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Chapitre D'ouvrage Année : 2016

Selection of impact categories, category indicators and characterization models in goal and scope definition

Résumé

This chapter aims to provide practical guidance and a factual overview of implemented Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methods available in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software. Currently available midpoint and endpoint characterization methods are presented and their specific properties are qualitatively compared in detailed tables. Selecting impact categories, category indicators, and characterization models or LCIA methods is a task every LCA practitioner faces frequently. Although it is quite an essential decision that requires sufficient understanding of a number of concepts and a good overview of available LCIA methods, very little guidance is available in the literature. The ISO 14044 standard establishes both requirements and recommendations for the choice of impact categories, category indicators and characterization models to be used in LCIA as part of an LCA study. This selection process must be done at the outset of a study, during the goal and scope definition phase. However, with the increasing number of LCIA methods and indicators becoming available, the task of choosing which ones to use has become a significant effort requiring the practitioner to understand the main characteristics of these methods and keep up-to-date with the latest developments. Furthermore, in practice, the selection of impact categories and LCIA methods is also driven by criteria that go beyond those given in ISO 14044. The primary objectives of this chapter are to: 1) provide a structured overview of selection criteria from different sources and angles, as well as 2) establish guidelines to make an informed and conscious choice by providing essential information needed to support such a choice.
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Dates et versions

hal-02605593 , version 1 (16-05-2020)

Identifiants

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Ralph Rosenbaum, M.A. Curran. Selection of impact categories, category indicators and characterization models in goal and scope definition. Goal and scope definition in life cycle assessment, Springer, pp.63-122, 2016, 978-94-024-0854-6. ⟨hal-02605593⟩
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