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Heatmap

Comparison of LCA-relevant norms and standards in the bioeconomy 

Within the bioeconomy, the ecological assessment of various products in different sectors is relevant. Depending on the application, there are various norms and standards that provide guidance for life cycle assessment. Choosing the right norm or standard is therefore often not trivial. In particular, the ecological assessment of bio-based products poses challenges, as special aspects need to be taken into account. 

TransBIB provides a heat map for initial orientation. This visualises the results of a comparative analysis of LCA-relevant norms and standards with regard to 11 criteria that are of particular importance for the assessment of bio-based products, among other things. It shows the quality of a norm or standard in relation to the criteria. 

The quality combines the aspects of transparency in the procedure and guidance for carrying out the life cycle assessment and is divided into three levels. Quality level 1 represents the lowest requirements, while level 3 reflects the highest requirements for transparency and guidance. A higher quality level thus indicates that the norms and standards both set high requirements for transparency within the documentation of the LCA and offer comparatively better guidance for carrying out the LCA. It is possible, for example, that particularly high transparency requirements outweigh undetailed instructions (and vice versa) in the assessment. However, this imprecision in the qualitative assessment does not detract from the overall benefit of the classification of the norms and standards. 

The heat map thus provides a differentiated and visually accessible representation of the strengths and weaknesses of the norms and standards. The heatmap is currently available as a simple graphic. An interactive heatmap with access to all the detailed information and analysis results will soon be available on the TransBIB website.  

ISO 14040 and 14044 as well as EN 16214-4 most frequently show quality level 3 with regard to the 11 comparison criteria. This is due to the fact that ISO 14040 and 14044 are the fundamental standards for life cycle assessment and therefore have a very low level of detail. EN 16214-4 describes a method for assessing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated during the production of biofuels and bioliquids, whereby it is limited to the GHGs CO2,CH4 and N2O as well as to the cradle-to-gate system boundary. This severely limits the informative value of the LCA, which is the reason for the low qualitative categorisation. Alongside The Plastics LCA method, the PEF has the best qualitative classification.

Description of the comparison criteria 

Relevant criteria for life cycle assessment in the bioeconomy 

Criteria

Explanation

Objective

The objective describes the purpose of the standard(s), framework or Product Category Rule (PCR).

System boundary

The system boundary defines the life cycle phases and process modules that are analyzed in the LCA. Ideally, it includes the life cycle phases from the cradle to the grave (cradle-to-grave). Other system boundaries, such as cradle-to-gate or gate-to-gate, are also possible. The system boundary is determined according to the objective and scope of the study.

LCI resources and emissions

Elementary flows (resources and emissions) that are taken into account in the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI).

LCI biogenic and non-biogenic C

Fossil carbon (C) fluxes and biogenic C fluxes, which are reported separately in the LCI.

LCIA impact categories

Impact categories applied to biogenic and non-biogenic C in the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA).

Cut-off criteria

Defined criteria that describe the proportion of mass, energy or environmental relevance within the system under consideration that is excluded from the LCA.

Allocation | Product/ Co-product

Allocation of environmental impacts to (intermediate) products and by-products during the life cycle.

EoL allocation | recycling/ cascading use

Allocation of environmental impacts that arise at the end of the life cycle during disposal, recycling or cascading use of a product. Environmental benefits and impacts that arise in the EoL phase of an upstream product system are shared between the same product system and the downstream product systems.

Credits | Recycling/ Cascade utilization

Consideration of environmental benefits resulting from recycling or cascading use. The credit describes the benefit resulting from the saving of primary raw materials.

Credits | Storage of biogenic C

Emissions that do not occur at time t = 0 within a given time horizon are considered delayed emissions. The time between the start of the time horizon and the actual emission describes the duration of biogenic C storage. The credit describes the environmental benefit resulting from the storage period during which the biogenic C is not effective as GHG in the atmosphere.

Reporting on biogenic and non-biogenic C

Requirement of the norm, standard, framework, PCR or guideline on how to report biogenic C emissions and removals or biogenic C content.

Footnotes

List of standards

  • ISO (2006) EN ISO 14040:2006 - Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework (ISO 14040:2006). Berlin. Beuth
  • ISO (2006) EN ISO 14044:2006 + A1:2018 - Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Requirements and guidelines (ISO 14044:2006 + Amd 1:2017). Berlin. Beuth
  • ISO (2018) EN ISO 1467:2018 - Greenhouse gases – Carbon footprint of products – Requirements and guidelines for quantification (ISO 14067:2018). Berlin. Beuth
  • ISO (2022) EN ISO 22526-3:2021 - Plastics – Carbon and environmental footprint of biobased plastics – Part 3: Process carbon footprint, requirements and guidelines for quantification, Berlin. Beuth
  • ISO (2023) ISO 22526-4:2023 - Plastics - Carbon and environmental footprint of biobased plastics - Part 4: Environmental (total) footprint (Life cycle assessment). Berlin. Beuth
  • EN (2016) EN 16760:2015 -Bio-based products – Life Cycle Assessment. Berlin. Beuth
  • prEN (2023) prEN 18027:2023 (Draft) - Bio-based products – Life cycle assessment – Additional requirements and guidelines for comparing the life cycles of bio-based products with their fossil-based equivalents. Berlin. Beuth
  • EN (2022). EN 15804:2012+A2:2019 + AC:2021 - Sustainability of construction works – Environmental product declarations – Core rules for the product category of construction products. Berlin. Beuth
  • prEN (2023) prEN 16485:2023 (Draft) - Round and sawn timber – Environmental Product Declarations – Product category rules for wood and wood-based products for use in construction. Berlin. Beuth
  • EN (2020) EN 16214-4:2013+A1:2019 - Sustainability criteria for the production of biofuels and bioliquids for energy applications – Principles, criteria, indicators and verifiers – Part 4: Calculation methods of the greenhouse gas emission balance using a life cycle analysis approach, Berlin. Beuth
  • European Commission (2012) The International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook - Towards more sustainable production and consumption for a resource-efficient Europe. Luxemburg. European Commission - Joint Research Centre - Institute for Environment and Sustainability. Available at https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC66506 https://doi.org/10.2788/85727
  • European Commission (2010) International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook: General guide for life cycle assessment - Detailed guidance. First edition. EUR 24708 (1. edition, EUR 24708, EUR 24708). Publications Office of the European Union. Available at https://op.europa.eu/de/publication-detail/-/publication/325e9630-8447-4b96-b668-5291d913898e https://doi.org/10.2788/38479
  • European Commission (2010) International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook: Specific guide for Life Cycle Inventory data sets. First edition March 2010. EUR 24709 EN (1. edition. EUR 24709 EN). Publications Office of the European Union. Available at https://eplca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/uploads/ILCD-Handbook-Specific-guide-for-LCI-12March2010-ISBN-fin-v1.0-EN.pdf
  • BSI (2011) PAS 2050:2011 Specification for the Assessment of the Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Goods and Services. London. British Standards Institution
  • BSI (2011) The Guide to PAS 2050:2011: How to carbon footprint your products, identify hotspots and reduce emissions in your supply chain. London. British Standards Institution
  • WRI, WBCSD (2011) Life Cycle Accounting Reporting Standard - GHG Protocol. GHG Protocol. Washington. World Resources Institute; World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Available at https://ghgprotocol.org/product-standard
  • European Commission (2021) Recommendation of 16.12.2021 on the use of the Environmental Footprint methods to measure and communicate the life cycle environmental performance of products and organisations. Brüssel. Available at https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/recommendation-use-environmental-footprint-methods_en
  • European Commission (2021) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of alternative feedstocks for plastics production. Luxembourg. Joint Research Centre. JRC125046. Available at https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC125046 https://doi.org/10.2760/693062

Content created by the Sustainable Engineering & Management (SEM) research group at Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences (TH Rosenheim)