Integrating Risk Assessment into LCA: S-LCA Framework for Building ProductA Framework for Integrating Risk Assessment into S-LCA

The building product market in the US and internationally is being increasingly obligated to provide transparent data related to both its environmental and social impacts along the entire supply-chain. With the Lumber... [ view full abstract ]

The building product market in the US and internationally is being increasingly obligated to provide transparent data related to both its environmental and social impacts along the entire supply-chain. With the Lumber Liquidators flooring recall, building product specifiers (architects and designers) and building occupants are also demanding more trustworthy and quantitative information about building products used. Environmental information is being disclosed via an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which, uses as its source document, an environmental lifecycle assessment (E-LCA). Quantitative human health and safety data are not usually incorporated into either E-LCAs or Social Lifecycle Assessments (S-LCA). Unfortunately, for building product manufacturers, there are limited methodologies available to assess the risk to human health and safety for incorporation into either E-LCAs or S-LCAs.
Different organizations have started efforts assessing only hazards for E-LCAs, without consideration of exposure controls and constraints, and other factors that can attenuate hazard concerns to the point that there are no risks from the intended usage of the product. This oversimplified and non-scientific hazard-based approach results in manufacturers and consumers (product users) unable to make informed decisions regarding their potential for exposure under the intended use conditions. In addition, hazard only data results in inaccurate and misleading data being incorporated into E-LCAs and S-LCAs, which in turn results in less meaningful EPDs.
We have recently demonstrated that transparent and quantitative lifecycle risk assessment data can be incorporated into E-LCAs, thereby providing site/process/product-specific data that improves the specificity and credibility of E-LCAs. This presentation will demonstrate how this same risk assessment data can also be incorporated into S-LCAs to quantitatively identify negative social impacts at each phase of the lifecycle, and simultaneously document potentially positive social impacts in each Stakeholder Category and Subcategory.