Social Life Cycle Assessment: A Conceptual Note

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a science-based, comparative analysis and assessment of the environmental impacts of product systems. It is distinguished from other environmental assessment methods by two constitutive and unique features: the analysis from ‘cradle-to-grave’ and the ‘functional unit’. A social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) is a method that can be used to assess the social and sociological aspects of products, their actual and potential positive as well as negative impacts along the life cycle. This looks at the extraction and processing of raw materials, manufacturing, distribution, use, reuse, maintenance, recycling, and final disposal. S-LCA makes use of generic and site-specific data, which can be quantitative, semi-quantitative or qualitative. Its approach to community planning and development can lead to fewer environmental impacts from materials used, construction practices, and waste management, as well as the energy and water used by people living and working in the community. In 1969, researchers initiated an internal study for The Coca-Cola Company that laid the foundation for the current methods of life cycle inventory analysis in the United States. When solid waste became a worldwide issue in 1988, LCA again emerged as a tool for analyzing environmental problems. In the research community concerned, there is heated debate on the future of the S-LCA methodology.

Keywords:
Life Cycle, Assessment, Environmental Effects