Life cycle assessment and idea generation

mats.zackrisson@swerea.seMats Zackrisson

Christina JönssonChristina.jonsson@swerea.se

Life cycle assessment and idea generation

• Life cycle assessment, LCA, is a great tool for facilitating eco-design• It makes you see all the life cycle environmental impacts

• At Swerea IVF we apply LCA all the time: • in national or international technology development projects; • when internally evaluating project proposals and; • for clients who want to improve their product´s environmental

performance

Energy and Environmentat

Swerea IVF Hans Lennart Norrblom

MatsZackrisson

StefanPosner

SandraRoos

ElisabethOhlsson

JanBäck

KarinWilson

ChristinaJönsson

Anna Karin Jönbrink Anna Rúna

Kristinsdóttir

We are

But

It is a challenge to communicate LCA results

• The LCA report is often shelfed and forgotten because:• Only one person as a counterpart who understands the results• All the others in the project or in the company do not understand the

results

We want the LCA results to be used, therefore…

Idea generation workshop

• At Swerea IVF we always offer an ”idea generation workshop” in addition to the normal reporting and presenting of an LCA

• The idea generation is basically a one-day workshop, thus inexpensive

• It is no rocket science….• ….. but a very cost-effective way of

increasing the value of a life cycle assessment, LCA

How we do idea generation

1. Present LCA results and conclusions to multifunctional group

• Purchasing• Design• Production• Management

2. Brainstorm ideas

3. Evaluate ideas

4. Report ideas

1.Eco-design initiation

2. Life cycle assessments

2009

Knowledge and competence about sustainable development

2010 2011 20132012 2014

3. Idea generation

4. Implementation in product development procedure

2015

Time frame

The eco-design journeyWhen is idea generation done on a company´s eco-design journey?

The idea generation workshop

• Before meeting• Agree on main LCA conclusions with client• Formulate brainstorming objective and preliminary evaluation criteria

• During meeting• Explain and discuss LCA results and conclusions• Agree on brainstorming objective• Explain brainstorming rules• Brainstorming improvement ideas• Take a break and categorize• Evaluate results

• After meeting• Write and distribute report

Brainstorming• Objective:

• For example: ”Generate ideas that could decrease product environmental impact”

• Write down your improvement idea on large post-its with quite thick pen

• Get up and read your idea out loud so that all participants can hear it

• Post your idea on the wall• Keep on going for at least one

hour• No criticism allowed – ideas

are fragile!

Take a break and categorize

Take a break and categorize

• Smaller group• Decide on categories• Write them on the wall• Rearrange post-its• Continue the brainstorming

again

Evaluation

• Discuss, critize and evaluate each idea 5-10 minutes• Each participant picks agreed number of favourite ideas to defend

• Other people´s ideas or your own ideas

• Explain evaluation criterium, for example:• Improvement of environmental performance

• Small (0-5 %*)• Medium (5-30 %*)• Large (>30%*)

• Ease of implementation• Time to technical feasability (long, short, today)• Market potential (small, medium, large)

• Each participant defends his/hers chosen ideas• Chosing or picking ideas is a first selection of the best ideas

* % refer to decrease in global warming, smog, eutrophication or acidification, without significant increase in any of the other

The evaluation

32

3

Lighter material and/or lighter design of the hammer, e.g titanium. Reduce transport weight and working environment problems.

Minskad färgmängd per enhet genom förbättrad färgöverföring, minskat översprut, optimerad applicering

Minskad färgmängd per enhet genom förbättrad färgöverföring, minskat översprut, optimerad applicering

Ease of implementation1

2

Hat”, “top” or pack bag to reduce the air resistance at transport

Pumpar med högre verknings-grad

Lysdiod istället för lampor

Återanvänd-ning av rinse/thinner till SB genom ex destillation

Utnyttja lägesenergin i vattnet

Eco-inspections, service á la “Sten-Åke”. Could help the users to take care of the products.

Minskad thinnerförbrukning/återanvändning /återvinning

Ej använda UF och ändå få samma funktion

Mer värmeväxlingMinska antalet

kulörer

Minska rengöringen i systemet – ökad batchtid

1

Improvement of environmental performance

Minska VOC-halten i färg t. ex high solid SB färg med 60-70% torrhalt och 30-40% VOC

Results of idea generation - examples

• Stepwise EPD project1

• Three SMEs achieved 7, 12 and 23 improvement ideas respectively• 12 ideas implemented

within 3-year project time frame

• Mercatus Engineering implemented 8 of 12 ideas in new orders within one year

1Zackrisson et al. (2008). "Stepwise environmental product declarations…. Journal of Cleaner Production….

Hultafors Group

• More than 200 improvement ideas generated in two workshops4

• 16 and 13 respectively selected for evaluation, about 1/3 with significant environmental improvement potential

• Introduced products with improved environmental performance based on these ideas one year later

4Zackrisson et al……Application of eco-design …at Hultafors Group. SETAC 18th LCA Case Study Symposium .. 2012.

Hultafors Group

• Gloves wear out differently• Different tasks require different gloves• Hands do different things• Why treat your hands the same• Forget the pair of gloves• Left and right gloves sold one by one

Example of product with improved environmental performance

Observations

• All ideas are not new; old ideas can find a new context in which to flourish

• The whole exercise makes the participants learn and embrace the LCA results

• Implementation in:• new products• eco-design checklists• in product development

procedures

Energy and Environment at Swerea IVF- some tools that we use

• Life cycle assessment with or without idea generation

• Measuring your companies environmental impact (book)

• Practical substitution of chemicals• Eco-design, practical guidance (book)• Sustainability support to research

projects

Energy and Environmentat

Swerea IVF Hans Lennart Norrblom

MatsZackrisson

StefanPosner

SandraRoos

ElisabethOhlsson

JanBäck

KarinWilson

ChristinaJönsson

Anna Karin Jönbrink Anna Rúna

Kristinsdóttir

at your service!

We work on a scientific foundation to create industrial benefit.www.swerea.se