Abstract
The activities of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative have been crucial for the dissemination of LCA worldwide and the creation of a global life cycle community, since 2002, after the ISO 14040 series had been established. The Life Cycle Initiative not only contributed to capability development and the set up of national and regional life cycle networks in different parts of the world but also to enhancing and building global consensus on life cycle methodologies in areas such as life cycle inventory (LCI), life cycle impact assessment (LCIA), social life cycle assessment as well as carbon and water footprinting. Moreover, the Life Cycle Initiative has successfully promoted the way leading companies are doing life cycle management (LCM) and the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development in life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA).
The chapter opens with an introduction on how the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative came to life and developed over the years. Then the special relationship of the Life Cycle Initiative to The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment is highlighted. This section is followed by a description of the main contributions of the Life Cycle Initiative to the international community. In the subsequent section the key messages based on the work conducted during the last 10 years are described. The chapter finishes with some thoughts on the future of life cycle thinking and an introduction to the Phase 3 of the Life Cycle Initiative.
The chapter includes the list of key achievements of the Life Cycle Initiative’s Phase 1 and 2 activities that are the creation of a global life cycle community, the LCI Registry, the LCIA Midpoint-damage Framework, the USEtox model, the LCM guide and capability maturity framework, the social LCA guidelines, the LCSA framework and the global guidance principles for LCA databases.
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The conference series provides an international forum to share experiences on Life Cycle Thinking and related tools. CILCA is a bi-annual event which is held in different countries of Latin America convoking experts and interested audiences from across the globe. The first CILCA was held in 2005 in San José Costa Rica, and from there has followed a successful journey which included locations spread all along the region: Sao Paulo (Brazil) in 2007, Pucón (Chile) in 2009, and Coatzacoalcos (Mexico) in 2011.
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Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements to the ILCB members and donors of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative for providing the strategic advice and financial resources needed. See http://www.lifecycleinitiative.org for full list of current partners and further information on the initiative .
Moreover, the authors would like to thank Bruce Vigon from SETAC and Jim Fava as PMO co-chair for their support in moving the Life Cycle Initiative into Phase 3. Finally, the authors would like to recognize the work of Thad Mermer who helped the secretariat of the Life Cycle Initiative to develop the key messages.
Disclaimer
The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Moreover, the views expressed do not necessarily represent the decision or the stated policy of UNEP or SETAC, nor does citing of trade names or commercial processes constitute endorsement.
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Appendix—Glossary
Appendix—Glossary
10YFP | 10-Year Framework of Programmes on sustainable consumption and production adopted during the last so-called Rio + 20 World Summit on sustainable development in June 2012 |
Apeldoorn declaration | Declaration by a group of specialists in LCA and Risk Assessment on practices and complications of life cycle impact assessment methodologies for non-ferrous metals |
CILCA | International Conference on life cycle assessment in Latin America |
CML | Institute of Environmental Sciences, an institute of the Faculty of Science of the Leiden University |
E-LCA | Environmental Life Cycle Assessment |
EPFL | Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne |
ICMM | International Council on Mining and Metals |
ISO | International Organization for Standardization |
ILCB | International Life Cycle Initiative Board |
ILCD | International Reference Life Cycle Data System developed by the European Commission |
ILCP | International Life Cycle Initiative Panel |
IRP | International Resource Panel |
Life Cycle Initiative | UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative |
LCC | Life Cycle Costing |
LCI | Life Cycle Inventory |
LCIA | Life Cycle Impact Assessment |
LCM | Life Cycle Management |
LCSA | Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment |
Marrakech Process | A global process as called for by the World Summit on sustainable development’s Johannesburg plan of action to support the elaboration of a 10-Year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production |
OECD | Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development |
PMO | Project Management Office |
SCP | Sustainable consumption and production |
SETAC | Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry |
Shonan Guidance Principles | Global guidance principles for life cycle assessment databases |
S-LCA | Social life cycle assessment |
TF | Task force |
UNEP | United Nations Environment Programme |
USEtox | Environmental model for characterization of human and ecotoxic impacts in life cycle impact assessment and for comparative assessment and ranking of chemicals according to their inherent hazard characteristics developed by a team of researchers from the Phase 1 Task force on toxic impacts under the UNEP-SETAC life cycle initiative |
WAIG | Work Area Interest Group |
WBCSD | World Business Council for Sustainable Development |
WRI | World Resource Institute |
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Sonnemann, G., Valdivia, S. (2014). The UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative. In: Klöpffer, W. (eds) Background and Future Prospects in Life Cycle Assessment. LCA Compendium – The Complete World of Life Cycle Assessment. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8697-3_4
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