Finally, an international standard on social life cycle assessment: ISO 14075

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to present the ISO 14075—Environmental management—Principles and framework for social life cycle assessment(S-LCA) which was developed by the Working Group 15 of ISO/TC 207/SC 5. In this study, we present the main discussion points, insights on the development process, differences in terminology with current literature, and mutual concessions leading to the compromises made. Methods A period of 3 years was necessary for the WG15 experts to develop the framework and reach consensus on all outstanding points. Several rounds of consultations yielded more than 300 comments for each consultation round, which were addressed to adjust the standard and satisfy the various stakeholder expectations. This paper looks back at the process, analyzing the documents, meeting proceedings, and communications with the aim to establish similarities, differences, and the added value vis-à-vis prior existing literature and related ISO standards. Results and discussion The ISO 14075:2024 provides new principles and a framework for S-LCA based on those foreseen for life cycle assessment (LCA) in ISO 14040:2006 and 14,044:2006. Worth mentioning is the decision to differentiate between the types of S-LCA studies and social life cycle inventory (S-LCI) as well as between social life cycle impact assessment (S-LCA) and social life cycle performance assessment (S-LCPA). It is essential to highlight that the ISO 14075:2024 represents a significant milestone for the definition of S-LCA, and it is expected to support the scientific community in developing further the methodology, particularly in the definition of impact pathways.

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