Nils Thonemann

Nils Thonemann (University of Leiden)

Life Cycle Assessment

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a quantitative method, well-suited to assessing the cradle-to-grave environmental impacts of a product or service. This presentation introduces the basic concepts of LCA and its application in SSbD.

While LCA can enlighten complex questions, it is a data-intensive method, building on diverse models. At the cutting edge of technological development, designers inevitably find themselves lacking the knowledge required to comprehensively evaluate sustainability. Effectively addressing this challenge is a topic of ongoing discussion, forming a so-called ‘tiered LCA’ approach: starting from rough estimations and iteratively coming to comprehensive quantitative insights. Eventually, a robust assessment of the value chains in which an SSbD case would be embedded becomes possible, enabled by technology forecasting approaches and a consideration of broader socio-technical systems.

For early LCA iterations, some suggest to neglect areas with high uncertainty and instead consider cradle-to-gate or gate-to-gate analyses. These approaches can be effective in addressing design questions with a very limited effect on the overall lifecycle. However, the reality of SSbD concerning chemicals, materials, or products is inevitably more complex, affecting factors such as functionality, durability, or recyclability. We therefore argue to consider the full lifecycle from the start, using LCA to stimulate and support lifecycle thinking in the design process. To enable this, expertise across disciplines must be brought together, further increasing collaboration for SSbD.

Our approach to LCA will be illustrated based on our SSbD4CheM case study application.