Application of Life Cycle Thinking in Multidisciplinary Multistakeholder Contexts for Cross-Sectoral Planning and Implementation of Sustainable Development Projects

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lanka Thabrew ◽  
Robert Ries
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Development Projects ◽  
Sectoral Planning

scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT OF AN ENGINEERING CLASS PROJECT INCORPORATING A PERSONAL VISION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TEACHING

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariane Pinsonnault ◽  
Stéphanie Muller ◽  
Annie Levasseur ◽  
Réjean Samson
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Teaching Assistants ◽  
Environmental Design ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Multidisciplinary Teams ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Class Project ◽  
Development Of Attitudes ◽  
A Company

The decade 2005-2014 has been set by UNESCO as the United Nations decade of Education forSustainable Development (SD) [1]. As graduate studentsof this decade, our vision of SD teaching targets inengineering concerns the development of attitudes to assess projects and related impacts in a systemic way, the development of transversal skills, and the collaboration between experts from different fields to facilitate sustainable decisions. These assumptions can be linked tothe qualities required by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board [2].What kind of student exercises relies on all these assumptions? As teaching assistants (TA) in the class Environmental Design and Life Cycle Thinking (GCH2220-Polytechnique Montreal), we propose a possible answer. The main goals of this class are to familiarize students with the concepts of environmental design and life cycle thinking, as well as with different existing tools to apply these concepts. As TAs, we are in charge of a project that aims at providing students an opportunity to acquire practical aspects.The subject of the project presented is the environmental redesign of coated paper production, andits main objectives are: to improve teamwork skills, todevelop critical thinking when analyzing the results of an environmental assessment, and to develop skills to convince people within a company to adopt environmental solutions. In order to achieve these goals, the project was built on four main steps and students are evaluated through two reports and a poster presentation. Teams of four students were formed in order to mix students with different backgrounds (types of engineering programs, amount of credits completed) and obtain multidisciplinary teams. The project, the way it is presented in class, and its relevance for the students as future engineers are assessed through a survey in order to improve the exercise for the following classes.

scholarly journals Exploring Social Sustainability Handprint—Part 1: Handprint and Life Cycle Thinking and Approaches

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11286
Author(s):  
Roope Husgafvel
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Leadership Management ◽  
Strong Focus ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Sustainable Societies

Sustainable development and sustainability encompass a strong focus on the advancement of sustainable societies, social sustainability, and overall well-being of people both now and in the future. These goals also highlight sustainable social/society–environment relationships and interfaces to promote sustainable development of both people and the planet. The promotion of social sustainability requires leadership, management, and assessment by organizations and people. This study explored social sustainability handprints from the perspective of handprint and life cycle thinking and approaches using qualitative research approaches. It addressed a clear gap in research and aimed at exploring, discovering, analyzing and synthetizing the main implications of these frameworks for the creation and assessment of the social sustainability handprint development. It was recognized that there are multiple ways to create social sustainability handprints, such as positive changes, actions, innovations, and impacts. The same applies to assessments that can be based on, for example, handprint and life cycle thinking and approaches, sustainability management, assessment and indicators, and sustainability science. The findings highlight the broadness and diversity of approaches, opportunities, and possibilities related to both the creation and assessment of social sustainability handprints. Additionally, they suggest that particular focus is needed, for example, on comprehensive approaches that take into account specific contexts, locations, cultures, scales, conditions, characteristics, perspectives, and stakeholders.

scholarly journals The evolution of life cycle assessment in European policies over three decades

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serenella Sala ◽  
Andrea Martino Amadei ◽  
Antoine Beylot ◽  
Fulvio Ardente
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
General Concept ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Environmental Footprint ◽  
Science And Policy ◽  
Policy Domain ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Eu

Abstract Purpose Life cycle thinking (LCT) and life cycle assessment (LCA) are increasingly considered pivotal concept and method for supporting sustainable transitions. LCA plays a relevant role in decision support, for the ambition of a holistic coverage of environmental dimensions and for the identification of hotspots, possible trade-offs, and burden shifting among life cycle stages or impact categories. These features are also relevant when the decision support is needed in policy domain. With a focus on EU policies, the present study explores the evolution and implementation of life cycle concepts and approaches over three decades. Methods Adopting an historical perspective, a review of current European Union (EU) legal acts and communications explicitly mentioning LCT, LCA, life cycle costing (LCC), and environmental footprint (the European Product and Organisation Environmental Footprint PEF/OEF) is performed, considering the timeframe from 1990 to 2020. The documents are categorised by year and according to their types (e.g. regulations, directives, communications) and based on the covered sectors (e.g. waste, energy, buildings). Documents for which life cycle concepts and approaches had a crucial role are identified, and a shortlist of these legal acts and communications is derived. Results and discussion Over the years, LCT and life cycle approaches have been increasingly mentioned in policy. From the Ecolabel Regulation of 1992, to the Green Deal in 2019, life cycle considerations are of particular interest in the EU. The present work analysed a total of 159 policies and 167 communications. While in some sectors (e.g. products, vehicles, and waste) life cycle concepts and approaches have been adopted with higher levels of prescriptiveness, implementation in other sectors (e.g. food and agriculture) is only at a preliminary stage. Moreover, life cycle (especially LCT) is frequently addressed and cited only as a general concept and in a rather generic manner. Additionally, more stringent and rigorous methods (LCA, PEF/OEF) are commonly cited only in view of future policy developments, even if a more mature interest in lifecycle is evident in recent policies. Conclusion The EU has been a frontrunner in the implementation of LCT/LCA in policies. However, despite a growing trend in this implementation, the development of new stringent and mandatory requirements related to life cycle is still relatively limited. In fact, there are still issues to be solved in the interface between science and policy making (such as verification and market surveillance) to ensure a wider implementation of LCT and LCA.

scholarly journals Life cycle thinking case study for catalytic wet air oxidation of lignin in bamboo biomass for vanillin production

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 1847-1860
Author(s):  
Christopher S. McCallum ◽  
Wanling Wang ◽  
W. John Doran ◽  
W. Graham Forsythe ◽  
Mark D. Garrett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Kraft Lignin ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Catalytic Wet Air Oxidation ◽  
Air Oxidation ◽  
Wet Air Oxidation

A life cycle thinking analysis (LCT) conducted on the production of vanillin via bamboo wet air oxidation compared to vanillin production from crude oil or kraft lignin.

Sustainable life cycle offers through cooperation

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Selberherr
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Business ◽  
Societal Level

Purpose – Sustainable buildings bear enormous potential benefits for clients, service providers, and our society. To release this potential a change in business models is required. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new business model with the objective of proactively contributing to sustainable development on the societal level and thereby improving the economic position of the service providers in the construction sector. Design/methodology/approach – The modeling process comprises two steps, the formal structuring and the contextual configuration. In the formal structuring systems theory is used and two levels are analytically separated. The outside view concerns the business model’s interaction with the environment and its impact on sustainability. The inside view focusses on efficient value creation for securing sustainability. The logically deductively developed business model is subsequently theory-led substantiated with Giddens’ structuration theory. Findings – The relevant mechanisms for the development of a new service offer, which creates a perceivable surplus value to the client and contributes to sustainable development on the societal level, are identified. The requirements for an efficient value creation process with the objective of optimizing the service providers’ competitive position are outlined. Research limitations/implications – The model is developed logically deductively based on literature and embedded in a theoretical framework. It has not yet been empirically tested. Practical implications – Guidelines for the practical implementation of more sustainable business models for the provision of life cycle service offers are developed. Social implications – The construction industry’s impact requires it to contribute proactively to a more sustainable development of the society. Originality/value – This paper analyzes the role for the players in the construction sector in proactively contributing to sustainable development on the societal level. One feasible strategy is proposed with a new business model, which aims at cooperatively optimizing buildings and infrastructures and taking the responsibility for the operating phase via guarantees.

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