Life cycle assessment: from industry to policy to politics

Abstract

Purpose: Life cycle assessment (LCA) has established itself as part of the sustainability toolkit of the private sector, informing environmental decision-making and improving environmental performance. However, we know less about its use in the public sector. To what extent and how do governments refer to LCA in their public policies? We review the literature on the use of LCA in public policy and gauge how LCA has penetrated public policymaking through its incorporation in different policy instruments across various sectors. We then discuss the politics of LCA use in policymaking. Methods: We review the literature on LCA from a public policy and social science perspective (1) and back our argument with information from a dozen interviews with LCA experts from government, consultancy, and academia in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the EU (2). Results: We show that, along with the growing importance of target setting and science-based environmental and climate policymaking, LCA has penetrated the realm of public policy in OECD countries in different policy sectors. Our understanding of the politics of LCA use in policymaking is however deficient, which leads us to outline a research agenda. Conclusions: With the growing importance of LCA in public policy, societal values, public/private governance, state capacity, and political agency should be addressed in further research.