Valuing Biodiversity in Life Cycle Impact Assessment

Jan Paul Lindner, Horst Fehrenbach, Lisa Winter, Judith Bloemer and Eva Knuepffer
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Jan Paul Lindner: Department of Life Cycle Engineering, Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, 70563 Stuttgart, Germany
Horst Fehrenbach: ifeu—Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany
Lisa Winter: Chair of sustainable engineering, Technical University of Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
Judith Bloemer: ifeu—Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany
Eva Knuepffer: Department of Life Cycle Engineering, Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, 70563 Stuttgart, Germany

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 20, 1-24

Abstract: In this article, the authors propose an impact assessment method for life cycle assessment (LCA) that adheres to established LCA principles for land use-related impact assessment, bridges current research gaps and addresses the requirements of different stakeholders for a methodological framework. The conservation of biodiversity is a priority for humanity, as expressed in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Addressing biodiversity across value chains is a key challenge for enabling sustainable production pathways. Life cycle assessment is a standardised approach to assess and compare environmental impacts of products along their value chains. The impact assessment method presented in this article allows the quantification of the impact of land-using production processes on biodiversity for several broad land use classes. It provides a calculation framework with degrees of customisation (e.g., to take into account regional conservation priorities), but also offers a default valuation of biodiversity based on naturalness. The applicability of the method is demonstrated through an example of a consumer product. The main strength of the approach is that it yields highly aggregated information on the biodiversity impacts of products, enabling biodiversity-conscious decisions about raw materials, production routes and end user products.

Keywords: biodiversity; life cycle assessment; product evaluation; environmental management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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