Social Life Cycle Assessment Guidelines Research Articles

Methodology for social life cycle impact assessment enhanced with gender aspects applied to electric vehicle Li-ion batteries

Abstract Purpose The objective of this study is to assess the potential social risks and benefits of EV Li-ion batteries by combining the S-LCA framework with gender aspects throughout all the life cycle phases of the battery. Methods The social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) methodology has been applied to determine social concerns about a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery pack design for electric vehicles (EVs) from cradle to grave. A questionnaire based on UNEP S-LCA guidelines and literature case studies of S-LCA on batteries and the energy industry has been prepared for each of the stakeholder categories and distributed among experts in the Li-ion battery sector (more than 21 industrial and academic experts representing the whole battery value chain). Furthermore, the social assessment also includes updated gender aspects to provide wider and more comprehensive social impacts to ensure a gender-neutral approach. Results and discussion The Li-ion battery presents a positive social impact in all the stakeholder categories evaluated, where the worker category has the best social performance driven by the highest score (scores range from 0 to 1, where 0 is the worst social performance and 1 is the best) in 13 indicators out of 23. Furthermore, local community, consumers, and society categories have a good social performance attributed to the absence of involuntary resettlement of individuals, the possibility of the product being reused for other purposes and technology accessible and affordable to developing countries, among others. Four out of seven indicators to evaluate the gender aspects and impacts have the highest score, demonstrating a commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable work environment. The end-of-life phase presents a positive social performance with a score of 0.77 out of 1 attributed to the presence of infrastructure to dispose of product components other than landfill and incineration responsibly, the possibility of the product to be reused for other purposes and clear information provided to consumers on end-of-life options, among others. Conclusions The study presents generally good social impact and gender neutrality on the battery pack design. It gives an insight into the actual status of Li-ion battery social and gender impacts, and the results can be useful to policymakers to design and implement strategies for the welfare of various stakeholders.

Social life cycle assessment in the chocolate industry: A Colombian case study with Luker Chocolate

PurposeChocolate is a widely consumed product and consumers are increasingly interested in its sustainability. However, the lack of scientific studies covering the social dimension hinders a holistic assessment of the sustainability. A social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) was conducted in cooperation with a Colombian chocolate manufacturer following the Guidelines for S-LCA of Products and Organizations 2020. This study represents the first application of S-LCA in the chocolate sector covering both cocoa cultivation and chocolate manufacturing.MethodsThe study aimed to identify the main social hotspots within the value chain of a dark chocolate product, as well as to identify the potential and actual social performance of this product. The stakeholders assessed in the study were workers (in the cocoa plantation and manufacturing plant), society, and the local community. Primary inventory data was collected through on-site semi-structured interviews as well as through the review of company reports. Secondary data used to build the reference scales for impact assessment were taken from national regulations and best practice standards. In total, 16 subcategories were assessed.Results and discussionThe overall results showed an outcome of at least a compliance level (0), and a performance beyond compliance (+ 1 or + 2) for the local community and society. The latter was attributable to the role of the company as an agent of change in a region heavily impacted by violence and poverty. Furthermore, numerous interviewees stressed the importance of companies in the Colombian post-conflict context to re-integrate former conflict actors back into the labor market. For workers, the results also indicated a performance on the compliance level or above, with child labor and health and safety scoring as + 2 and social benefits/social security scoring as + 1. Areas of improvement were identified in subcategories where the score was on the compliance level (0) such as working hours, fair salary, equal opportunities, and employment relationships.ConclusionsA main challenge encountered was the definition of reference scales for subcategories with no recognized standards applicable to the socio-political context. This suggested a necessity for further S-LCA applications in regions with armed conflicts. The study provided insight into the social sustainability of the chocolate industry across the life cycle, covering the cocoa plantation and the manufacturing plant. At the same time, it provided the company with a tool to measure the positive and negative social impacts of their actions on stakeholders and redirect efforts towards the areas most in need.

Social Assessment of Healthcare Waste Management

Circular economy targets clearly define recovery and recycling as predominant actions for future waste management. However, circularity-oriented actions might not be easily implemented for some types of waste. Healthcare sectors generate non-hazardous municipal waste (up to 80–85 % of all generated waste according to the World Health Organization data) and hazardous infectious waste. Due to public health and the spread of infection risks, healthcare waste treatment needs to be organized in a special manner and moreover, recovered materials need to be tested repeatedly. The present paper aims to analyse the social aspects of health care waste recovery technologies along the supply chain (gate-to-gate approach) – from health care waste collection at medical care institutions to recovered materials at treatment plants. Rotoclave and chemical treatment healthcare waste treatment technologies were analysed as case studies. Methodological approach of the study is based on the UNEP/SETAC guidelines for social life-cycle assessment (S-LCA) of products and questionnaire-based indicators. The results of the assessment will bring the framework for improvement of social aspects of healthcare waste management.

Progress of social assessment in the framework of bioeconomy under a life cycle perspective

The bioeconomy is positioned as a sustainable pathway to address the climate crisis and decrease the consumption of fossil resources. Life cycle methodologies are recognised as useful tools for assessing sustainability issues of production and consumption patterns. Nevertheless, the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) methodology is less explored despite its potential, although it is true that social sustainability assessment in promoting bioeconomy strategies requires more attention. This study describes the state of the art of the S-LCA methodology under the bioeconomy framework, critically analysing the main procedural and practical issues of its implementation, and the eventual specificities, as well as providing some of the challenges for future studies. This review highlights methodological weaknesses that require further research, related to the definition of system boundaries and cut-off criteria, the method of impact assessment, and the selection of societal issues and stakeholders, as well as uncertainty, among others. In addition, particularities of the bioeconomy in the life perspective were noted, such as multifunctionality and allocation issues of bio-based products, as well as the strong interest in biofuel production systems. Therefore, more efforts are desirable to address the diversity of challenges towards the progress of the S-LCA method in line with other life cycle approaches (environmental and economic). However, the updated S-LCA Guidelines represent a useful and valuable starting point on the way towards a comprehensive (i.e., diverse social concerns) and standardised social assessment under a life cycle perspective.

Assessing the social life cycle impacts of circular economy

A transition to a circular economy (CE) affects different stakeholders – positively and negatively. Social aspects still receive little consideration in the context of CE, which is why the assessment and monitoring of the social impacts of CE still require further development and consideration in research. In this context, social circularity indicators and social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) are important tools that were examined in more detail in this study. This paper aimed to assess the current state of social circularity indicators in the literature, the implementation of S-LCA to assess CE concepts, and which additional indicators might be included in future S-LCA studies. Focus will be on the methodological approach of how to assess the social impacts of CE. A systematic literature review was conducted using Scopus Database, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. The search terms were derived from the aim of the study to identify the social impacts of CE in existing literature, to compile relevant social indicators in the context of CE, and to analyze the current role of S-LCA in the assessment of CE concepts. 97 papers were found. After excluding contributions that did not match the search criteria and adding new relevant contributions found through the analysis of the identified studies with the snowball sampling approach, 40 papers were considered in the review. 40 social impacts of CE were found within the literature. About half of them were positive and the other half negative. The authors found that positive impacts for some stakeholders could imply negative consequences for others, e.g., job creation in one region might lead to a decline in job opportunities in other regions. To assess CE, 104 single social indicators and 9 composed indicators were identified. Most of them could be linked to stakeholder groups and subcategories proposed in the UNEP S-LCA guidelines (UNEP, 2020). Training and education, job creation, as well as health and safety were relevant identified indicators in the context of CE. S-LCA has rarely been used in the assessment of CE strategies so far and needs to be standardized for application in the industry. Not all social impacts of CE are addressed by existing indicators. This, and the fact that not all circularity indicators that address social consequences of CE (social circularity indicators) are covered with S-LCA, reveals the need to suggest and harmonize additional subcategories that are especially relevant for CE. The authors propose to apply and integrate the identified social circularity (inventory) indicators in future S-LCA studies to assess CE concepts.

Assessing WELBY Social Life Cycle Assessment Approach through Cobalt Mining Case Study

The interconnected nature of social, environmental, and economic sustainability aspects must be considered in decision-making to achieve strong sustainability. Social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) has been developed to better include social sustainability aspects into life cycle thinking. However, many of the current S-LCA impact assessment approaches have been developed only on a theoretical level, and thus more case studies are needed. We assess the challenges and opportunities of the S-LCA approach through a case study on cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Data for the case study were collected from scientific literature, reports, newspaper articles, and interview material. The applicability and possible strengths and weaknesses of the WELBY approach for the case were interpreted. The results showed that applying the WELBY approach in practice is possible, even though there is a lack of existing case studies. However, there are several challenges that must be addressed before the approach can be more widely used. The main challenge with the WELBY approach is the overestimation of impacts when adding multiple impact categories, as is recommended in the S-LCA guidelines. More case-specific severity weights should be developed to address this challenge. Moreover, the interpretation of the results from the perspective of informal work should be executed carefully. Even though the WELBY approach is promising, more methodological development is still needed to build a more ethical and reliable S-LCA methodology.

Social sustainability tools and indicators for the food supply chain: A systematic literature review

Sustainable production and consumption of food systems cannot be achieved without considering the entirety of the supply chain and the actors involved at each stage along the way. This requires more in-depth analyses of social dimensions often neglected in favor of the environmental and economic ones. Yet, inattention to the social dimension of sustainability in food supply chains has yielded a lack of agreement regarding what to consider and how to measure it. This review identifies the current state of art of how social sustainability aspects are measured through various tools and indicators, following the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses” (PRISMA) protocol. The selection criteria resulted in 101 papers and gray literature documents published from 2000 to 2021. Thirty-four social sustainability tools are analyzed based on five food supply chain stages, namely production, processing, wholesale, retail, and consumer and four stakeholders as adapted from the most recent Social Life Cycle Assessment guidelines, namely farmers, workers, consumers, and society. Production and processing-related assessment tools are mostly publicly funded, while wholesale, retail, and consumer tools are often privately funded. Moreover, the availability of assessment tools decreases along the supply chain. Production has the highest number of tools (17) and quantitative indicators, targeting mostly farmers through job conditions and quality of life indicators. Processing stage tools (5) target mostly workers, through quantitative indicators related to fair job conditions. The wholesaler stage tools (4) and indicators are the least connected, while the retail stage (2) is the most inclusive in terms of qualitative social sustainability indicators. The consumer stage tools (2) also has a low number of social indicators and interactions, despite being the stage that influences the supply chain the most. It is clear that food supply chain stakeholders can benefit from the implementation of social sustainability aspects, although these benefits become inconsistent if not respected in each stage. A need for an unceasing thread of respected social sustainability should permeate the whole supply chain, as environmental certification currently does, becoming the priority for policy makers in the sector to focus their attention on the emerged hotspots for intervention from this research.

Social Life Cycle Assessment Used in Indigenous Contexts: A Critical Analysis

This paper evaluates the method Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) from the perspectives of Indigenous methodologies and Indigenous standpoint, in order to identify some strengths and limitations of using S-LCA in Indigenous contexts. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used to measure environmental impacts connected with all stages of the life cycle of a commercial product, process, or service. S-LCA is a methodology designed to include the social aspects of sustainability in the LCA methodology. S-LCA emphasizes stakeholder involvement and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) S-LCA guidelines (2020) lists Indigenous communities as possible stakeholders. With a focus on Indigenous communities in the Arctic region we also include comparative aspects from Australia to generate new conceptualizations and understandings. The paper concludes that S-LCA has the potential to facilitate opposing worldviews and with some further developments can be a valuable methodology for Indigenous contexts.

Integrating Individual Behavior Dimension in Social Life Cycle Assessment in an Energy Transition Context

Energy transition is a result of mankind’s reaction to climate change and individuals are expected to have a crucial role in achieving it in developed countries. The purpose of this study is to apply the social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) tool and investigate the social performance of the Dutch energy transition while focusing on individual behavior, and if this is not possible, to develop indicators focusing on individual behavior dimension. The social performance of the energy transition in the Netherlands was assessed on a hotspot level. Additionally, the S-LCA guidelines were examined to identify the human dimension and behavior in the existing subcategories, and environmental psychology literature was explored to identify drivers and behavior that are important for the energy transition. Existing subcategories fail to show the extent of social progress of the Dutch energy transition nor how individuals perceive it. As a result, a total of 8 subcategories and 25 indicators at a hotspot and site-specific levels are developed. These subcategories and indicators focus on prosumer’s and individual’s behaviors, and traits of local communities. Application of the developed hotspot indicators shows that the Dutch government still subsidies fossil energy and, even though Dutch citizens show environmental concerns, the energy transition is delayed due to insufficient top-down coordination. Developed indicators are considered to be both feasible and relevant to investigate the social aspects of the energy transition in developed countries.

Implementing the guidelines for social life cycle assessment: past, present, and future

This paper takes a critical review of the UNEP/SETAC (2009) Guidelines for social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) of products. This paper, therefore, poses the question: how can the future version(s) of the UNEP/SETAC Guidelines address the challenges associated with implementing case studies in the S-LCA? A systematic mapping review to investigate case studies in the S-LCA has been carried out in which the S-LCA was applied in order to analyse the application of the stages of the methodology. We appraise 58 case studies published between 2009 and 2019 in peer-reviewed international journals and analysed the trends and contributions in relation to the practice of the S-LCA. More published papers were collected between July 2018 and June 2019 (because of the publication of a Special Issue on the International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment in March 2018), and critically reviewed to identify key patterns and insights from the case studies. It was found that only 47% of the subcategories specified by the current UNEP/SETAC Guidelines are implemented in the case studies examined. Our review suggests four main initiatives that future S-LCA Guidelines should consider. Firstly, there is a need to encourage case studies that focus on the social impacts of “consumers” and “value chain actors” to understand better the opportunities for enhancing social sustainability considerations of marginalised stakeholder groups. Secondly, indicators cannot be homogenised across all sectors and disciplines, and the relevance of each indicator needs to be localised and justified in respective studies. Thirdly, there is a need for a robust theoretical orientation in the S-LCA—one that is more inclusive and flexible—to improve on contextual relevance in future case studies. Lastly, the revised Guidelines should aspire to provide more clarity on justifying the context and choice of functional units in S-LCA studies. The insights developed in this study are useful for practitioners and scholars involved in the S-LCA. The revision of the Guidelines can ensure that the S-LCA in future case studies can better create opportunities for improving the well-being of all stakeholders. It is instructive that both local contextualisation of indicators and establishing stakeholder concerns through participatory approaches will facilitate an improved understanding of the social impact assessment of products and their potentially positive and negative impacts along their life cycle. Addressing the challenges with the current Guidelines will ultimately strengthen the S-LCA by improving an understanding of relevant indicators, thus allowing for an improvement in social conditions for all stakeholders.

Using Social Life Cycle Assessment to analyze the contribution of products to the Sustainable Development Goals: a case study in the textile sector

PurposeEvaluation and monitoring systems are perceived as an effective tool to understand and improve the contribution of business activities to the accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there is currently a lack of guidance and support on assessing the influence that the life cycle of products and services has on the SDGs. This article presents a case study where Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) is applied to understand the social performance of a textile product and its potential contribution to the SDGs.MethodsIn this study, the link between the S-LCA methodology and the SDG framework was made at the indicator level, through a new classification of S-LCA indicators. This classification was aimed at indicating the positive or negative contribution of products or services into the SDGs. The method was tested with the case study of a man’s shirt whose supply chain takes place across five countries, from the cotton farming in China to the retailing in The Netherlands. The social performance of the shirt’s life cycle was analyzed through a social hotspot assessment (using PSILCA database) and a site-specific assessment following the UNEP/SETAC S-LCA guidelines. Primary data was collected for 6 different suppliers regarding 51 social indicators and four stakeholder categories (workers, local communities, value chain actors, and society).Results and discussionThe social hotspot assessment indicated high social risks on indicators related to the following SDGs: health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, decent work, and responsible production and consumption. These risks were mainly located in Bangladesh (shirt manufacturing) and Malaysia (fabric manufacturing). The site-specific assessment indicated different results than the social risk assessment, showing worse social performance in the spinning stage (located in China). Negative scores were obtained for every supplier in at least four indicators, including working hours, safe and healthy living conditions, and access to immaterial resources.ConclusionsThe results indicated negative social performance of the supply chain in most of the SDGs and identified points of improvement for the final retailer. The linkage of the S-LCA framework with the SDGs presented methodological challenges, mainly related to the different scope of the SDG indicators and the S-LCA indicators.

Participation in S-LCA: A Methodological Proposal Applied to Belgian Alternative Food Chains (Part 1)

In social life cycle assessment (S-LCA), the use of a participatory approach to define and select assessment criteria and indicators (C&Is) is recommended given the specificity of social issues, but it has been, for now, rarely implemented and presents methodological challenges. Within a participatory action research project gathering academic researchers and field actors, we tested the applicability of configuring a C&Is list for S-LCA, together with chain actors of three alternative food distribution systems active in Belgium. The purpose of this article is to present the results of this work and to examine the methodological limits, requirements, and contributions of such an approach. The participatory approach is an appropriate method to build a list of C&Is standing out from other studies, with the identification of ambitious and innovative C&Is relating to value-chain actors (VCAs) stakeholder category, on chain governance and transaction modalities. In our case, it required an adaptation work of C&Is to the S-LCA requirements and the use of a specific theoretical approach to articulate C&Is within a coherent framework. Finally, this kind of work seems useful to give ground to the S-LCA Guidelines’ list of subcategories, which was built through a rather top-down expert-based approach.

Social Hotspot Analysis and Trade Policy Implications of the Use of Bioelectrochemical Systems for Resource Recovery from Wastewater

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) have been catalogued as a technological solution to three pressing global challenges: environmental pollution, resource scarcity, and freshwater scarcity. This study explores the social risks along the supply chain of requisite components of BESs for two functionalities: (i) copper recovery from spent lees and (ii) formic acid production via CO2 reduction, based on the UK’s trade policy. The methodology employed in this study is based on the UNEP/SETAC guidelines for social life-cycle assessment (S-LCA) of products. Relevant trade data from UN COMTRADE database and generic social data from New Earth’s social hotspot database were compiled for the S-LCA. The results revealed that about 75% of the components are imported from the European Union. However, the social risks were found to vary regardless of the magnitude or country of imports. “Labour and Decent Work” was identified as the most critical impact category across all countries of imports, while the import of copper showed relatively higher risk than other components. The study concludes that BESs are a promising sustainable technology for resource recovery from wastewater. Nevertheless, it is recommended that further research efforts should concentrate on stakeholder engagement in order to fully grasp the potential social risks.

Enriching the results of screening social life cycle assessment using content analysis: a case study of sugarcane in Brazil

Purpose Screening social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) can be applied to identify the social hotspots associated with a production activity or supply chain. The objective of this paper is to explore how the quality of the results of a screening S-LCA can be improved, illustrated by a case study of sugarcane production in Brazil, an activity which has been criticized for its records on social sustainability due to issues such as poor working conditions for field workers and treatment of migrant workers. Methods Cradle-to-gate production of sugarcane in Brazil has been modeled using input-output analysis. The associated social impacts have been modeled using the framework of the Social Hotspots Database (SHDB), which is one of the first databases providing information on social risks along supply chains. The results from the SHDB were complemented with results from a systematic analysis of relevant literature. Content analysis was applied to 38 publications in English relevant to the social impacts of sugarcane production in Brazil, including peer-reviewed articles, “gray literature,” non-governmental organization reports, and conference presentations. Qualitative data analysis software NVivo 8 was used to facilitate the analysis of the publications. A deductive category system was established based on the subcategories recommended in the UNEP/SETAC social life cycle assessment guidelines. Social impacts were further aggregated and analyzed by social themes and impact categories. Results and discussion The social impacts of the sugarcane life cycle in Brazil arise almost exclusively within the Brazilian sugarcane sector itself. Fifteen social themes are identified as hotspots in the SHDB, and nine of them are also identified by content analysis. Health and safety and labor rights and decent work are the impact categories with the highest risks. Besides negative impacts, content analysis is capable of identifying several positive impacts related to sugarcane production. Due to the use of aggregated country-level data, social impacts of manual and mechanical harvesting of sugarcane cannot be differentiated in SHDB; however, this can be achieved by content analysis. Conclusions SHDB is effective for identifying social impacts at the country level, but the data are inevitably aggregated and only show averages across different technologies and geographical areas; therefore, the database is of limited value in distinguishing between alternative operations and locations. Content analysis can facilitate foreground data collection by differentiating operations and identifying both negative and positive impacts at the level of individual activities. We recommend that S-LCA databases can be integrated with results of content analysis to improve the richness—representativity and specificity—of results from a screening S-LCA, to differentiate between alternative production routes and processes.

Social Life Cycle Assessment in the Textile Sector: An Italian Case Study

This study presents the first application of the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) to a textile product made in Sicily (Italy), according to the Social Life Cycle Assessment guidelines (UNEP). The main goal is to assess and present the social values of a product manufactured in a particular territorial area where the presence of an industry represents the main source of employment. The first part of the study is a literature review of the current state of the art of the S-LCA and its implementation to textile products. In the implementation, particular attention is paid in identifying the positive impacts and in highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the method when applied in this specific sector. The functional unit of the study is an order for a garment (consisting of 495 capes in a soft blend of wool and cashmere), produced by a textile company located in Sicily (Italy). The system boundaries of the study include all phases from cradle-to-gate, i.e. from raw material production through fabric/accessory production to the manufacturing process of the product itself at the company. Background and foreground processes are taken into account using specific and generic data. Two stakeholder groups have been considered (workers and local communities) as those that can better represent the company’s value in the territory. The analysis carried out on the functional unit of the study allowed assessing social performance related to the specific textile product, but also to outline the general behaviour of the company. Results offer to scholars a perspective on which to focus their future researches in the sector and highlight that S-LCA is a valuable tool to support business decisions, assessing the social impact of the product to improve the social conditions of stakeholders. However, the access to primary and/or good quality local, national and global data is essential to draw credible conclusions; consequently, every effort to promote the application for S-LCA is highly suggested.

Applying Social Life Cycle Assessment in the Thai Sugar Industry: Challenges from the field

This paper discusses the challenges in applying Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) in the Thai sugar industry sector. A case study of an S-LCA of sugar in Nakhon Ratchasima province was undertaken following the UNEP/SETAC guidelines for S-LCA of products. Qualitative evaluation was made to assess an extent to which S-LCA is applicable for the Thai sugar industry sector. Based on the results from this study, the main challenges in applying S-LCA in the Thai sugar industry sector are diversity of scope of study and reference flow choices, difficulty in data collection and data quality, limited choices of social subcategories and indicators to assess social impact at product level for some stakeholder groups and absence of established interpretation approach. Though findings are derived for the sugar industry, many of them could also be applied to other systems. The main social issues that need urgent attention are problems such as cane trash burning that affects local health and safety, low wages, land and water rights. Appropriate ways to conduct S-LCA for Thai sugar industry have been suggested. In addition, it was suggested that the S-LCA of Thai sugar industry should be conducted at provincial level scope.

Support Phosphorus Recycling Policy with Social Life Cycle Assessment: A Case of Japan

Producing phosphorus (P) fertilizers with recycled P is desirable for efficient use of P resource. However, the current cost of P recycling facilities in Japan strongly discourages the government from adopting this practice. To expand consideration for a P recycling policy, the concept of social externality was introduced. Social issues, such as the violation of human rights in P mining in the Western Sahara, have been identified in recent studies; nevertheless, a systematic approach towards accountability was lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to support a P recycling policy with a social life cycle assessment (SLCA) by contrasting the social impacts associated with mineral and recycled P fertilizers using the case study of Japan. We developed a framework based on the UNEP-SETAC SLCA Guidelines with a supplementary set of P-specific social indicators. The results showed that the marginal social impact associated with recycled P was much less relative to mineral P; however, even if we factored in the maximum recycling capacity, a mandate of P recycling policy in Japan would not mitigate the impacts significantly relative to the current situation because only 15% of P rocks could be substituted. In short, we showed that a semi-quantitative SLCA framework would be useful to communicate the wide spectrum of social impacts to policymakers.

Product social impact assessment

Whereas the business evolution of environmental sustainability metrics has advanced significantly over the past decade, social sustainability at product level is still relatively immature. Research continues to support the front runners on organisational sustainability, while workable solutions at product level have not yet been addressed sufficiently. Triggered by this imbalance, a group of experts from large companies decided to join forces, initiating the Roundtable for Product Social Metrics. Starting in early 2013, this group of companies aimed to (i) consolidate principles for product social sustainability assessment and harmonise approaches, (ii) align with other global initiatives and share with other companies and (iii) develop solutions for cross-cutting implementation issues. In order to be able to produce a comprehensive method for social impact assessment that provides enough flexibility for individual requirements, the Roundtable developed a method based on the approaches of the participant companies and external references such as the UNEP/SETAC Guidelines for Social Life-Cycle Assessment of Products and corporate level standards. Guiding principles were defined for the development of the method. The results of the first two phases of the Roundtable for Product Social Metrics are documented in a handbook, which proposes a practical method for organisations to assess the social impacts of a product or a service along its life cycle. The handbook outlines an aligned method for social impact assessment at a product level offering two approaches: quantitative and scale based. The method was developed to allow reasoned assessment of overall performance by including social topics and performance indicators that reflect positive and negative impacts of the product on three stakeholder groups: workers, consumers and local communities. Nineteen social topics are proposed, together with their individual performance indicators, including detailed definitions. Application examples and recommendations for the communication of results are also included in the handbook. The method can be applied in numerous scenarios, from understanding improvement opportunities and steering product development in different stages, to providing support for decision making and external communications. However, the method still has further potential for improvement, inter alia that the proposed indicators are not fully applicable to small farmers, SMEs and the self-employed, as well as that the indicators are mainly at inventory level. Furthermore, the proposed method is strongly dependent on the availability of data.

Addressing positive impacts in social LCA—discussing current and new approaches exemplified by the case of vehicle fuels

This paper seeks ways to address positive social impacts in social life cycle assessment (SLCA) and attempts to answer two questions: How can the SLCA methodology be improved in order to systematically identify all potential positive impacts in the supply chain? How can positive impacts be taken into consideration along with negative impacts in SLCA? In order for SLCA to be an attractive tool, it needs to provide users with the possibility to include positive impacts, not as variables stipulating lack of negative impacts but rather as fulfilment of positive potentials. By scrutinising the social impacts addressed in the SLCA UNEP/SETAC Guidelines today and reviewing approaches for positive impacts in other research fields, a developed approach to capture and aggregate positive social impacts in SLCA is proposed. To exemplify the application, the case of vehicle fuels is used to investigate the possibilities of addressing positive impacts in SLCA. This includes a literature review on potential positive social impacts linked to vehicle fuels. The subcategories in the SLCA Guidelines are proposed to be divided into positive and negative impacts and complemented with some additional positive impacts. Related indicators are proposed. A draft approach for assessing positive impacts is developed where the proposed indicators are categorised in four different levels, from low to very high potential positive impact. The possibility to aggregate positive social impacts is discussed. Besides multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA), few useful ideas for aggregating positive impacts in SLCA were found in the literature that mostly focused on surveys and monetarisation. Positive social impacts linked to vehicle fuels (fossil fuels and biofuels) are identified, and the proposed approach is schematically applied to vehicle fuels. The SLCA methodology may be refined in order to better identify and assess positive impacts, and approaches developed for capturing and aggregating such impacts are proposed. Challenges of aggregating positive and negative social impacts still remain. The knowledge on social impacts from vehicle fuels could be improved by applying the proposed approach. However, the approach needs more development to be practically applicable.

State of the art in S-LCA: integrating literature review and automatic text analysis

Social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) method lacks of standard and code of practice. The aim of the study is to classify the wide variety of contributions on S-LCA for tracking the development of different themes and for defining and classifying the main approaches in a systematic and reproducible way. The research addressed to study a collection of 51 articles published between January 2006 and November 2014 using statistical criteria. We used automatic text analysis (ATA) tools related to lexicon analysis to identify keywords useful in tracing the main topics covered in articles published in different periods. We conducted principal component analysis (PCA) to classify the different approaches in the literature and to outline the orientations of the various research groups. The results from lexicon analysis showed a rapid succession of different topics covered in the analyzed period. This alternation is strongly affected by the introduction of UNEP/Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) S-LCA guidelines and methodological sheets. PCA analysis enabled to synthesize the information related to the numerous approaches. Results did not show a clear division into groups which indicates the absence of a dominant position on the subject in the literature. This study attempted to map the state of art in S-LCA integrating literature review with multivariate statistical techniques. The analysis showed a highly fragmented field. These results confirm the existence of a variety of approaches that in part have already been identified by literature reviews on S-LCA. Alignment with the results in the literature confirms ATA to be a suitable instrument for the realization of reviews. Moreover, being systematic and reproducible allows ATA to be applied repeatedly, expanding the number of articles and topics analyzed.