Life Cycle Assessments for Environmental Product Declarations

This case study outlines the implementation of Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) by Saint-Gobain, a market leader in Environmental Product Declarations (EPD). It details the company's journey since performing its first LCA in 1990 and the subsequent efforts to harmonize LCA tools across various departments since 2013. The challenges faced included the need for a robust LCA tool that could cater to both experts and non-experts, as well as the requirement to provide clients with EPDs based on LCA results. The case study presents how Sphera's LCA for Experts and LCA Calculator tools have improved the efficiency of EPD publication and enabled the development of a comprehensive internal database for emission factors. The results indicate that these tools have facilitated consistent calculations across product and corporate levels, improved decision-making, and increased transparency regarding environmental impacts. Additionally, the study highlights the ongoing challenges of automating data collection and LCA calculations to further enhance sustainability efforts.