life cycle assessment (lca) de-mystified
TRANSCRIPT
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) De-Mystified
Gregory A. Norris
Chief Scientist, ILFI
Director, Sustainability and Health Initiative for Net Positive Enterprise (SHINE) @ MIT
Introductions and Questions
• Name, organization, role• What you hope to get from this session
• What about LCA (in LEED or otherwise) are you wondering?
Overview
• Introduction: Ideas, Concepts, and Overview• Methodology• Databases and Tools• Application Examples• Break• Applying LCA to Green / Sustainable Construction
including LEED v4• The Life Cycle Benefits of Sustainable Buildings• Whole Building LCA: Building Life Cycle Impact Reduction• Env. Prod. Declarations: BPD&O: EPDs• Raw Material Sourcing: BPD&O: Sourcing of Raw Materials
Objective
• Objective: Provide comprehensive environmental (sustainability) assessments of goods and services
• Need:– Comprehensiveness Environmentally– Comprehensiveness Causally
→ “The Life Cycle”
• Note: With methods of “Social LCA” and “Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment,” the scope of LCA has more recently become even broader than “full environmental comprehensiveness”
Environmental Comprehensiveness
• Which environmental impacts must we address?• What data must we gather,
about activities in the product/service life cycle,in order to address these impacts?
(white board)
Environmental Comprehensiveness
• What about waste?• What about renewable energy?• What about recycled content?• What about recycling?
• Bottom line: these are aspects of the life cycle, which influence impacts of concern.They are not, themselves, impacts per se.
Objective
• Provide comprehensive environmental (sustainability) assessments of goods and services
• Need:– Comprehensiveness Environmentally
– Comprehensiveness Causally→ “The Life Cycle”
What's in the system or the life cycle?
• Which activities?• Let's consider a cup of coffee
(white board)
Causal Comprehensiveness: Interesting Questions
• We're tracing Direct Requirements and the supply chain of Indirect Requirements
– What about downstream? – Life Cycle vs. Supply Chain
– Where (if anywhere) does a supply chain end?– What about impacts of other business expenses?
• What about causally-required inputs which may not be purchased by the activities
– e.g., roads• What about other causal influences of the life cycle,
besides direct/indirect requirements?
• For now, let's appreciate the questions. We'll answer them after we've introduced methodology, and data.
... is dioxin-free, right?
Implications of Life Cycle Scope
... sorry Grandma.
Looking (just a bit) upstream...
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
Output from every sector, $, induced insupply chain of $1000 of Jam
$
sectors
Aluminum $13.48
Quantifying the Upstream...
Overview
• Introduction: Ideas, Concepts, and Overview• Methodology• Databases and Tools• Application Examples• Break• Applying LCA to Green / Sustainable Construction
including LEED v4• The Life Cycle Benefits of Sustainable Buildings• Whole Building LCA: Building Life Cycle Impact Reduction• Env. Prod. Declarations: BPD&O: EPDs• Raw Material Sourcing: BPD&O: Sourcing of Raw Materials
ISO Standards for LCA
14040: Principles and Framework
14044: Requirements and Guidelines
Goal & Scope Definition
Inventory Analysis
Impact Assessment
Life Cycle Assessment Framework
Interpretation
Direct Applications:* Product Development & Improvement
* Strategic planning
* Public policy making
* Marketing
* Other
Goal and Scope Definition
Decision(s) to be supported Functions of alternatives
express in functional unit
Impacts to be considered Intended use of the study
Communication to “Third Parties?” Claim of overall preferability?
Heart of LCA: The Functional Unit
Examples: Paints Light bulbs Diapers
Life Cycle Inventory and Life Cycle Impact Assessment
• Life cycle inventory (LCI) modeling– Life Cycle Inventory Results
• Life cycle Impact Assessment methods– LCIA results
Building Block of Footprint Computation: Unit Process
Inputs from nature
Outputs to nature
Inputsfromotherprocesses
Outputstoother processes
Life Cycle Inventory: Cradle-To-Gate “Footprint”
LCI -- LCIA method -- LCIA ResultsData1.0001.3001.6001.9002.2002.5002.8003.1003.4003.7004.0004.3004.6004.9005.2005.5005.8006.1006.4006.7007.0007.3007.6007.9008.2008.5008.8009.1009.4009.70010.00010.30010.60010.90011.20011.500
Impact Assessment Methods are mult-stage; and multipleData1.0001.3001.6001.9002.2002.5002.8003.1003.4003.7004.0004.3004.6004.9005.2005.5005.8006.1006.4006.7007.0007.3007.6007.9008.2008.5008.8009.1009.4009.70010.00010.30010.60010.90011.20011.500
CO2, N2O, CH4, etc.
LCIA Example: Global Warming Potential
ElectromagneticRadiation
InfraredRadiation
years
Btu /kg /year
Climate Change
Life Cycle Impact Assessment
Characterization
Normalization
Characterization
Damage Assessment
NormalizationValuation
Valuation
Recent LCIA Method: ReCiPe (2009)
Overview
• Introduction: Ideas, Concepts, and Overview• Methodology• Databases and Tools• Application Examples• Break• Applying LCA to Green / Sustainable Construction
including LEED v4• The Life Cycle Benefits of Sustainable Buildings• Whole Building LCA: Building Life Cycle Impact Reduction• Env. Prod. Declarations: BPD&O: EPDs• Raw Material Sourcing: BPD&O: Sourcing of Raw Materials
Life Cycle Inventory: 2 Families of Approach
1. Process modeling» Classical LCA approach» Engineering unit processes» Material and energy flow emphasis» Inter-process flows in physical units» Public databases in NA limited» High resolution (product output) at expense of boundary
(process types & cut-offs)
Life Cycle Inventory: Second Approach
2. Economic Input/Output Approach» National I/O model with sector pollution coefficients (kg
CO2 per $ output)» Sectors as unit processes» Include equipment, services, minor inputs» Inter-process flows in dollars (initially)» US particularly data-rich » Boundary comprehensiveness at expense of product &
process coarseness
Scope of Inputs Included
Material / Energy inputs - major Equipment, capital, infrastructure - major Material / Energy inputs - minor Overhead inputs (building, site, etc.) Service inputs Personnel-related expenses (travel, hotels…)
Most process LCA models capture only the major material and energy inputs to a process;A few ambitious LCA models include major capital, equipment, and infrastructure requirements;IO LCA databases are intended to be economically comprehensive, so they capture minor, overhead, service, and even personnel-related inputs!
Major LCI Databases
• Process LCI Databases– Ecoinvent– GaBi– US LCI, etc.
• Input Output– US
• USEEIO– International
• GTAP (e.g., → Social Hotspot Database)• EXIOBASE• EORA
The LCA Data & Tool Ecosystem
Tools for LCA SimaPro OpenLCA GaBi
Tools for WBLCA
Ind AvgDatabases US LCI
USEEIOEcoinvent
GaBi
Social Hotspot DB
etc...
etc...
Athena Tally etc...
Overview
• Introduction: Ideas, Concepts, and Overview• Methodology• Databases and Tools• Application Examples• Break• Applying LCA to Green / Sustainable Construction
including LEED v4• The Life Cycle Benefits of Sustainable Buildings• Whole Building LCA: Building Life Cycle Impact Reduction• Env. Prod. Declarations: BPD&O: EPDs• Raw Material Sourcing: BPD&O: Sourcing of Raw Materials
Lessons from LCA Application
Supply chains can be huge
Distribution can be huge
Use phase can be huge
End of life can be huge
And more surprises...
Supply chains can be huge: Buyer power, and the 80-80 Rule
Each sector's upstream air pollution burden as a percent of its total (upstream + direct) air pollution burden
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Percent of sectors
Ups
tream
air
pollu
tion
burd
en /
tota
l
Supply chain
Direct + supply chain
53%
4%5%8%
30%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
1
FTM RetailFTM WholesaleFTM AirFTM TruckProduction
Distribution (“factory through mall”) can be huge
GWP Results for average computers; data: late 1990s
Analyzing 1 p assembly 'DELL at Cust (van)'; Method: Eco-indicator 99 (H) V2.1 / Europe EI 99 H/H / characterization
Operation, aircraft, freight, intercontinental/RER U Electric services (utilities)Operation, van < 3,5t/RER U Wholesale tradeRefinery gas, burned in furnace/MJ/RER U Sanitary services, steam supply, and irrigation systemsBlast furnaces and steel mills Crude petroleum and natural gasHeavy fuel oil, burned in refinery furnace/MJ/RER U Air transportationRemaining processes
Carbon Footprint of an On-Demand Laptop
Importance of Distribution Varies by Product Category
Data: 2002. Prioritization analysis for Walmart
Use Phase Can be Huge
Energy use: Buildings Appliances Food: cooking, clean-up Clothes: washing and drying
Material use: Cosmetics, cleaners: Indoor emissions Printers: paper
Service Sector Inputs can be huge
Guess what else can be huge? (Pharma example)
Guess what can be not huge? (Potato example)
More surprises...
Bottom-Line Messages
Learn from actual data Learn from actual application details/context Test sensitivities and uncertainties Iterative refinement Extract lessons and conclusions
Overview
• Introduction: Ideas, Concepts, and Overview• Methodology• Databases and Tools• Application Examples• Break• Applying LCA to Green / Sustainable Construction
including LEED v4• The Life Cycle Benefits of Sustainable Buildings• Whole Building LCA: Building Life Cycle Impact Reduction• Env. Prod. Declarations: BPD&O: EPDs• Raw Material Sourcing: BPD&O: Sourcing of Raw Materials
ILFI IMPACT ASSESSMENTPROJECT
• What impacts are Living Buildings having?• For each kind of environmental impact?• How so? – what is driving these impacts?• What is the potential for beneficial impacts
as Living Building scales?
SCOPE OF ASSESSMENT
96 PROJECTS
LBC versions 1.3 through 3.1
SCOPE OF ASSESSMENT
Five impact categories for each of up to 5 project attributes, plus ecosystem benefits of FSC
Climate Water Energy Health Ecosystem
Embodied
Energy Supply
Water Supply
Sanitation
Special: LES
Special: FSC
Impact Types Assessed
Project
Attributes
Assessed
96 Projects included
LBC versions 1.3 through 3.1
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Life cycle assessment (LCA) of conventional vs. LBC
Developed system-specific calculators, for use by future
project teams, ILFI staff, and others
to assess benefits of Living Building
Climate Water Energy Health Ecosystem
Embodied
Energy Supply
Water Supply
Sanitation
Special: LES
Special: FSC (I/O LCA)
Impact Types Assessed
Project
Attributes
Assessed
Embodied Impact Calculator (Input/Output LCA)
Energy System Impact Calculator (Process LCA)
Water Supply Impact Calculator (Process LCA)
Sanitation System Impact Calculator (Process LCA)
Inbound Transport Impact Calculator (Input/Output LCA)
PROJECT COVERAGE BY ATTRIBUTE
We studied energy, water, and sanitation attribute impacts for
all relevant projects
We performed two case studies of embodied impacts
This data is also used to assess benefits of FSC
Climate Water Energy Health Ecosystem
Embodied
Energy Supply
Water Supply
Sanitation
Special: LES
Special: FSC 2 Projects
Impact Types Assessed
Project
Attributes
Assessed
2 Projects
70 Projects
23 Projects
23 Projects
38 Projects
ANNUAL BENEFITS OF LBC: ENERGY SYSTEMS
Climate Water Energy Health Ecosystem
kg CO2e m3 kg oil eq DALYs species-yrs
Net vs. conventional 8,688,804 26,283,978 2,478,486 23.3 0.08
Benefit of excess elect 716,119 2,922,592 191,417 2.13 0.001
Total benefit 9,404,923 29,206,570 2,669,903 25.43 0.08
All 70
Projects
Annual Net benefits v conventional building, Energy System
To put these benefits into context:The annual climate benefits
equal the total annual footprintof 1880 global citizens
EXTENSIONS
We estimated benefits of LBC vs. conventional
per sqft, and per $, for three building types
Commercial
Educational
Single Family Residential
These can be used to estimate benefit potential for
any city or state or the US, or the effects of other
policies or scales of Living Building
SURPRISES AND KEY FINDINGS
Impacts of construction itself have been ignored
They are 20-25% of total embodied impacts!
Even if embodied impacts of LBC were not offset,
climate/water/health payback: 4-11 years
FSC is key for reducing ecosystem impacts
Environmental Product Declarations
• Product Category Rules• Comparability of EPDs: Findings from a BIFMA Study• Building Product Disclosure and Optimization:
The Environmental Product Declaration Credit
Product Category Rules
• Environmental Product Declarations present the LCIA results from an LCA
• They are influenced by modeling choices, including:• Definition of the functional unit• Life cycle scope• Cut-off rules• Data quality requirements• Allocation rules• Impact categories and LCIA method• Etc.
• In order to improve (not to say ensure) comparability of EPDs, they follow Product Category Rules (PCRs), which specify each of the above choices.
BIFMA Study, 2014
BIFMA Study, 2014
BIFMA Study, 2014
BIFMA Study, 2014
BIFMA Study, 2014
BIFMA Study, 2014: Hotspot Identification
• Reasonable level of agreement regardingwhat are the key drivers of GHG impacts.
BIFMA Study, 2014: Drivers of Differences between Most and Least Conservative, for GHG Results
• Little agreement regarding what drives change in GHG results between Most vs. Least conservative models
BIFMA Study, 2014: Drivers of Differences between Most & Least Conservative, for Human Health Impact Category
• Virtually NO agreement regarding what drives change in Health results between Most vs. Least conservative models
BIFMA Study, 2014: Author Summary
BIFMA Study, 2014: Our Take-Aways
• Use of a common PRC is NOT sufficient to make EPDs comparable between manufacturers of a product type
• People should NOT try to compare competing products based on their EPD results. Period.
• Remarkably, we cannot even assume stability yet in the conclusions that manufacturers might draw from their EPD results, at least outside of climate (GHG) results
• This and other studies have shown that the best ways to provide an increased level of comparability include:• Ensuring that the same databases are used for two studies
to be compared• Automating data choices within a database (data selected to
model a given input)
Environmental Product Declarations
• Discussion:
Building Product Disclosure and Optimization: The Environmental Product Declaration Credit
Whole Building LCA
• Tools• Athena• Tally• Input/Output LCA of Cost Data• EC3
• The Building Life Cycle Impact Reduction Credit
Athena
• Athena has developed LCI databases for building assemblies since 2002, and made them available in tools that facilitate LCA evaluation of conceptual designs
• Suite of tools includes
Athena
• Most relevant: Impact Estimator• Free!• Assembly-level building definition:
generates BOMs for each assembly, and links to LCA data for each BOM item
• Assembly approach relevant to early design phases
Athena Impact Estimator
Athena Impact Estimator
Athena Impact Estimator
Tally
• Whole-building LCA tool, integrated with Autodesk Revit• Links to GaBi LCA database, one of the major LCI
databases• Comparisons of baseline and options• Easy to use throughout the design process• Guide is available to facilitate pursuit of LEED v4
Building Life Cycle Impact Reduction credit
Tally
Designed to address questions such as:• Which material decisions matter?• What is the carbon (and other impact category) footprint
of my building?• Can the structural system be optimized to reduce
resource use?• How much of the building can be recycled or reclaimed?• What are the (environmental) trade-offs between
material choices?• Is it environmentally advantageous to use a long-lasting
material or one with lower initial impact?
Source: choosetally.com
EC3: Embodied Carbon Construction Calculator
EC3: Functionality preview includes:
EC3: Also said to be relevant for:
EC3: A potential concern:
• Main source of data is published EPDs• Uncertainty, variability, comparability
• But definitely worth keeping an eye on
Whole Building LCA
• Discussion:
Building Life Cycle Impact Reduction Credit
Sourcing of Raw Materials
• The Importance of Sustainable Sourcing: Findings from ILFI Study
• Environmental Benefits of Sustainable Sourcing:Findings from Recent Research
• Building Product Disclosure and Optimization: The Sourcing of Raw Materials Credit
Land Use Biodiversity
Land Use Biodiversity
Sourcing of Raw Materials
• Discussion:
Building Product Disclosure and Optimization: The Sourcing of Raw Materials Credit