Editorial
Notes
Editorial Notes for the International Journal of LCA
K o n r a d H u n g e r b i i h l e r
Corresponding address: Prof. Dr. K. Hungerbi.ihler, ETH Eidgen6ssische Technische Hochschule Ziirich, Laboratorium for Technische Chemie, Gruppe fiir Sicherheit und Umweltschutz, Universit/itsstr. 31, UNK C3; CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
For a sustainable use of natural resources, innovative indus- try and business will have to play a more and more impor- tant role. Along with a high value creation, we must find products and services t h a t also promise environmentally sound and safe ways of production, usage, and disposal [1]. In this innovation process, LCA may play a key role. L C A can enlarge the c o n t e m p o r a r y economically dominated view, which is one-sided, with a holistic environmental understand- ing. However, this certainly requires that LCA is able to c o m - pete in a fast-paced, r a p i d l y changing business world: Markets and chains of value creation are becoming m o r e dynamic, global, and complex. At the same time, competi- tion is ever increasing. Innovation, cost, information, a n d time m a n a g e m e n t are increasingly emerging as key factors for success. C u s t o m e r benefit has become a central issue. This means that life-cycle thinking and aspects of safety a n d environmental protection concerning the customer have to become m o r e i m p o r t a n t as well. Safety and environmental technologies are no longer of retrospective concern b u t a central p a r t of p r o d u c t design.
In order to ensure that L C A attains in such a framework a better standing and effectiveness, its practicability in early development phases of new products and services has to be enhanced. Here we have to overcome a common dilemma within each d e v e l o p m e n t process: The degrees of freedom and (at least potential) variety of options are by far greatest in the beginning of a development process. At the same time, knowledge here is still scarce. Data and modelling ideas are rare, relatively undefined, and uncertain. Later on we k n o w more concerning these aspects, yet the costs of error-correc- tions are much higher. W h a t we have to look for is a system- atic a p p r o a c h t h a t iteratively models, assesses, and optimises the entire life cycle w i t h regards to the most i m p o r t a n t chances and risks. I m p o r t a n t aims are an effective and g o a l - oriented generation of high-quality new design versions a n d the elimination of w e a k e r options.
W h a t implications does this have for the future development of LCA?
Besides m o r e comprehensive and more reliable basic d a t a for the faster build-up o f process networks and better c o n -
cepts for a realistic assessment of chemicals, we will prima- rily need a better understanding of the a p p r o p r i a t e use of LCA in all stages of product-specific d e v e l o p m e n t processes. This could be achieved by a systematic retrospective investi- gation of several successful and at the same time i m p o r t a n t p r o d u c t and service innovations. W h a t we need here ini- tially is a fundamental u n d e r s t a n d i n g of innovation man- agement and product development. In the next step we need to clarify, on different levels of knowledge and development, the prerequisites and possibilities for the a p p r o p r i a t e step- by-step use of LCA [2]. In the interplay of these examples from practice we finally have to develop a general method- ology for a new iterative screening LCA
[3-5].
An innovation-oriented LCA being, like the investment cal- culation, an integrated part of each innovation management, would be without d o u b t an i m p o r t a n t step in the direction of a m o r e sustainable technology development. Yet, it would not be surprising if the LCA interpretation step so far little noticed by science and therefore u n d e r d e v e l o p e d , would become a m a j o r 'pi6ce de r4sistance'.
The EU concerted action C H A I N E T [6] which aims at linking experts on environmental decision support tools with indus- trial problem-owners, could be a step in the right direction.
R e f e r e n c e s
[1] HUNGERBOHLER, K., RANKE, J., M~r'nER, T.: Chemische Produkte und Prozesse - Grundkonzepte zum umweltorientierten De- sign. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1998
[2] WENZEL, H.: Application Dependency of LCA Methodology: Key Variables and Their Mode of Influencing the Method. Int. J. LCA 3, 281, 1998
[3] CH~ISTIANSEN, K., et al.: Simplifying LCA - J u s t a Cut? Final Report of SETAC - Europe, LCA Screening and Streamlining Working Group, SETAC-Europe, Brussels, 1997
[4] FLEISCHER, G., SCHMIDT, W.: Iterative Screening LCA in an Eco- Design Tool. Int. J. LCA 2, 20, 1997
[5] WEIDENHAUPT, A., HUNGERBUHLER, K.: Integrated Product De- sign in Chemical Industry. A Plea for Adequate Life-Cycle Screening Indicators. Chimia 51,217, 1997
[6] UDO DE H , ~ , H.A., WRISBERG, N.: European Network on Chain Analysis for Environmental Decision Support. Int. J. LCA 3, 79, 1998
Int. J. LCA4 (1) 1 (1999)
