If third party life cycle analyses are required for specific products or materials, what State Agency, e.g. Department of Consumer Affairs, should be responsible for certifying or authorizing individuals to perform them?
This third party must have the technical foundation to support the analyses and effects of the products or materials. DTSC has the resources to conduct evaluations based on scientific processes and can make realistic conclusions. DTSC has a long history of evaluating Haz Mats and Haz Waste in the on-going effort to protect the environment and have certified other agencies and laboratories in this area.
For companies that want to go beyond compliance, life cycle analysis (LCA) is a useful tool for continuously improving the sustainability of a particular product. However, LCA can be very expensive, time-consuming and not amenable to making apples-to-oranges comparisons of different products. Before considering this as a broader mandate, there should be further dialogue to identify one or two possible product types or materials that could be used as part of a voluntary pilot project in order to assess the feasibility of moving forward with a broader mandate. A pilot would help identify the costs, the complexities and the resources that might be needed. The pilot should follow guidelines of internationally recognized organizations for advancing the science and practice of LCA, such as the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). There are commercially available life cycle assessment tools that could be used in a pilot to determine how different, if at all the outcomes may be for those products in the pilot. This activity should be led by an office within CalEPA that has the necessary scientific expertise.
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This third party must have the technical foundation to support the analyses and effects of the products or materials. DTSC has the resources to conduct evaluations based on scientific processes and can make realistic conclusions. DTSC has a long history of evaluating Haz Mats and Haz Waste in the on-going effort to protect the environment and have certified other agencies and laboratories in this area.
For companies that want to go beyond compliance, life cycle analysis (LCA) is a useful tool for continuously improving the sustainability of a particular product. However, LCA can be very expensive, time-consuming and not amenable to making apples-to-oranges comparisons of different products. Before considering this as a broader mandate, there should be further dialogue to identify one or two possible product types or materials that could be used as part of a voluntary pilot project in order to assess the feasibility of moving forward with a broader mandate. A pilot would help identify the costs, the complexities and the resources that might be needed. The pilot should follow guidelines of internationally recognized organizations for advancing the science and practice of LCA, such as the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). There are commercially available life cycle assessment tools that could be used in a pilot to determine how different, if at all the outcomes may be for those products in the pilot. This activity should be led by an office within CalEPA that has the necessary scientific expertise.