The practice of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) uses a comprehensive method to analyze environment and health impacts of products and processes. With the growing societal interest in and pressure toward a more sustainable future we are witnessing a surge of activity in the regulatory community, in business strategic goal setting, and in customer demands for "greener products." Businesses are expected to be more transparent regarding their strategies to lessen their overall impacts. The LCA approach is increasingly being used by businesses for a wide variety of uses, including support of environmental claims, comparing products, assessing carbon-footprints, and to lessen impacts associated with process and production. This session will aim to provide an overview of the LCA process and tools used for analysis. The session will also illustrate business case studies, ranging from those embarking on their LCA journey to those with a fully integrated process, and will highlight the important role of the EHS professional in the process.
• Introduction to LCA and Tools Used for Application. L. Laurin, EarthShift, Kittery, MA.
• Genencor Cradle-to-Gate Pilot LCA- Lessons Learned. D. Martin, Genencor, A Danisco Division, Palo Alto, CA.
• Life Cycle Assessment at GE. W. Flanagan, General Electric, Niskayuna, NY.
• Overview of 3M Life Cycle Management. R. Goldman, 3M, St. Paul, MN. P. Barn, National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health/BC Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada; R. Copes, BC Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC, Canada.