Regenerative Development Model: A Life Cycle-Based Methodology for the Definition of Regenerative Contribution Units (RCUs)

Adriana Del Borghi, Michela Gallo (), Erica Gagliano and Vienna Eleuteri
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Adriana Del Borghi: Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genova, 16145 Genoa, Italy
Michela Gallo: Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genova, 16145 Genoa, Italy
Erica Gagliano: Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genova, 16145 Genoa, Italy
Vienna Eleuteri: BLYP, Be Like Your Place, 00197 Rome, Italy

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 3, 1-24

Abstract: In the “contributive” approach, balancing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cannot be considered comprehensive, as all footprints, such as ecological and water, shall be assessed and balanced by regenerative actions contributing not only to carbon removal, but also to the regeneration of biodiversity, land, and water. A survey on existing methodologies for the assessment of the damage (environmental burden) and the calculation of the environmental repair (offsets) has been presented in this work. Its outcome pointed out a lack of scientific knowledge on how to put metrics beyond the regenerative development model and in particular on how life cycle assessment (LCA) can scientifically support a number of key features essential to develop a new methodology. The proposed approach is based on three pillars: reduce, remove, and repair. Indeed, this paper aims to develop a methodological LCA-based approach for the definition of Regenerative Contribution Units (RCUs) to quantitatively assess the contribution of projects in line with Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) and the framework of regenerative model development. These regenerative units might be marketed locally and globally by enterprises interested in purchasing such assets to scientifically and ethically comply with their corporate ESG obligations. Furthermore, the novelty and feasibility of the proposed approach has been preliminarily investigated through an example of footprints balancing.

Keywords: life cycle assessment (LCA); regenerative development model; carbon footprint; ecological footprint; water footprint; Regenerative Contribution Units (RCUs) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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