Towards a future product sustainability footprint

The creation of a market for sustainable products and activities in the EU, as promoted by the European Green Deal, requires a methodology for the integrated life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) of environmental, economic and social impacts. This can build upon existing life cycle assessment approaches, ongoing international research, and harmonisation activities (e.g., the Environmental Footprint). LCSA can be used for the development of a Product Sustainability Footprint (PSF) once some key challenges and needs are addressed, such as 1) the availability of a robust, widely agreed, and fully operational methodology, including rules for the coherent interpretation and application of results; 2) the availability of sustainable product category rules that covers environmental, economic and social aspects; and 3) the definition of benchmarks/boundaries against which the sustainability performances of products can be compared. Flexibly integrating life cycle thinking in decision making will become necessary at all levels of society to support the transition towards sustainability: alternative ways to mainstream LCSA must be sought.