Since about 2015 the social, environmental and economic risks and chances of the bioeconomy and economy in general are becoming increasingly the subject of applied sustainability assessments. Under a bioeconomy, a variety of industrial metabolisms, strategies and visions on substituting fossil resources by renewables and hereto associated societal transformations is formulated, characterized as regional bioeconomy if most foreground activities take place in a specific region. Based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, further social and economic LCA approaches were developed in previous research whereby life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) aims to combine or integrate the evaluation of social, environmental and economic effects. In this early stage of rudimentary and combinatory LCSA development, the research questions of this work are to develop a transdisciplinary framework for integrated LCSA for regional stakeholders to assess ecological, economic and social sustainability in one harmonized method, as well as to implement, apply and validate it by two regional case studies.
Therefore, i) the understandings of sustainability and approaches of sustainability assessment in LCA are transdisciplinary reflected and developed, ii) a systemic framework of the important aspects of such assessments is structured by a series of stakeholder workshops, iii) the methods and indicators from existing LCA approaches as well as from bioeconomy monitoring systems are selected, identified and allocated to a sustainability concept of holistic and integrated LCSA (HILCSA), iv) databases for the life cycle inventory and methods for life cycle impact assessment are implemented in a software, as well as v) the model and method is applied and validated in two case studies on laminated veneer lumber production and production of biofuels in central Germany.
Based on previous research, the dissertation provides a theoretically well based and practically applicable framework for integrated life cycle sustainability assessment, an applicable indicator set for regional (product & territorial) bioeconomy assessment, an integration of life cycle impact assessment methods as well as their comprehensive interpretation. Thereby, LCSA is able to identify the contribution of regional bioeconomy product systems to 14 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals in terms of planetary boundaries, a sustainable economy and societal needs. The presented results on material and energetic use cases of biomass show that integrated assessments are able to deliver a broad and comprehensive analysis of impacts to identify synergies, trade-offs and hot spots of regional bioeconomy. Compared to existing LCA and LCSA methodologies, the added value of the HILCSA methodology is its integrated and holistic character, which [1] allows consistent and comparable data on social, ecological, and economic indicators, [2] identifies synergies and trade-offs between different aspects and SDGs, [3] traces down impacts to regions in the fore-and background systems, [4] as well as allocates and aggregates them to the SDGs to make complexity communicable. Additionally, HILCSA takes social sciences and political economy into account from beginning to interpretation and discussion of results, relating to social, environmental, and economic impacts not only to technologies but also to societal, economic, and political questions.:Part I Overarching Introduction 1
1. Introduction 2
2. State of the Art 3
2.1 Sustainability Concepts and Frameworks in the Context of BE and the Role of Stakeholder Participation 3
2.2 LCA and LCSA Approaches for BE Regions 5
2.3 Inter-, Transdisciplinarity and Political Economy for Holistic Sustainability Assessment 7
2.4 Research Gaps to be addressed 8
3. Research Objectives 9
4. Methods 10
4.1 Stakeholder Expectations of the BE in Germany and Relevance of SDGs for Sustainability Assessments 10
4.2 Theoretical and Conceptual Considerations on BE, Sustainability and its Assessment for a Holistic and Integrated Framework for LCSA (HILCSA) 11
4.3 Criteria and Aspects for Implementation and Operationalization of HILCSA for BE Regions 11
4.4 Lessons Learned from Application and Validation of HILCSA in Case Studies and Results on Risks and Chances of a BE Transformation 13
5. Results 14
5.1 Stakeholder Participation in BE Monitoring and Assessment 14
5.1.1 Relevances, Interests and Perceptions 14
5.1.2 Narratives and Visions 17
5.2 Theoretical and Conceptual Implications from a Transdisciplinary Perspective on Sustainability Frameworks and Assessments 19
5.2.1 The Three Pillar Approach and additive LCSA 19
5.2.2 Introduction of Societal Relations to Nature in Sustainability Assessment and LCA 21
5.2.3 Societal-Ecological Transformation and the role of LCSA 21
5.3 Operationalization and Implementation of Holistic and Integrated LCSA (HILCSA) for BE Regions 23
5.3.1 Sustainability Concept and LCA Framework for HILCSA 23
5.3.2 Initial LCI and LCIA for HILCSA 25
5.4 Application and Validation of HILCSA in Case Studies and Results on Risks and Chances of a BE Transformation 31
5.4.1 Application of Holistic and Integrated LCSA: First Case Study on LVL Production in Central Germany 31
5.4.1.1 Goal and Scope 31
5.4.1.2 Life Cycle Inventory 33
5.4.1.3 Life Cycle Impact Assessment 34
5.4.1.4 Interpretation 35
5.4.2 Application of Holistic and Integrated LCSA: Second Case Study on prospective biomass to liquid production in Germany 36
5.4.2.1 Goal and Scope 36
5.4.2.2 Life Cycle Inventory 38
5.4.2.3 Life Cycle Impact Assessment 39
5.4.2.4 Interpretation 41
6. Conclusion and Outlook 43
6.1 Stakeholder Expectations and Participation 43
6.2 Theoretical Concepts for Sustainability and Methodological Frameworks 44
6.3 Operationalization and implementation of Holistic and Integrated LCSA 45
6.4 Lessons Learned from Case Studies: Identifying Risks and Chances of Regional BE by Applying & Validating HILCSA 47
6.4.1 Risks and Chances of Regional BE in Case of LVL and BtL and Validation of HILCSA 47
6.4.2 Lessons Learned and Future HILCSA Methodology Development 48
6.5 Concluding Remarks on Political (Bio-)Economy and Transformation 52
References 54
List of Acronyms 66
List of Tables 66
List of Figures 66
Part II Publications 68
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:92183 |
| Date | 21 June 2024 |
| Creators | Zeug, Walther |
| Contributors | Universität Leipzig |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:doctoralThesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 2941-3885 |
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