Integrating life cycle assessment and other tools for ex ante integrated sustainability assessment in the minerals industry

Abstract

Problem statement: The minerals industry is faced with choices beginning in the exploration phase and extending over the life cycle of the mine. Firms examine the technical feasibility of alternative actions and typically rank them based on economic performance. Increasingly firms also consider alternatives' contribution to sustainable development. Approach: Sustainable decision making before investment (ex ante decisions) should incorporate a broad suite of quantitative and qualitative information. One approach is to utilize an Integrated Sustainability Assessment (ISA) framework that supplements traditional technical and financial tools with other tools such as Objectives Hierarchies (OH) and Life Cycle Assessments (LCA). The outputs of these tools can be combined with additional qualitative measures and analyzed using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). Results: Our paper extends previous literature by discussing how a combined OH-LCAMCDA can support ex ante sustainability assessment by incorporating preferences, risk attitudes and monetized, non-monetized social and economic variables in a manner that captures their inherent complexity. Conclusion: Sustainable development is not a destination; it is an ongoing journey that must be supported by knowledge, social learning and adaptation. Decisions made in the context of sustainability are likewise part of an ongoing process. No single tool can adequately support an ISA. Multiple tools are necessary, with each used in a manner consistent with its strengths. © 2011 Science Publications.