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4. |
- Afrane, George, et al.
(author)
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A product chain organisation study of certified cocoa supply
- 2013
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In: 6th International Conference on Life Cycle Management, LCM2013, 25-28 August 2013,Göteborg.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cocoa supplies may become limited in the future. Demands for sustainable cocoa sparked an exploration of the product chain organisation of conventional and certified cocoa from Ghana. The comparison shows that transparency requirements have led to a more complex product chain. Even so, certification has yielded important productivity increases resulting in environmental benefits (e.g. reduced greenhouse gas emissions) and improved livelihoods for smallholder farmers.
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5. |
- Arvidsson, Rickard, 1984, et al.
(author)
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A method for human health impact assessment in social LCA: lessons from three case studies
- 2018
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In: International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1614-7502 .- 0948-3349. ; 23:3, s. 690-699
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose Improving human health is a long-lasting endeavour of mankind. In the field of social life cycle assessment (SLCA), the importance of human health is often highlighted, and further development of impact assessment methods has been recommended. The purpose of this article is to present a method for assessing human health impacts within SLCA. Methods By using a systematic combining approach, knowledge and experience about assessing human health impacts were obtained from three previously conducted case studies. The first case study was about an airbag system, the second about a catalytic converter and the third about gold jewellery. The disability-adjusted life years (DALY) indicator was used for impact assessment in all three case studies. Results and discussion Both positive and negative human health impacts associated with the products were identified and assessed in the three case studies. For the airbag system, avoided health impacts in the use phase outweighed health impacts during production. For the catalytic converter, whether health impacts avoided exceeded health impacts caused or not depended on which time perspective regarding impacts was employed. Gold jewellery does not help avoiding any health impacts but caused considerable health impacts when produced at a certain location. Based on experience from these case studies, a generic human health impact assessment method was developed, and a life cycle human health typology for products was developed based on the method. The method provides a basis for analysis and interpretation of health impacts along product life cycles, and it is therefore important to report both positive and negative health impacts separately for different actors. Conclusions The developed human health impact assessment method involves the assessment and comparison of both positive and negative human health impacts along product life cycles. In addition to the products assessed in the three case studies, we suggest additional products that could be particularly interesting to assess with the developed method, including medicines, seat belts, other conflict minerals, alcoholic beverages and products with a high chemical impact.
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6. |
- Arvidsson, Rickard, 1984, et al.
(author)
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Is there a scientific justification for the current use of child labour and working hours in social LCA?
- 2014
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In: Proceedings of the 4th International seminar in social LCA.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the social life cycle assessment (SLCA) literature, child labour and working hours are frequently suggested and used as indicators for assessment of social impacts. This use is mainly motivated by compliance with political documents. However, indicators should also have a scientific foundation. We therefore review the scientific literature in order to investigate whether the contemporary use of child labour and working hours is scientifically justified. We found that although working hours is used somewhat differently in different SLCA studies, most SLCA studies suggest that fewer working hours are socially beneficial. Yet the non-SLCA scientific literature rather suggests a delicate balance between working too much, and being underemployed. The risk of unemployment is also stressed, not only for society as a whole but also for individual workers. Although excessive (and hard) working may be more common in so-called developing countries, and therefore more severe, adverse social impacts from working too little with subsequent loss of income is typically also more severe in those countries. For child labour, the SLCA literature regards it as socially adverse in unison. However, the non-SLCA scientific literature gives a broader view. Although many cases of harmful child labour have been reported, it is also clear that some forms of child labour may be less harmful, perhaps even socially beneficial. Such beneficial child labour could correspond to a part-time job, working during holidays, or helping parents at their farm. In general, the non-SLCA literature thus does not provide complete scientific justification for the contemporary use of working hours and child labour in the SLCA literature.
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7. |
- Arvidsson, Rickard, 1984, et al.
(author)
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On the scientific justification of the use of working hours, child labour and property rights in social life cycle assessment: Three topical reviews
- 2015
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In: International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1614-7502 .- 0948-3349. ; 20:2, s. 161-173
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- PurposeWorking hours, child labour and property rights have been suggested as topics to assess in social life cycle assessment (SLCA). The purpose of this study is to investigate the scientific justification of the current use of these topics. The long-term aim is to contribute to the future development of SLCA.MethodsA literature review was conducted for each of the three topics. One thousand scientific articles were analysed for each topic, and relevant articles were selected. The articles were analysed based on whether the topics facilitated or obstructed beneficial social values, and whether they facilitated or obstructed adverse social values.Results and discussionThe results show that the three topics both facilitate and obstruct beneficial social values. They also show that the topics both facilitate and obstruct adverse social values. Considering the complex and ambiguous nature of these topics reported in the scientific literature, the current use of these topics in the SLCA literature is found not to be completely scientifically justified.ConclusionsBased on this study, the current use of working hours, child labour and property rights in SLCA studies should be questioned. We suggest that the fields of social science and economics may be fruitfully considered when seeking scientific justification for topics to assess in SLCA.
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8. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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12 x LCM : Variants of life cycle management
- 2019
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- A case-based review shows that, in practice, LCM is shaped by a dominant action logic in the setting. A dominant action logic is, for example, the business strategy of a company or a government objective. A first typology reveals 12 forms of LCM, in which each type is a result of life cycle thinking meeting a particular action logic. It also shows when and how LCM is seen to fit the purpose of different actors. This typology provides an overview of the diversity of practiced LCM and a matching vocabulary with the aim of furthering discussion and understanding of LCM.
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9. |
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10. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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A sociomaterial conceptualization of flows in industrial ecology
- 2022
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In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 26:2, s. 655-666
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A major starting point in industrial ecology (IE) is that reaching ecological sustainability requires understanding relations between human actions and material (tangible) flows. IE studies have enabled assessments of different technical and sociotechnical configurations but only to a limited degree provided concepts that support the design of interventions for industrial ecologies. We contribute by proposing a sociomaterial flow approach, here applied to life cycle thinking. After problematizing some common concepts in IE, the key concepts, a procedure, and some applied variants of the proposed sociomaterial approach are presented. The approach is theoretically grounded in related sociomaterial research. This body of theories underpins our conceptualization of how flows in, for example, a product life cycle can be related to nets of human actions within one rather than several analytical frames. The sociomaterial interaction point (SMIP) is a key concept in our approach for the sociomaterial connection between material flows and actor networks. A SMIP can be described as the interactions where humans come closest to the flows. The conceptualization of the methodology provides a framework for exploring actor and action networks shaping material flows and a basis for a relational analysis of governance, organization, and management of the flows in industrial ecologies. A sociomaterial approach to flow studies can therefore help in designing more concrete sustainability interventions in industrial ecologies.
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11. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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An evaluative framework for conceptual and analytical approaches used in environmental management
- 1999
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In: Greener Management International. - 0966-9671. ; 26, s. 109-122
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the last 30 years, a number of new approaches for use in environmental management have been developed for use by decision-makers. This paper presents a framework for comparing these approaches based on various methodological features. These include: nature of the approach, type of decision-maker, overall purpose and object analysed, perspective, investigated dimensions, character of the approach, basis for comparison, system boundaries, type of data, and evaluation of results. Use of the framework is illustrated for four approaches: industrial ecology; design for environment; environmental impact assessment; and environmental accounting. The approaches can be used consecutively, or be complementary, competing, encompassing or overlapping in their applications. The research suggests that there is considerable scope for exploring these relationships between and within approaches. Rather than developing new tools for environmental management, it may now be appropriate to focus on practical integration of existing approaches for different applications.
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12. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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Beyond a Corporate Social Responsibility Context Towards Methodological Pluralism in Social Life Cycle Assessment: Exploring Alternative Social Theoretical Perspectives
- 2020
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In: Perspectives on Social LCA : Contributions from the 6th International Conference. - 9783030065645 ; , s. 53-64
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The UNEP/SETAC guidelines have Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as the underpinning theoretical perspective. However, studies on CSR suggest that the companies have benefitted more than society. We explore two alternative theoretical perspectives: the theory of ecologically unequal exchange (TEUE) and the actor-network-theory (ANT). By analysing case studies informed by TEUE and ANT, we identify their contribution to social life cycle assessment. The analysis shows that the perspectives enable description and identification of issues otherwise uncovered by the UNEP/SETAC approach: the unequal balance of health effects over a production and a consumption system and the presence of multiple and sometimes conflicting interests across actors in a production and consumption system, respectively. We point out characteristic methodological differences and conclude that S-LCA would benefit from greater pluralism.
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13. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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Beyond a CSR context towards pluralism in SLCA: exploring alternative social theoretical perspectives
- 2018
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Most current efforts in social life cycle assessment (SLCA), and in particular the UNEP/SETAC guidelines, have corporate social responsibility (CSR) as underpinning theoretical perspective. However, over 50 years of studies on CSR suggest that the companies themselves have benefitted more than has society. CSR has therefore been criticised for legitimising and consolidating the power of large corporations. In response to this critique and since the social dimension of product life cycles is broader than the corporate perspective, we explore alternative theoretical perspectives that can inform SLCA. Two alternatives not departing from a corporate worldview are the theory of ecologically unequal exchange (TEUE) and actor-network-theory (ANT). TEUE highlights inequalities between different actors along product chains as manifested in today’s international trade, in particular between high- and low-income countries (Hornborg 2009). ANT is a descriptive approach for mapping networks of relationships between both actors and material (both technological and natural) entities (Latour 2005). Here, we explore a number of case studies informed by TEUE and ANT in order to identify the contribution of these alternative perspectives to SLCA. The covered cases include studies of airbag systems comparing health impacts mitigated by these devices to health impacts caused during their life cycle and cocoa supply chains through a north-south perspective. The analysis shows that these alternative perspectives add to the current SLCA framework in that they enable description of phenomena and issues hitherto uncovered by it. We go on to discuss the difference between description and assessment in SLCA and argue for greater pluralism in the theoretical and methodological approach to SLCA.
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14. |
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15. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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Det specifika med miljösystemanalysen
- 1999
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Sammanfattning av diskussion om vad forskning i ämnet miljösystemanalys innebär och innefattar.
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16. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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Does the Production of an Airbag Injure more People than the Airbag Saves in Traffic?: Opting for an Empirically Based Approach to Social Life Cycle Assessment
- 2013
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In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - : Wiley. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 17:4, s. 517-527
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) has been discussed for some years in the LCA community. We raise two points of criticism against current S-LCA approaches. First, the development of S-LCA methodology has not, to date, been based on experience with actual case studies. Second, for social impacts to be meaningfully assessed in a life cycle perspective, social indicators need to be unambiguously interpreted in all social contexts along the life cycle. We here discuss an empirically based approach to S-LCA, illustrated by a case study of an automobile airbag system. The aim of the case study is to compare the injuries and lives lost during the product life cycle of the airbag system (excluding waste handling impacts) with the injuries prevented and lives saved during its use. The indicator used for assessing social impacts in this study is disability-adjusted life years (DALY). The results from this study indicate that the purpose of an airbag system, which is to save lives and prevent injuries, is justified also in a life cycle perspective.
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17. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964
(author)
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Don't fence me in...
- 2009
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In: Social embeddedness of Industrial Ecology. - 9781847207821 ; , s. chp 3-
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)
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18. |
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19. |
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20. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964
(author)
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Environmental assessment of organising: towards a framework for the study of organisational influence on environmental performance
- 2004
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In: Progress in Industrial Ecology. ; 1:1-3, s. 292-306
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The paper discusses a new perspective on industryÕs environmental performance and presents the concept and field of Environmental Assessment of Organising. EAO builds on the notion that different ways of managing industrial production lead to different environmental performance. To understand how industrial organising influences environmental performance it is necessary to take ordinary physical flow modelling of technical systems, such as life cycle assessment, a step further by embedding these in an organisational context. Such an understanding could provide new knowledge for environmentally ÒsmarterÓ management. The concept of EAO aims towards a theoretical framework that bridges environmental management, organisational theory and environmental systems analysis. Its presentation here is grounded in a literature review on works related to industrial environmental performance. Two studies testing the practical application of EAO are briefly presented and discussed. These have contributed to the presented basic methodology and rudimentary research programme for EAO studies.
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22. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964
(author)
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Evaluating business model environmental impact with Business Model Life Cycle Assessment (BM-LCA): Learnings from five case studies
- 2023
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In: New Business Models Conference Proceedings 2023.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Business model life cycle assessment (BM-LCA) is a novel LCA methodology that has been adapted for analyzing business model environmental performance. In principle, BM-LCA can be applied to any type of business model involving material or resource use and be used for validating sustainable business models, within business model innovation for sustainability and analysis for decoupling within a business practice. Here, findings and experiences from a handful of case studies with BM-LCA will be presented. The cases have been conducted in collaboration with companies in Sweden and represent a variety of business models and product types. The business models have different levels of complexity to put the applicability of BM-LCA to the test. Learnings about environmental performance of business models, the methodology, and its usefulness in practice will be covered. Moreover, to better understand the contribution of BM-LCA, the method is compared with published frameworks for sustainable business model assessment and circular business model innovation.
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23. |
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24. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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Implications of an interpretive understanding of LCA practice
- 2008
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In: Business Strategy and the Environment. - : Wiley. - 1099-0836 .- 0964-4733. ; 17:7, s. 420-430
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Despite the desirability of a life cycle perspective and many attempts to facilitate life cycle assessment (LCA), industry has been relatively slow to adopt LCA. In this research, we thus set out to investigate the underpinnings of LCA practice in industry. A literature review shows that the present understanding is that structuralconditions such as location and sector determine the use of LCA in industry. However, a field study of two companies in the Swedish forest product industry (thus in the same sector and country) indicates that LCA practice is shaped more by individual preferences and chance events. Our results imply a more interpretive understanding of LCA practice than has been put forward by previous research. The two types of understanding are discussed and their implications for practitioners in industry, organizations promoting the use of LCA and further research are presented.
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25. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964
(author)
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Introduction and Organisation of LCA Activities in Industry — Description and Analysis of Two LCA Projects in Swedish Companies
- 2000
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In: International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. - 1614-7502 .- 0948-3349. ; 5:6, s. 363-368
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Explorations of the LCA practice have been less numerous compared to the conceptual descriptions of LCA. To counter this imbalance, studies of LCA projects conducted in Swedish industry were carried out. One of them is in a chemical company, the other in an electronics company. The studied LCA projects represent early attempts, but not first attempts, at LCA within these two companies. The two studied cases are contrasted with each other and aspects important for the implementation of LCA are identified. Among other things, the presence of an LCA entrepreneur seems to be important for LCA implementation. The argumentation for the usefulness of LCA needs to be situationally adapted to each organisation. Strategies of the LCA entrepreneur are described.
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26. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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LCA i ett nötskal
- 2014
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Reports (other academic/artistic)
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27. |
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28. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964
(author)
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LCA use in Swedish industry
- 1996
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In: International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. - 1614-7502 .- 0948-3349. ; 1:3, s. 122-126
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A study of iudustry's use of I,CA has bcen performed as a special analysis of the Business Enviromnental Barometer (B.E.B.). The B.E.B. is an international questionnaire survey on industry's envi- ronmental management practices (LCA included), repeated every two years. The first round in 1993 included the Nordic countries. The 1997 round will include eight European countries. This analy- sis intends to describe industry's LCA use as such (e.g. active industrial sectors, applications, changes over time) and differences between companies working with I.CA and those not working with LCA. The survey indicates that industry is in the process of internalising LCA knowledge, although most companies are still in the learning phase. LCA companies have more developed environmental management systems than non-LCA companies. A company's LCA use seems to be a competitor-driven activity, judging from LCA distribution among industrial sectors.
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29. |
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30. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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Life cycle assessment: A comparison of three methods for impact analysis and evaluation
- 1994
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In: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-6526. ; 2:1, s. 13-20
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- For the evaluation of data resulting from the inventory stage of a life cycle assessment, two sets of environmental indices based on Swedish data have been calculated according to the ‘ecological scarcity method’ and the ‘environmental theme method’. These are compared with indices from the method for ‘environmental priority strategies in product design’. The relative importance of CO2, SO2 and NOx in the three evaluation methods, expressed as index ratios CO2:SO2:NOx′ was calculated to be 1:200:250, 1:220:350 and 1:150:6100, respectively. Additional index comparisons are presented. Differences in the results from the three methods depend on effects considered, how the algorithms are constructed, and background data. The discussion focuses on similarities and differences in mathematical expressions and on the evaluation of certain substances.
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31. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964
(author)
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Life Cycle Assessment and Decision Making: Theories and Practices
- 1998
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been in use to a varying extent since the late 1960s. The fact that LCA methodology needs further development is a frequently identified barrier to the further application of LCA. Consequently, the literature with suggestions for improving LCA methodology is extensive. This dissertation takes a different approach: it deals with the practice of LCA. The purpose has been to gain an understanding of the practice of LCA and to develop practice-based LCA methodology. A multidisciplinary approach, combining engineering and social sciences (especially, organisational theory), has been used. The dissertation consists of 6 papers and an introduction. Employed research methods include theoretical discussions on LCA methodology, questionnaire surveys on the use of LCA in industry, and case studies on LCA projects in two Swedish companies. Three themes present in the 6 papers are explored in the introductory text: 1/ LCA methodology; 2/ the use of an LCA study in a project context; and 3/ the use of LCA in a company context. By relating methodological approaches to application, two principally different types of LCA were identified: Life Cycle Accounting and Life Cycle Assessment. The former is based on a modelling strategy characterised as "full and complete", and is used for comparing the environmental burdens existing single-type products are made accountable for. The latter is "relevance-guided", and used for investigating consequences of a change. Another conclusion was that descriptions of LCA methodology would benefit from a greater distinction between the procedure and the model. The LCA model, being a "product" of the procedure, can be described according to certain fixed characteristics. Furthermore, strategies for conducting LCA studies are more diverse than approaches to modelling. As LCAs are used in a broad range of applications, LCA has been identified as a tool for learning rather than a tool for supporting single decisions. For the implementation of LCA activities in a company, the presence of an "LCA entrepreneur" is judged to be important. Identified barriers to application of LCA mainly concerned the level of understanding of LCA methodology and the process to gain commitment for LCAs.
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32. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
- 2015
-
In: Encyclopedia of Polymeric Nanomaterials. - Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin Heidelberg. - 9783642361999 ; , s. 1-5
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)
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33. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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Life Cycle Assessment on Life and Death: Comparing Lives Saved by an Airbag with Lives Lost during Its Production
- 2011
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In: 6th International Conference on Industrial Ecology, Berkley, California, June 7-10, 2011.
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Recently, a framework for including social impacts of a products life cycle has been developed by United Nations Environmental Programme and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. That framework includes impact categories such as human rights, working conditions and governance. Here, we present a different approach that balances impacts with benefits: lives saved by the product during the life cycle minus lives lost during the life cycle as impact category. The study object, and also the functional unit of the study, is an air bag with its electronic control system. The main object of an airbag is to save lives. However, during the production of the airbag and its control systems, lives may be lost, for instance in the production of pyrotechnical content of the airbag and in the mining of metals for the electronic control unit. The mining of metals often takes place in developing countries with poor legislation for working conditions and sometimes conflict areas. The impact is characterized as the average number of lives saved per functional unit minus the casualties believed to occur during production of one functional unit. This is a convenient indicator since it easy to interpret and comprehend. It also gives a quantitative estimate of whether the airbag is reasonable from a social point of view from a life cycle perspective, or if it just exports the casualties to other parts of the world. We also discuss in the study when there is a benefit to gain from investigating social impacts along a life cycle. The study is currently ongoing, and results will be ready to for presentation by the time of the conference.
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34. |
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35. |
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36. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964
(author)
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Lifecycle assessments
- 2010
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In: The Berkshire Encyclopedia of Sustainability, vol 2 The Business of Sustainability. - 9781933782133 ; , s. 309-314
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Book chapter (other academic/artistic)
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37. |
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38. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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Mapping the green product development field: engineering, policy and business perspectives
- 2002
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In: Journal of Cleaner Production. - 0959-6526. ; 10:5, s. 409-425
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The literature study on which we report here is based on a cross-disciplinary database containing around 650 articles, taken from the engineering, management, and policy studies disciplines. We report on this literature using a model distinguishing between the product development processes as such, and different contexts, such as the company as a whole, the product chain and society. In addition, a distinction is made between empirically informed research and more conceptual work. Confronting the references in the database with this model, we identify several white spots on the map of research on environmental product development. These seem to be the understanding of the use and role of tools on a micro level (within companies), and an understanding of how this micro-level interacts with the macro level (between companies and in public policies). Also, a strategic orientation on the product development process within companies is underdeveloped. We argue that, in order to make an environmental optimisation of resource use and a minimisation of emissions, a systems perspective is necessary, both in research and practice.
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39. |
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40. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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One, two, three, many! or…? Mapping of the controversy over the Swedish West Coast shrimp
- 2016
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In: 22nd International Sustainable Development Research Society Conference.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- 'Controversy mapping' can provide insights about issues related to actors, their networking, and governance where the interpretation of science is at stake. In turn, these insights can be useful for advocacy processes and collective problem-solving. In order to illustrate this statement a case study was conducted for the North Sea prawn (Pandalus borealis) in the West Coast of Sweden which was the main subject of a controversy that started in 2014 and ended in October 2015 with a Marine Stewardship Council labeling for the contested prawn. We used a method from the scientific humanities, 'controversy mapping', following the methodology suggested by Venturini (2010) and Latour (2012). The method enabled us to trace statements, literatures, and actors involved in the shrimp controversy. By assembling these elements over time, we were able to describe the process of the controversy and identify the networks that 'wrestled' over the scientific interpretation of the (same) data on shrimp population size along the Swedish West Coast. By using network visualisation and analysis software, the case study shows the extension of the network of actors that were part of the controversy, their roles, influence, perspectives and relationships. The material gathered on the controversy was subsequently analysed from the perspective of the production and consumption system of the shrimp. It shows how advocacy actors build alliances with selected product chain actors in order to gather momentum for change. Based on the findings from this research it is possible to suggest that controversy study can help the product chain actors understand their production and consumption system better and provide a basis for product chain roundtables for conflict resolution and problem solving. Latour, Bruno. “Mapping controversies: syllabus 2012 -13.” MediaLab. Science Po. Retrieved from www.medialab-dev.sciences-po.fr October 15, 2015. Venturini, Tommaso. “Diving in magma: How to explore controversies with actor-network theory.” Public understanding of science 19.3 (2010): 258-273
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41. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964
(author)
-
Plastic litter cleanup operations: learnings from 4 LCAs
- 2019
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- GOAL: Marine debris, especially plastic litter has become a matter of serious concern. While many efforts rightly focus on prevention of plastic littering, the amount of plastics already in the environment is such that it also requires consideration. Even if plastic pollution were to be prevented now, marine plasticlitter washing up on shorelines will remain a problem for years. These circumstances warrant an examination of different set-ups for plastic litter cleanup. METHOD: LCA has beed used to evaluate different types of cleanup operations, both with regard to the environmental impacts associated with the cleanup itself and the recovery options for the collected plastics. Here, four LCA studies are presented and evaluated: 1/ arctic shoreline cleanup with volunteers (Lachmann 2016); 2/ shoreline cleanup with volunteers (Cañete Vela 2017); 3/ riverine cleanup with traps (Börling & Hein 2017); 4/ a sewerage-integrated collection with traps (Börling & Hein 2017). The explored options for plastics recovery include waste-to-energy, mechanical recycling and chemical recycling when landfilling can be avoided. The LCA studies were conducted as student projects under my supervision; the comparative evaluation is my own. Furthermore, personal experience of beach cleaning has provided a frame of reference against which LCA methodology applied to cleanup operations can be evaluated. The findings are discussed further in relation to other known cleanup operations around the world. RESULTS: The assessments identify both negative and positive environmental impacts. Negative impacts are associated with the operative side of cleanup and collection, while positive impacts are associated with habitat improvement after cleanup or recovery of plastic material. Conventional LC impact assessment methodology was found lacking for describing the positive ecological impacts of cleanups. A combination of qualitative and quantitative site-sensitive assessment was deployed.Based on the comparative evaluation, aspects important for planning plastic litter cleanups were identified. First, the site for a cleanup matters for what positive environmental impacts are achieved. Shoreline cleanup mainly provide habitat restoration. In contrast, riverine and sewerage-integrated traps provide the clearest possibilities for recovery of plastic material. The ecological benefits of shoreline cleanups are associated with coastal zones being feeding and breeding zones for many animals. While gyres have become known as accumulation zones of marine plastic litter, they are relatively ‘unpopulated’ as marine life isconcentrated to the coastal zones where upwelling of nutrients happens. Second, the collection technique matters for what negativeenvironmental impacts arise. Volunteer transportation to site of beach cleanup represent a significant proportion of CO2 emissions. Working with local volunteers isimportant for keeping CO2 emissions down. In comparison, riverine and sewerage-integrated collection can be carried out with well-placed passive traps. As these sit passively in a water stream, emissions related to collection can be kept to a minimum. Third, the material qualities of the collected litter determine recovery possibilities. Beach litter is generally too dirty, salty, degraded and stringy for any useful recovery — landfilling is common. Saltiness is avoided with riverine and sewer-traps. These also have the advantage of collecting more recent and less degraded litter, thereby facilitating various recovery options.
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42. |
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43. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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Populating the life cycle perspective: methods for analyzing social and organizational dimensions of product chains for management studies
- 2015
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In: International Society for Industrial Ecology Biennial Conference, 7-10 July, Surry, United Kingdom..
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The strength of the life cycle perspective is that it takes the whole product chain into account so that the shifting of environmental problems along the chain can be avoided. A weakness with conventional life cycle analysis is that its enviro-technical analysis does not easily identify actors and their scope of action. By replacing the focus on technical processes with a focus on actors and their organization of the product flow, another understanding of the sustainability issues of the product chain becomes possible. The outcome of a decade of research is a portfolio of life cycle methods for the management sciences: actor-LCA, social issue LCA, study of product chain organization, study of a production and consumption system, and organizational study of a flow node in a product chain. The theoretical reasoning leading to this developed rests on an application of actor‐network‐theories for a constructive combination of both social and material actants. It consists in part of an analysis of the problem with 'flow' and in part, the problem with 'organization'. The different methods focus on actors and organization in a product life cycle in different ways. The positioning of the methods relative to each other is presented and their application to management and governance problems is discussed.
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44. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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Preface: Recognizing Management in LCM
- 2018
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In: International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1614-7502 .- 0948-3349. ; 23:7, s. 1351-1356
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The Life Cycle Management conference 2013 took place in Göteborg, Sweden in August that year. During some very sunny days, nearly 450 presentations took place in front of more than 600 conference goers, leading to uncountable numbers of meetings, conversations, and reflections. A group that brought together different facets of management and policy-making research in relation to LCM was created as conference special issue editors. The group identified a need for systematized descriptions and analyses of life cycle-related practices in industry and in society at large. Preferably, the research should be grounded in the social and management sciences. The intention with the special issue was advancing LCM research, with an emphasis on the 'M' for management. The special issue includes 7 papers developed from the conference presentations. The combination of life cycles and management enables many kinds of LCM research. Novel terminology and perspectives to LCM research introduced by the included papers convey some of this diversity. Studies with a product chain perspective to LCM offer a complementing contrast to the study of corporate LCM. Advancement of LCM research can thus be achieved by expanding from the company perspective towards, looking deeper into the interactions of multiple actors. Also, critical perspectives have been shown to be valuable for the legitimacy and credibility of LCA and its practitioners. These studies show how deeper studies in the social sciences offer paths for the further advancement of LCM.
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45. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964
(author)
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Publish and perish? The impact of citation indexing on the development of new fields of environmental research
- 2002
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In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. - 1530-9290 .- 1088-1980. ; 6:3-4, s. 13-26
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The publishing of research has implications for the evaluation of research careers, research departments and funding for research projects. Researchers' academic evaluation relies heavily on the status of the journal in which a researcher publishes. The inclusion of one's work in Science Citation Index (SCI) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) is often used as an indicator of academic quality. This is unfortunate for many environmental researchers, as their journals are not represented in the SCI and SSCI. Two investigations were carried out to determine the reasons for this. The first investigation identified 352 existing environmental academic journals, classified into 7 categories (and several subcategories). Of these, 2 categories were not represented in the SCI or SSCI: environmental systems analysis journals, and corporate environmental management journals. The second survey investigated the publishing patterns of interdisciplinary research groups and the characteristics of their journals. In spite of acceptable citation levels, interdisciplinary environmental journals are excluded from the SCI and SSCI. A major reason seems to be that citations of their articles are uncounted by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), the organization producing the SCI and SSCI, because citations mostly take place in a group of journals completely unrepresented in ISI's database.
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46. |
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47. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964
(author)
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Simple material relations handled by complicated organisation by or ’How many (organisations) does it take to change a lightbulb?’
- 2008
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In: What is an organization? Materiality, Agency and Discourse, May 21-22, 2008, HEC Montréal, Université de Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The (biophysical, material) environment is often missing in environmental management research. In an attempt to bridge the ‘great divide’ between studies of humans and culture and studies of nature and artefacts (Latour 1993) and to better understand how organisation influences the environment, scholars exploring organising processes and their interaction with the environment got together in the Organisation for the Environment research programme. Their studies collect multiple situations relevant for environmental management (e.g., the maintenance of water supply in apartment buildings, the changing of light bulbs in a grocery store, and the reformation of water administration in Sweden). Each activity has its own organisation, yet takes place in a context of many organisations. The action (of e.g. changing a defect light bulb) is a result of a series of actions performed in a net of actors (Czarniawska 2000, 2005). Comparison of the studies has led to the introduction of new terms to facilitate discussion around organisational-environmental relationships in environmental management.
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48. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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Switching the focus from product function to business profit: Introducing Business Model LCA (BM-LCA)
- 2022
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In: Proceedings of LCM 2021. - : EDP Sciences. ; 349
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent years have seen much interest in business models as vehicles towards sustainability, cf. [1]. Conventional LCA, however, fails to properly capture the environmental impacts of a business model. Here, we introduce the background and the principles of Business Model LCA, a new LCA methodology for the assessment of environmental performance of business models. Methodological innovations are based on an understanding of the difference and relatedness between product and business. The key innovation is that BM-LCA centres its analysis on the ’business model’ instead of the ’product function’ as in conventional LCA. This requires the functional unit to represent the business (e.g., as ‘profit per time unit’) and the need to couple the monetary flows of the business to the material and energy flows of the product system via a set of ’coupling’ equations. BM-LCA contributes to environmental business analysis and could open up a new avenue of research where LCA and business analysts collaborate on business model innovation for sustainability.
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49. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964
(author)
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The building with LCA. Lessons on method and application after 20+ years of experience
- 2012
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In: LimesNet Research Conference 2012.
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Life cycle assessment is a method for comprehensive environmental assessment of product systems. The first LCAs were carried out around the late 1960s/early 1970s, but the methodology did not become documented and formalized until the 1990s.The building sector has been identified as one of society's major sources of environmental impact, and is sometimes called the 40% sector, indicating its environmental significance. It is therefore not surprising that the building sector displays a wide range of LCA applications on all scales. Examples of LCA work in the building industry, ranging from studies on building materials to studies on urban metabolism, will be presented. Although LCA is often put forward as a tool for decision support, it is in practice a great tool for learning. The exploration of LCA applications is intended to contribute to a discussion on remaining issues for research.
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50. |
- Baumann, Henrikke, 1964, et al.
(author)
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The Hitch Hiker's Guide to LCA. An orientation in life cycle assessment methodology and application
- 2004
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Book (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The environmental life cycle of a product consists of all the stages from raw material extraction through production and use to waste management. Life cycle assessment (LCA), then, is the assessment of the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle. The holistic perspective that LCA provides on the environmental performance of products has made it a central concept for both environmental management in industry and environmental policy-making in public government. This is a textbook on LCA for those who want to learn the practice of LCA, e.g. environmental engineers, environmental managers and ecodesigners. The title paraphrases Douglas AdamsÕ famous story The Hitch HikerÕs Guide to the Galaxy, in which the machine Deep Thought after seven and a half million years of computing come up with Ô42Õ as the answer to the Ôgreat Question of Life, the Universe and EverythingÕ. Expectations on LCA are often similarÑsimple answer to difficult environmental dilemmas, and the result often as incomprehensible as Ô42Õ, unless one knows how to interpret LCA methodology and results.LCA applications are manifold. LCA can be used in e.g. product development, marketing, production and waste management. There are special requirements on LCA methodology for each type of application and the book presents a broad repertoire of methodological alternatives in LCA, their different implications for LCA results and their usefulness in different applications.The book is organised in three parts covering LCA methodology, LCA applications and exercises on LCA. Two introductory chapters give a general overview of the LCA concept and its historical development. After that, LCA methodology is described in detail in six chapters. Different fields of LCA application are covered in five subsequent chapters. Since the aim of the book is to teach the execution of LCA, there are also a number of exercises. Smaller exercises train different aspects of LCA methodology and prepare for the larger ones, ten complete LCA exercise projects.
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