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Access, affordability and sustainability of raw material supply chains are crucial to the sustainable development of the European Union (EU) for both society and economy. The study investigates whether and how the social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) methodology can support responsible sourcing of raw materials in Europe. The potential of social indicators already available in an S-LCA database is tested for the development of new metrics to monitor social risks in raw material industries at EU policy level. The Product Social Impact Life Cycle Assessment (PSILCA) database was identified as a data and indicators source to assess social risks in raw material industries in EU-28 and extra-EU countries. Six raw material country sectors in the scope of the European policy on raw materials were identified and aggregated among those available in PSILCA. The selection of indicators for the assessment was based on the RACER (Relevance, Acceptance, Credibility, Ease, Robustness) analysis, leading to the proposal of 9 social impact categories. An S-LCA of the selected raw material industries was, thus, performed for the EU-28 region, followed by a contribution analysis to detect direct and indirect impacts and investigate related supply chains. Finally, the social performance of raw material sectors in EU-28 was compared with that of six extra-EU countries. Considering the overall social risks in raw material industries, “Corruption”, “Fair salary”, “Health and safety” and “Freedom of association and collective bargaining” emerged as the most significant categories both in EU and extra-EU. EU-28 shows an above-average performance where the only exception is represented by the mining and quarrying sector. An investigation of the most contributing processes to social impact categories for EU-28 led to the identification of important risks originating in the supply chain and in extra-EU areas. Therefore, the S-LCA methodology confirmed the potential of a life cycle perspective to detect burdens shifting and trade-offs. However, only a limited view on the sectoral social performance could be obtained from the research due to a lack of social data. The S-LCA methodology and indicators appear appropriate to perform an initial social sustainability screening, thus enabling the identification of hotspots in raw material supply chains and the prioritization of areas of action in EU policies. Further methodological developments in the S-LCA field are necessary to make the approach proposed in the paper fully adequate to support EU policies on raw materials.
Claudia Di Noi; Andreas Ciroth; Lucia Mancini; Umberto Eynard; David Pennington; Gian Andrea Blengini. Can S-LCA methodology support responsible sourcing of raw materials in EU policy context? The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2019, 25, 332 -349.
AMA StyleClaudia Di Noi, Andreas Ciroth, Lucia Mancini, Umberto Eynard, David Pennington, Gian Andrea Blengini. Can S-LCA methodology support responsible sourcing of raw materials in EU policy context? The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2019; 25 (2):332-349.
Chicago/Turabian StyleClaudia Di Noi; Andreas Ciroth; Lucia Mancini; Umberto Eynard; David Pennington; Gian Andrea Blengini. 2019. "Can S-LCA methodology support responsible sourcing of raw materials in EU policy context?" The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 25, no. 2: 332-349.
In recent years, increased interest and actions have been taken to better understand, and mitigate, sustainability impacts of mining activities, by both industry and policy. The present work reports on a sustainability hotspots screening performed for the EU Horizon 2020 “Integrated Mineral Technologies for More Sustainable Raw Material Supply” (ITERAMS) project, which foresees a more efficient water recycling, tailings valorization, and minimization of environmental footprint. The focus of this paper is on social and environmental issues in mining. Different methodologies were explored, starting from a qualitative causal loop modelling. Afterwards, an environmental and social LCA screening was performed using well-accepted databases and methods, thus completing results with a literature research. The main findings related to the importance of the supply chain, the vulnerability of local communities, and the toxic emissions from tailings offer a starting point to reflect on the specific social, socio-economic, and environmental context which may influence these issues. A better understanding of the environmental and social pressures associated with mining is not only crucial to orient the sustainability assessment foreseen for the ITERAMS project, but also to contribute in terms of methodology to the challenges tackled by policy and research worldwide towards a more sustainable mining.
Claudia Di Noi; Andreas Ciroth. Environmental and Social Pressures in Mining. Results from a Sustainability Hotspots Screening. Resources 2018, 7, 80 .
AMA StyleClaudia Di Noi, Andreas Ciroth. Environmental and Social Pressures in Mining. Results from a Sustainability Hotspots Screening. Resources. 2018; 7 (4):80.
Chicago/Turabian StyleClaudia Di Noi; Andreas Ciroth. 2018. "Environmental and Social Pressures in Mining. Results from a Sustainability Hotspots Screening." Resources 7, no. 4: 80.