Centre Interuniversitaire de Référence sur

l’Analyse, l’Interprétation et la Gestion du cycle

de vie des produits, procédés et services

How to make Social Life Cycle Analysis work!How to make Social Life Cycle Analysis work!

Life Cycle Perspective for Social Impacts: Needs and challenges Thursday 15th of June 2006Polydôme, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Contribution of: Catherine Benoît, Jean-Pierre Revéret, Andrée-Lise Méthot, Julie Hébert and CIRAIG

Institut des Sciences de l’Environnement, UQÀM

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Overview of presentationOverview of presentationWhere to build?Context Design a building Create from scratch or draw from past experiencesLook for the foundationDoes environmental LCA assumptions and framework fit Social LCA like a glove?Assess needsWhat to include, which questions to address and why, consideration of values and means, where and how to get the materialThe hammer caseSharing

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Where to build? Sustainable developmentWhere to build? Sustainable development

Social

Environment

EconomyHence, because we could not imagine a

development without the ecological support of all human life " the preservation of our

environment” must stand as a condition of sustainable development. In other respects,

insofar as development aim to answer to population needs, the social dimension constitute an objective of sustainable

development. Economy, the industry and trade represent, means to put to

development service” (translation of Gendron, 2004).

(Jacobs et Saddler, 1990)

An issue: the social scope in the environment definition

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The inclusion of social aspects The inclusion of social aspects How and why?How and why?

• Development era (Marshall Plan 1949) and the creation of the Bretton Woods institutions, IMF and World Bank (1944).

• Principal paradigm : the economic growth will entail social development.

• Only economic aspects were assessed.• • Growing critics among world population concerning environmental and human aspects.

• The Growth theory is challenged. (Limits To Growth, 1972) • Which gave birth, among other things, to the Brundtland report, which itself contributed greatly to « sustainable development »

popularisation.

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Ethics, social justice and politicsEthics, social justice and politics

An Indian mother bathes her baby in the Xingu River. Many dam activists are concerned that the indigenous people who inhabit the area that will be flooded by the Belo Monte dam's reservoir are not being properly consulted.

(Photo: Reuters)

Tucurui dam Brazil

James Bay dam Quebec

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Corporate Social Responsibilities as background Corporate Social Responsibilities as background

Howard Bowen, Father of the concept of Business Social Responsibility (1950).

Stockholder vs Stakeholder (1980)

Social contract theory

Corporate citizenship

Corporate accountability)

Corporate governance

Corporate sustainability

Motivations: Risks and opportunities, end of impunity, wired society

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Design a BuildingDesign a Building

Adapté de UNEP SETAC 2003

Procedural tools

Management system type ISO (26000)Audits certification and standards (SA 8000, AA1000)Strategic environmental assessmentSocial impact assessmentFair trade labelRisk assessment

Monitoring tools

Global Reporting InitiativeMonitoring

Communication tools

Fair trade labelSustainable development report

Certification

Analytical tools

Life cycle analysisCorporate Social Responsibility

Accountability)

Shared points

International conventions(ILO, CBD…)

National laws

International laws

Value Chain analysis

Value chain analysis

Value Chain analysis

Risk assessment

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Fertile ground: Corporate social responsibilitiesFertile ground: Corporate social responsibilities

PrinciplesSullivan, Caux Round table, VoluntaryPrinciples for security and Human Rights, Global Compact, Equator Principles, Amnesty International Human Rights Principles for Companies

Responsibility and monitoring

frameworkGlobal Reporting Initiative, AA 1000

Financial indexDow Jones Sustainability Index, Vigeo ASPI, FTS4Good, Goldmann Sachs

GuidelinesOECD guidelines for multinational enterprise, Sustainability Integrated Guidelines for Management (SIGMA)

Standards and NormsSA 8000, ISO 26000, ECOSOC draft

norms on the responsibilities of transnational corporations

and other business enterprises with regard to human rights

ConventionsUN, ILO, UNESCO, Interamerican

convention on corruption

Initiatives, Codes of conduct, Audits

agencies…

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Look for the foundationsLook for the foundations

4) Interpretation (ISO- 14043)

1) Goal and scope definition(ISO-14041)

2) Inventory analysis (LCI)(ISO- 14041)

3) Impact assessment (LCIA)(ISO-14042)

Applications

Framework (ISO-14040)

Iterative technique : as informations are collected, several aspects of the field of study might have to be modified in order to cover the study objectives. The objective itself might have to be revised in reason of limitation or unforeseen constraint, or because of additional informations.

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Theoretical foundationsTheoretical foundations

• Social Life cycle analysis would follow the same theoretical basis as environmental LCA at the difference that its object would not be elementary flow but relations.

• From the start it takes space and time attributes in account.

• Because of those two major aspects, the team of Bernard Mazjin concluded that it was not possible to account for social aspects through a LCA. They proposed instead to use value chain analysis in parallel to the construction of the process tree.

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Elementary flow

= Environmental intervention

Exchange between an elementary process and the ecosphere

Do not have an economical value but represent a social or environmental cost

Input drawn from the ecosphere petroleum, tree, mineral, sun shine, territory

Output rejected from the ecosphere

Air emissions, water, In the ground, solid waste, radiation

Elementary flow (input) drawn from the ecosphere

Elementary flow (output) rejected in the ecosphereElementary

Process

Life cycle analysis principlesLife cycle analysis principlesElementary ProcessTechnosphere element representing an economical activityAll types of activities : from extraction to elimination.

Each process is defined by a function (sometimes many)

Economical flowsMaterial or energy flow which have an economical value

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Social life cycle analysis: Relations systemSocial life cycle analysis: Relations system

• Representation of the different relations linking the different value chain stakeholders, even if the relations are not illustrated in the process tree.

• Those relations are linked to space and time. Elementary

Process

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Basis: Value Chain analysis and the Stakeholders Basis: Value Chain analysis and the Stakeholders approachapproach

• Value chain analysis is very effective in tracing product flows,showing the value adding stages, identifying key actors and the relationships with other actors in the chain. It is actor oriented.

• Often, however, these actors operate within certain rules that are set by others. Trade rules and standards are obvious examples. Value chain analysis needs to be complemented with information on these rules. Providing information on the trade rules that apply in distant countries is widely seen as an important function of government.

Getting to know the blockages and opportunities that arise throughout the chain.

• Source: Hubert Schmitz, Institute of Development Studies

University of Sussex, England

1 WHO ARE STAKEHOLDERS? A stakeholder is any person, group or institution that

has an interest in a development activity, project or programme. This definition includes both intended

beneficiaries and intermediaries, winners and losers, and those involved or excluded from decision-making

processes. -Primary stakeholders

-Secondary stakeholders -Key stakeholders

Stakeholder analysis aims to: • identify and define the characteristics of key

stakeholders; • assess the manner in which they might affect or be

affected by the programme/project outcome; • understand the relations between stakeholders,

including an assessment of the real or potential conflicts of interest and expectation between

stakeholders; • assess the capacity of different stakeholders to

participate.

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Assess the needs: Goal and scope definition of the studyAssess the needs: Goal and scope definition of the study

• Use of the tool : goals and objectives can be similar

The use of the tool is not limited to the diminution of impacts but also aim to improve a given situation X, « Know better the issues faced by a company » (example : use of rare timber in a product, performance improvement.

• Value Chain analysis: relations system linked to the product system, identification of geographical zone where the activities are situated.

• Improvement or comparison study.

• Setting Boundary.

Does Social LCA should be in measure to

assess the utility of a product?Keep function definition similar to

environmental LCA but define and describe utility. Product oriented analysis instead of a

function base analysis.

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Quality of Life

Diversity

Human health

Security

Quality appreciation

Quality of Life

Diversity

Human health

Security

Quality appreciation

Inventory Impacts

Relation Individual-company orEmployee

Relation Company/ Community or Community

Users of the product or service Or Consumers

Users of the product or service Or Consumers

Relation Company-Society or Society

Labour practice

Employees participationHealth and securityWork location …

Partners social expectations…

Local resources and public infrastructureBiodiversity

Change in the compositionRespect of local political

structureCultural heritage…

Job geographical repartitionCorruption…

Consumers influence

Indicators theme

Hu

man

wel

l-b

ein

gH

um

an w

ell-

bei

ng

Stakeholders RelationsStakeholders Relations

Relation Company-Company

Relation Company-Company

Impacts or incidences Categories

Stakeholders

Mid-Point End-Point

Relation Individual-company orEmployee

Relation Company-Community or Community

Users of the product or service Or Consumers

Users of the product or service Or Consumers

Relation Company-Society or Society

Relation Company-Company

Relation Company-Company

Human rights

Labour conditions

Material minimum

Governance and transparency

Social relations

Cultural aspects

Built capital

Quality appreciation

Health and safety

Socio-environmental performance

Conflicts

Human rights

Labour conditions

Material minimum

Governance and transparency

Social relations

Cultural aspects

Built capital

Quality appreciation

Health and safety

Socio-environmental performance

Conflicts

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The hammer caseThe hammer case

Wood Handle

Tree growing

Tree cutting

Transport

Sawmill

Transport

Transformation in handle

Steel head

Extraction

Refinery

Transport

Moulding

Transport

Production

Distribution Use End of lifeRecycling

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ConclusionConclusion

• Recipe based on existing ingredients.

• In line with actual standards, processes and guidelines.

• Respect the LCA framework.

• Relevant.

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Thank you for your participation

Catherine BenoîtUniversity of Quebec At MontrealBusiness strategyataaentsic@hotmail.com

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