Life Cycle Assessment Overview of LCA and Methodology October 30, 2012

ManufacturingDistributionUse End of Life Raw Materials Life Cycle of Products 2

Life Cycle Assessment Phases Goal and Scope Definition Inventory Analysis Impact Assessment Interpretation 3

Goal and Scope Definition Goal defines the intended application, audience, and reasons for LCA Scope defines the product system, product functions, and functional unit Scope defines other LCA parameters 4

seeks to identify possible improvements to goods and services in the form of lower environmental impacts and reduced use of resources across all life cycle stages Confidential 5 Goal: avoid burden shifting when optimizing a product in one particular area of the life-cycle. What is better from a life-cycle perspective? Life Cycle Thinking…

6 Cradle-to-Grave - full LCA from resource extraction through product use and final disposal. Other common scopes include: Cradle-to- Gate and Cradle-to-Cradle Analysis Boundary extractionusedisposalmanufacturedistribution Source: Story of stuff, 2009 Scope of LCA

Carbon Footprint… is a subset of an LCA focused solely on the Green House Gas emissions associated with a company, person, activity, or product. Confidential 7 Value: energy consumption is a simple and valuable way to quickly assess comparable impacts of our decisions Carbon-Based Analysis

Sustainability Toolbox 8 Sustainability Standards Product Category Rules

NSF Standard Development Structure Same accredited consensus process of development (as in performance standards) –Managed by NSF Standards Department Staff; experience in developing national water and sustainability standards Leverage existing technology expertise within the current Water Joint Committees –Include involvement of representatives having knowledge and expertise in product sustainability Ensure regular follow-up with industry at large throughout development –Awareness around content and structure of standards to enable preparation for those seeking compliance –Broad input into the content and structure 9

Product Design and Materials Selection Water Use and Conservation Energy and Atmosphere Human and Ecological Health Social Responsibility Disposal and End of Life Sustainability Assessment Standards 10 Aggregation of single attribute criteria to assess product on a life cycle basis

Product Design Strategies 1.De-materialize – accomplish the same function using less resources 2.Close the materials loop – reuse and recycling materials prevents impacts incurred upstream 3.Design with benign materials – replacing potentially hazardous materials has become cost of entry 4.Use sustainable materials – materials derived from sustainable sources reduce environmental concerns Confidential 11

Example Criteria: Energy and Energy Efficiency Inventory of electrical and thermal energy Manufacturer use of renewable energy and energy reduction Supplier use of renewable energy Green house gas emissions inventory 12

Potential for Tiered Performance Common template of “credits” earned toward a minimum threshold of performance. Level 1/Conformant Level 2/Silver Level 3/Gold Level 4/Platinum 13

A set of specific rules, requirements, and guidelines for developing Type III environmental declarations for one or more product categories (ISO 14025). The PCR defines the product attributes and life cycle assessment criteria that must be reported for the Type III environmental declaration. Can be applied to Business to Business or Business to Consumer products. What are Product Category Rules? 14

PCR Defines LCA Analysis LCA inventory analysis: Data collection and calculation Allocation of material and energy flows and releases Impact category selection Parameters for reporting LCA data Materials and substances to be declared in EPD Other environmental data not addressed by LCA 15

Example: Draft Flooring PCR General Information Product Definition Product Characteristics Material Content Production Methods and Processes Delivery and Installation Use Stage End of Life Stage Life Cycle Assessment Additional Information, Evidence, and Test Results 16

Environmental Product Declarations Equal comparisons using standardized LCA data based on the PCR for that product type (e.g., office chairs) 17

Example of EPD 18

Comparison of EPDs to Sustainable Product Certifications Environmental Product Declaration: Environmental data focus Life cycle assessment required PCR provides framework of data reporting for a life cycle assessment Summarizes environmental impacts Independently verified Technical Report Sustainable Product Certification: Triple bottom line Multi-attribute, life cycle- based Defines sustainability metrics and levels of achievement Ranks products on sustainable performance Certification with tiered ranking 19