HOW TO GO ABOUT IT

Create the life cycle inventory

1.

Prepare a life cycle inventory diagram that shows each of the main activities that occur in each phase of the product life cycle (Raw material extraction, Production, Transportation, Use, and End-of- life), the physical inputs to each activity (use of material, water, energy) and the outputs of each activity in terms of the ‘Product outputs’ (intermediary products and by-products) and ‘Emissions’ (emissions to air, water and soil).

2.

Decide which of the activities you will include in your analysis and which you will not. Use these decisions to draw the ‘Life cycle boundary’ on your life cycle inventory diagram.

3.

Using the life cycle inventory diagram and the life cycle boundary you have selected, fill in the first four columns of the Life Cycle Thinking template, which capture the key physical inputs and outputs throughout the five major life cycle stages.

Identify the life cycle impacts and sustainability hotspots

4.

Using the life cycle inventory, fill in the remaining columns of the Life Cycle Thinking template with corresponding environmental, social and economic impacts that occur across the value chain, proceed- ing activity by activity. Note that the social impacts are categorised by stakeholder, as follows:

• On workers – Examples of possible social impacts on workers include: health & safety, wages, social benefits, working
  hours, child labour, forced labour, discrimination, freedom of association and collective bargaining, employment relationship, training and education, work-life balance, job satisfaction and engagement, and gender equality
•  On customers/consumers – Examples of possible social impacts on customers and consumers include: health & safety, gender equality, experienced well-being, and privacy.
•  On other stakeholders – Examples of possible social impacts on other stakeholders include: health & safety, noise, odours, access to tangible resources, local capacity building, employment, and community engagement
• Rate each of the sustainability impacts you have identified using the scale ‘Low’, ‘Medium’ and ‘High’ impact. These ratings should be based on your understanding of how significant the impacts and will be, although these ratings will be quite subjective at this stage. Any impact that must be controlled to comply with local or international legislation relevant to companies in the value chain, or the conditions of a permit, should automatically be given a ‘High’ rating. This is indicated in the example below by the letter in brackets, where: H= High, M= Medium, L=Low. A ‘+’ sign indicates a positive sustainability impact

5.

Decide where the sustainability hotspots are by:

• Identifying cells of the Life Cycle Thinking matrix that contain several different medium or high-rated impacts.
• Identifying activities that lead to several different medium or high-rated impacts.

6.

Make a note of the sustainability hotspots you have identified.