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Social Life Cycle Assessment: Specific Approach and Case Study for Switzerland

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  • Evelyn Lobsiger-Kägi

    (Institute of Sustainable Development, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland
    RHYSearch, Center for Research and Innovation, 9471 Buchs, Switzerland)

  • Luis López

    (Institute of Sustainable Development, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland)

  • Tobias Kuehn

    (Institute of Sustainable Development, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland)

  • Raoul Roth

    (RHYSearch, Center for Research and Innovation, 9471 Buchs, Switzerland)

  • Vicente Carabias

    (Institute of Sustainable Development, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland)

  • Christian Zipper

    (Institute of Sustainable Development, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland)

Abstract

This article proposes a specific social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) approach, to be applied in a case study on energy production in Switzerland. The aim of the present study is to describe the social conditions along the global supply chains and to compare them with the social situation in Switzerland. Therefore, a specific S-LCA methodology was developed that combines a relevance analysis with a performance reference point (PRP) assessment. The relevance analysis is carried out to identify the most relevant unit processes and S-LCA indicators and the Swiss PRPs (SPRPs) are designed to compare the social issues along the value chain to the situation in Switzerland. The methodology was applied to two life cycle stages of the copper supply chain (resource extraction and wire production), relevant for the production of renewable energy technologies, where it was found that the most critical step is mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) due to the artisanal way of mining. The proposed methodology offers a comprehensive overview for the analysis of supply chains and the comparison of different life cycle phases. Nevertheless, the methodology can result in a very coarse resolution with low validity. However, if the data and the results are treated transparently, they provide meaningful information about the social conditions along the supply chain.

Suggested Citation

  • Evelyn Lobsiger-Kägi & Luis López & Tobias Kuehn & Raoul Roth & Vicente Carabias & Christian Zipper, 2018. "Social Life Cycle Assessment: Specific Approach and Case Study for Switzerland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-24, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:12:p:4382-:d:185104
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Somayeh Rezaei Kalvani & Amir Hamzah Sharaai & Ibrahim Kabir Abdullahi, 2021. "Social Consideration in Product Life Cycle for Product Social Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-22, October.
    2. Louisa Pollok & Sebastian Spierling & Hans-Josef Endres & Ulrike Grote, 2021. "Social Life Cycle Assessments: A Review on Past Development, Advances and Methodological Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-29, September.

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