Determining the principal references of the social life cycle assessment of products

This literature review starts from the recognition of the importance of the social performance of sustainable products and the SLCA approach as a potential tool to measure this performance. The goal of this research is to analyze the bibliographies (papers and authors) that could be considered to be the basis to support the application of the SLCA concept in product performance.

A bibliographical survey was conducted in two databases (Italian and Brazilian) covering the articles published from 2010 to 2013. The structure of the research consists of four steps: selection and analysis of recent scientific papers related to SLCA, selection and analysis of recent scientific papers related to the application of SLCA to a product, analysis of all of the references cited in recent scientific papers related to the application of SLCA to a product, and analysis of all of the scientific papers cited in recent scientific papers related to the application of SLCA to a product.

In 99 articles derived from the first selection, 13 articles specifically discussed the use of SLCA to products related to five different sectors. The investigation of the references cited in these papers identified 524 references used in 56 different journals and 358 authors. To discover the most cited references, the 220 articles published in scientific journals were examined. The work of Dreyer et al. (Int J Life Cycle Assess 11(2):88–97, 2006) was utilized in 62 % of the 13 selected articles and by the all of the sectors. Other important studies are also Benoît et al. (Int J Life Cycle Assess 15:156–163, 2010), Jørgensen et al. (Int J Life Cycle Assess 13(2):96-103, 2008), and Weidema (Int J Life Cycle Assess 11(1):89–96, 2006). Regarding an individual analysis of the authors, we highlight Hauschild, Jørgensen, Noris, and Dreyer.

In summary, the results indicate that the article of Dreyer et al. (Int J Life Cycle Assess 11(2):88–97, 2006) was cited by several authors in the scientific studies over the last decade and that Hauschild, Jørgensen, Norris, and Dreyer were the most cited authors. However, regarding the frequency and distribution of the citations in all of the sectors, a deeper discussion regarding whether the effects are due to the sample or are based on the use of the SLCA being in its infancy is required. Note that a factor that differentiates a mature thematic area of a new field of study is the presence of shared references. Thus, the definition of a common approach among scientists applying SLCA would result in a bibliography with a shared basis.