Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment a tool for exercising due diligence

The main focus of this contribution is on linking life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) with social responsibility (SR) in the value chain. The few international standards (OECD Guidelines, ISO 26000, GRI …) emphasise... [ view full abstract ]

The main focus of this contribution is on linking life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) with social responsibility (SR) in the value chain.

The few international standards (OECD Guidelines, ISO 26000, GRI …) emphasise that due diligence along the value chain is seen as a requirement for claiming ‘social responsibility’.

Life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) can contribute to the analysis and follow-up of exercising these duties through life cycle management (LCM) in the context of sustainable development.

The over-arching LCSA is a combination of three different life cycle assessment (LCA) techniques assessing the impacts along the value chain: environmental LCA, social LCA and Life Cycle Costing.

In particular social LCA deals with different key themes (human rights, labour conditions ...) explicitly listed in the international SR standards.