Life-cycle thinking in the pulp and paper industry, part 2:1CA studies and opportunities for development

摘要

Part I of this study presented a critical survey of life-cycle assessment (LCA) applications in the pulp and paper industry.The objective of Part II is to characterize and understand the methodologies that have been used in reported LCA studies, including their limitations, and to identify opportunities for improvement of LCA methodologies. Factors examined include the type of LCA application, the source of the publication, the country of origin, the organization performing the study, the software used, and the degree of completeness of the study. We found that many LCA studies fail to include certain elements as defined by the standard International Organization for Standardization (ISO) methodology, in particular the quality assessment component. Most of the methodologies and databases used in the studies are appropriate for the European context, but not well adapted to North American specifics. There is, therefore, a need to develop North American methodologies and databases. Significant potential also exists for using LCA with other product and process analysis tools for enhanced decision-making.