We are pleased to share with you that the MarILCA project, which aims to integrate potential environmental impacts of marine litter into Life Cycle Assessment, has recently released its framework paper called A framework for the assessment of marine litter impacts in life cycle impact assessment.
The framework, co-authored by John S.Woods, Francesca Verones, Olivier Jolliet, Ian Vázquez-Rowe and Anne-Marie Boulay was recently published as an open-access publication in the international journal Ecological Indicators and can be access via this link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107918
The framework provides guidance on how to include plastic litter impacts in life cycle impact assessment, outlined impact pathways from plastic litter sources to damage on six Areas of Protection and includes the consideration of both existing and new impact categories. It is also meant to foster the development of characterization factors for marine plastic litter impacts.
The MarILCA project is undertaken by an international working group formed in late 2018 and is supported by the Life Cycle Initiative hosted by UN Environment, as well as the Forum for Sustainability through Life Cycle Innovation (FSLCI). The project was set up to develop a harmonized framework for the developments of marine litter impacts in LCA, with a first focus on plastic. This framework paper is the result of this work. More information on MarILCA is available on the project website: https://marilca.org
In addition to publishing the framework paper, the project recently published a related research paper in the Journal of Industrial Ecology entitled Aquatic micro‐and nano‐plastics in life cycle assessment: Development of an effect factor for the quantification of their physical impact on biota. The publication is co-authored by Jerome Lavoie, Anne-Marie Boulay and Cecile Bulle.
Tags: marilca marine litter methodological framework plastic pollution
