Using life cycle assessment (LCA) as a tool to enhance environmental impact assessment (EIA) with a case study application in the pulp and paper industry

As part of the current regulatory framework, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required for new industrial projects. The scope and boundaries of this environmental assessment are restricted to assess the local environmental impacts in the receiving environment only (i.e., site-specific impacts). Another limitation of EIA is that it starts its environmental evaluation based on the most economically feasible option. It does not analyze other design alternatives that might not be as economically attractive but have a lower environmental impact. This suggests that EIA needs to include a wider set of indicators to analyze not only local impacts of new industrial projects in order to achieve improved environmental performance across the product chain.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) covers a wider set of indicators at the local, regional and global levels compared to EIA. LCA analyzes environmental impacts (i.e., site-generic impacts) associated with a product or a process by using a "cradle-to-grave" approach, meaning from the extraction of the raw materials to the final disposal of the manufactured product. LCA is commonly used to compare different design alternatives from an environmental standpoint.

This project is intended to propose a tool to enhance Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) of new process design alternatives by integrating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) considerations into EIA in order to be able to execute a broader environmental analysis. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)