Review of Life Cycle Analysis and
Ecolabeling for Plumbing Products
Fixture Fittings and Fixtures
with Example LCA
Single Handle Mixing Faucet
PMI – LCA Discussion
• Within this PowerPoint slide set are the following:
– Quick overview of ISO 14024 and 14025, Type I and Type III
Standards for Environmental Product Declarations (supported by
ISO 14040 Series LCA Standards)
– Discussion of potential PMI Fixture Fitting and possible Fixture
Environmental Product Declaration Standards approaches
– Short Overview of the European Ecotapware (fixture fittings as
faucets and showers) and Ecosanitaryware approaches
– An LCA example of a single handle Lavatory Faucet using
Sustainable Minds internet based software
– A summary of the Business and Institutional Furniture
Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) ISO 14025 based draft
standard for Environmental Product Declarations on Seating
(NSF Sustainability as the Secretariat)
ANSI and LCA’s
• ANSI’s accreditation committee is currently
working on the process by which they would
accredit 3rd party certifiers to conduct Life
Cycle Analysis and conduct Environmental
Declaration programs.
• The basis for the accreditation program will be
the ISO 14020 Series covering Environmental
Declaration programs and Ecolabeling, and
the 14040 Series covering LCA’s
ISO 14024 and 14025
14024
•
•
•
•
•
Scope – Established principles and procedures for
developing Type I environmental labeling programs,
including selection of product categories, product
environmental criteria and product function
characteristics; for assessing and demonstrating
compliance.
Type I environmental labeling program – voluntary,
multiple-criteria-based third party program that
awards a license which authorizes the use of
environmental labels on product indicating overall
environmental preferability of a product within a
particular product category based on life cycle
considerations.
Objective – to contribute to a reduction in the
environmental impacts associated with products,
through the identification of products that meet a
specific Type I program’s criteria for overall
environmental preferability.
Selectivity – Product environmental criteria shall be
established to differentiate environmentally
preferable products from others in the product
category, based on a measureable difference in
environmental impact. (Use phase?)
Identification of the areas most relevant for
reduction of environmental impact – the
ecolabeling body shall identify the product life cycle
stages where there is differentiation of
environmental impacts among products within the
category.
14025
•
•
•
•
Scope - establishes the principles and procedures
for developing Type III environmental declaration
programs and Type III environmental declarations.
It specifically establishes the use of the ISO 14040
series of standards in the development of Type III
programs and environmental declarations
Type III environmental declaration – providing
quantified environmental data using predetermined
parameters and, where relevant, additional
environmental information.
Objectives – a) o provide LCA-based information
and additional information on the environmental
aspects of products; b) to assist purchasers and
users to make informed comparisons between
products – these declarations are not comparative
assertions; c) to encourage improvement of
environmental performance; d) to provide
information for assessing the environmental
impacts of product over their life cycle.
Life Cycle Basis – in the development of Type III
environmental declarations, all relevant
environmental aspects of the product through its
life cycle shall be taken into consideration. If the
aspects considered do not cover all stages of the life
cycle then this shall be stated and justified.
PMI-US Plumbing Fixture Fitting and Fixture LCA
Suggested Approach (1)
• Consider a 14024 based voluntary standard
– Fixture Fittings (Faucets, Showerheads)
• as these products control the rate at which water is dispensed, the use phase
energy (carbon footprint), as the example shows, dominates all LCA categories.
• Due to the materials used, and particularly as we have virtually eliminated Lead,
the Human Health and Ecotoxicity Impact categories in the manufacturing and endof-life phases have minimal impact. In fact, they are 2 orders of magnitude or more
less than the carbon footprint.
• Future regulations will eliminate the use of certain chemical constituents in
materials, lowering the Human Health and Ecotoxicity impacts even further.
• As manufacturers find alternatives to banned substances, the remaining
alternatives, including the use of recycled materials will have no discernable impact
on LCA scores.
– Fixture Fittings (Shower Valves) and Fixtures (Toilets)
• These two product categories influence water used in total, since to fill a tub or
flush a toilet, the Use Phase Impact over their life is based upon gallons per use,
rather than flow rate. For the Shower valve , there will be an additional carbon
footprint energy factor to heat the water used; while toilets only involve cold water
use. However, even for toilets in the use phase over their expected life, we
anticipate the energy used will still significantly outweigh the human health and
ecotoxicity factors. Manufacturing phase energy for toilets could also be significant
as the product is fired to create the vitreous glazed surfaces.
PMI-US Plumbing Fixture Fitting and Fixture LCA
Suggested Approach (2)
• Consider a 14025 based voluntary standard
– Fixture Fittings (Supply Stops, Supplies) and Fixtures (Sinks and Bathtubs)
• Sinks, Bathtubs, Supplies and Supply Stops, as well as Drainage Fittings just
convey water, and do not affect the amount of water used in a direct fashion.
• The energy used in the manufacturing phase may be the dominant LCA Impact
category, although this deserves further analysis in working up some
examples.
• Ecolabeling Approach
– For the 14024 Fixture Fittings and Fixtures
• An Ecolabel may primarily indicate compliance with water conservation flow
rate or gallons per use ranges, as Human Health and Ecotoxicity Impacts will
be negligible as discussed above.
• Work needs to be done to think through what ranges might be represented by
a rating scheme. In Europe, A through E ratings are used. Does this make
sense in the US? Do we need that many ranges?
• What other stakeholders need to be involved in establishing the Ecolabeling
Standard and Labeling/Rating Scheme?
Ecotapware and Ecosanitaryware Standards
(European Drafts)
• Ecotapware
– Sets Use Phase life at 16 years
– Provides baseline estimates of annual total water use and
hot/cold proportion. A North American version would require
data that reflects usage behavior here.
– Only assesses energy to heat the hot water (to 140oF for
Legionella – not an issue residentially in the US).
– Misses the energy used to pump and treat water (both
supply/potable and waste)
– Assumes that generally, faucets and showerheads are recycled
for metal content. However it does not yet contemplate a
formal recycling program to ensure materials are returned. In
the US and Canada, a significant proportion of these products
are replaced by DIY’ers and a recycling incentive program could
be desirable.
Ecosanitaryware (Toilets and Urinals)
• European Life Set – 12.5 years (domestic) and 17.5
years (Commercial) US NAHB Expected Lifetime is
“Unlimited” for Toilets, with 10 year life on Flush and
Fill Valve mechanisms. Urinals 22.5 years (all types,
single, trough, waterless)
• Use Phase Input (Toilets) –
– 6 Liters/Flush
– 7.75 flushes per day(residential), 25 (commercial)
• Total Energy Consumption – Distribution 1X, Use Phase
2X, Manufacturing 4X
• Electricity Consumption – Manufacturing Phase ~0.9X,
all others (electricity) negligible
• A number of other Impact analyses available
– http://susproc.jrc.ec.europa.eu/toilets/ Look for Base
Case Report under the Documents page
Manufacturing Phase - Bill of Materials Based has
material and process impacts – note the CO2 total is
11.g kg.
General Scorecard
by BEES Category
Human Health,
Toxicity and
Warming values
largely the effect of
electric power for
treating and
pumping water in
the Use Phase
Use – Water Heating
Use - Water Pumping/treatment
Note that Energy impacts of Use Phase
dominate carbon footprint by orders of
magnitude!
US assumption – ½ of components shipped inbound by truck average
of 200 miles
US assumption – ½ of components shipped inbound from China by
ship (used 8000 miles, divided by 2 since only ½ of parts sourced
overseas)
Outbound – in US, just picked a 600 mile average by truck
• Note energy to pump and treat covers both potable water supply
component and waste water (sewage) treatment
• For the hot water component (55% of total) the energy to raise
water from 40 to 126oF is 40x more than the pumping/treating
energy. Because only 55% of the water is heated, the CO2 values
are on the order of 20x in this example
Use phase (total impacts) = 2x Manufacturing
Use Phase = 1,735,000 x Transportation
Energy (Carbon) in Use Phase is 104x the
manufacturing phase energy
Use Phase is 660x transportation energy
Manufacturing energy is 6.3x transportation
BIFMA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufactures Association)
Product Category Rules – Seating (draft)
• Draft rules/approach to Seating LCA, with Environmental Product
Declaration rules for ISO compliant 3rd party verification
• Program Operator – NSF, International (National Center for Sustainability
Standards)
• ISO 14025 compliant EPD standard
• Specifically declares:
– “ The purpose of the PCR is to provide guidance for creating Type III Labels and is
not intended for comparative studies of different products.”
– “The goal and scope statement shall not be of a comparative nature. This is
because the results are not meant as a platform for comparability to other
companies and/or products. Even for similar products, differences in functional
unit, use and end-of-life stage assumptions, and data quality may produce
incomparable results.
• The document outlines in great detail the functional unit (10 year life, not
mandatory however), System Boundaries, Boundary Conditions for each
phase, Standardized transport distances, Production, Distribution, Storage
and Use Rules, End-of-Life, LCIA methodology, Allocation Rules, and much
more.
• http://bifma.org Under Standards page:
https://bifma.org/secure/orderform.html
Next Steps
• Do we agree on an approach?
• Present the analysis to the IAPMO GTC and IgCC groups to
get their stakeholder input
• Take a look at CB’s who might assist in pulling together the
stakeholders in creating an ISO 14024 or 14025 EPD
standard for our category(ies).
• Have PMI members run some internal analyses and think
over a 2-3 tier label rating scheme (what should it mean
and what are appropriate levels?)
• As to Levels, the balance is to provide some basic
differentiation, but not lead us into ever lower flow
rates/water consumption below that which provides the
needed utility for the product users. What should we do to
continue to research and gather user satisfaction feed back
on the minimum utility question? Do we continue to
explore this with WaterSense?