rochester institute of technology (rit) dr. anahita williamson director, nys pollution prevention...
TRANSCRIPT
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
Dr. Anahita WilliamsonDirector, NYS Pollution Prevention Institute
Kate WinnebeckLCACP, Senior EHS Specialist
September 26, 2013
“The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them.” — Albert Einstein
Life Cycle Assessment:Laying the Foundation
for a Transparent Supply Chain
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a technique used to quantify the environmental impact of a product from raw material acquisition through
end of life disposition (cradle-to-grave)
Remanufacture
Recycle
Reuse
Waste Treatment
Life Cycle Assessment
• A Life Cycle Assessment is carried out in four distinct phases: (ISO 14040, 14044)
– Step 1: Goal definition and scoping. Identify the LCA's purpose, the products of the study, and determine the boundaries. (what is and is not included in the study)
– Step 2: Life-cycle inventory. Quantify the energy and raw material inputs and environmental releases associated with each life cycle phase.
– Step 3: Impact analysis. Assess the impacts on human health and the environment.
– Step 4: Report results. Evaluate opportunities to reduce energy, material inputs, or environmental impacts at each stage of the product life-cycle.
LCA Methodology
• ISO 14040 & 14044– Internationally accepted standards for performing LCA
– Includes guidance for inventory collection, performing the impact assessment, interpreting results, reporting, and peer reviews
– Additional requirements for comparative assessments intended to be disclosed to the public
• Life cycle assessment certified professional (LCACP)– US certification program
– Administered by the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment in accordance with ISO 17024
– For more information, visit www.lcacenter.org
LCA Standards
• Quantify environmental benefits of products
• Provide credible evidence for marketing claims
• Identify opportunities to improve the environmental performance of products at various points in their life cycle
• Inform decision-makers in industry, government or non-governmental organizations
• Select relevant indicators of environmental performance, including measurement techniques
• Validate product marketing claims
• Instill life cycle thinking within businesses
Why use LCA?
Compare the energy and environmental impact of three disposable blood pressure cuffs used
in a single patient use model, manufactured by Welch Allyn, in order to:
1.Leverage environmentally friendly designs to increase revenue and competitiveness
2.Understand the relative contribution of each life cycle stage to the total environmental impact
3.Understand how product design decisions influence environmental impact
4.Determine the optimal end of life option for each cuff
LCA to Support Product Design & Marketing at Welch Allyn
Compare high level impact of the 3 cuffs
Compare specific points of impact of the 3 cuffs
Understand process contribution to impact
Understand impact of individual cuff parts
Understand how different EOL management strategies affect impact
LCA Results
8
• Results used internally to understand & improve env. impact of the cuffs– Validate dematerialization and material choices made by product designers– Understand the influence of Welch Allyn manufacturing operations and finished cuff
packaging on the life cycle– Identify operations throughout the life cycle that contribute significant impact which
allows the design team to focus on those processes to further reduce the impact of future designs
• Results used externally to communicate env. impact of the cuffs– Validate & support environmental claims made by Welch Allyn– Educate & assist customers in making more informed purchasing and end of life
management decisions
• Additional benefits– Educate internal employees and engage other departments and processes that were
not involved in the LCA– Through the inventory collection, Welch Allyn realized those suppliers dedicated to
working with them to collect data and those that are not
Benefits of LCA
• Educate and rally team to understand LCA as a tool and reasons for its use
• Clearly define the goal & scope of the LCA
• Ensure the functional unit is clearly defined
• Build the LCA model with best data physically available
• Complete sensitivity analysis
• Use experienced and trained LCA practitioners
• Follow the ISO 14040 process to validate marketing claims and bring recognition to the study
• Stay up to date on LCA research, data sources, and modeling techniques; Understand Challenges
LCA Recommendations
Anahita Williamson, PhDDirectorEmail: [email protected] Phone: 585-475-4561
Kate Winnebeck, LCACPSr. Environmental Health & Safety SpecialistEmail: [email protected] Phone: 585-475-5390
New York State Pollution Prevention Institutehttp://www.nysp2i.rit.edu
Questions & Discussion