Description of LCA
- LCA address the environmental aspects and potential environmental impacts (e.g. resource use and environmental consequences of releases) throughout a product’s life cycle from raw material acquisition through production, use, end-of-life treatment and disposal (i.e. cradle-to-grave)
- LCA can assist in
- Identifying opportunities to improve the environmental performance of products at various points in their life cycle
- Informing decision-makers in industry, governmental or non-governmental organizations (e.g. strategic planning, priority setting, product or process design or redesign)
- Selection of relevant indicators of environmental performance, including measurement techniques; and
- Marketing (e.g. an environmental claim, ecolabelling scheme or environmental product declaration). Ref: ISO 14040 Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework
- LCA addresses environmental impacts of the system under study in the areas of ecological health, human health and resource depletion. It does not address economic considerations or social effects.
- LCA is only one of several techniques of environmental management. Ref: SETAC Guidelines for Life-Cycle Assessment: A “Code of Practice”, 1993
SETAC Life-Cycle Assessment
SETAC provides an international infrastructure to support the mission of the SETAC and SETAC Europe Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) groups in advancing the science, practice, and application of LCA and related approaches worldwide. SETAC brings three features that are also critical and important to the LCA community: 1) its membership is international; 2) its scope is multidisciplinary, and 3) its governance and membership are multisector, representing government, industry, and academia.
LCA Mission Statement
The mission of the LCA Advisory Group in North America is to advance the science, practice, and application of LCAs to reduce the resource consumption and environmental burdens associated with products, packaging, processes, or activities. The organizations will
- serve as focal points of a broad-based forum for the identification, resolution, and communication of issues regarding LCAs.
- facilitate, coordinate, and provide guidance for the development and implementation of LCAs in close cooperation with each other.
Core tasks include planning and organizing LCA sessions and conferences (such as the Annual Meetings in Europe and North America and the LCA Case Studies Symposium), coordination of topical working groups, preparation and global integration of SETAC LCA publications, and promotion of the UNEP/SETAC Life-Cycle Initiative.
The
mission of the Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) Advisory Group in Europe is
to advance the science, practice, and application of LCAs to reduce the
resource consumption and environmental burdens associated with
products, packaging, processes, or activities. The organisation serves
as the focal point in Europe of a broad-based forum for the
identification, resolution, and communication of issues regarding LCAs,
and it facilitates, coordinates, and provides guidance for the
development and implementation of LCAs in close cooperation with the
North America LCA Advisory Group.
Core tasks of the LCA Advisory
Group include planning and organising LCA sessions at the annual
meetings and conferences, such as the LCA Case Studies Symposium;
coordination of topical working groups; preparation and global
integration of SETAC LCA publications; and promotion of the SETAC-UNEP
Life-cycle Initiative.
LCA Advisory Group Steering Committee
- Annette Koehler, Chair (ETH Zuerich, Ecological System Design, Switzerland)
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David Pennington, -Secretary (European Commission DG Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra(Va), Italy)
-
Alessandra Zamagni -Treasurer (The Italian National Agency on new Technologies, Energy and the Environment, Italy)
-
Christian Bauer (European Aluminium Foil Association e.V., Germany)
-
Angeline de Beaufort (FEFCO, Swalmen, the Netherlands)
-
Michael Hauschild (Danish Technical University, Lyngby, Denmark)
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Mark Huijbregts (Radboud University Nijmegen, Department of Environmental Sciences, The Netherlands)
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Walter Klöpffer (LCA Consult & Review, Frankfurt/M, Germany)
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Johannes Kreissig (PE Europe GmbH, Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany)
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Ellen Riise (SCA Personal Care, Göteburg, Sweden)
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Klára Szita Tóth (University of Miskolc, Faculty of Economics, Institute of World and Regional Economics, Hungary)
Non-voting Members/Ex Officio Members
-
Bart Bosveld (SETAC Europe Executive Director)
-
Alain Dubreuil (SETAC North America LCA Advisory Group)
-
Jim Fava (SETAC-UNEP LCI representative)
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Bruce Vigon (SETAC Globe representative)
-
Gjalt Huppes (Working Group Chair)
-
David Hunkeler (Working Group Chair)
The 2006 LCA Case Study Symposium was held in
Stuttgart. Johannes Kreissig chaired the organising committee for this
meeting, which focussed on building and construction and attracted 200
participants from within this field. On the occasion of this meeting,
the SETAC Europe Young Scientist LCA Award was presented. This newly
established award recognises exceptional achievements by a young
scientist in the field of life-cycle assessment.
