Sandra Vitolo Technology for Sustainability International Forum - Bologna 2011

1. Dipartimento di Ingegneria chimica,
Chimica industriale e Scienza dei materiali
Prof. Sandra Vitolo
Bologna, September 20th 2011

2. Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather
Process Using LCA Methodology
Outline
Basic concepts
Environmental labelling
LCA analysis steps
Case study
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

3. Basic concepts
According to ISO 14040, the Life Cycle Assessment is a
quantitative approach to evaluate the environmental burdens
associated with a product/process over its entire life cycle by:
Compiling an inventory of relevant inputs
and outputs of a product system
Evaluating the potential environmental
impacts associated with those inputs and
outputs
Interpreting the results of the inventory
analysis and impact assessment phases in
relation to the objectives of the study
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

4. Basic concepts
The basic concept is that the impact an item has on the environment does
not depend exclusively on the manufacturing process, but begins with the
design and ends with the final disposal.
Raw material Manufacture Use Waste
acquisition management
• LCA calculates energy and resource use, emissions, environment and health
impacts
• LCA covers the entire life cycle, from ”cradle‐to‐grave”
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

5. Basic concepts
LCAs started in the early 1970s, initially to investigate the energy
requirements for different processes; emissions and raw materials
were added later
LCAs are considered to be the most comprehensive approach to
assessing environmental impact
Initially, numerous variants of LCA “methods” were
developed/investigated, but today there is consensus that there is
only one basic method with a large number of variants
The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC),
an international platform for toxicologists, published a Code of
Practice, a widely accepted series of guidelines and definitions.
Nowadays, IS0 14040:2006 and 14044:2006 are considered to be
the LCA standard.
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

6. LCA applications
Product/process design, development, improvement
Public policy
Marketing
Eco‐labelling
LCAs have been used increasingly by industry to help reduce the overall environmental
burdens across the whole life cycle of goods and services
LCA is also used to improve the competitiveness of the company’s products and in
communication with governmental bodies
LCA is used in decision making as a tool to improve product design, for example the
choice of materials, the selection of technologies, specific design criteria and when
considering recycling
LCA allows benchmarking of product system options and can therefore also be used in
decision making of purchasing and technology investments, innovation systems, etc
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

7. LCA applications
LCA is one of the tools to apply life cycle thinking in the implementation of the EU’s thematic
strategy on the sustainable use of natural resources and the thematic strategy on prevention
and recycling of waste
In its Communication on Integrated Product Policy (COM (2003)302), the European
Commission concluded that Life Cycle Assessments provide the best framework for
assessing the potential environmental impacts of products currently available.
Integrated Product Policy (IPP)
seeks to minimise the environmental degradation that a product causes in
some way, by looking at all phases of a products' life‐cycle (manufacturing,
use, disposal) and taking action where it is most effective
ques
Ecode able techni
si n g Bes t avail
Integrated Pro Life Cycle curement
du ct Policy (IPP) Green public pro
Thinking
Integrated waste management Environmental labelling
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

8. Environmental labelling
The International Standards Organisation (ISO) have
developed standards for three types of environmental
product claims, termed ISO Type I, II and III.
• Type I (ISO 14024): claims are based on criteria set by a third party and are
multiissue, being based on the product’s life cycle impacts. The awarding
body may be either a governmental organisation or a private non‐
commercial entity.
Ecolabel Nordic White Swan German Blue Angel
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

9. Environmental labelling
• Type II (ISO 14021): claims are based on self‐declarations by manufacturers or
retailers. There are numerous examples of such claims e.g. ‘made from x%
recycled material’
Mobius loop
• Type III (ISO 14025): claims consist of quantified product information based on
life cycle impacts. These impacts are presented in a form that facilitates
comparison between products e.g. a set of parameters.
Environmental
Product
Declaration
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

10. Environmental labelling Life Cycle Assessment
(LCA)
The tool for assessing the
potential environmental impacts
Product Category Rules
(PCR)
The Product Category Rules (PCRs)
are vital for the concept of
environmental declarations and
climate declarations.
The PCRs enable transparency for the
EPD‐development and also
comparability between differents
EPDs based on the same PCR.
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

11. Environmental labelling
EPD Programme Development
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

12. Environmental labelling
EPD Programme Development
Finished bovine leather
UN CPC product class 2912
“Other leather, of bovine or equine
animals, without hair on”
The PCR document is a living
document. If relevant changes in the
LCA methodology or in the
technology for the product category
occur, the document will be revised
and any changes will be published on
the international website
www.environdec.com
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

13. LCA analysis steps
LCA Steps: defined in ISO 14040 series
I. Goal & Scope Definition
‘the reason why LCA is performed’
•
II. Inventory Analysis (LCI)
‘quantification of environmental loads’
III. Impact Assessment (LCIA)
‘assess the relevance of flows’
IV. Interpretation
‘interpretation and results analysis’
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

14. LCA analysis steps
Inventory: draw flow chart of product system, build the system
model
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

15. LCA analysis steps
Inventory: draw flow chart of product system, build the
system model
Collect data of resource use and emissions of all processes
Data sources: LCA databases, reports, scientific papers, on‐site
investigation, expert knowledge, qualified guesses
Calculate resource use and emissions of studied product.
Present results in charts and tables.
Iterative procedure!
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

16. LCA analysis steps
Impact analysis
Classification: each chemical listed in the Inventory is assigned to one or more
impact categories
Human Health
Ozone Layer
Global Warming
Non renewable
Resources
Chemicals
Eutrophication
Ecotoxicity
Acidification
Waste
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

17. LCA analysis steps
Impact analysis
Characterisation: a connection between the environmental loads and known
exposure pathways to humans and ecology is made, in order to assess the
effects of each chemicals on the corresponding impact categories.
This is made through an equivalence factor that expresses its effects in relation
with a reference parameter.
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

18. LCA analysis steps
Impact analysis
Relations between emissions and impact categories
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

19. LCA analysis steps
Impact analysis
Environmental Profiles
The final result of the characterisation step is a list of potential
environmental impacts. This list of effect scores, one for each
category, is called the environmental profile of the product.
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

20. Case study
Leather Industry: Environmental impact of unhairing process
Traditional unhairing
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

21. Case study
Leather Industry: Environmental impact of unhairing process
Oxidative unhairing
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

22. Case study
Leather Industry: Environmental impact of unhairing process
Normalized Results
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology

23. Case study
Leather Industry: Environmental impact of unhairing process
1000
100
Oxidative unhairing
Traditional unhairing
10
1
Normalized Results
0,1
0,01
1E-3
1E-4
1E-5
Evaluation of Environmental Impact of Leather Process Using LCA Methodology