UNEP/SETAC Life-Cycle
Initiative
Life Cycle Management Capability
Maturity Model (LCM-CMM)
Building Capacity for Sustainable
Value Chains
International Life Cycle Partnership
To bring science-based life cycle approaches into
practice worldwide
CONDUCTING A MATURITY
ASSESSMENT
DECISIONS
Decisions commit resources that eventually lead
to impacts, both intended and unintended!
GRADUALLY ADD MORE SOURCES &
TYPES OF INFORMATION
GRADUALLY EXPAND SYSTEM BOUNDARIES
LCM CMM
ADAPTIVE
EFFECTIVE
EFFICIENT
QUALIFIED
Scope
Decisions
Metrics
Projects
Team- based trade
offs to meet project
KPIs
Binary yes- no
compliance;
process outputs
Basic work procedures/
skills, unit process
improvements, waste
minimization
Rule- based trade
offs to meet company
goals
Process inputs/
outputs; cost/
benefit; ecoefficiency
Interconnected processes,
pollution prevention,
process redesign,
collaboration with key
supplier or customer
Value Chain
Fact- based tradeoffs to balance goals
of value chain
partners
Eco- efficiency;
cradle- to- grave
impacts
Eco- design, enterprisewide initiative, value chain
collaborations
Society
Value- based trade
offs to co- develop
company goals &
public expectations
Sustainability,
resiliency indices
Externalities
Public- private
partnerships, community
development outreach,
public policy reform
Project
Enterprise
QUICK MATURITY SCAN
See companion
Worksheet #3
KEY BUSINESS PROCESSES
• Leadership Processes
– Define a strategic vision
– Plan implementation
– Assess performance and report progress
• Product Life Cycle Processes
–
–
–
–
New product and business development
Operations
Supply chain management
Marketing and communication
• Enablers
– Information technology & tools
– Human resource management
– Culture of continual process improvement & learning
Capability Self- assessment
Questionnaire
See CMM workbook
for self- assessment
questionnaire
INTERPRETING RESULTS
See companion
Worksheet #4
WORKSHEET #4 – Maturity Assessment
A CAUTIONARY WORD ABOUT
MATURITY RATINGS
Maturity Level
Interpretation
QUALIFIED
Company is fully qualified to compete
successfully in global markets with average
performance.
EFFICIENT
Company expected to produce better than
average performance, at least in short term.
EFFECTIVE
Company expected to produce superior
returns over mid- to long term.
ADAPTIVE
Company leading the transformation of
economy to sustainable models.
INTERNAL FACTORS
STRENGTHS
• Leadership support for
environmental initiatives
• Robust & cross- functional
design process
• Effective supplier quality
development program
WEAKNESSES
• Fragmented IT: much of
environmental data in
spreadsheets
• Inadequate environmental
training for employees
• No formal business
development plan to
capitalize on environmental
investments
See companion
Worksheet #5
WORKSHEET #5 – Internal Factors