2 research outputs found
Conceptual Framework To Extend Life Cycle Assessment Using Near-Field Human Exposure Modeling and High-Throughput Tools for Chemicals
Life
Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a decision-making tool that accounts
for multiple impacts across the life cycle of a product or service.
This paper presents a conceptual framework to integrate human health
impact assessment with risk screening approaches to extend LCA to
include near-field chemical sources (e.g., those originating from
consumer products and building materials) that have traditionally
been excluded from LCA. A new generation of rapid human exposure modeling
and high-throughput toxicity testing is transforming chemical risk
prioritization and provides an opportunity for integration of screening-level
risk assessment (RA) with LCA. The combined LCA and RA approach considers
environmental impacts of products alongside risks to human health,
which is consistent with regulatory frameworks addressing RA within
a sustainability mindset. A case study is presented to juxtapose LCA
and risk screening approaches for a chemical used in a consumer product.
The case study demonstrates how these new risk screening tools can
be used to inform toxicity impact estimates in LCA and highlights
needs for future research. The framework provides a basis for developing
tools and methods to support decision making on the use of chemicals
in products
Evaluating Consumer Product Life Cycle Sustainability with Integrated Metrics: A Paper Towel Case Study
Integrated sustainability metrics
provide an enriched set of information
to inform decision-making. However, such approaches are rarely used
to assess product supply chains. In this work, four integrated metricsî—¸presented
in terms of land, resources, value added, and stabilityî—¸are
applied in a life cycle context, along with industrial process systems
assessment and life cycle assessment, to evaluate Bounty paper towels
from two manufacturing lines. The results show that the paper towels
from the more state-of-the-art manufacturing line and newer facility
are marginally more sustainable by the majority of environmental measures.
Drivers of impacts from land use, resource use, and externality costs
in the product life cycle are largely in the supply chains for raw
materials and energy. The integrated metrics point to greenhouse gases,
criteria air pollutants, land used for pulpwood, and fossil fuel use
as important emissions and resources to manage for improving the sustainability
of paper towel production. The metrics employed help to reconcile
contrasting results from the life cycle impact assessment, such as
water and energy use impacts, and provide a reduced set of practical,
yet comprehensive, information to inform product-related decision-making