Ela 1.0 — A framework for life-cycle impact assessment developed by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft : Part A: The conceptual framework

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 35; no. 11; pp. 2589 - 2601
• Main Authors: Herrchen, M., Keller, D., Lepper, P., Mangelsdorf, I., Wahnschaffe, U.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.12.1997; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acid Rain; Applied sciences; Ecology; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants - adverse effects; Europe; Exact sciences and technology; Global environmental pollution; Greenhouse Effect; Humans; Industrial Waste; Models, Theoretical; Ozone - adverse effects; Pollution; Software; Toxicity Tests; Europe; Greenhouse effect; Life cycle (environment); Ecotoxicology; Computer simulation; Acid rain; Ozone; Pollutant emission; Eutrophication; Pollutant; Risk assessment; Environment impact; Conceptualization; Wastes; Environmental protection
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/S0045-6535(97)00334-2

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has sponsored the development of a conceptual and flexible, computer aided tool to perform the impact assessment within LCA (life cycle assessment) for technical products and processses. The developed general framework “ Ela 1.0” ( e nvironmental l oads a nalysis) consists of four elements: the selection of appropriate impact categories, the categorization of emissions and wastes leaving the systems as well as of resource and energy consumption, the characterization and an analysis of the results of the impact assessment. The latter compares the product-based emissions with the total of emissions of a region such as Germany, the EU or OECD countries. The framework Ela 1.0 considers the environmental categories: global warming, ozone depletion, resource and energy consumption, wastes, eutrophication (including COD and BOD as measured parameters), acidification, ecotoxicity, ozone formation and human toxicity. The latter categories are handled by listing of precursors for ozone formation, and by listing of emissions scored according to their human hazard potential. The options, possibilities and limitations of the conceptual framework are presented in part A of a series of publications.