LCA Data Availability from an NGO Perspective InLCA-LCM 2002

1. LCA Data Availability from an NGO Perspective InLCA-LCM 2002 Rita Schenck, IERE http:www.iere.org Rita@iere.org

2. What Do NGO’s Want? • While it is a mistake to assume that all NGO’s are the same, in general, most NGO’s want performance data that is: • Transparent • Accurate • Comparable between and among producers and products • Most NGO’s don’t want compliance data

3. What Does Industry Want • To protect its intellectual property • Not to be compared environmentally with its competitors (at least if they are not sure that their competitors are not worse than they are) • To have the necessary information for internal process improvement goals

4. Most LCA Studies Are Internal Engineering Studies • They are based on detailed process knowledge (and thus imbed business confidential data) • Their thought process is linear, starting at the beginning of the process and following all processed to the end of the life cycle • The focus is on the inventory, not the impact assessment (an inside-out view of the environment). • Studies often are cradle-to gate • They are useful for internal use, but difficult to disclose

5. NGO Performed LCA’s Are Impact and Externally Focused • They only incorporate as much of the process as necessary to be comprehensive • Unit processes tend to be larger: an entire facility rather than the classical unit process • Studies tend to be performed on finished goods: cradle to gate studies usually not done. • Focus is on impacts rather than inventory (an outside-in environmental view) • The audience is the general public

6. Typical Engineering Unit Processes Corn Refiners Association An NGO LCA might combine all these processes into one unit process: Corn Refining

7. Data Already Available to NGO’s • Facility specific data • Toxic emissions to air, soil and water • Water-borne releases • Hazardous waste production • Permit limitations to air emissions • Utility CO2, SOx and NOx real-time emissions • Industry averages • Published LCA’s for some products • Industry average voluntary reports • Industry total production reports • Engineering estimates

8. Challenges with the NGO Approach • Data depends on publicly available information– which is sometimes difficult to obtain because it is stored in local regulators offices • Significant allocation challenges remain: how much of the emissions from a facility come from a particular product at that facility? • Input data are typically not publicly available, e.g. energy use, raw material consumption

9. Advantages to the NGO Approach • Responsive to needs of the public • Perceived as being unbiased • Does not disclose compliance-sensitive data • Reduced data requirements over engineering-type data, thus lower cost

10. Disadvantages of NGO Studies • Not useful for engineering applications • Publicly available data may not be comprehensive, or may be outdated • Validation by industry is limited

11. What Data is Needed • Information on the amount of product made at particular sites • Information on energy and raw materials used to make a product • Industry averages for comparison

12. The Opportunity:Comparisons • Producers whose product is environmentally superior have a competitive advantage they are not using • Partnering with NGO’s to produce LCA’s for public consumption can recover that advantage

13. Summary • NGO based LCA’s can be useful to industry as well as to the general public • Intellectual property and compliance disclosure issues can be avoided • Comparison among competitors is both the opportunity and the barrier to disclosure of LCI data • Industries that partner with NGO’s will have a competitive advantage