against the reference scale
3. Applying the activity variable (optional)
4. Weighting of results (optional) - Type II: Impact Pathway:
Aims to predict the consequences of the product system, with an emphasis on assessing longer term potential social impacts - Qualitative indicator framework
- Mechanistic indicator framework
- Regression-based modelling approach
FU definition in S-LCA
- Properties including the product´s social utility
- Market segment
- Product alternatives
- Obligatory product properties required by the relevant market segment
- Reference flow for each of the product systems
Activity Variable
The activity variable is useful to represent the product system in a way that gives an idea of the relative significance of each unit process in the whole system.
Methodological Sheets
Explanation for 40 subcategories
* Definition
* What do we want to assess?
* Policy relevance
* Relevance to sustainable development
* International instruments
* Generic data source examples
* Specific analysis
* Limitations of the subcategory
