Method to develop social impact pathways: A case on carbon- and steel reinforced concrete

This research aims present a new approach to perform type II Social Life Cycle Assessments (S-LCAs), impact pathways (IP), applied to Carbon- and Steel Reinforced Concrete. The application of IP requires determining causal relations and characterization factors. However, the literature indicates to persistent deficiencies in identifying empirical cause-effect relations and scientific development of characterization factors. To advance IP application, a new approach by using structural equation modeling (SEM) to develop IP is presented in this research. Primary data was collected by questioning workers based on 8 inventory indicators for 3 social subcategories. The results showed where the causal relations could be empirically proven or not, indicating that is suitable for creating social IPs based on real cause-effect chain. For future research, it is recommended to apply the developed model on a larger sample to verify the proposed method and discuss the extent to which complex social issues can be generalized. •Method development using structural equation modelling to evaluate social impact pathways • Application to the reinforced concrete sector (CRC and SRC) with data of 48 respondents • ANOVAs revealed no differences in the average of the responses provided by the group or participants from the CRC and SRC sectors • Structural equation modelling showed the midpoint impact social security as a major predictor of workers' well-being, in relation to the other pathways • Results indicate that a possible attribution of a characterization factor in S-LCA should vary according to the designed model