Not all Lifecycle Assessments Are Created Equal

Lifecycle assessments help companies and their customers determine the social, environmental and economic impact of the products they make. Different modeling methods are used to calculate life cycle impact, depending on your companies’ purpose, says Dr. Michael Lepech, assistant professor at Stanford University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Some lifecycle assessments focus solely on internal process improvements. More rigorous assessments are conducted for companies that want to make an “environmental product declaration,” and market their green processes. Going through the assessment supports your marketing claims with credible data. “When your customers ask how green you are, you have real numbers to give them,” Lepech says.

Lepech, who earned a PhD for his research in making cement-based composites greener, will describe the stages of a lifecycle during his session Life Cycle Assessment Methods for Design and Manufacturing of Sustainable Composites at C+P 2009. He’ll address some of the metrics used in assessments to calculate impact, including global warming potential, acidification and energy resources consumed.

Lepech points out that, unlike other materials, composites are characterized by their “embodied energy” as well as their “combustion energy.” The former describes any material that could potentially be used as fuel, while the latter is the amount of energy it takes to make the product. Composites contain embodied energy while materials such as aluminum and concrete don’t. “There a much more efficient and limited use of energy,” he says.

For more information on Lepech’s session, click here.