Dr. Sophie Parsons, CEng CEnv Life cycle thinking in environmental management: Methods, standards and IEMA survey results Dr. Sophie Parsons, CEng CEnv

Sustainable Energy Research Team (SERT) Based in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Bath Multidisciplinary team with research areas including: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Embodied energy and carbon Energy demand reduction in industry Bioenergy Environmental footprinting Environmental economics

Life cycle thinking Organisation Upstream Downstream Understanding the whole system associated with an organisation and the provision of its product portfolio Qualitative approaches = life cycle thinking Quantitative approaches = LCA, water footprinting, carbon footprinting………

Methods Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Carbon footprinting: DEFRA, GHG Protocol, PAS 2050, ISO LCA: ILCD handbook, ISO Carbon disclosure project for water Sector-specific methods CE principles, BS 8001 Methods

Data management Life cycle data sources Internal EMS, supplier management platform Open source databases: ICE (Univ. Bath),ELCD database, PlasticsEurope, EPA, US Life Cycle Inventory Database, BRE, DEFRA…. Paid access databases: GaBi, Ecoinvent, Simapro, Granta…. Data management

IEMA survey Surveyed IEMA members back in March 487 respondents Range of questions relating to the application of life cycle thinking and life cycle assessment including: Type of data collected Type of impacts assessed Scope of impacts assessed Methods used Databases used Perceived advantages and barriers to implementing LCA

Almost half (48.5%) led ISO 14001 implementation in their organisation Over 60% had +5 years experience with ISO 14001 Who we surveyed At what stage of implementing the revised standard are you?

45% of respondents include the use phase or end-of-life in their EMS Over 80% felt the had full or partial understanding of life cycle thinking in the context of the revised standard Almost 70% of respondents request environmental data from suppliers EMS Scope and Planning What is the scope of your EMS and what environmental aspects do you consider? 45% of respondents include the use phase or end-of-life in their EMS

Supplier data collection What type of information do you request from suppliers? Supplier data collection Other: Waste information FSC information Health and Safety Environmental policy Recycled content Packaging ISO 14001 certification RoHS/WEEE information Materials/ethical sourcing

Environmental impacts Which type of assessment method do you most regularly work with?

Environmental impacts What type of environmental aspects do you assess? Environmental impacts

Environmental assessment tools Which environmental assessment tools do you use regularly? 43.7% use these tools at a product and organisational level

Environmental assessment standards We asked participants about the following standards: ISO 14006 – Environmental management systems - guidelines for incorporating eco-design ISO 14064 – GHGs Part 1: Specification with guidance at the organisational level for quantification and reporting of GHG emissions GHG protocol – Corporate standard European Commission Organisational Environmental Footprint (OEF) Bilan Carbone PAS 2050 – Specification for the assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services ISO 14067 – Carbon footprints of products – Requirements and guidelines for quantification and communication Environmental assessment standards

Environmental assessment standards ISO 14044/40 – Environmental management – Life cycle assessment ISO 14046 – Environmental management – Water footprint – Principles, requirements and guidelines International Reference Lifecycle Data System Handbook (ILCD) GHG protocol – Corporate value chain (Scope 3) accounting and reporting standard GHG protocol - Product life cycle accounting and reporting standard Global water footprint assessment standard EN 15978 Sustainability of construction works. Assessment of environmental performance of buildings EN 15804 Sustainability of construction works. Environmental product declarations. Core rules for the product category of construction products Environmental assessment standards

Environmental assessment standards What is the level of your practical application of the following standards? Environmental assessment standards

Environmental life cycle databases From which of the following databases do you source life-cycle data? Environmental life cycle databases

Benefits and barriers to applying LCA 65% of respondents believe that LCA could be useful in supporting their organisations EMS Over half of those who responded to the survey felt that recent regulations have not been a driver in increasing a life cycle focus within their organisation Benefits and barriers to applying LCA Perceived benefits to applying LCA

Benefits and barriers to applying LCA Perceived barriers to applying LCA within you organisation

Key outcomes The majority of respondents consider a wide scope within their EMS that takes in aspects greater than just their sphere of control Respondents collect a wider range of data from suppliers The most common types of information collected are: direct energy use, waste, and materials use Carbon footprinting is the most common assessment method used followed by energy/embodied energy assessment The GHG Protocol - Corporate Standard was the commonly used assessment standard

Key outcomes Environmental databases were not commonly used to collect data from Respondents were broadly positive about how LCA could benefit their organisation The main drivers for implementing LCA were to enhance ISO 14001 compliance Customer demand featured highly as a driver and as a barrier to implementing LCA Many respondents saw relevance to the organisation as a barrier to implementing LCA

What approaches have you taken to taking a life-cycle perspective? What are the key practical challenges you face in your organisation to taking a life-cycle perspective? What, if any, value have you derived? What guidance and support would you most value? Discussion