What is an LCA?
The Basics of Life Cycle Assessment
Dr. Roger A. Cady1 & Dr. Jude Capper2
1Elanco
Animal Health; 2Washington State University
Prepared for: ADSA Discover Conference 19
“Key Issues in Sustainability of the Dairy Industry”
May 12, 2010
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Greenwashing” Undermines the Value of
“
Responsible Efforts and Is Unacceptable
1.
2.
3.
Carbon-free sugar
Organic rocks
Certified organic sea salt
(NaCl)
4. Organic cigarettes
5. No-calorie energy drinks
6. Organic charcoal
7. Carbon-neutral insurance
8. Zero-carb alcoholic drinks
9. Carbon-free shipping
10. Carbon-free computing
Source: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/05/04/sugar-coated-consumerism-or-just-plain-crap/, Last accessed July 26, 2009
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Standards & “How To” Instructions
Exist for LCA Conduct
US EPA Website
ISO 14040 to 44
Europe (Switzerland)
PSA 2050
British
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What is a Carbon Footprint?
Total GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused directly
and indirectly by an individual, organization or state in
a given time
• Measured in CO2-equivalents in terms of environmental
heat capturing capability
1
CO2
23
298
CH4
Source: http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/Report/AR4WG1_Print_Ch02.pdf,
Last accessed, July 26, 2009
N 2O
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The Carbon Checkbook Must Balance
Carbon cycle??
Source: Scottish Centre for Carbon Storage (2009) http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/sccs/public/teachers/ Last accessed, 9/15/09
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Life Cycle Assessment
© 2009, New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development
Essentially an Enterprise Accounting System
for Resources Instead of Finances
Source: http://nzbcsd.org.nz/emissions/content.asp?id=423, Last Accessed July 26, 2009
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System Composed of Modules
(Subsystems)
Rumen
Replacements
Cropping
Feeding
System
Milking
Herd
Machinery
Technology
Bulls
Packing
Plant
Manure
System
Boundary
Fertilizer
Transport
-ation
Milk Plant
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LCA Critical Steps
From Earth (Cradle) Back to Earth (Grave) Tracking
• Goal & Scope
– Establish functional unit
– System Boundaries
Inputs
Raw
Materials
Outputs
Emissions
Raw Material Acquisition
• Inventory Analysis
– Inputs
– Outputs
Waste
Energy
Manufacturing
Coproducts
Water
Use/ Reuse /Maintenance
• Impact Assessment
– Manufacture process
– Resource flows
– Assumptions
Product
Land
• Interpretation
Source: EPA 600/R-06/060, Life Cycle Assessment: Principles & Practice, 2006, pg. 1
Recycle / Waste Mgmt.
System Boundary
Module
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Despite Standards LCA Results Are Not
Necessarily Comparable
Reconciling Reports
CO2e Kg/Kg milk
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.7
0.4
1.0
1.35
0.2
0.0
EPA US-2007
FAO US-2007
Capper et al. US-2007
Sources : U.S. EPA (2010) “Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks:1990-2008”
UN-FAO (2010) “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Dairy Sector: A Life Cycle Assessment”
Capper, et al. (2009) “The Environmental Impact of Dairy Production, 1944 vs. 2007”, J. An Sci.
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Building the Appropriate System is Critical
to Avoid Unintended Consequences
•
•
•
•
Goal (e.g.. gallon vs. industry)
Boundaries (e.g. supply routes)
Functional unit (e.g. mpg vs. people mpg)
Resource flows ( e.g. appropriate
partitioning & ratios)
• Assumptions – common source of
disagreement
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A Goal with Sufficient Specificity is Critical
to Declaring Success
Stated Goal is to Reduce GHG Emissions 25%
20
Assumption: Industry production is 1 mil gal annually
18
6
4
2
12
9
9
ÐCO2e/gal or
Ð Consumption
8
12
Starting Point
10
Success
12
Starting Point
CO2e (lbs)
14
Result if consumption doubles &
CO2e per gallon reduced 25%
18
16
0
Per Gallon
Source: Created as an example by Roger Cady, Elanco, 2010
Industry (mil lbs)
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As Demand Increases … Pressure on “per
Gallon” Goal Increases to Meet the Industry Goal
Necessary per Gallon Change
300%
250%
25% Goal
10% Goal
40% Goal
200%
150%
100%
50%
0%
-50%
-100%
25%
50%
75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 225% 250% 275% 300%
Future Consumption Demand as Percent of Current Demand
Source: Created as an example by Roger Cady, Elanco, 2010
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Boundaries Must Include Key Infrastructure
It Takes a Herd to Make Milk
•
•
Maintenance Feed
Water
– Intake
– Sanitation
•
+
1/
8 of a Dry Cow
Greenhouse Gases
(Carbon Footprint)
– CO2 - Carbon Dioxide
– CH4 - Methane
– N2O - Nitrous Oxide
Increases
•
•
•
•
•
Land
Manure
Fuel
Electricity
Herbicides & Pesticides
97% of a Heifer
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Example Supply Chain Transportation
Footprint
Raw Material
Suppliers
Factories
Distribution
Center
Retail
Stores
1,110 Total Route km
Distribution Manager’s
Project Boundary
Sphere of Influence
500 Route km (45%)
associated w/Dist. Ctr.
= 100 km
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Unintended Negative System Tradeoffs Can
Occur When Project Boundaries Set Too Narrow
Raw Material
Suppliers
Factories
Distribution
Center
Retail
Stores
1,300 Total Route km (+200 km)
400 Route km (-100 km, 31%)
associated w/Dist. Ctr.
= 100 km
= 50 km
= 150 km
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Must Assess Impact per Unit of Output (Total Work)
Not per Unit of the Production Process (Work Efficiency)
Vehicle 1
Fuel Burned in 5 hrs:
Distance Traveled:
70 gal
350 mi (5 mpg)
Vehicle 2
10 gal
350 mi (35 mpg)
Passengers:
50
4
People Miles:
17,500
1,400
People MPG:
250
140
Production
Process
Work
Output
Winner
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Definition of the Functional Unit Will
Define Success or Failure
Carbon Footprint per Gallon of Milk Reduced 2/3
70
70
60
60
CO2‐Equivalent Emissions (lb/gal) CO2-Equivalent Emissions (lb/d)
Carbon Footprint of the Cow Has Doubled
50
40
30
20
10
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
1944
2007
1944
2007
Net Result: U.S. Dairy Farm Industry has Reduced
its Total Carbon Footprint by 41% Since 1944
Source: Capper et., al., JAS, 2009
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Appropriate Food Animal Functional Units
• Dairy – per unit of milk (e.g. lb, kg, g, or l)
or dairy product (e.g. cheese)
• Meat – per unit of meat (e.g. lb or kg)
and/or no. of specific type of cut
• Eggs – per number of eggs
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Three States of Activity to Account
for in an LCA
Physical Plant
Animal Corollary
(Machine)
Off
Deceased
Idle
At Rest (Maintenance)
Performing
Production (Growth,
Lactation, Reproduction)
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Three States of Activity to Account
for in an LCA
Physical Plant
Animal Corollary
(Machine)
Off
Deceased
Idle
At Rest (Maintenance)
Performing
Production (Growth,
Lactation, Reproduction)
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DMI Must be Partitioned – DMI is Not
Equivalent to Fuel Consumption
60
DMI Ratio: 1.409
Lactation Mcal Req. Ratio: 1.625
50
Mcal ME/d
40
39
30
51.7
20
24
36.7
10
12.7
12.7
40 lbs milk/d
65 lbs milk/d
0
40 lbs milk/d
65 lbs milk/d
DMI
Maintenance
Lactation
Source: Created as an example by Jude Capper, WSU & Roger Cady, Elanco, 2010
based on AMTS dietary needs for a 1,500 lb Holstein Dairy Cow, 3.8%F, 3.1%P
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Life Cycle Assessment is an
Integrative Process
Physical Sciences
Accounting
Discovery
LCA
Biology
Systems
Modeling
Scientific Process
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Scientific Process
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Verification
Validation
Repetition
Poses more questions than answered
Refinement
Discovery
Builds upon itself
Delta provides more information than a singular
number
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Deltas More Informational Than a
Singular Observation
• Determine what matters from what
matters least (set priorities)
• Basis for prescriptive action
• Variability of the difference less than
variability of main effects
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Thank you!
Questions?
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