An interview with Cecilia Puppo on Life Cycle Assessment
Simon Pitsillides: Why is there a need for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?
Cecilia Puppo: We are now more aware than ever of the environmental cost that a product or a service have, alongside the perception of financial costs. This has led to a favoured position for the organisations and companies that are able to be more sustainable and demonstrate that.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the best tool or lens available for understanding the impacts of a given product or service. It is not limited to the activities of a company but covers the entire life cycle. Although the extent of consideration boundaries can vary, LCA is intended to consider the entire life cycle; from cradle to grave in the case of a linear economy, or from cradle to cradle in a circular economy.
Each LCA is unique and tailor-made for one or more products/services. This is due to the first step in conducting an LCA: defining the scope and goal. It is an essential step that drives the rest of the study, as it sets the boundaries of what to include, what unit to consider, and what the aim of the study is. It’s then followed by the inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation of the results. The study stages influence each other and are re-visited and re-evaluated until a conclusion is reached.
The clear vision provided by LCA makes the real difference for stakeholders to identify the hotspots that may have a negative impact to mitigate, as well as offer an opportunity to emphasise positive impacts. Thus, a truly more sustainable solution may be uncovered.
SP: Why do LCA and sustainability reporting go hand-in-hand?
Qoncert is a team of engineers with competence in environmental sustainability matters, circular economy, and certification
CP: We believe that a more informed decision is adherently a better decision. While Sustainability Reporting focuses on the umbrella below which all the corporate activities take place, product or service Life Cycle Assessment takes an individual activity and dissects it, revealing more details.
Informing and selecting material impacts are parts both of LCA and CSR. Life Cycle methodology aligns with the UN SDGs too. The time horizons considered are the same for both, starting from short-term all the way until the end of the service life. And most importantly, the information collection structure, once established, facilitates the process for the upcoming years and projects.
Furthermore, environmental declarations give credibility to reporting since it is usually externally verified.
SP: What are the benefits a company receives when it completes an LCA?
CP: There are several advantages to taking on a Life Cycle approach. It could be used as a supporting tool for sustainability reporting, as science-based accounting of impacts. Another benefit could be related to the management of impacts and due diligence as it gives insight on the hotspots of the most impactful sub-activities.
The level of details considered assists in:
• Environmental labels/claims and environmental product declarations (EPD)
• Conforming with market and legal regulations
• Eco-design of products
• Sustainable supply chain management
• Green buildings assessment
Some details about Qoncert
Qoncert is a team of engineers with competence in environmental sustainability matters, circular economy, and certification. Qoncert aims to assist companies in undertaking a green road map, to gain greater awareness of the origin of their environmental impacts and to implement strategies for their reduction or abatement.
You can find more about the Qoncert and its activities on the website or LinkedIn.
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