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Measuring Product Material Footprint as New Life Cycle Impact Assessment Method: Indicators and Abiotic Characterization Factors

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  • Clemens Mostert

    (Center for Environmental Systems Research, University of Kassel, 34117 Kassel, Germany)

  • Stefan Bringezu

    (Center for Environmental Systems Research, University of Kassel, 34117 Kassel, Germany)

Abstract

The global economy is using growing amounts of natural resources such as raw materials, water, and land by making and using goods, services, and infrastructure. Aspirations on international, regional, and national levels e.g., the Sustainable Development Goals, the EU flagship initiative Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe or the German Program for Resource Efficiency are showing an urgent need to bring the global raw material use down to sustainable levels. An essential prerequisite to identify resource efficient options and to implement resource efficiency measures and solutions is the ability to compare different products or services regarding their raw material use. Until today, there is no internationally standardized approach defined and no software supported calculation method including the necessary data basis available to measure the raw material intensity of products. A new life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) method Product Material Footprint PMF is described. Two indicators are used to quantify the PMF: the Raw Material Input RMI and the Total Material Requirement TMR. The calculation of global median values for the characterization factors CF RMI and CF TMR of abiotic materials was done based on different databases. This article presents the methodological approach of the PMF, the calculation results for CF RMI of 42 abiotic materials and CF TMR of 36 abiotic materials, and the implementation of the LCIA method into the software openLCA for use with the ecoinvent database.

Suggested Citation

  • Clemens Mostert & Stefan Bringezu, 2019. "Measuring Product Material Footprint as New Life Cycle Impact Assessment Method: Indicators and Abiotic Characterization Factors," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-19, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:8:y:2019:i:2:p:61-:d:219444
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wieland Hoppe & Nils Thonemann & Stefan Bringezu, 2018. "Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide–Based Production of Methane and Methanol and Derived Polymers," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 22(2), pages 327-340, April.
    2. Lauran Van Oers & Jeroen Guinée, 2016. "The Abiotic Depletion Potential: Background, Updates, and Future," Resources, MDPI, vol. 5(1), pages 1-12, March.
    3. Clemens Mostert & Berit Ostrander & Stefan Bringezu & Tanja Manuela Kneiske, 2018. "Comparing Electrical Energy Storage Technologies Regarding Their Material and Carbon Footprint," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-25, December.
    4. Stefan Bringezu & Helmut Schütz & Stephan Moll, 2003. "Rationale for and Interpretation of Economy‐Wide Materials Flow Analysis and Derived Indicators," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 7(2), pages 43-64, April.
    5. Krausmann, Fridolin & Gingrich, Simone & Eisenmenger, Nina & Erb, Karl-Heinz & Haberl, Helmut & Fischer-Kowalski, Marina, 2009. "Growth in global materials use, GDP and population during the 20th century," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(10), pages 2696-2705, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nadja von Gries & Stefan Bringezu, 2022. "Using New Spare Parts for Repair of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment? The Material Footprint of Individual Components," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-16, February.
    2. Clemens Mostert & Stefan Bringezu, 2022. "Biotic Part of the Product Material Footprint: Comparison of Indicators Regarding Their Interpretation and Applicability," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-16, June.
    3. Stefan Bringezu, 2019. "Toward Science-Based and Knowledge-Based Targets for Global Sustainable Resource Use," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-21, August.
    4. Finn-Erik Digulla & Stefan Bringezu, 2023. "Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Mineralization Using Industrial Waste as Feedstock to Produce Cement Substitutes," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-22, May.

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