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UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative 10-year accomplishments and way ahead (2002-2012)
UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative
10-year accomplishments and way ahead
(2002-2012)
UNEP Mission
To provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality
of life without compromising that of future generations.
´Environment for Development´
• Keeping the world environmental situation under review;
• Catalyzing and promoting international cooperation and action;
• Providing policy advice and early warning information, based upon sound science and assessments;
• Facilitating the development, implementation and evolution of norms and standards developing coherent interlinkages among international environmental conventions;
• Strengthening technology support and capacity in line with country needs and priorities
UNEP - Mandate
UNEP - 6 priorities & objectives
• To strengthen the ability of countries to integrate climate change responses into national development processes
Climate Change
• that countries utilize the ecosystem approach to enhance human well-being
Ecosystem management
• that environmental governance at country, regional and global levels is strengthened to address agreed environmental priorities
Environmental governance
• that natural resources are produced, processed and consumed in a more environmentally sustainable way
Resource Efficiency - SCP
• to minimize the impact of harmful substances and hazardous waste on the environment and human beings
Harmful substances and Hazardous Wastes
• to minimize environmental threats to human well-being arising from the environmental causes and consequences of conflicts and disasters
Disasters and conflicts
Business, Academic, and Governments working
together to
bring science-based life cycle approaches into
practice worldwide
Over 2000 individuals collaborating globally
SETAC brings the science
UNEP brings access to governments and outreach
One stop shop for life cycle approaches
International Life Cycle Partnership To bring science-based life cycle approaches into practice
worldwide
UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative
Value chain of product or service
Life cycle thinking
Goal and
Scope
Definition
Inventory
Analysis
Impact
Assessment
Interpretation
Life cycle assessment framework
LCA is a tool to measure, assess and manage the environmental and human health
performance of a product from raw materials through production, use, and end-of-life
phases – from “cradle-to-grave” (ISO 14040 & 14044)
For business – use data (mostly existing) to understand most significant impacts of
business most cost effective areas for improvement
For government – policy is effective and efficient, delivers the most benefit with the least cost, allows focus on the ‘real’ issues
Making LCT operational
Integrate with EMS?
Strategy
Management Systems
Programmes
Decision
Support tools
Data and
Information
Phase 1: Creating Community
• Launch of LCI
2002
• Kick-off of Working Groups
2003 • Why Take a
Life Cycle Approach
2004
• 1st LA and Africa LCA Conferences
2005 • 1st LCA
Award
2006
• LCM : A Business Guide
2007
USETox
• 2 LCA Award
• Building and Energy Sector
2008
• Guidelines for Social LCA
• LCM
2009 • Why Take a Life
Cycle Approach
2010
• 3 LCA Award
• USETox
2011 • Global Guidance
for Databases
• Life Cycle Sustainability
2012
Phase 2: Participating in the Community
Key highlights 1: LC Assessment and Data
• E-LCA Framework: development of the life cycle assessment midpoint-damage framework
Key highlights 2: LC Assessment and Data
• Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) - “Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment of Products”
Key highlights 3: LC Assessment and Data
• Global Guidance Principles for Life Cycle Assessment Databases: A Basis for Greener Processes and Products
LCA Data Status in 2012
Commercial databases with local datasets for relevant products and unit processes are available (6)
Commercial and public databases with local datasets for relevant products and unit processes are available (5)
Few datasets for products (e.g. on energy) or impact categories (e.g. climate change) from research organizations are available (13)
Only limited to very few unit processes (e.g. energy, transportation) or impact category (e.g. climate change) (2)
Neither public nor commercial data is available (13)
Public databases with local datasets for several products and unit processes are available (1)
Key highlights 1: Life Cycle Management
• LCM: A Business Guide to Sustainability – key definitions and principles to LCM and a step-by-step guide to support LCM integration
Key highlights 2: Life Cycle Management
• LCM: A practical guide how business uses it to decrease footprint, create opportunities and make value chains more sustainable
Key highlights 3: Life Cycle Management
• Life Cycle Management Capability Framework for
Business
Level Span of
control /
influence
Metrics
Decision
Process
Business case
Qualified
Project Compliance- yes/no
Process outputs
Team-based, visible
trade-offs
Risk Avoidance; license to
operate
Efficient
Enterprise Process inputs/ outputs
Eco- efficiency
Rule-based trade-
offs to achieve
enterprise goals
Improved operating
margins
Labor & resource
efficiency
Effective
Value chain
Cradle to grave,
integrated across value
chain
Fact-based to
anticipate value chain
trade-offs
Top line growth,
Innovative products, new
markets
Adaptive Society Sustainability measures
Resiliency
Value-based to co-
develop business
goals & social
expectations
Strong balance sheet
Long- term competitive
advantage
45
70
15
30
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
1 2
2012
Countries
2008
Organizations
LCA Practitioners
51
16 in Non OECD countries
10 in OECD countries
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Total countries Existing networks
12 in Non
OECD
countries
19 in Non
OECD
countries
LCA Networks
# of LCA Countries/
Organizations represented
2,200
Source: UNEP 800
300
2002 2005 2013
More than
10,000
Source: LCA
Providers
tools
Total 51 countries of which 16 in developing countries
LCA Networks
National LCA Network
www.lifecycleinitiative.org
a. Global capability
development
a. Communication strategy
b. LC Platform: clearing
house and social media
Our Approach: Flagship Projects
5. Communication &
stakeholder outreach
4. Capability Development
& implementation
a. Product sustainability meta
specification
b. Knowledge mining
a. Global database management
network & training
a. Integrating Life Cycle Costing,
Social Life Cycle Assessment,
Environmental LCA and linking with
CSR
b. Key environmental indicators based
on mature environmental
approaches
1. Methodologies
2. Data
3. Product sustainability information
Flagship projects These projects are
considered as the
most important in the
group, especially in
terms of establishing
a public image
Indicators, characterization factors and methodologies
for Life Cycle Sustainability Approaches
1a. Integrating Life
Cycle Costing, Social
Life Cycle
Assessment,
Environmental LCA
and linking with CSR
1b. Key environmental
indicators based on mature
environmental approaches
1d. Emerging environmental
approaches Ecosystem services (biodiversity,
land, water…) and externalities
1e. Applications to organisations
1c. Consolidating USEtox
1. Indicators, characterization factors and methodologies
for Life Cycle Approaches
Objective 1: Enhance the global consensus and relevance of existing
and emerging life cycle methodologies and data management
2. Data, registries and modelling approaches for life cycle
approaches
2b. Uncertainty
2a. Global database
management network &
training
2c. Database registry &
format conversion
2d. Guidance on use of
IO and hybrid data
3. Product sustainability information – creating consensus and
enhance LC based product sustainability information
3a. Product sustainability
meta specification 3b. Knowledge mining
Objective 1: Enhance the global consensus and relevance of existing
and emerging life cycle methodologies and data management
4. Capability Development & implementation
4c. LCA professionals
code of conduct
Developing capability through training, support and
professionalisation
4a. Global capability
development
4b. LCM-CMM
dissemination
4d. Regional networks
Strategy Organization Operationalisation
Objective 2: Expand capability worldwide to apply and to improve life
cycle approaches; making them operational for organisations
Capacity building provides the foundation for mainstreaming LCT
Definition of target
countries
(not exclusive)
Prioritization of LC topics
Training-the- (local)trainers
Replicate training in the
regions Pilot cases
2012 2014
Main donors:
- the EC ENRTP programme
- UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative
UNEP project on ‘Increasing Resource Efficiency in International Supply Chains
5. Communication & stakeholder outreach
Effective communication with all target groups and ongoing
engagement with strategic partners and decision makers
5b.
LC Platform:
clearing house
and social
media
5c.
LC Award
scheme
5d.
Multistakeholder
roundtable(s)
5a. Communication strategy
5e. Partnership development
Objective 3: Communicate current life cycle knowledge and be the
global voice of the Life Cycle community to influence and partner with
stakeholders
Pilot Projects
• Call for LCM proposals launched in May 2013
• Companies interested in implementing a project adopting LCT
• Using the LCM Capability Maturity Model, companies can submit a proposal and receive technical assistance to implement a project over a 6-12 month period.
• Who can apply?
• Companies from target countries;
• companies being part of a well spread national or international value chains;
• companies with environmental or sustainability policy, and an interest in applying life cycle approaches to their business.
• UNEP offers coaching services to companies to undertake a self assessment and develop a proposal
• Deadline: mid August 2013
