Life Cycle Sustainability Evaluations of Bio-based Value Chains: Reviewing the Indicators from a Swedish Perspective

Abstract

Abstract:Policymakers worldwide are promoting the use of bio-based products as part of sustainable development. Nonetheless, there are concerns that the bio-based economy may undermine the sustainability of the transition, e.g., from the overexploitation of biomass resources and indirect impacts of land use. Adequate assessment methods with a broad systems perspective are thus required in order to ensure a transition to a sustainable, bio-based economy. We review the scientifically published life cycle studies of bio-based products in order to investigate the extent to which they include important sustainability indicators. To define which indicators are important, we refer to established frameworks for sustainability assessment, and include an Open Space workshop with academics and industrial experts. The results suggest that there is a discrepancy between the indicators that we found to be important, and the indicators that are frequently included in the studies. This indicates a need for the development and dissemination of improved methods in order to model several important environmental impacts, such as: water depletion, indirect land use change, and impacts on ecosystem quality and biological diversity. The small number of published social life cycle assessments (SLCAs) and life cycle sustainability assessments (LCSAs) indicate that these are still immature tools; as such, there is a need for improved methods and more case studies.

Social Life Cycle Approach as a Tool for Promoting the Market Uptake of Bio-Based Products from a Consumer Perspective

“…As became apparent from the case studies considered in our review, and according to several scholars [8,19], SLCA studies on bio-based products have focused mainly on social indicators relating to the worker stakeholder category while overlooking other stakeholders. Indeed, focusing on consumer perspectives is very important to deepen our knowledge on the main social sustainability indicators able to guarantee consumer well-being and therefore enhance the market development of bio-based products.…”

“…In this article, we complement the recent interest in understanding what key sustainability impacts and related indicators should be considered for the development, production, and market uptake of bio-based products [8]. We do this by focusing on a specific stakeholder category, namely consumers.…”

“…However, while some policy documents (e.g., [5,6]) have supported the production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into value added products and bio-energy, there are also concerns about sustainability [7]. With the aim of ensuring an effective transition towards sustainability, it is of paramount importance that apposite assessment methods exist and are employed to discern pros and cons of different sustainability options [8].…”

“…They found only a few sectors receiving adequate empirical attention to draw cautious conclusions that often neglect relevant social issues; this is because they focus mainly on worker-and health-related indicators. Lastly, Martin et al [8], by means of a systematic review of scientific life cycle studies on bio-based products and an open space workshop with experts from academia and industry, underlined a discrepancy between those indicators found to be relevant, and the indicators that are recurrently included in the studies.…”

Sustainability Transition towards a Biobased Economy: Defining, Measuring and Assessing

“…Both Falcone and Imbert [10] and Martin et al [11] look at a specific dimension of sustainability, i.e., the social one. As mentioned earlier, this is an area often neglected in sustainability assessment and, indeed, deserves greater attention.…”