Introduction to the UNEP/SETAC framework for life cycle impact assessment Version March 28, 2011...

Introduction to the UNEP/SETAC framework for life cycle impact assessmentVersion March 28, 2011

Sebastien HumbertQuantis

sebastien.humbert@quantis-intl.com

Content

1. Context2. Problematic regarding quantificatio of water footprinting3. Initiatives in water footprinting4. The UNEP-SETAC WULCA work5. Operationalization of the framework6. Example of application

[Title of the PPT]

2

LCSA, SETAC

Context and Problematic

3

LCSA, SETAC

“global warming” … “global drying”

4© Quantis

LCSA, SETAC

5

LCSA, SETAC

Water Footprint Implications/Communication

6

LCSA, SETAC

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Wat

er u

se (l

itres

/cup

)

Irrigation

Use

Distribution

Coffee

Which value is correct?

• Differences?7

Chapagain and Hoekstra

Humbert et al.

29

4

© Quantis

LCSA, SETAC

Elovena (Raisio, FI)

8

100 liters/100 g0.2 liters/100 g (excluding green water)

Carbon footprint: 80 gCO2eq/100 g

LCSA, SETAC

A t-shirt – Exemple of Switcher

• Environmental labelling of Switcher products

Carbon footprint – climate change

Water footprint – water consumption and associated impacts

9© Quantis

LCSA, SETAC

Environmental product declaration

• Carbon footprint

10

CO2 N2O

CFCCH4

Water

LCSA, SETAC

Water in life cycle assessment

11

LCSA, SETAC

12

The life cycle concept

© Quantis

LCSA, SETAC

Why expand the scope of water footprint to LCA?

13

Climate change(carbon

footprint)

Ecosystemquality

Natural resources

Humanhealth

Waterfootprint

To avoid burden shifting from one impact category to another(avoid “perverse outcomes” – WBCSD Montreux workshop key learning)

© Quantis

LCSA, SETAC

Coffe as an example of an LCA

14

1 cupof coffeeat home

© Quantis

LCSA, SETAC

Greenhouse gases (CO2, N2O, etc.) emissions

15

CO2 N2O

CFCCH4

© Quantis

LCSA, SETAC

Water use/impacts

16© Quantis

LCSA, SETAC

Methods assessing water

UNEP-SETAC WULCA framework

17

LCSA, SETAC

Definitions

Water related definitions

18

Off-stream water use

In-stream water use

Green water Blue water Grey water

Degradative use

Consumptive use

Process

LCSA, SETAC

UNEP-SETAC Life Cycle Initiative

• International initiative for LCA

• Proposed a framework to evaluate water in LCA

• Review of different methods

• Recommendations (end 2009) for:– Science

– Practitioners (incl. industry)

19

LCSA, SETAC

Natural resources

UNEP-SETAC framework

20

Future generations

Less water for future

generations

EcosystemsWater use Less water for ecosystems

Less water for humans

Human health

Ecosystems

All impact categories

Compensation

Human use

Mod

ifica

tion

of a

vaila

bilit

ies

Source: Bayart et al.

LCSA, SETAC

21

Bay

art (

UN

EP

-SE

TA

C fr

amew

ork)

Human lifeHuman life Biotic environmentBiotic environment Abiotic environmentAbiotic environment

Frischknecht

Midpoint (benchmarking)Ridoutt Pfister

Mila-I-CanalsMila-I-Canals

Hoekstra

VeoliaPfister

Bayart

Boulay

Human lifeHuman life Biotic environmentBiotic environment Abiotic environmentAbiotic environment

Boulay

Maendly Humbert

BoeschVan Zelm

Endpoint (damage)

Pfister

Motoshita

Pfister

Pfister Verones

Motoshita

Motoshita

Verones (ground)

Payet

Quantis

Quantis

Databases Methods

WFN

In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this review.

LCSA, SETAC

Operationalization of the framework

22

LCSA, SETAC

Scope of the proposed framework

23

Endpoint (Damage)

« Impact on humans, ecosystems and

resources ? »

Midpoint

« Is it a potential problem ? »« Water stressed area ? »

Inventory

« What ? »« Where ? »

« How much ? »

Reporting & Communication

« Single score in litres equivalent ? »

© Quantis

LCSA, SETAC

Supply chain

Watershed 1

Manufacturing

Watershed 2

Use phase

Watershed 3

End of life

Watershed 4

In practice!

24

Ecosystem quality

Single score

Inventory

Water withdrawal

renewable groundwater, lake, river, …

Water release

Surface water,…

…, Chemically and thermally polluted

water

Blue waterGreen water

Diff

ere

nt c

ause

-eff

ect

mod

els

(Ch

ara

cte

riza

tion

fa

cto

rs) Human health

=

Resources

Impact assessmentLife cycle

Wat

er s

tres

s in

dic

ato

r(w

ate

r s

ca

rcit

y p

ote

nti

al)

*

**

* Chemically and thermally polluted water are refered as grey water in the Water Footprint Network method. Note that grey water is a discussed indicator and sometimes refer as inventory and sometimes as impact assessment

** Water Footprint Network method

(if needed)

© Quantis

LCSA, SETAC

Blue water: evaporated

Grey water

Withdrawal: surface water

Withdrawal: groundwater

Blue water: incorporated in

the product

Water stress assessment(using a water stress index, WSI, based on scarcity)

25© Quantis

LCSA, SETAC

Water stress assessment(using a water stress index, WSI, based on scarcity)

26

Blue water WSI Weighted blue water

Grey water

Withdrawal

WSI (?)

X% WSI

Weighted grey water

Weighted withdrawal

Inventory Impact assessment

Σ Weighted inventory

+

+

=

© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this method.

LCSA, SETAC

Water Impact Modeling

27

LCSA, SETAC

Detailed assessment

28In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this method.

LCSA, SETAC

Water footprint interpretation and use

29

LCSA, SETAC

Regionalization of impacts

30

Water use (inventory) (m3)

Scarcity weighted water use (using water stress index) (m3-eq)

Risks associated with water use:

Water rightsWater pollution

Ground water over exploitation

Risks associated with water use:

Water pollutionGround water over

exploitationReduced availability for

nutrition

Impacts on human health (DALY)

Impacts on ecosystem quality (PDF-m2-y)

Risks associated with

water use:Water pollution

Risks associated with water use:Water pollution

Ground water over exploitationRiver drying

Greenhouse gases emissions

Greenhouse gases emissions (from deforestation)

© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this method.

LCSA, SETAC

Importance to assess impacts/risk

31© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this method.

LCSA, SETAC

Compensation measures

• LCA-based framework allows to compare benefits from compensation measures

(responsible actions, offsetting measures) with impacts associated with activity

• e.g., factory in India (50% evap., 50% poll.)

32

Pollution Consumption

1’000’000 m3/y with DF 10 1’000’000 m3/y (blue water)

10’000’000 m3/y grey water 20 DALY/y (Pfister et al.)

Reduced runoff b/c organic farming over 1’000 ha

Clean freshwater supply to 10’000 people

Benefits: 2’000’000 m3/y (grey water avoided)

100 DALY/y (@ 0.01 DALY/p-y)

LCSA, SETAC

Example: Biofuel

33

LCSA, SETAC

34

• Per m3 of water consumed

• Damage factors at the watershed level

Pfister, Koehler & Hellweg (2009), ES&T 43(11): 4098–4104

Ecosystem damage potential (CFEQ)

LCSA, SETAC

35

Mendoza

Reference region

Mendoza region

Koehler, Pfister et al. 2008

Rape seed cultivation for biodiesel production

LCSA, SETAC

Ag

gre

gat

ed

imp

acts

(E

I99

) p

t/k

g

> 50% increase

Water impacts

Other impacts

Mendozaproduction

LCIA LCIA Swiss watershed Argentina production

level country average

Koehler, Pfister et al. 2008

36

Environmental impact of rapeseed production at country and watershed level

LCSA, SETAC

> 50% increase

Water impacts

Other impacts

Mendozaproduction

ecosystem quality impacts

Ag

gre

gat

ed

imp

acts

(E

I99

) p

t/k

g

Koehler, Pfister et al. 2008

37

LCIA LCIA Swiss watershed Argentina production

level country average

Environmental impact of rapeseed production on country and watershed level

LCSA, SETAC

Rapeseed-based methyl ester (biodiesel)

Overall environmental damage

Koehler, Pfister et al. 2008

38

Thank you for your attention

39

LCSA, SETAC

Water footprinting and

life cycle assessment

Examples showing Waterfootprint vs Multi-indicators

40In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this example.

LCSA, SETAC

Example: energy type

41

Natural gazNatural gaz WoodWood

?

HydropowerHydropower CoalCoal

© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this method.

LCSA, SETAC

Inventory

42

LCSA, SETAC

>6

0 l

/kW

h(n

egle

cte

d in

WF

N

me

tho

d)

Different types of inventory

43© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this method.

LCSA, SETAC

Impact assessment

• Impacts of freshwater consumption on

human health, ecosystem quality and

resource (Pfister and al. 2009)

• Impact of thermal pollution in freshwater

aquatic environments (Verones et al. 2010)

• Impact of groundwater extraction on

disappearance of plant species (Van Zelm

et al. 2010)

• Impact of hydropower water use on aquatic

biodiversity damages (Maendly and

Humbert 2009)

44© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this method.

LCSA, SETAC

Comparison with total impacts

45

LCSA, SETAC

Water stress vs Global warming vs impact on Human health from other pollutants (all at midpoint)

46

Note that when using the current midpoint approach based on a water scarcity potential, the water stress score for any other country than India

would have a different absolute value, but the same ranking (same structure of the bars of the graph) because the difference between two

countries is a single multiplication factor.

© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this method.

LCSA, SETAC

Water stress (France and India) vs Global warming vs impact on Human health from other pollutants (all at endpoint)

47© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this method.

LCSA, SETAC

Total impact on human health

48

1.5E-4

© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this method.

LCSA, SETAC

Water (France and India) vs Global warming vs total impact on Ecosystem quality (all at endpoint)

49© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this method.

LCSA, SETAC

Total impact on ecosystem quality

50

Def

ore

stat

ion

? (

in I

nd

ia)

© Quantis. In process of being published. Please contact Quantis before citing any results from this method.