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

Evelyn Lobsiger-Kägi, Luis López, Tobias Kuehn, Raoul Roth, Vicente Carabias and Christian Zipper
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Evelyn Lobsiger-Kägi: Institute of Sustainable Development, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, 8400 Winterthur, 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

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 12, 1-24

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.

Keywords: social life cycle assessment; renewable energy technologies; performance reference point; relevance analysis; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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