Social Life Cycle Assessment in Construction: A Bibliometric Analysis

Urbanisation leads to the expansion of urban areas, which needs vigorous support from the construction sector for infrastructure development. While this sector is a contributor to job creation and economic development, it is also a major consumer of energy and greenhouse gas emissions, which emphasises its need for sustainable development. Achieving complete sustainable development involves an integration of social dimensions as well, which is often neglected in conventional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Despite the recent development of S-LCA guidelines, research output remains limited compared to traditional LCA. This study aims to analyse research trends, patterns, and impacts of the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) within the construction sector by reviewing available literature. To fulfil the objectives, a bibliometric analysis was conducted with the help of Scopus using the keywords - “Construction” and “S-LCA,” and network maps were generated using VOSviewer. Results imply that there is an increase in research from 2023-2024, denoting this to be a fast-emerging field. Though the research principally originated from the West, still there was an increasing contribution from the East, like China and Malaysia, which underlines the potential for collaboration between them. The focus on the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA), which covers economic, environmental, and social dimensions, highlights its importance for construction projects in the future. The study concludes that S-LCA is significant for understanding the overall impacts of construction projects on different stakeholders involved. More focus on S-LCA research can help in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).