DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/lca2000.11.042
--- In literature, many models (qualitatively as well as quantitatively) can be found to cope with the problem of communicating results of LCA analyses with decision takers. In a previous article of this Journal, an LCA-based single indicator for emissions is proposed: the virtual pollution prevention costs
1999 (Vogtländer et al. 2000a). In this article, a single LCA-based indicator for sustainability is proposed. It builds on the virtual pollution prevention costs 1999 for emissions, and adds the other two main aspects of
sustainability: material depletion and energy consumption. This single indicator, the virtual eco-costs 1999, is the sum of the marginal prevention costs of: (1) Material depletion, applying material depletion costs, to be reduced by recycling; (2) Energy consumption, applying eco-costs of energy being the price of renewable energy; (3) Toxic emissions, applying the virtual pollution prevention costs 1999. ---- The calculation model includes direct as well as indirect environmental impacts. The main groups of indirect components in the life cycle of products and services are: (1) Labour (the environmental impacts of office heating, lighting, computers, commuting, etc.);
(2) production assets (equipment, buildings, transport vehicles, etc.). ----
To overcome allocation problems of the indirect components of complex product-service systems, a methodology of economic allocation has been developed, based on the so called Eco-costs/Value Ratio (EVR) model. This EVR calculation model appears to be a practical and powerful tool to assess the sustainability of a product, a service, or a product-service combination. |
