A regionalized social life cycle assessment of a prospective value chain of second-generation biofuel production

Abstract

The German Bioeconomy focuses on innovation and in particular on the smart mobilization of resources to produce high-value-added bio-based products, processes and services. In the case of the production of biofuels, the demand for reducing fossil fuel utilization has placed the focus on second-generation biofuel value chains, which mobilize residual streams as their main biomass feedstocks. However, while the environmental impacts of these value chains have been studied using life-cycle approaches, little attention has been given to their social implications. This work aims to fill this gap by assessing the potential social hotspots associated with the production of second-generation biofuel through a prospective case study in Eastern Germany. We use the RESPONSA framework, a regionalized social life cycle assessment developed specifically for assessing value chains of the German Bioeconomy. The results for 22 social indicators reveal that while biofuel production generates employment opportunities, aspects such as working conditions, support for professional qualification, and workers’ participation have an overall poor social performance. The results lead to conclude that socioeconomic issues related to advanced biofuel production persist, exhibiting a socioeconomic disparity, with employment creation being the only area of socioeconomic benefit. Yet, there is a contradiction between job creation and addressing broader social issues in the biofuel industry, which underlines the need for a balanced approach to reconcile environmental objectives with social development. These results provide an opportunity to discuss how to mitigate the negative social impacts of second-generation biofuel production in the region.