Subcategory assessment method for social life cycle assessment. Part 2: application in Natura’s cocoa soap

Ramirez, Paola Karina Sanchez; Petti, Luigia; Bronès, Fabien Albert; Ugaya, Cássia Maria Lie

doi:10.1007/s11367-015-0964-x

Cited by 33 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…The S-LCA presented here assesses the social performance of a selected textile product and its impact, by adopting, for the characterization phase, the SAM method [32]. The reference points for the implementation of SAM method are defined based on norms and the socio-economic and geographic context.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Life Cycle Assessment in the Textile Sector: An Italian Case Study

et al. 2017

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This study presents the first application of the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) to a textile product made in Sicily (Italy), according to the Social Life Cycle Assessment guidelines (UNEP). The main goal is to assess and present the social values of a product manufactured in a particular territorial area where the presence of an industry represents the main source of employment. The first part of the study is a literature review of the current state of the art of the S-LCA and its implementation to textile products. In the implementation, particular attention is paid in identifying the positive impacts and in highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the method when applied in this specific sector. The functional unit of the study is an order for a garment (consisting of 495 capes in a soft blend of wool and cashmere), produced by a textile company located in Sicily (Italy). The system boundaries of the study include all phases from cradle-to-gate, i.e. from raw material production through fabric/accessory production to the manufacturing process of the product itself at the company. Background and foreground processes are taken into account using specific and generic data. Two stakeholder groups have been considered (workers and local communities) as those that can better represent the company's value in the territory. The analysis carried out on the functional unit of the study allowed assessing social performance related to the specific textile product, but also to outline the general behaviour of the company. Results offer to scholars a perspective on which to focus their future researches in the sector and highlight that S-LCA is a valuable tool to support business decisions, assessing the social impact of the product to improve the social conditions of stakeholders. However, the access to primary and/or good quality local, national and global data is essential to draw credible conclusions; consequently, every effort to promote the application for S-LCA is highly suggested.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Life Cycle Assessment in the Textile Sector: An Italian Case Study

et al. 2017

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“…The guidelines provide a description of SLCA following the conceptual framework and principles of ELCA as defined by the International Standardization Organization (ISO) standard 14040 (ISO 2006). The guidelines and the connected methodological sheets (UNEP and SETAC 2013) triggered several empirical articles focusing on application and validation through case studies (e.g., Andrews et al 2009;Dreyer et al 2010;Franze and Ciroth 2011;Macombe et al 2013;Martinez-Blanco et al 2014;Musaazi et al 2015;Ramirez et al 2016;Traverso et al 2012a). Researchers were especially interested in the assessment of social impacts on workers, such as the violation of labor rights (Arcese et al 2018).…”

Section: Temporal Development Of the Social Life Cycle Assessment Fieldmentioning

confidence: 99%

From SLCA to Positive Sustainability Performance Measurement: A Two‐Tier Delphi Study

Kühnen

Hahn

2018

J of Industrial Ecology

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Summary Life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) currently has a preoccupation with capturing and repairing negative dysfunctions and pathologies instead of fostering positive features that make a human life sustainable and worth living. With the intention to overcome this imbalance, this paper aims at transferring the shift to a positive sustainability performance measurement (PSPM) perspective in industrial ecology. We argue that positive performance is likely to develop from the lens of social life cycle assessment (SLCA), because sustainability is an anthropocentric concept that puts positive benefits to human well‐being (i.e., the social dimension of sustainability) at the center of the analysis. However, the field of SLCA is highly fragmented, without a coherent theoretical understanding and without a clear prioritization of problems and future research directions. Therefore, we engage in an extensive Delphi study with experts from academia and practice to foster a discussion of lessons learned from SLCA for PSPM. In this way, the paper contributes to a more coherent and deeper understanding of both connected fields. The results emphasize that SLCA has become a defensive risk management instrument against reputational damages, whereas PSPM offers the potential to proactively measure and manage positive contributions to sustainable development. We identify three main challenges (definitional, methodological, and managerial) and two main areas of benefits (organizational and societal) and use them to consolidate the debate on SLCA and PSPM and to provide a roadmap for future research.

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“…With the help of the calculated reference values, the social data collected at company level for use in SLCA could be converted at the product level. A similar approach was used by e.g., [101]. These calculations are shown in the context of the presentation of the approach in Section 3.1.2 and with application examples in Section 3.2.1.…”

Section: Collection Of Social Data Along the Life Cycle Of A Carmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Practical Approach for Social Life Cycle Assessment in the Automotive Industry

et al. 2019

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Identifying social impacts along the life cycle of their products is becoming increasingly important for companies. Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) as a possible tool has not been conducted so far within industries with complex international supply chains using mainly company-specific data. As a novelty, this work presents a practical SLCA approach along with the first case studies for the automotive industry, based on a previously developed indicator set and an extensive data collection. Social data was collected from companies along the life cycle of two specific car components, while analyzing data availability, validity and comparability. To obtain product references, both a top-down and a bottom-up approach for quantitative indicators based on time effort and data availability on the process level were devised. Also, two options were developed for how qualitative indicators (e.g., written principles for Corruption) can be applied together with quantitative performance indicators (e.g., number of accidents). The general practical applicability of the approach could be demonstrated by four quantitative and seven qualitative indicators. It is a first step towards analyzing the social performance of products with complex supply chains on a company level. Remaining challenges/limitations include social data availability and quality and obtaining data at the process level (allocation) and should be addressed in future studies.

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Subcategory assessment method for social life cycle assessment. Part 2: application in Natura’s cocoa soap

Cited by 33 publications

References 1 publication

Social Life Cycle Assessment in the Textile Sector: An Italian Case Study

Social Life Cycle Assessment in the Textile Sector: An Italian Case Study

From SLCA to Positive Sustainability Performance Measurement: A Two‐Tier Delphi Study

A Practical Approach for Social Life Cycle Assessment in the Automotive Industry

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