The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology allows one to recognize, quantify and eventually evaluate the environmental impacts of a service, product, or activity throughout their entire life cycle (from extraction of raw materials, through transportation, production, use and end of life – disposal or recycling).

A full LCA provides results of different environmental indicators, for example:
Ozon layer depletion, water use, land use and acidification and global warming potential; A carbon footprint (CFP) focuses only on the global warming potential indicator, representing the GHG (Green House Gas) emissions. The LCA detects environmental hotspots, which allows the company to make data driven decisions about optimizing its product or service. Moreover, LCAs and CFPs can enable a comparison between similar products or services in terms of environmental impacts.

Reasons to conduct an LCA study:

• Identifying mitigatable environmental impacts
• Customer requirements and expectations, Interest of stakeholders
• Strategic research – scenario Examination
• Marketing and communication
• Environmental labels and claims (and prevention of green wash)
• Product development / Product improvement
• Innovation
• Meeting regulations and preparing for upcoming regulations
• Public policy making

Service content

• Preassessment- benchmark of similar products or services and common practices in the relevant sector
• Defining goal, scope (for example cradle to grave) and functional unit for the study
• Data collection
• Modelling and Impact Assessment – Creating a customized model in the LCA software
• Analysis of results
• Report including graphical representation of the results
• Interpretation and support in developing mitigation plans

Additional Options:

• Support in finding 3rd party verifiers for the study, and accompaniment in the verification process
• Compliance with specific certifications such as EPD, Carbon Trust etc.
• Comparative LCA study
• Different scenario analysis and determining activity regarding the reduction of the environmental impacts

Method:

• The service given will comply with relevant standards and guidelines (for example: ISO 14040 / 14044 / 14025 and others).
• Using a world leading LCA software – SimaPro, including leading databases such as Ecoinvent.

The subject of climate change and global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions by man and industry are becoming one of the most important issues on the World’s agenda. Following various countrie’s commitment to the UN’s Kyoto Protocol and the State’s accession to the OECD, many countries have pledged to make the most of their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to the “business as usual” scenario.

These political moves indicate that the various companies must start preparing as soon as possible to monitor their emissions as well as to lead moves to reduce them. Almost every business activity requires the use of energy, and as a result emits greenhouse gases. These emissions are the carbon footprint of the organization. An organization interested in measuring the carbon footprint of its activity is required to measure which greenhouse gas emissions are emitted throughout the entire value chain.

The World’s facilitator of this topic is the GHG protocol, who set the terms and standards for measurements, using the method of accounting, divided into Scope 1, Scope 2, Scope 3 (see FAQ for further information).

Service content:

• Defining the scope of the calculations (which scopes will be calculated, which categories from scope 3, scope of the organizations etc.)
• Creating the base line carbon footprint data for a certain year, based on activity data received from the company (electricity consumption, other energy sources, transportation usage, raw materials and more)
• Calculations of the scopes that were defined based on the GHG Protocol for the current year.
• Organizational Carbon Foot Print report – including a graphical display of the data (for external or internal publication)

Additional options:

• • • A literature survey to examine GHG emissions of similar companies (benchmark). 
    • Updating calculations for the data of the following years/past years, including updating emission factors. 
    • Calculation of intensity according to the unit of measure chosen (in order to define / monitor KPIs)
    • Accompanying in the external verification process for the calculations
    • Defining short- and long-term mitigation goals
    • Joint thinking on reducing environmental impacts as a result of the findings and building a work plan

for more info Sreut@2sher.co.il

Sustainability is becoming one of the most important issues that have to be addressed by companies due to various reasons- regulations, customers expectations, financial benefits, risk mitigation, public relations etc. Sustainability, also referred as ESG, has three main different aspects- Environmental, Social, Governance.

Companies realize that they must address these issues, but might straggle with best practices and “get lost” when they face hundreds of different standards, frameworks, labels and ratings. The correct approach would be to start establishing a “sustainability strategy” that meets the organization’s needs.

Service content:

• Background analysis (global trends, benchmark and best practices research, relevant global regulation, forums relevant to the company’s activity sector, etc.)
• Benchmark- leading companies in the sector, customers, competitors etc.
• Basic mapping of stakeholders’ expectations and materiality assessment for ESG and Impact topics.
• Establishment of a sustainability and Impact strategy for the company based on the information collected, the strategy will include: Definition of activity focuses for the company and defining short- and long-term sustainability goals.
• Data collection for current status (activity focuses for the company, for example: energy, waste, diversity and inclusion, volunteering, healthy nutrition and more.
• Preparation of a work plan to implement each selected goal; for example, in carbon topics, the plan will include reference to reduction in the production plants, supply chain, establishment of appropriate infrastructures, carbon offset strategy, and more. The detailed plan will include innovative initiatives, partnerships, and practices adapted to emphasize action differentiation and promote sustainability per the determined strategy/goals.
• Establishing a steering team, working groups, etc.
• Accompanying key staff and leading managers in implementing the plan in their fields of responsibility.
• Compliance/disclosers based on different frameworks/standards (for example- CDP, GRI, SASB, TCFD, EcoScore, SBT, EcoVadis and more)
• Communication and marketing – internally and externally (in collaboration with PR/marketing team).

Companies are often required to report their actions and metrics by their customers or due to regulations.

in addition, Marketing, and public relations reasons usually drive companies to publish their sustainability actions. There are hundreds of different frameworks for reporting and disclosures such as CDP, GRI, SASB, TCFD, EcoScore, SBT, EcoVadis, and more. There are times when a specific disclosure is needed, such as a questionnaire from a customer.

Service content:

• Defining the scope of the project and the relavent framework(s)
• Prior to choice of framework, a benchmark can be conducted (global trends, best practices, relevant regulation, leading companies in the sector, customers, competitors etc.)
• Reporting in accordance with the chosen framework
• Communication and marketing – internally and externally (in collaboration with PR/marketing team).