Academic Publications

@article{Surmont2025,

title = {Assessing the sustainability and safety of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) liners for lead service lines (LSL) upgrades},

author = {Amélie Surmont and Laura Rowenczyk and Ivan Viveros Santos and Fatemeh Hatam and Anne-Marie Boulay and Michèle Prévost},

doi = {10.1016/j.watres.2024.122686},

issn = {00431354},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Water Research},

volume = {268},

pages = {122686},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Rachid2025,

title = {Life cycle assessment of phosphate mining and beneficiation in Morocco: Performance evaluation},

author = {Safa Rachid and Yassine Taha and Elliot Muller and Mostafa Benzaazoua},

doi = {10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123453},

issn = {03014797},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Environmental Management},

volume = {373},

pages = {123453},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Hajjar2025,

title = {Identifying influencing physical and environmental parameters on fate and characterization factors for microplastic emissions in the marine environment},

author = {Carla Hajjar and Cécile Bulle and Maxime Agez and Elena Corella-Puertas and Anne-Marie Boulay},

doi = {10.1007/s11367-024-02421-8},

issn = {0948-3349},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Fries2025,

title = {Decentralized clinical trials are better for the participants and for the planet: the case study of a double-blind randomized controlled trial in Singapore (PROMOTE study)},

author = {Lisa R. Fries and Nadia Khaled and Ivan Viveros Santos and Elvira Suniega-Tolentino and Motshewa Sesing and Melissa P. S. Toh and Chui Yuen Yang and Shiao Yng Chan and Sara Colombo Mottaz},

doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2024.1508166},

issn = {2296-2565},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},

volume = {12},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Rognan2025,

title = {SSELF: A Specific SEmiautomated Lifecycle Footprinting framework to go beyond generic data in LCA},

author = {Marit Salome Rognan and Manuele Margni and Guillaume Majeau-Bettez},

url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.70056},

doi = {10.1111/jiec.70056},

issn = {1088-1980},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Industrial Ecology},

pages = {1-17},

abstract = {<p>Advancements in life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmentally extended input–output analysis enable quick generic estimations of the environmental footprint of almost any product and service. However, going beyond a generic estimate to an assessment based on actual, specific supply chain data remains costly and impracticable and demands significant sharing of proprietary data between supply chain actors and the LCA practitioner. Achieving widespread specificity in LCA requires fundamentally changing the way inventory and emission data are collected, stored, and exchanged. This research develops the SSELF (Specific SEmiautomated Lifecycle Footprinting) framework to go beyond generic data in LCA in a way that can scale up, while safeguarding sensitive data. A key feature of the framework is decentralizing inventory collection and footprint calculations. Thus, production functions remain private and upstream impacts are calculated using an iterative approach with a database of unique product identifiers and the footprints reported by other users, capturing changes in the footprints of suppliers. Although this substantially reduces the effort of footprint assessments, implementing the framework in practice presents new challenges, which are identified and discussed in this paper along with recommendations on how they can be addressed and their implications. This work provides important insight into how to get to a point where every product and service has its unique footprint. Broad access to footprints with more specificity is necessary to help consumers reduce their consumption‐based impacts and make companies take accountability for, and reduce, their indirect impacts.</p>},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Greffe2025,

title = {Evaluation of metals mining and processing energy consumption and potential metals supply–demand mismatch towards 2100},

author = {Titouan Greffe and Manuele Margni and Cécile Bulle},

doi = {10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108482},

issn = {09213449},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Resources, Conservation and Recycling},

volume = {223},

pages = {108482},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Wu2025,

title = {A review of current state-of-the-art road vehicle life cycle assessment tools},

author = {Susie Ruqun Wu and Anne de Bortoli and Cécile Bulle},

doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.146278},

issn = {09596526},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

urldate = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},

volume = {522},

publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},

abstract = {With the increasing availability of vehicle Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools, practitioners need a clear understanding of each tools' modeling methodology to select the one best fitting their needs to reach robust conclusions on whether and how a reduction of certain environmental burdens could be realized from advanced technologies, such as electric vehicles. We reviewed five free open-source LCA tools evaluating four wheeled vehicles, namely, GREET (2022 rev1), AFLEET (2023), carculator (v1.8.4), GHGenius (v5.02), and EV Footprint (2023). We conducted the review through 1) deciphering the LCA methodology of each tool, 2) benchmarking key inventory data to understand where and why tool-derived discrepancies could happen, and 3) developing a framework for assessing tools' adaptability and suitability to aid practitioners in choosing and customizing tools as needed. The results showed that each tool is developed with different scopes, adopting different model mechanism, sourcing different background data and characterizing different impact categories. At inventory stage, data on fuel feedstock, electricity mix, battery chemistry are sourced and aggregated differently, and different types of on-road emissions are reported. The life cycle impact assessment implementation does not significantly contribute to discrepancies where carbon footprint is the only commonly reported impact indicator across tools. Using the newly proposed framework, we found carculator to have the highest adaptability, followed closely by GREET. The framework proposes aligning user needs with each tool's goals and scope to determine final suitability scores. We finally identified key input parameters for each tool, with examples of parameter customization provided.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Saadi2025,

title = {Including impacts of microplastics in marine water and sediments in life cycle assessment},

author = {Nadim Saadi and Jérôme Lavoie and Peter Fantke and Paula Redondo-Hasselerharm and Anne-Marie Boulay},

doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.146037},

issn = {09596526},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

urldate = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},

volume = {520},

publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},

abstract = {Microplastics (MPs) pose a threat to marine ecosystems. When released, MPs first reach the water column, where they can be ingested by pelagic species. MPs can then reach marine sediments, a potential sink, where they may affect sediment-dwelling species. However, current life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods do not consider the impact of MPs in sediments, providing an incomplete picture when comparing environmental profiles of products and services. This work builds on the MarILCA working group characterization factors (CFs) by computing updated physical effects on biota CFs that include both water and sediment compartments, as previous factors did not consider the latter. A simplified fate of MPs in the marine environment is modelled, combining fate in water and sediments and differentiating between MP polymers, sizes, and shapes. A combined exposure and effect factor for MPs in sediments (EEFsed) is developed, calculated from a hazardous concentration for 20 % of species (HC20), derived from a species sensitivity distribution (SSD) of effect concentrations of 10 % (EC10) values. A methodology accounting for species feeding behaviour is proposed to derive ecosystem-level impacts via exposure through different compartments, expressed as the potentially affected fraction (PAF) of marine species. Combining the fate, EEFsed, and EEFw (water) yielded updated marine CFs including impacts on both water and sediment-dwelling biota. CFs were tested in a textile LCA case study. Sediments were found to be a sink for high-density MPs, with EEFsed (16 PAF m3/kg) significantly lower than the previously reported EEFw (1068 PAF m3/kg). Developed marine CFs range from 34 to 5.4 × 108 PAF m3 d/kg and are available for use in environmental decision-making.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Ospital2025,

title = {Development of a parametrized and regionalized life cycle inventory model for tire and road wear particles},

author = {Louisa Ospital and Manuele Margni and Anne-Marie Boulay},

doi = {10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138986},

issn = {18733336},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

urldate = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Hazardous Materials},

volume = {495},

publisher = {Elsevier B.V.},

abstract = {Tire and Road Wear Particles (TRWPs), composed of degraded tire rubber and road particles, are non-exhaust traffic emissions and a significant global source of microplastics. With concerns regarding environmental and health effects, accurate emission estimates are needed to better understand their occurrence and potential impacts. Existing methodologies for quantifying TRWP emissions and fail to account for key parameters related to vehicle operation, environmental, and driving conditions influencing emissions, while overlooking geographical variations. This research article introduces a novel, parametrized, and regionalized inventory model for quantifying TRWP emissions, providing context-specific estimates at vehicle and national scales. It aims to complement Life Cycle Inventory databases allowing a comprehensive Life Cycle Impact Assessment of TRWPs in future works. A vehicle-specific methodology, incorporating nine key parameters – road texture, carried load, driving behavior, speed, road wetness, paved or non-paved roads, temperature, humidity, and tire type (summer, friction, studded) – to estimate both large (10–500 µm) and fine (<10 µm) tire wear particle emissions. Results indicate that road texture, driving behavior and road wetness mainly influence large particle emissions while increasing temperature and carried load predominantly affect fine particle emissions. The driving environment significantly influences both emission types. Despite limited data accuracy and availability, the design of the model allows for continuous updates to refine its applicability across diverse contexts.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{deBortoli2025,

title = {More rationality and inclusivity are imperative in reference transition scenarios based on IAMs and shared socioeconomic pathways - recommendations for prospective LCA},

author = {Anne de Bortoli and Alexis Chanel and Camille Chabas and Titouan Greffe and Estelle Louineau},

doi = {10.1016/j.rser.2025.115924},

issn = {18790690},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

urldate = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews},

volume = {222},

publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},

abstract = {Prospective life cycle assessment (pLCA) is a key tool for evaluating future environmental impacts and supporting environmental policies. Recent pLCA methods integrate technological projections from transition scenarios modeled with integrated assessment models (IAMs), leveraging the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) and representative concentration pathways developed within the framework of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). However, this computational framework is influenced by subjective modeling choices within IAMs and SSPs, which can affect the robustness and relevance of future technological scenarios thus pLCA results. This article starts by highlighting these subjective choices through the lens of Science and Technology Studies, to then provide recommendations to enhance pLCA practices within this computational framework, especially through the selection of more (a) rational and (b) inclusive technological scenarios. The first step toward better practices is recognizing the inherited choices and limitations of borrowed models. Our recommendations then address the selection of future technological scenarios for pLCA: these scenarios could (a.1) account for the whole variability of mainstream transition scenarios from the latest IPCC report and its effect on pLCA results, (a.2) include only screened IPCC mainstream IAM scenarios based on proposed reality check criteria, (b.1) integrate scenarios rooted in alternative economic schools of thought, such as post-Keynesian economics or ecological macroeconomics, explore scenarios based on alternative (b.2) indicators prioritizing strong sustainability, justice, and well-being, and (b.3) societal narratives such as economic downscaling avenues and degrowth. Finally, we emphasize the need to incorporate ethical considerations into modeling, offering recommendations to (b.4) prioritize more equitable scenarios.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Corre2025,

title = {Life cycle assessment and techno-economic comparison of methane production routes from sewage sludge: Incineration vs. Hydrothermal Gasification and Anaerobic Digestion},

author = {Soline Corre and Meire Ellen Gorete Ribeiro Domingos and Daniel Florez-Orrego and Gabriel Magnaval and Manuele Margni and François Maréchal},

doi = {10.1016/j.enconman.2025.120015},

issn = {01968904},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Energy Conversion and Management},

volume = {341},

publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},

abstract = {The disposal of sewage sludge poses significant challenges due to storage difficulties and the presence of pollutants and pathogens. Conventional treatment methods, such as incineration and anaerobic digestion (AD), are compared to advanced technologies like hydrothermal gasification (HTG) with syngas upgrading for methane production. Various indicators — i.e. environmental impacts, exergy efficiency, capital expenditures, and operational expenses — are assessed to evaluate these pathways. The scope of the life cycle assessment (LCA) accounts for the waste recovery, the treatement infrastructure, and material and energy flows. It additionally account for the substitution of valorized products. For instance, the methane produced is assumed to replace fossil methane with a substitution rate ranging from 100% (entire replacement of fossil methane) to 0%, considering either no substitution or future decarbonized energy systems. As a result, HTG achieves an exergy efficiency as low as 10.2 %. Yet, carbon management strategies, such as co-electrolysis (co-SOEC), can improve the exergy efficiency up to a value of 62.2 %. The most favourable routes in terms of GHG emissions are those mineralizing CO2 from sludge gasification (−1,100 kg CO2-eq/FU) or maximizing sludge-to-methane conversion (e.g., HTG with co-SOEC, −790 kg CO2-eq/FU). However, this benefit reverses under a 0 % substitution scenario (+770 kg CO2-eq/FU). In contrast, AD-based routes with lower energy demand show impacts between − 328 and + 70 kg CO2-eq/FU, also being more competitive in terms of costs. Beyond GHG emissions, trade-offs emerge across other impact categories, notably water scarcity, ecosystem quality, and fossil and nuclear energy use, particularly for routes involving CO2 mineralization and co-SOEC due to their high energy demand.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Magnaval2025,

title = {Development of an analytical model of automobile energy consumption during use-phase for parametrized life cycle assessment},

author = {Gabriel Magnaval and Anne-Marie Boulay},

doi = {10.1016/j.rser.2025.115716},

issn = {18790690},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

urldate = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews},

volume = {217},

publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},

abstract = {Models for automobile energy consumption calculations often lack adaptability, granularity, and consistency, limiting the transparency, reproducibility, and representativeness of automobile processes in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Although developing parametrized models appears to be promising, their application to automobile energy consumption is constrained by the complexity of powertrain modeling and the integration of driving conditions. This work presents a model for gasoline and electric vehicles based on parametrized equations, describing physical drivers of energy demand while uncoupling the role of contributors, including the vehicle body, powertrain, path, and driver. An innovative method for parametrizing driving conditions is introduced, eliminating reliance on traditional driving cycles. Complemented by pre-set configurations to enhance usability, the computational tool PETRAUL built on this framework enables practitioners to perform precise and representative energy consumption calculations for vehicles. This study further demonstrates the tool's utility for both foreground and background LCA processes. This includes scenario analyses emphasizing the necessity of multi-solution strategies, a comparison with ecoinvent and Carculator highlighting improved granularity, and an LCA case study on lightweighting, illustrating enhanced representativeness for assessments across diverse technological and regional conditions. This streamlined LCA of a polycarbonate glazing highlights the potential burden shifting from the vehicle use phase to the manufacturing of lightweight materials, notably when coupled with electrification. Ultimately, PETRAUL provides a robust foundation for advancing LCA practices by enhancing adaptability and transparency in parametrized modeling, while illustrating the need for both technological and sobriety measures to reduce environmental impacts of the automobile industry.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Seitfudem2025,

title = {The updated and improved method for water scarcity impact assessment in LCA, AWARE2.0},

author = {Georg Seitfudem and Markus Berger and Hannes Müller Schmied and Anne-Marie Boulay},

doi = {10.1111/jiec.70023},

issn = {15309290},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

urldate = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Industrial Ecology},

volume = {29},

issue = {3},

pages = {891-907},

publisher = {John Wiley and Sons Inc},

abstract = {Supported by the Life Cycle Initiative, in 2018, the Water Use in Life Cycle Assessment (WULCA) working group published Available Water Remaining (AWARE), a consensus-based method for water scarcity impact assessment. This article presents AWARE2.0, an update based on new data and an improved calculation process and recommended by the authors of the original AWARE publication. Water availability for 1990–2019 and the global water consumption inventory of 2019 are modeled with the global hydrological model WaterGAP2.2e. AWARE2.0 refines the calculations for river deltas, inland sinks, and subdivided river basins and furthermore benefits from an improved representation of basin area, increased responsiveness of environmental water requirements to seasonal flow patterns, and a more appropriate water consumption definition. This work analyses differences between AWARE and AWARE2.0 and the influence of the improvements on the characterization factors (CFs). The update is relevant to life cycle assessment, since more than half of the water consumption inventory is linked to CFs changing by more than 10%. Globally relevant changes mainly result from the new input data including the temporal reference period, whereas other improvements target individual types of basins, sometimes changing their CFs by two orders of magnitude. The AWARE2.0 CFs are provided for 9406 basins and the country definitions of ecoinvent and GLAM. This article met the requirements for a gold-gold JIE data openness badge described at http://jie.click/badges.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Kaddoura2025,

title = {Global sensitivity analysis reduces data collection efforts in LCA: A comparison between two additive manufacturing technologies},

author = {Mohamad Kaddoura and Guillaume Majeau-Bettez and Ben Amor and Manuele Margni},

doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179269},

issn = {18791026},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Science of The Total Environment},

volume = {975},

publisher = {Elsevier B.V.},

abstract = {Accounting for the environmental impacts in the design of technologies is becoming a necessity for manufacturers. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a well-established method to quantify the environmental impacts of products and services through a holistic perspective and is increasingly used to support the eco-design of products and technologies. However, LCA generally faces an inherent issue with data availability. Given the constraints on both time and cost for collecting inventory data to feed the LCA model, a trade-off between data cost robustness is required with an efficient data collection strategy. The objective of this study is to develop a framework to prioritize data collection efforts in LCA using uncertainty analysis. This starts with a screening life cycle inventory analysis systematically informing all input parameters with uncertainty ranges. Monte Carlo analysis is then used to propagate the uncertainty through the model. Stochastic results are then compared with an acceptable confidence level set by the decision maker. This is followed by a global sensitivity analysis using Sobol' indices to rank different input parameters based on their contribution to the variability of the results. This paves the way for an iterative process prioritizing further data collection focusing on the most sensitive parameters. A case study comparing cold spray and wire arc additive manufacturing illustrates how to operationalize the framework. Learnings from the case study highlight the importance of defining the uncertainty ranges and the convergence criterion, where more work is needed in that domain.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Pellengahr2025,

title = {Modeling marine microplastic emissions in Life Cycle Assessment: characterization factors for biodegradable polymers and their application in a textile case study},

author = {Felicitas Pellengahr and Elena Corella-Puertas and Valérie Mattelin and Nadim Saadi and Francesca Bertella and Anne-Marie Boulay and Yvonne Meer},

doi = {10.3389/ftox.2025.1494220},

issn = {26733080},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

urldate = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Toxicology},

volume = {7},

publisher = {Frontiers Media SA},

abstract = {Introduction: With the continuous increase of plastics production, it is imperative to carefully examine their environmental profile through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). However, current LCA modeling is not considering the potential impacts of plastic emissions on the biosphere. To integrate plastic emissions into LCA, characterization factors are needed that commonly consist of three elements: a fate factor, an exposure factor, and an effect factor. In this context, fate factors quantify the distribution and longevity of plastics in the environment. Research on these fate factors is still limited, especially for biodegradable polymers. Hence, the main objective of this research was to determine the fate factors of biodegradable polymers [poly (lactic acid), poly (butylene succinate), and poly (ε-caprolactam)] based on primary experimental data for the marine environment. Methods: The validity of former research is tested by comparing the degradation evolution of i. macro- and microplastic particles, ii. two different grades of the polymer, and iii. different temperature levels. The degradation data are obtained by monitoring the oxygen consumption over a period of six months in natural seawater. The determined degradation rates are combined with sedimentation, resuspension, and deep burial rates to obtain fate factors. These fate factors are used to develop polymer-specific characterization factors. The resulting characterization factors are tested in an LCA case study of a synthetic sports shirt made from biodegradable polymer fibers. It allows to assess the relative importance of microplastic impacts compared to other life cycle impacts. Results and discussion: Comparing the resulting specific surface degradation rates indicates that microplastic degradation rates could be overestimated when using macroplastic degradation data. Pertaining to the case study, the results show that the impact on ecosystem quality by microplastic emissions could account for up to 30% of the total endpoint category. Overall, this work aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration to leverage the accuracy of LCA studies and thus provide guidance for novel material development.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Rhouma2025,

title = {Connecting the water footprint with the water-energy-food-ecosystems nexus concept and its added value in the Mediterranean},

author = {Ali Rhouma and Georg Seitfudem and Jerome El Jeitany and Tommaso Pacetti and Floor Brouwer and José M. Gil},

doi = {10.1016/j.indic.2025.100640},

issn = {26659727},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Environmental and Sustainability Indicators},

volume = {26},

publisher = {Elsevier B.V.},

abstract = {The Mediterranean region faces significant challenges within the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus due to water scarcity, increasing agricultural and energy demands, and ecosystem degradation exacerbated by climate change. This research addresses these challenges by integrating two water footprint (WF) methodologies, the volumetric Water Footprint Assessment (WFA) and the impact-oriented Water Scarcity Footprint (WSF) and then correlating the results with the WEF Nexus Index and other sustainability indicators, to explore trade-offs and synergies across water, energy, food, and ecosystem dimensions at multiple scales. Findings highlight that the most significant impacts of water consumption stem from the cultivation of water-intensive crops in water-scarce regions, both within and beyond the Mediterranean. This underscores the pivotal role of virtual water trade and the global implications of local water management practices. The results further reveal critical disparities in water resource use and stress among Mediterranean countries, emphasizing the need for targeted policy interventions and international cooperation to address these challenges. By elucidating the interdependencies between water and the other WEFE Nexus dimensions, this study contributes valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders striving to achieve sustainable resource management and resilience in the Mediterranean region and beyond.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{deBortoli2024,

title = {Environmental life-cycle impacts of bitumen: Systematic review and new Canadian models},

author = {Anne de Bortoli and Olutoyin Rahimy and Annie Levasseur},

doi = {10.1016/j.trd.2024.104439},

issn = {13619209},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

urldate = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment},

volume = {136},

pages = {104439},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Duval2024,

title = {Optimization of the end‐of‐life tire repartition within the European treatment system to minimize its environmental impacts},

author = {Lisa Duval and Guillaume Majeau-Bettez and François Saunier and François Maréchal and Manuele Margni},

doi = {10.1111/jiec.13474},

issn = {1088-1980},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Industrial Ecology},

abstract = {<p>This study contrasts two different approaches to inform European‐scale decision‐making to mitigate the environmental impacts of the end‐of‐life tires (ELT) management system. The first analysis is a traditional life cycle assessment (LCA) that compares the environmental performances of the 12 main available European end‐of‐life (EOL) technologies in ELT processing while restricting the boundaries to the EOL stage. The second analysis has a broader scope, addressing the optimization of the ELT distribution within the 12 considered pathways to minimize the environmental impacts of the total tire use in Europe under present capacity and constraints. The results of the traditional LCA show that, except for landfill, all the tested EOL routes present environmental benefits. Material recovery pathways bring the most environmental credits, whereas civil engineering pathways are the least promising. The LCA results that emerged from the optimization of ELT management technologies yield two optimal technological mixes that maximize the quantity of ELT recycled in molded objects production: such results represent a hypothetical case with no constraints. When considering constraints, that is, limitations on maximum quantities of ELT that can undergo retreading, pyrolysis, or recycling in synthetic turfs, in molded objects and in production, the number of optimal technology mixes increases to five. The type of technologies favored depends on the minimized impact categories (climate change, fossil and nuclear energy use, human health, and ecosystem quality). A comparison between constrained and unconstrained scenarios shows that achieving the best environmental performances is conditional to the accessibility of the EOL technologies as well as their individual environmental impacts.</p>},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Beylot2024,

title = {Mineral resources depletion, dissipation and accessibility in LCA: a critical analysis},

author = {Antoine Beylot and Jo Dewulf and Titouan Greffe and Stéphanie Muller and Gian-Andrea Blengini},

doi = {10.1007/s11367-023-02278-3},

issn = {0948-3349},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Kaddoura2024,

title = {Estimating and reducing dissipative losses in thermal spray: A parametrized material flow analysis approach},

author = {Mohamad Kaddoura and Guillaume Majeau-Bettez and Ben Amor and Dominique Poirier and Manuele Margni},

doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141978},

issn = {09596526},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},

volume = {450},

pages = {141978},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Schnidrig2024,

title = {Between green hills and green bills: Unveiling the green shades of sustainability and burden shifting through multi-objective optimization in Swiss energy system planning},

author = {Jonas Schnidrig and Matthieu Souttre and Arthur Chuat and François Maréchal and Manuele Margni},

doi = {10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122537},

issn = {03014797},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Environmental Management},

volume = {370},

issue = {7},

pages = {122537},

publisher = {Frontiers Media SA},

abstract = {The global transition to decentralized energy systems signifies a fundamental transformation toward sustainable energy paradigms. This study specifically focuses on the Swiss energy system, analyzing how dynamic pricing influences the strategic decisions of different actors. The main contributions include 1) a detailed examination of pricing models tailored to the Swiss context, 2) an exploration of strategic financial burden shifts among end-users, TSOs, and DSOs, and 3) a comparison of decentralized versus centralized energy models, highlighting their respective efficiencies and resilience. This research differentiates from existing literature by providing an in-depth actor-based analysis within a Swiss context, offering valuable insights into decentralized energy system optimization. This study tackles the problem of how pricing influences strategic decisions across different actors in Switzerland’s evolving decentralized energy landscape. Here we show that a carefully tailored pricing model, designed for the Swiss context, enables optimized strategies that balance local efficiencies with systemic equity and resilience. The analysis reveals that decentralized approaches, in contrast to centralized models, not only accommodate diverse stakeholder preferences but also enhance system robustness against market and operational disruptions. Moreover, the study illustrates the strategic financial burden shifting where end-users compensate for cost shifts, with observed additional costs up to 5200 CHF/year cap when service providers are prioritized as objective actors. Notably, the most frequently selected system configuration in the primal problem, which optimizes the total system costs, aligns with the preferences of TSO and DSO for a 47.1 GW PV deployment. However, end-users demonstrate a preference for increased PV installations, constrained by urban grid capacities. Additionally, the study highlights significant regional disparities across Switzerland, necessitating tailored pricing approaches that reflect varied urban forms. The emergence of prosumers catalyzes new business models, redistributing investments across TSOs (256–261 CHF/cap/year), DSOs (244–413 CHF/cap/year), and prosumers (556–764 CHF/cap/year), showcasing the evolving dynamics of energy system economics.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Provost-Savard2024,

title = {Substitution modeling can coherently be used in attributional life cycle assessments},

author = {Arianne Provost-Savard and Guillaume Majeau-Bettez},

doi = {10.1111/jiec.13480},

issn = {1088-1980},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Industrial Ecology},

abstract = {<p> Most life cycle assessment (LCA) studies use the attributional methodology. This approach attributes a share of global environmental impacts to one or multiple functions provided by a normatively circumscribed system. Multifunctional systems that are not technologically subdivisible between co‐functions are frequently encountered in LCA studies. It then becomes necessary to resort to co‐production modeling techniques, like the substitution approach. The use of substitution modeling in attributional LCA (ALCA) is, however, discouraged amongst practitioners, due to the alleged violation of central requirements of the attributional methodology. The objective of this research is to shed light on common misconceptions about the compatibility of substitution with ALCA. The first misconception is that the use of substitution in ALCA violates the conservation of total environmental impacts. We find that this idea arises from a confusion regarding the attribution of impacts to the secondary product(s). The second misconception stipulates that substitution is not coherent with the state‐descriptive characteristic of ALCA. We conclude that we can describe a given system <italic>as resulting</italic> from an inferred (substitution) change, rather than <italic>as disrupted</italic> by this change. Finally, we discuss the choice of the substituted technology, and argue there is a logic to marginal substitution in ALCA. We therefore recommend accepting substitution modeling in ALCA. </p>},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{deBortoli2024b,

title = {Environmental life-cycle impacts of bitumen: Systematic review and new Canadian models},

author = { Anne de Bortoli and Olutoyin Rahimy and Annie Levasseur},

doi = {10.1016/j.trd.2024.104439},

issn = {13619209},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment},

volume = {136},

pages = {104439},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Suh2024,

title = {Conceptual framework for identifying polymers of concern},

author = {Sangwon Suh and Anne-Marie Boulay and Peter Fantke and Dingsheng Li and Dilip Menon and Raoul Meys and Llorenç Milà Canals},

doi = {10.3389/frsus.2024.1399431},

issn = {2673-4524},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Sustainability},

volume = {5},

abstract = {<p>With the increasing global concern over plastics' environmental and human health impacts, the urgency for effective regulatory measures is evident. The UN Environment Assembly's initiative to establish an international, legally binding instrument via the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution marks a significant step toward addressing this issue. However, the vast diversity of plastic types and their myriad applications present a complex challenge in pinpointing the most critical targets for regulation. This study builds on the existing body of literature to outline potential key criteria for identifying Polymers of Concern (PoC). We recommend a dual-focused definition of PoCs considering both (1) the type of the plastics and (2) their domain of applications based on the environmental and human health impacts throughout the polymer's life cycle. Recognizing the current gaps in our understanding of the full spectrum of plastics' impacts across their life cycles, we suggest adopting a precautionary approach that factors in the volume of plastics entering natural ecosystems alongside their life cycle impacts as reported in the literature. We then bring forward existing data on the assessment of some of the main polymer types and applications. We propose that policymakers examine a wide spectrum of strategies including not only bans and phaseouts but also economic incentives, innovation, and the redesign of plastic materials and products to mitigate the adverse impacts of PoCs. We further emphasize the importance of thoroughly assessing the feasibility, costs, and environmental, social and economic implications of alternative materials to avoid “regrettable substitution.” We conclude by identifying existing knowledge gaps and emphasizing the need for further research to refine the proposed criteria for identifying PoCs.</p>},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Schnidrig2024b,

title = {Between green hills and green bills: Unveiling the green shades of sustainability and burden shifting through multi-objective optimization in Swiss energy system planning},

author = { Jonas Schnidrig and Matthieu Souttre and Arthur Chuat and François Maréchal and Manuele Margni},

doi = {10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122537},

issn = {03014797},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Environmental Management},

volume = {370},

pages = {122537},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Bolay2024,

title = {What drives companies’ progress on their emission reduction targets?},

author = {Anne-France Bolay and Anders Bjørn and Laure Patouillard and Olaf Weber and Manuele Margni},

doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.143124},

issn = {09596526},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},

volume = {468},

pages = {143124},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Debarre2024,

title = {Assessing the potential human health impacts of freshwater consumption: considering inequalities in water availability to assess the consequences of domestic water deprivation},

author = {Laura Debarre and Masaharu Motoshita and Stephan Pfister and Anne-Marie Boulay and Manuele Margni},

doi = {10.1007/s11367-024-02395-7},

issn = {0948-3349},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Greffe2024,

title = {Byproduct-to-Host Ratios for Assessing the Accessibility of Mineral Resources},

author = {Titouan Greffe and Max Frenzel and Tim T. Werner and Gavin Mudd and Peng Wang and Manuele Margni and Cécile Bulle},

url = {https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.4c05293},

doi = {10.1021/acs.est.4c05293},

issn = {0013-936X},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Environmental Science & Technology},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Schnidrig2024c,

title = {Power shift: quantifying the role of actors in the multi-actor Swiss energy system decentralization},

author = { Jonas Schnidrig and Arthur Chuat and Julia Granacher and Cédric Terrier and François Maréchal and Manuele Margni},

doi = {10.3389/fenrg.2024.1433921},

issn = {2296598X},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Energy Research},

volume = {12},

publisher = {Frontiers Media SA},

abstract = {The global transition to decentralized energy systems signifies a fundamental transformation toward sustainable energy paradigms. This study specifically focuses on the Swiss energy system, analyzing how dynamic pricing influences the strategic decisions of different actors. The main contributions include 1) a detailed examination of pricing models tailored to the Swiss context, 2) an exploration of strategic financial burden shifts among end-users, TSOs, and DSOs, and 3) a comparison of decentralized versus centralized energy models, highlighting their respective efficiencies and resilience. This research differentiates from existing literature by providing an in-depth actor-based analysis within a Swiss context, offering valuable insights into decentralized energy system optimization. This study tackles the problem of how pricing influences strategic decisions across different actors in Switzerland’s evolving decentralized energy landscape. Here we show that a carefully tailored pricing model, designed for the Swiss context, enables optimized strategies that balance local efficiencies with systemic equity and resilience. The analysis reveals that decentralized approaches, in contrast to centralized models, not only accommodate diverse stakeholder preferences but also enhance system robustness against market and operational disruptions. Moreover, the study illustrates the strategic financial burden shifting where end-users compensate for cost shifts, with observed additional costs up to 5200 CHF/year cap when service providers are prioritized as objective actors. Notably, the most frequently selected system configuration in the primal problem, which optimizes the total system costs, aligns with the preferences of TSO and DSO for a 47.1 GW PV deployment. However, end-users demonstrate a preference for increased PV installations, constrained by urban grid capacities. Additionally, the study highlights significant regional disparities across Switzerland, necessitating tailored pricing approaches that reflect varied urban forms. The emergence of prosumers catalyzes new business models, redistributing investments across TSOs (256–261 CHF/cap/year), DSOs (244–413 CHF/cap/year), and prosumers (556–764 CHF/cap/year), showcasing the evolving dynamics of energy system economics.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Dazogbo2024,

title = {Économie circulaire dans la filière céréalière au Québec pour réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre selon une perspective cycle de vie : le cas du maïs-grain},

author = {Samson Dazogbo and Pablo Tirado Seco and Dominique Maxime and Nathalie Berthélemy and Cécile Bulle},

doi = {10.1522/revueot.v32n3.1677},

issn = {1493-8871},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

urldate = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Revue Organisations & territoires},

volume = {32},

issue = {3},

pages = {71-103},

publisher = {Universite du Quebec a Chicoutimi},

abstract = {Cette étude présente une approche itérative de priorisation de stratégies d’économie circulaire (ÉC) pertinentes en matière de réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre (GES) pour la production de grains dans Lanaudière, au Québec, à l’aide de l’analyse du cycle de vie (ACV). Après une revue de la littérature des stratégies d’ÉC généralement utilisées dans le domaine de l’agriculture, nous avons identifié les principaux contributeurs (points chauds) aux émissions de GES le long du cycle de vie de la production de grains. En partant du principe que les acteurs céréaliers devraient concentrer leurs efforts sur ces principaux contributeurs pour réduire les émissions de GES de manière efficace, nous avons identifié des stratégies d’ÉC axées sur ces contributeurs. Les impacts et les bénéfices environnementaux de la mise en place de ces stratégies ont été quantifiés à l’aide d’une analyse du cycle de vie (ACV) qui a permis de mettre en lumière les conditions nécessaires pour que l’ÉC rime bien avec réduction d’impacts. Des recommandations concrètes ont ainsi pu être établies, puis des stratégies d’ÉC sur mesure pour chaque producteur dans son contexte territorial ont été proposées.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Chabas2024,

title = {À la croisée des savoirs : mettre en œuvre l’interdisciplinarité dans le cadre d’un projet d’aménagement urbain du secteur LaSalle/Ville Saint-Pierre/Lachine-Est},

author = {Camille Chabas and Marianne Tollemer and Justine Gonon and Marylou Filiatrault and Benjamin Gutzeit and Jordane Castonguay and Olivier Pesant and Cécile Bulle and Daniel Pearl and Claudiane Ouellet-Plamondon},

doi = {10.1522/revueot.v32n3.1676},

issn = {1493-8871},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Revue Organisations & territoires},

volume = {32},

issue = {3},

pages = {55-70},

publisher = {Universite du Quebec a Chicoutimi},

abstract = {Ce projet consiste à rechercher des synergies écosystémiques urbaines entre l’industrie existante, les infrastructures vertes, le patrimoine industriel et les besoins communautaires pour le secteur LaSalle/Ville Saint-Pierre/Lachine-Est, situé autour du canal de Lachine à Montréal. L’objectif de ce projet pluridisciplinaire est de concevoir un plan de réhabilitation urbain favorisant la création de quartiers mixtes, sécuritaires et abordables, soutenu par l’analyse du cycle de vie, l’analyse écosystémique urbaine et les concepts de l’économie circulaire. Le projet vise à répondre aux enjeux climatiques et à rendre le secteur plus résilient. Il présente différents scénarios de transformation du secteur inspirés des principes de l’économie circulaire pour le patrimoine bâti, le système alimentaire, les infrastructures vertes et le transport actif. Des liens entre les différentes industries sont simulés pour analyser la viabilité d’une symbiose industrielle dans le secteur de LaSalle.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{deBortoli2023,

title = {Planning sustainable carbon neutrality pathways: accounting challenges experienced by organizations and solutions from industrial ecology},

author = {Anne de Bortoli and Anders Bjørn and François Saunier and Manuele Margni},

doi = {10.1007/s11367-023-02147-z},

issn = {0948-3349},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

urldate = {2023-01-01},

journal = {The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment},

volume = {415},

pages = {137629},

abstract = {Industries struggle to build robust environmental transition plans as they lack the tools to quantify their ecological responsibility over their value chain. Companies mostly turn to sole greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting or time-intensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), while Environmentally-Extended Input-Output (EEIO) analysis is more efficient on a wider scale. We illustrate EEIO analysis' usefulness to sketch transition plans on the example of Canada's road industry: estimation of national environmental contributions, most important environmental issues, main potential transition levers of the sector, and metrics prioritization for green purchase plans. To do so, openIO-Canada, a new Canadian EEIO database, coupled with IMPACT World+ v1.30–1.48 characterization method, provides a multicriteria environmental diagnosis of Canada's economy. The construction sector carries the second-highest environmental impacts of Canada (8–31% depending on the indicator) after the manufacturing industry (20–54%). The road industry generates a limited impact (0.5–1.8%), and emits 1.0% of Canadians' GHGs, mainly due to asphalt mix materials (28%), bridges and engineering structures materials (24%), and direct emissions (17%). The industry must reduce the environmental burden from material purchases - mainly concrete and asphalt products - through green purchase plans and eco-design and invest in new machinery powered with cleaner energies such as low-carbon electricity or bioenergies. EEIO analysis also captures impacts often neglected in process-based pavement LCAs - amortization of capital goods, staff consumptions, and services – and shows some substantial impacts advocating for enlarging system boundaries in standard LCA. Yet, pavement construction and maintenance only explain 5% of the life cycle carbon footprint of Canada's road network, against 95% for the roads' usage (72% from vehicle tailpipes releases, 23% for manufacturing vehicles). Thereby, a carbon-neutral pathway for the road industry must first focus on reducing vehicle consumption and wear through better design and maintenance of roads. Finally, EEIO databases and analysis must be developed further as a powerful tool to fight planet degradation, and openIO-Canada must be specifically expanded and refined to allow for more robust and larger multicriteria assessments.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Lorenz2023,

title = {Combining Membrane and Zero Brine Technologies in Waste Acid Treatment for a Circular Economy in the Hot-Dip Galvanizing Industry: A Life Cycle Perspective},

author = {Manuel Lorenz and Georg Seitfudem and Serena Randazzo and Rosa Gueccia and Florian Gehring and Tobias M. Prenzel},

doi = {10.1007/s40831-023-00668-3},

issn = {2199-3823},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy},

abstract = {An innovative approach of combining membrane and zero brine technologies for a joint treatment of industrial liquid waste is investigated regarding its environmental impacts compared to the existing liquid waste treatment. The object of investigation is the generation of waste acid solution by a hot dip galvanizing plant in Sicily, Italy. The waste acid solution contains hydrochloric acid, iron and zinc, which makes it a hazardous waste according to EU classifications. Environmental impacts are studied for two scenarios in the Tecnozinco hot-dip galvanizing plant in Sicily, Italy: (i) the current process of pickling with linear disposal of waste acid and (ii) the pickling combined with in-situ treatment of the waste acid using a combination of diffusion dialysis (DD), membrane distillation (MD) and a precipitation reactor. Results are obtained via an attributional life cycle assessment (LCA) approach focusing on the water footprint profile of the process. The linear disposal path creates significant costs, environmental burdens and risks during the 1500 km transport of hazardous liquid waste. The combination of DD and MD, complemented with a zero-brine precipitation reactor, closes internal material loops, could save local water resources and reduces costs as well as environmental impacts. Reduction potentials of 70–80% regarding most LCA impact categories can be expected for the application of the novel technology combination supporting the galvanizing pre-treatment process under study. Therefore, the application of such technology on the way forward to a more circular economy is recommended from an environmental viewpoint, especially in process plants similar to the investigated one.</p>},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Henderson2023,

title = {Spatialized Life Cycle Assessment of Fluid Milk Production and Consumption in the United States},

author = {Andrew D. Henderson and Anne Asselin-Balençon and Martin C. Heller and Jasmina Burek and Daesoo Kim and Lindsay Lessard and Manuele Margni and Rosie Saad and Marty D. Matlock and Greg Thoma and Ying Wang and Olivier Jolliet},

doi = {10.3390/su15031890},

issn = {2071-1050},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Sustainability},

volume = {15},

issue = {3},

pages = {1890},

abstract = {Purpose: Understanding the main factors affecting the environmental impacts of milk production and consumption along the value chain is key towards reducing these impacts. This paper aims to present detailed spatialized distributions of impacts associated with milk production and consumption across the United States (U.S.), accounting for locations of both feed and on-farm activities, as well as variations in impact intensity. Using a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) approach, focus is given to impacts related to (a) water consumption, (b) eutrophication of marine and freshwater, (c) land use, (d) human toxicity and ecotoxicity, and (e) greenhouse gases. Methods: Drawing on data representing regional agricultural practices, feed production is modelled for 50 states and 18 main watersheds and linked to regions of milk production in a spatialized matrix-based approach to yield milk produced at farm gate. Milk processing, distribution, retail, and consumption are then modelled at a national level, accounting for retail and consumer losses. Custom characterization factors are developed for freshwater and marine eutrophication in the U.S. context. Results and discussion: In the overall life cycle, up to 30% of the impact per kg milk consumed is due to milk losses that occur during the retail and consumption phases (i.e., after production), emphasizing the importance of differentiating between farm gate and consumer estimates. Water scarcity is the impact category with the highest spatial variability. Watersheds in the western part of the U.S. are the dominant contributors to the total water consumed, with 80% of water scarcity impacts driven by only 40% of the total milk production. Freshwater eutrophication also has strong spatial variation, with high persistence of emitted phosphorus in Midwest and Great Lakes area, but high freshwater eutrophication impacts associated with extant phosphorus concentration above 100 µg/L in the California, Missouri, and Upper Mississippi water basins. Overall, normalized impacts of fluid milk consumption represent 0.25% to 0.8% of the annual average impact of a person living in the U.S. As milk at farm gate is used for fluid milk and other dairy products, the production of milk at farm gate represents 0.5% to 3% of this annual impact. Dominant contributions to human health impacts are from fine particulate matter and from climate change, whereas ecosystem impacts of milk are mostly due to land use and water consumption. Conclusion: This study provides a systematic, national perspective on the environmental impacts of milk production and consumption in the United States, showing high spatial variation in inputs, farm practices, and impacts.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{deBortoli2023b,

title = {BIM can help decarbonize the construction sector: Primary life cycle evidence from pavement management systems},

author = { Anne de Bortoli and Yacine Baouch and Mustapha Masdan},

doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136056},

issn = {09596526},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},

pages = {136056},

abstract = {Transforming the construction sector is key to reaching net-zero, and many stakeholders expect its decarbonization through digitalization, but no quantified evidence has been brought to date. This article proposes the first environmental quantification of the impact of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the construction sector. Specifically, the direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by a monofunctional BIM to plan road maintenance – a Pavement Management System (PMS) - are evaluated using field data from France. The related carbon footprints are calculated following a life cycle approach, using different sources of data – including ecoinvent v3.6 – and the IPCC 2013 GWP 100a characterization factors. Three design-build-maintain pavement alternatives are compared: scenario 1 relates to a massive design and surface maintenance, scenario 2 to a progressive design and pre-planned structural maintenance, and scenario 3 to a progressive design and tailored structural maintenance supported by the PMS. First, results show the negligible direct emissions due to the PMS existence – 0.02% of the life cycle emissions of scenario 3's pavement, e.g. 0.52 t CO2eq for 10 km and 30 years. Second, the base case and two complementary sensitivity analyses show that the use of a PMS is climate-positive over the life cycle when pavement subgrade bearing capacity improves over time, neutral for the climate otherwise. The GHG emissions savings using BIM can reach up to 14 and 30% of the life cycle emissions respectively compared to scenario 2 and 1, and resp. 47 and 65% when restraining the scope to maintenance and rehabilitation and excluding original pavement construction. Third, the neutral effect of BIM in case of a deterioration of the bearing capacity of the subgrade may be explained by design practices and safety margins, that could in fact be enhanced using BIM. Fourth, the decarbonization potential of a multifunctional BIM is discussed, and research perspectives are presented.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{deBortoli2023c,

title = {Environmentally-extended input-output analyses efficiently sketch large-scale environmental transition plans: Illustration by Canada's road industry},

author = { Anne de Bortoli and Maxime Agez},

doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136039},

issn = {09596526},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},

volume = {388},

pages = {136039},

abstract = {Industries struggle to build robust environmental transition plans as they lack the tools to quantify their ecological responsibility over their value chain. Companies mostly turn to sole greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting or time-intensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), while Environmentally-Extended Input-Output (EEIO) analysis is more efficient on a wider scale. We illustrate EEIO analysis' usefulness to sketch transition plans on the example of Canada's road industry: estimation of national environmental contributions, most important environmental issues, main potential transition levers of the sector, and metrics prioritization for green purchase plans. To do so, openIO-Canada, a new Canadian EEIO database, coupled with IMPACT World+ v1.30–1.48 characterization method, provides a multicriteria environmental diagnosis of Canada's economy. The construction sector carries the second-highest environmental impacts of Canada (8–31% depending on the indicator) after the manufacturing industry (20–54%). The road industry generates a limited impact (0.5–1.8%), and emits 1.0% of Canadians' GHGs, mainly due to asphalt mix materials (28%), bridges and engineering structures materials (24%), and direct emissions (17%). The industry must reduce the environmental burden from material purchases - mainly concrete and asphalt products - through green purchase plans and eco-design and invest in new machinery powered with cleaner energies such as low-carbon electricity or bioenergies. EEIO analysis also captures impacts often neglected in process-based pavement LCAs - amortization of capital goods, staff consumptions, and services – and shows some substantial impacts advocating for enlarging system boundaries in standard LCA. Yet, pavement construction and maintenance only explain 5% of the life cycle carbon footprint of Canada's road network, against 95% for the roads' usage (72% from vehicle tailpipes releases, 23% for manufacturing vehicles). Thereby, a carbon-neutral pathway for the road industry must first focus on reducing vehicle consumption and wear through better design and maintenance of roads. Finally, EEIO databases and analysis must be developed further as a powerful tool to fight planet degradation, and openIO-Canada must be specifically expanded and refined to allow for more robust and larger multicriteria assessments.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Provost-Savard2023,

title = {Parametrized regionalization of paper recycling life-cycle assessment},

author = {Arianne Provost-Savard and Robert Legros and Guillaume Majeau-Bettez},

doi = {10.1016/j.wasman.2022.11.018},

issn = {0956053X},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Waste Management},

volume = {156},

pages = {84-96},

abstract = {Recycling is a commonly acknowledged strategy to reduce the environmental impacts linked to primary resource exploitation. Large regional variations can be observed in recycling processes’ parameters, like efficiency, energy mix and treatment of rejects. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is widely used to evaluate the environmental impacts of recycling processes, but existing studies are neither harmonized nor sufficient to provide a comprehensive geographical and technological coverage of recycling processes. The purpose of this research is to develop an efficient and iterative approach for the parametrized generation of semi-automated regionalized life-cycle inventories that take into account technological and geographical variabilities in the recycling sector. The regionalization framework is then applied to create a parametrized paper recycling regionalization tool. This tool is used in the results section to compare the national climate change impacts of recycling three paper grades. Results show a significant global warming impact variability between countries for recycled graphic paper (0.36 to 2.25 kg CO2-Eq/kg wastepaper recycled), newsprint (0.27 to 1.84 kg CO2-Eq/kg wastepaper recycled) and corrugated cardboard (0.28 to 1.68 kg CO2-Eq/kg wastepaper recycled) productions. A regionalized LCA of the international recycling of the mixed wastepaper exported from Quebec’s (Canada) sorting centers is also performed with the tool and compared to the non-regionalized mixed wastepaper recycling process available in the ecoinvent database. Only nine midpoint ReCiPe impact categories remain environmentally advantageous compared to virgin paper production when applying the regionalization methodology, compared to sixteen when using the ecoinvent process, illustrating how regionalization can substantially influence LCA results.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Greffe2023,

title = {An instrumental value-based framework for assessing the damages of abiotic resources use in life cycle assessment},

author = {Titouan Greffe and Manuele Margni and Cécile Bulle},

doi = {10.1007/s11367-022-02107-z},

issn = {0948-3349},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment},

volume = {28},

issue = {1},

pages = {53-69},

abstract = {Introduction and literature review 

Abiotic resources are extensively used in industrialized societies to deliver multiple services that contribute to human well-being. Their increased extraction and use can potentially reduce their accessibility, increase competition among users, and ultimately lead to a deficit of those services. Life cycle assessment is a relevant tool to assess the potential damages of dissipating natural resources. Building on the general consensus recommending evaluating the damages on the instrumental value of resources to humans in order to assess the consequences of resources dissipation, this research work proposes a novel conceptual framework to assess the potential loss of services provided by abiotic resources, which when facing unmet demand can lead to a deficit to human users and have consequences on human well-being. 

Results 

A framework is proposed to describe the mechanisms that link human intervention on the resources in the accessible stock to competition among users. Users facing the deficit of resource services are assumed to have to pay to recover the services, using backup technologies. The mechanisms that are proposed to be characterized are dissipation and degradation. Data needed to later operationalize the framework for abiotic resources are identified. It also proposes a framework at the life cycle inventory level to harmonize life cycle inventories with the current impact assessment framework to fully characterize impacts on resource services. It regards ensuring mass balances of elements between inputs and outputs of life cycle inventory datasets as well as including the functionality of resource flows. 

Discussion and conclusions 

The framework provides recommendations for the development of operational life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods for resource services deficit assessment. It establishes the impact pathway to damage on the area of protection “Resource Services”, data needed to feed the model and recommendations to improve the current state of life cycle inventories to be harmonized with the LCIA framework.},

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pubstate = {published},

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}

@article{Askham2023,

title = {Generating environmental sampling and testing data for micro- and nanoplastics for use in life cycle impact assessment},

author = {Cecilia Askham and Valentina H. Pauna and Anne-Marie Boulay and Peter Fantke and Olivier Jolliet and Jérôme Lavoie and Andy M. Booth and Claire Coutris and Francesca Verones and Miriam Weber and Martina G. Vijver and Amy Lusher and Carla Hajjar},

doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160038},

issn = {00489697},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Science of The Total Environment},

volume = {859},

pages = {160038},

abstract = {Ongoing efforts focus on quantifying plastic pollution and describing and estimating the related magnitude of exposure and impacts on human and environmental health. Data gathered during such work usually follows a receptor perspective. However, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) represents an emitter perspective. This study examines existing data gathering and reporting approaches for field and laboratory studies on micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) exposure and effects relevant to LCA data inputs. The outcomes indicate that receptor perspective approaches do not typically provide suitable or sufficiently harmonised data. Improved design is needed in the sampling, testing and recording of results using harmonised, validated and comparable methods, with more comprehensive reporting of relevant data. We propose a three-level set of requirements for data recording and reporting to increase the potential for LCA studies and models to utilise data gathered in receptor-oriented studies. We show for which purpose such data can be used as inputs to LCA, particularly in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods. Implementing these requirements will facilitate proper integration of the potential environmental impacts of plastic losses from human activity (e.g. litter) into LCA. Then, the impacts of plastic emissions can eventually be connected and compared with other environmental issues related to anthropogenic activities.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Malli2023,

title = {Occurrence and risks of microplastics in the ecosystems of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)},

author = {Ali Malli and Ameed Shehayeb and Alissar Yehya},

doi = {10.1007/s11356-023-27029-7},

issn = {1614-7499},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Environmental Science and Pollution Research},

volume = {30},

issue = {24},

pages = {64800-64826},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{ViverosSantos2023,

title = {Prospective life cycle assessment of viticulture under climate change scenarios, application on two case studies in France},

author = {Ivan Viveros Santos and Christel Renaud-Gentié and Philippe Roux and Annie Levasseur and Cécile Bulle and Louise Deschênes and Anne-Marie Boulay},

doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163288},

issn = {00489697},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Science of The Total Environment},

volume = {880},

pages = {163288},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Pedneault2023,

title = {How much sorting is required for a circular low carbon aluminum economy?},

author = {Julien Pedneault and Guillaume Majeau-Bettez and Manuele Margni},

doi = {10.1111/jiec.13388},

issn = {1088-1980},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Industrial Ecology},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Schnidrig2023,

title = {On the role of energy infrastructure in the energy transition. Case study of an energy independent and CO2 neutral energy system for Switzerland},

author = {Jonas Schnidrig and Rachid Cherkaoui and Yasmine Calisesi and Manuele Margni and François Maréchal},

doi = {10.3389/fenrg.2023.1164813},

issn = {2296-598X},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Energy Research},

volume = {11},

abstract = {<p>The transition towards renewable energy is leading to an important strain on the energy grids. The question of designing and deploying renewable energy technologies in symbiosis with existing grids and infrastructure is arising. While current energy system models mainly focus on the energy transformation system or only investigate the effect on one energy vector grid, we present a methodology to characterize different energy vector grids and storage, integrated into the multi-energy and multi-sector modeling framework EnergyScope. The characterization of energy grids is achieved through a traditional energy technology and grid modeling approach, integrating economic and technical parameters. The methodology has been applied to the case study of a country with a high existing transmission infrastructure density, e.g., Switzerland, switching from a fossil fuel-based system to a high share of renewable energy deployment. The results show that the economic optimum with high shares of renewable energy requires the electric distribution grid reinforcement with 2.439 GW (+61%) Low Voltage (LV) and 4.626 GW (+82%) Medium Voltage (MV), with no reinforcement required at transmission level [High Voltage (HV) and Extra High Voltage (EHV)]. The reinforcement is due to high shares of LV-Photovoltaic (PV) (15.4 GW) and MV-wind (20 GW) deployment. Without reinforcement, additional biomass is required for methane production, which is stored in 4.8–5.95 TWh methane storage tanks to compensate for seasonal intermittency using the existing gas infrastructure. In contrast, hydro storage capacity is used at a maximum of 8.9 TWh. Furthermore, the choice of less efficient technologies to avoid reinforcement results in a 8.5%–9.3% cost penalty compared to the cost of the reinforced system. This study considers a geographically averaged and aggregated model, assuming all production and consumption are made in one single spot, not considering the role of future decentralization of the energy system, leading to a possible overestimation of grid reinforcement needs.</p>},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{ViverosSantos2023b,

title = {Modelling the influence of climate change on characterization factors for copper terrestrial ecotoxicity},

author = { Ivan Viveros Santos and Annie Levasseur and Cécile Bulle and Louise Deschênes and Anne-Marie Boulay},

doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137601},

issn = {09596526},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},

volume = {414},

pages = {137601},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Bjrn2023,

title = {Differentiation of greenhouse gases in corporate science-based targets improves alignment with Paris temperature goal},

author = {Anders Bjørn and Shannon M. Lloyd and Urs Schenker and Manuele Margni and Annie Levasseur and Maxime Agez and H. Damon Matthews},

doi = {10.1088/1748-9326/ace0cf},

issn = {1748-9326},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Environmental Research Letters},

abstract = {<p>Companies are increasingly setting greenhouse gas emission reduction targets to align with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. Currently, companies set these science-based targets (SBTs) for aggregate GHGs expressed in CO2-equivalent emissions. This approach does not specify which gases will be reduced and risk misalignment with ambitious mitigation scenarios in which individual gas emissions are mitigated at different rates. We propose that companies instead set reduction targets for separate baskets of GHGs, defined according to the atmospheric lifetimes and global mitigation potentials of GHGs. We use a sector-level analysis to approximate the average impact of this proposal on company SBTs. We apply a multiregional environmentally extended input output model and a range of 1.5°C emissions scenarios to compare 1-, 2- and 3-basket approaches for calculating sector-level SBTs for direct (scope 1) and indirect (scope 2 and upstream scope 3) emissions for all major global sectors. The multi-basket approaches lead to higher reduction requirements for scope 1 and 2 emissions than the current single-basket approach for most sectors, because these emission sources are usually dominated by CO2, which is typically mitigated faster than other gases in 1.5°C scenarios. Exceptions are scope 1 emissions for fossil and biological raw material production and waste management, which are dominated by other GHGs (mainly CH4 and N2O). On the other hand, upstream scope 3 reduction targets at the sector level often become less ambitious with a multi-basket approach, owing mainly to substantial shares of CH4 and, in some cases, non-CO2 long-lived emissions. Our results indicate that a shift to a multi-basket approach would improve the alignment of SBTs with the Paris temperature goal and would require most of the current set of companies with approved SBTs to increase the ambition of their scope 1 and scope 2 targets.</p>},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{deBortoli2023d,

title = {Understanding the environmental impacts of virgin aggregates: Critical literature review and primary comprehensive life cycle assessments},

author = { Anne de Bortoli},

doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137629},

issn = {09596526},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},

volume = {415},

pages = {137629},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Hajjar2023,

title = {Life cycle impact assessment framework for assessing physical effects on biota of marine microplastics emissions},

author = {Carla Hajjar and Cécile Bulle and Anne-Marie Boulay},

doi = {10.1007/s11367-023-02212-7},

issn = {0948-3349},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Corella-Puertas2023,

title = {MarILCA characterization factors for microplastic impacts in life cycle assessment: Physical effects on biota from emissions to aquatic environments},

author = {Elena Corella-Puertas and Carla Hajjar and Jérôme Lavoie and Anne-Marie Boulay},

doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138197},

issn = {09596526},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},

volume = {418},

pages = {138197},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{LHaridon2023,

title = {SPOT: A Strategic Life-Cycle-Assessment-Based Methodology and Tool for Cosmetic Product Eco-Design},

author = {Jacques L’Haridon and Laure Patouillard and Julien Pedneault and Anne-Marie Boulay and François Witte and Marcial Vargas-Gonzalez and Philippe Bonningue and Isabelle Rollat and Thierry Blanchard and Gabriel Goncalves and Alice Hervio and Laurent Gilbert},

doi = {10.3390/su151914321},

issn = {2071-1050},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Sustainability},

volume = {15},

issue = {19},

pages = {14321},

abstract = {<p>The cosmetics industry is facing growing pressure to offer more sustainable products, which can be tackled by applying eco-design. This article aims to present the Sustainable Product Optimization Tool (SPOT) methodology developed by L’Oréal to eco-design its cosmetic products and the strategies adopted for its implementation while presenting the challenges encountered along the way. The SPOT methodology is based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) of a finished product and its subsystems (formula, packaging, manufacturing and distribution). Several environmental indicators are assessed, normalized and weighted based on the planetary boundaries concept, and then aggregated into a single footprint. A product sustainability index (a single rating, easy to interpret) is then obtained by merging the environmental product rating derived from the single environmental footprint with the social rating (not covered here). The use of the SPOT method is shown by two case studies. The implementation of SPOT, based on specific strategic and managerial measures (corporate and brand targets, Key Performance Indicators, and financial incentives) is discussed. These measures have enabled L’Oréal to have 97% of their products stated as eco-designed in 2022. SPOT shows how eco-design can be implemented on a large scale without compromising scientific robustness. Eco-design tools must strike the right balance between the complexity of the LCA and the ease of interpretation of the results, and have a robust implementation plan to ensure a successful eco-design strategy.</p>},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}