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Erschienen in: The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 6/2012

01.07.2012 | SOCIETAL LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

Addressing the effect of social life cycle assessments

verfasst von: Andreas Jørgensen, Louise C. Dreyer, Arne Wangel

Erschienen in: The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment | Ausgabe 6/2012

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Abstract

Purpose

In the recently published ‘Guidelines for social life cycle assessment of products’, it is stated that the ultimate objective of developing the social life cycle assessment (SLCA) is to promote improvements of social conditions for the stakeholders in the life cycle. This article addresses how the SLCA should be developed so that its use promotes these improvements.

Methods

Hypotheses of how the use of SLCA can promote improvement of social conditions in the life cycle are formulated, after which theories and empirical findings from relevant fields of research are used to address the validity of these hypotheses.

Results

Three in some cases potentially overlapping SLCA approaches are presented, assumed to create a beneficial effect in the life cycle in different ways. However, empirical and theoretical findings show that the beneficial effects proposed to arise from the use of each of these three approaches may all be problematic. Some of these problems may be mitigated through methodological modifications.

Conclusions

Given the significant problems in relation to creating an effect through the use of the SLCAs, and given the significant practical problems in applying the SLCAs, it is questioned whether the development of SLCA is a fruitful approach for improving social conditions in the product life cycle.

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Fußnoten
1
See, for example, Weidema and Ekvall (2009) for details.
 
2
The producer being affected by small changes in demand
 
3
More details can be added to the example, but as this example is only meant as an explanation, they are of no importance for this case.
 
4
Area of protection is a term originally defined in environmental LCA to represent the classes of environmental endpoints that society wants to protect (Udo de Haes et al. 1999).
 
5
See ‘UNEP Guidelines for social life cycle assessment of products’ (Benoît and Mazijn 2009).
 
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Metadaten
Titel
Addressing the effect of social life cycle assessments
verfasst von
Andreas Jørgensen
Louise C. Dreyer
Arne Wangel
Publikationsdatum
01.07.2012
Verlag
Springer-Verlag
Erschienen in
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment / Ausgabe 6/2012
Print ISSN: 0948-3349
Elektronische ISSN: 1614-7502
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-012-0408-9

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