Currently there is much concern about the world that will bequeathed to future generations, if it will be suitable for the continuity of civilization. However, as time passes, buyers are concerned and demanding in the conservation of natural resources and the protection of the environment, without neglecting the requirement regarding the quality of the products and services they pay for.
Today's challenge for the entire industry is to produce with the highest quality and at the same time satisfy the demands of consumers and other interested parties regarding the protection and care of the environment.
As expected, the environmental impact arises from the extraction of raw materials and ends with the useful life of the product, ending as it becomes a waste.
Nowadays companies must always take care of the environmental impact that their process has from its beginning to its end.
Original text
ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE LCA LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS:
ACV has a practically simultaneous origin in both the United States and Europe. The first LCA was performed in 1969 by the Midwest Research Institute (MRI) and was conducted for Coca-Cola. In this first LCA, the aim was to reduce the consumption of resources and also decrease the amount of emissions to the environment.
In the 1970s, the Franklin Associates Ltd. group and MRI performed more than 60 analyzes using input / output balance methods and incorporating energy calculations.
Between 1970 and 1974, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted nine studies of beverage containers.
Similar studies were carried out in the 1970s in Europe. An example was given in Great Britain, Lan Boustead carried out an analysis of the energy consumed in the manufacture of beverage containers.
However, it was in the 1980s that LCA application increased, methods to quantify the impact of the product on various categories of environmental problems changed, and LCA studies became available for public use.
In 1993 the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) formulated the first international code: Code of Practice for Life Cycle Assessment (ACV). The purpose of this code is to homogenize the various studies carried out so that they follow the same methodology. After this code, conferences, workshops and policies on LCA were held.
Subsequently, ISO supported development to establish a working structure, standardize methods, procedures, and terminologies.
Most of the ACV application is done partially; that is, only the inventory phase and it is mostly applied to the packaging sector (approx. 50%), followed by the chemical and plastic industries, construction materials and energy systems, and other minor ones such as diapers, waste, etc.
LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS:
"The analysis of the Life Cycle of a product is a methodology that attempts to identify, quantify and characterize the different potential environmental impacts associated with each of the stages of the product life cycle." (Romero Rodríguez, 2003)
"The Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is a methodological tool that serves to measure the environmental impact of a product, process or system throughout any product, process or system throughout its entire life cycle (since raw materials are obtained until their end of life). ” (Presidency of the Nation, 2013)
“LCA is a technique to determine the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product, which is done by compiling an inventory of the relevant inputs and outputs of the system; evaluating the potential environmental impacts associated with these inputs and outputs, and interpreting the results of the inventory and impact phases in relation to the objectives of the study. ”
The life cycle analysis has the English LCA nomenclature, the life cycle of a product considers the entire history of the product, starting from its origin as raw material to the end point as waste.
This type of analysis is based on the collection and analysis of inputs and outputs of the system to obtain results that show its potential environmental impacts. The objective of the analysis is to determine strategies for reducing potential environmental impacts.
However, in this type of analysis the intermediate phases must be taken into account; These include transportation, raw material preparation, manufacturing, transportation to markets, distribution, use, etc.
"LCA therefore consists of a type of environmental accounting in which products are charged for adverse environmental effects, duly quantified, generated throughout their life cycle" (TDX)
"The basic principle of the tool is the identification and description of all stages of the product life cycle, from the extraction and retreatment of raw materials, the production, distribution and use of the final product to its possible reuse, recycling or product disposal. " (RES, 2013)
Basically it focuses on the redesign of products under the criterion that energy resources and raw materials are not unlimited, based on this the conservation of resources supports the reduction of generated waste. As the generated resources continue to be produced, although their production is decreased, LCA plans to manage them in a sustainable way.
Life cycle analysis (LCA). Source: CNPLM, 2001
LCA PROTOCOL:
The categories of environmental impacts include the use of resources, ecological consequences, and human health. The protocol to which the LCA complies is established in the regulations elaborated by the “International Standards Organization” ISO.
ISO established TC207 technical committee in 1994; which standardizes environmental tools, including LCA.
Today there are 4 regulations related to LCA, which are specified below:
- ISO 14040 (1997): specifies the general framework, principles and basic needs for conducting a LCA study, the LCA technique not being described in detail (ISO -1404 1997) ISO 14041 (1998): this regulation specifies the needs and procedures to prepare the definition of the objectives and scope of the study and to carry out, interpret and prepare the life cycle inventory analysis report, ICV (LCI) (ISO-14041, 1998) ISO 14042 (2000): it describes and establishes a guide to the general structure of the impact analysis phase, AICV (LCIA). The requirements to carry out a LCA are specified and it is related to other phases of the LCA (ISO-14042,2000a).ISO 14043 (2000): this regulation provides the recommendations to perform the LCA interpretation phase or the studies of an ICV,It does not specify specific methodologies to carry out this phase (ISO-14043, 2000b).
However, technical documents have also been prepared to help prepare LCA studies such as:
- ISO TR 14047 (2002) - Provides an example of how to apply ISO 14042 (ISO-14047, 2002) ISO / CD TR 14048 (2002) - This document provides information regarding the data used in a LCA study (ISO-14048, 2002).ISO / TR 14049 (1998): This technical report provides examples for carrying out an ICV in accordance with ISO 14041. These examples should be understood as non-exclusive and partially reflecting an ICV (ISO-14049, 1998)..
BENEFITS OF LCA:
- LCA provides valuable information that will allow entrepreneurs to make decisions aimed at improving the environmental performance of their products and services. It will provide comparative and competitive advantages by providing all the elements of analysis. It will help certification under environmental label schemes of their products to companies. It is a process of feedback and enrichment. Obtaining environmental information to facilitate decision-making. It can be used as a marketing tool, when implementing environmental labeling and / or when preparing an environmental claim. It is an integral tool.
DISADVANTAGES OF LCA:
- LCA should not be used in studies for small companies due to the high costs it represents It can be very expensive It takes a long time High complexity, due to the need to have a systemic vision Limited availability of databases and inventories that show information specific to the process studied. Inaccuracy, since only approximate data about the impacts generated in each process are obtained.
LCA METHODOLOGY:
According to ISO 14040, LCA consists of four phases:
PHASE 1: Definition of objectives and scope. It includes the reasons for carrying out the study, establishing the functional unit (main function of the analyzed system). It should be clarified that a LCA is not used to compare products with each other, but rather services and / or product quantities that carry out the same function. Since a stroke can be very long, limits must be established
PHASE 2: Inventory analysis. This phase includes data collection and calculation procedures to identify and quantify all the adverse environmental effects (environmental load) associated with the functional unit. Environmental load is defined as the exit or entry of matter or energy from a system causing a negative environmental effect. The environmental burden includes polluting gases, water effluents, solid waste, consumption of natural resources, noise, radiation, odors, etc.
PHASE 3: Impact evaluation. Within this phase there are two types of elements, those considered mandatory and optional elements.
The mandatory elements are:
- Selection of impact categories, category indicators and models. Classification. In this phase, the data from the inventory are assigned to each impact category according to the type of expected environmental effect. An impact category is a class that represents the environmental consequences generated by product processes or systems. Characterization: consists of modeling, using characterization factors, the inventory data for each of these impact categories.
Optional elements depend on the objective and scope of the LCA study:
- Normalization: Normalization is understood as the ratio of the quantified magnitude for an impact category with respect to a reference value, either on a geographical and / or temporal scale. Grouping: classification and possible cataloging of the indicators. Weighting: Consists of establishing factors that give relative importance to the different impact categories and then add them together and obtain a weighted result in the form of a single global environmental index for the system. Data quality analysis: will help to understand the reliability of the AICV results. It is considered mandatory in comparative analysis.
PHASE 4: Interpretation of results. In this phase, the inventory analysis results are combined with the impact evaluation. Based on these results, conclusions and recommendations for decision making can be obtained. However, it allows determining in which phase of the product life cycle the main environmental loads are generated and therefore which points of the evaluated system can or should be improved.
Phases 2 and 3 are the active or dynamic phases; instead, phases 1 and 4 are considered static.
Phases of a LCA, according to the series of ISO 14040 standards
LCA STRUCTURE:
LCA structure
Figure 3. Structure of the LCA
The ACV structure is represented by a house with 4 main rooms, these rooms represent ISO standards.
Within what is the first floor is the ISO 14040 standard, basically it is the foundations of the evaluation of the Life Cycle, methodological framework, each phase is briefly explained, the preparation of the report and the process of critical review.
Later the other three rooms; that is, the other 3 regulations explain in detail each of the phases of the LCA.
CONCLUSIONS:
Currently the entire world is concerned about the environment and about what world is being left for future generations. However, consumers demand that the companies they buy from are socially responsible and friendly to the environment. Not to mention that there are already many government regulations for the protection of the environment.
Due to the aforementioned, companies need to keep a close eye on these aspects when developing a product from start to finish. Therefore, life cycle analysis is a tool that helps companies to locate at which stage of the life cycle of some product or process the most damage to the environment occurs, in order to focus on it and reduce it as much as possible. possible way.
THANKS:
I thank my alma mater the Orizaba Technological Institute, Professor Fernando Aguirre y Hernández who teaches the subject of Fundamentals of Administrative Engineering for showing us that we are capable of writing articles on various topics, for promoting the habit of reading and above all for helping us realize what we are capable of achieving.
Bibliography
- Presidency of the Nation. (2013). INDUSTRY ARGENTINA NATIONAL PRIDE. Obtained from www.industria.gob.arRES. (FEBRUARY 4, 2013). ECO INTELLIGENCE. Obtained from THE ANALYSIS OF THE LIFE CYCLE: http://www.ecointeligencia.com/2013/02/analisis-ciclo-vida-acv/Romero Rodríguez, BI (2003). The analysis of the Life Cycle and Environmental Management. Technological Trends, 91-97.TDX. (sf). Retrieved MARCH 2016, from:
