Last updated on 2024年7月5日

How do you update and validate your carbon footprinting and life cycle assessment results over time?

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Carbon footprinting and life cycle assessment (LCA) are widely used methods to measure the environmental impacts of products, services, and organizations. However, they also have some challenges and limitations that need to be considered and addressed. In this article, we will explore some of the common issues that arise when applying these methods and how to update and validate your results over time.

本文章的要点总结

Continuous data collection:

Regularly updating your data on energy use, materials, and transport keeps your environmental impact assessments accurate. Think of it as giving your LCA a health checkup to stay ahead of any issues.
Engage stakeholders:

Involving people who have a vested interest in your business can provide fresh insights into your sustainability practices. Their feedback is like gold dust for continuous improvement.

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Gunjika Vishwanath Misra (She/ Her) ??

On a mission to help every woman & girl…
Ayush bajpai

Senior Consultant…

1 Data quality and availability

One of the main challenges of carbon footprinting and LCA is to obtain reliable and relevant data for the inputs and outputs of the system under study. Data quality and availability can vary depending on the scope, boundaries, and assumptions of the analysis, as well as the sources and methods used to collect and process the data. Some data may be outdated, incomplete, inconsistent, or inaccurate, which can affect the accuracy and validity of the results. Therefore, it is important to use the best available data, document the data sources and uncertainties, and perform sensitivity and uncertainty analysis to assess the robustness of the results.

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Ayush bajpai

Senior Consultant ESG/Sustainability/Carbon Accounting/GHG /15K+ Followers/Content Writer Master of Business Administration - MBA Energy Management from School of Energy and Environmental studies DAVV, Indore
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To update and validate carbon footprinting and life cycle assessment (LCA) results over time: 1. Data Collection: Continuously gather current data on energy use, raw materials, and transport. 2. Methodology Review: Regularly review and update calculation methodologies to reflect industry standards and advancements. 3. External Verification: Engage third-party experts to validate results and ensure accuracy. 4. Benchmarking: Compare results with industry benchmarks and peer-reviewed studies. 5. Scenario Analysis: Conduct sensitivity analysis to assess the impact of changing variables on results. 6. Stakeholder Engagement: Seek feedback from stakeholders and incorporate evolving best practices.

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Jayendra Ahire

Postdoctoral Research Associate at USDA Forest Products Lab & UW-Madison | Life Cycle Assessment | Carbon Dioxide Removal | DayCent | Machine Learning.
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The major challenge in getting emissions data is from scope 3.The scope 3 emissions accounts for 75-80% emission of industrial emissions hence it needs high accuracy.

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Gaurav Verma

Decarbonisation I Carbon Capture I Energy Transition
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Updating and validating carbon footprinting and life cycle assessment (LCA) results involves several key steps to ensure accuracy and relevance, likewise - 1) Updating - Emissions Data collection (Scope1, Scope 2 and Scope 3) with factored emission factors over time, maintaining Emissions scope as per regulatory framework and benchmarking with peers 2) Validating - Transparency in documentation of the data and 3rd party certification will greatly help in maintaining correct assessment over the time.

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2 Methodological choices and assumptions

Another challenge of carbon footprinting and LCA is to make consistent and transparent methodological choices and assumptions that reflect the purpose and context of the study. These choices and assumptions include defining the functional unit, setting the system boundaries, selecting the impact categories and indicators, choosing the allocation and valuation methods, and applying the normalization and weighting factors. These choices and assumptions can have a significant influence on the results and their interpretation, and may differ depending on the perspective and goal of the study. Therefore, it is important to follow the relevant standards and guidelines, justify and report the choices and assumptions, and perform scenario and comparative analysis to test the sensitivity of the results.

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Jayendra Ahire

Postdoctoral Research Associate at USDA Forest Products Lab & UW-Madison | Life Cycle Assessment | Carbon Dioxide Removal | DayCent | Machine Learning.
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These accounting process and it’s validation is depend upon geographical location. However certain organizations are not accountable for emissions such as banks which give credit to industrialization which emit CO2

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3 Temporal and spatial variability

Another limitation of carbon footprinting and LCA is that they often rely on average or generic data that may not capture the temporal and spatial variability of the system under study. Temporal variability refers to the changes in the inputs and outputs of the system over time, such as seasonal, annual, or life cycle variations. Spatial variability refers to the differences in the inputs and outputs of the system across different locations, such as regional, national, or global variations. These variations can affect the environmental impacts of the system and the validity of the results. Therefore, it is important to use data that reflect the temporal and spatial characteristics of the system, or to perform temporal and spatial differentiation and aggregation to account for the variability.

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Gunjika Vishwanath Misra (She/ Her) ??

On a mission to help every woman & girl become financially literate, secure & independentI National President-Home & Security Council, WICCI| Board Member, 7Even Consultancy| 20X LI TOP VOICE| TOP Person Ambassador
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To ensure accuracy and relevance, ongoing updates are crucial for carbon footprinting and life cycle assessment results. Tracking temporal and spatial variability allows for a comprehensive understanding of environmental impacts, ensuring informed decision-making and continuous improvement in sustainability practices.

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4 Dynamic and complex systems

Another challenge of carbon footprinting and LCA is that they often assume that the system under study is static and linear, which may not reflect the dynamic and complex nature of reality. Dynamic systems are those that change over time in response to internal and external factors, such as feedback loops, delays, and non-linear relationships. Complex systems are those that consist of many interrelated and interdependent components, such as networks, systems of systems, and emergent phenomena. These systems can exhibit unpredictable and emergent behaviors that are difficult to model and measure with conventional methods. Therefore, it is important to use methods that can capture the dynamic and complex aspects of the system, such as dynamic LCA, system dynamics, agent-based modeling, and network analysis.

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Jayendra Ahire

Postdoctoral Research Associate at USDA Forest Products Lab & UW-Madison | Life Cycle Assessment | Carbon Dioxide Removal | DayCent | Machine Learning.
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The complex process is solve by mass or economic allocation of main component or product. This process is not involved for specific activities such as war or natural disasters.

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5 Update and validation

Given the challenges and limitations of carbon footprinting and LCA, it is essential to update and validate your results over time to ensure their relevance and credibility. Updating your results means to collect and use the most recent and accurate data, as well as to revise your methodological choices and assumptions according to the changes in the system and the context of the study. Validating your results means to compare and verify them with other sources of information, such as benchmarks, standards, best practices, or independent audits. Updating and validating your results can help you identify and correct errors, improve your data quality and methodology, and enhance your confidence and transparency.

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How do you update and validate your carbon footprinting and life cycle assessment results over time?

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1 Data quality and availability

2 Methodological choices and assumptions

3 Temporal and spatial variability

4 Dynamic and complex systems

5 Update and validation

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