Identifying gaps for a comprehensive Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of bio-based sectors in Europe: state-of-the-art and results from a preliminary hotspot analysis

The CALIMERO project aims to improve the environmental, economic, and social performance of five European bio-based sectors (construction, woodworking, textiles, pulp and paper and bio-chemicals). To assess such improved performance, we will apply Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA). This method covers the three pillars of sustainability with a life cycle perspective. The most practical way to conduct LCSA is by combining environmental LCA, Life Cycle Costing (LCC), and social LCA (S-LCA). To identify gaps in the current framework for LCSA of the bio-based sectors in Europe, we compare the state-of-the-art in terms of existing materials, products and processes in each bio-based sector with existing data that may be used for LCSA. To this end, we first preliminary collected environmental, social, and economic data from industrial partners. Furthermore, we screened representative data of the bio-based sectors from existing databases. Environmental data are considered from widespread databases (ecoinvent and GaBi) as well as publicly available databases; social data from the PsiLCA and Social Hotspots databases; and economic (cost) data from a range of input-output economic tables like Exiobase. Finally, data gaps are exhaustively identified by comparing available data with those needed to model the LCSA for bio-based sectors properly. As the second step, we complete a hotspot analysis for the LCA, LCC and S-LCA. We follow the methodology from the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) for environmental hotspots using the compiled data mentioned above. Environmental hotspots include impact categories, processes and elementary flows responsible for most (>80%) of the impacts within a sector. An approach for identifying economic hotspots is derived from the PEF approach. Social hotspots are identified following guidelines for S-LCA provided by the UNEP. Furthermore, we complete the identified hotspots with those highlighted in the literature (e.g., in LCAs, risk assessments, due diligence directives, and regulatory documents) to identify potentially misleading or missing hotspots while using existing databases and methodologies. As a third step, we complete a holistic review of methodological gaps within the LCSA framework regarding the specificities of bio-based processes and products. These gaps include the coverage of the three pillars in LCSA; missing characterisation factors for biodiversity, ecosystem services, and new or specific chemicals; temporal aspects, especially regarding carbon footprint; indoor health impacts; S-LCA indicators; gaps within the PEF methodology; modelling of cascading flows in the circular economy; criticality of bio-sourced materials; and the environmental mapping of indicators. Finally, this review investigates how these gaps may be addressed in the improved LCSA framework of CALIMERO. The presentation will summarize the methodology, results, and main conclusions from these three steps.