Simplified LCA and matrix methods in identifying the environmental aspects of a product system

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2004.11.014

Journal of Environmental Management

Volume 75, Issue 3, May 2005, Pages 229-237

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2004.11.014 Get rights and content

Abstract

In order to effectively integrate environmental attributes into the product design and development processes, it is crucial to identify the significant environmental aspects related to a product system within a relatively short period of time. In this study, the usefulness of life cycle assessment (LCA) and a matrix method as tools for identifying the key environmental issues of a product system were examined. For this, a simplified LCA (SLCA) method that can be applied to Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) was developed to efficiently identify their significant environmental aspects for eco-design, since a full scale LCA study is usually very detailed, expensive and time-consuming. The environmentally responsible product assessment (ERPA) method, which is one of the matrix methods, was also analyzed. Then, the usefulness of each method in eco-design processes was evaluated and compared using the case studies of the cellular phone and vacuum cleaner systems.

It was found that the SLCA and the ERPA methods provided different information but they complemented each other to some extent. The SLCA method generated more information on the inherent environmental characteristics of a product system so that it might be useful for new design/eco-innovation when developing a completely new product or method where environmental considerations play a major role from the beginning. On the other hand, the ERPA method gave more information on the potential for improving a product so that it could be effectively used in eco-redesign which intends to alleviate environmental impacts of an existing product or process.

Introduction

EEE (Electrical and Electronic Equipment) manufacturers have shown more interest in eco-design due to the increased environmental awareness of society and upcoming legislation such as WEEE (Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment), RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances in EEEs) and EuP (Energy using Products) (Tischner et al., 2000, Chung et al., 2003). Eco-design is an activity that fundamentally eliminates the possible environmental impacts of a product through the incorporation of environmental attributes at the product design stage (ISO/TR, 14062 2002). Since, however, it is rather difficult for designers to assess the environmental characteristics of their products, pressure has been mounting for simple-to-use methods that allow for evaluations that are quick and easy but also accurate (Curran, 1997, Christiansen, 1997).

The environmental assessment involves the identification, quantification, evaluation and prioritization of environmental aspects in relation to a product system. For this, effective environmental assessment tools are required and recently, life cycle assessment (LCA) and matrix methods have widely been used as the assessment tools to evaluate the environmental performance of a product system (Hochschorner and Finnveden, 2003). However, a detailed full LCA can be difficult to apply at the design stage because of its tedious, expensive and time-consuming attributes. Therefore, there is a need for simplified methods that involve less cost, time and effort, but yet provide similar results to more detailed and costly exercises (Hunt et al., 1998). On the other hand, matrix methods are usually considered as simple methods to present information about a product's environmental aspects in a systematic and clearly arranged manner while in many cases quantitative information is lacking. Hence, it is desirable to develop and use a matrix method which can provide quantitative information.

In simplified LCA (SLCA), it is necessary to identify those areas which can be omitted or simplified without significantly affecting the overall results. In this study, 11 different SLCA methods were prepared by excluding different levels of life cycle stages and/or simplifying data needs through the substitution of external databases. They were evaluated systematically to determine which methods would result in similar overall conclusions (i.e. overall environmental impacts and significant environmental issues) as a full LCA. Subsequently, one SLCA method was selected as the most suitable simplified method for the identification of the significant environmental aspects related to EEE systems. Then, the selected SLCA method was applied to the cellular phone and vacuum cleaner systems and the results were compared with those obtained from one of the semi-quantitative matrix methods, the so-called environmentally responsible product assessment (ERPA) method, in order to study what type of information they would produce and to discuss the usefulness of each method.

Section snippets

Simplified LCA

In order to apply the SLCA methods, the life cycle stages of a product system were divided into seven different levels. As shown in Table 1, the manufacturing stage where all parts and components are finally assembled into a product was designated as level 0. On the basis of the manufacturing stage, the upstream (pre-manufacturing stage) was divided into three levels, and they were numbered as level −1, level −2 and level −3. The downstream (distribution and use and end-of-life stages) was also

Results and discussion

As explained above, 11 SLCA methods were applied to the cellular phone and vacuum cleaner systems and their results were compared against the reference method. Fig. 1 shows the comparison of the overall potential environmental impacts obtained from the LCIA study by each SLCA method. The accuracy of each simplified method was measured as the ratio of the overall potential environmental impacts obtained to those from the reference method as a percentage. In the case of the cellular phone system,

Conclusions

There is no single SLCA method which is suitable for all product categories. For some product categories one method would work quite well, but it would not work well for other product categories. In this study, 11 simplified methods were evaluated to determine which methods would work well for EEE. The case studies of the cellular phone system and vacuum cleaner system suggest that actual on-site data have to be used for the manufacturing stage and use stage in the SLCA study while secondary

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¹: The Korea Environmental Labeling Association 613-2. Bulgwang-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul 122-706, South Korea.

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Simplified LCA and matrix methods in identifying the environmental aspects of a product system

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Simplified LCA

Results and discussion

Conclusions

Sustainable Solutions—Developing Products and Services for the Future

Web based eco-design supporting system for electronic products

IEEE Int. Symp. Electron. Environ.

Weighted matrices as product life cycle assessment tools

Int. J. LCA

Industrial Ecology

Improving the overall environmental performance of existing telecommunications facilities

Int. J. LCA

Evaluation of two simplified life cycle assessment methods

Int. J. LCA