Title: What are the sustainability principles guiding social life cycle assessment studies?

Authors: Pauline Feschet; Nathalie Iofrida; Anna Irene De Luca; Federica Silveri; Alfio Strano

Addresses: UPR GECO, CIRAD PERSYST, Campus Agro-Environnemental Caraïbe, Quartier Petit Morne – BP 214, 97285 Le Lamentin Cedex 2, Martinique ' Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Feo di Vito, 89121 Reggio Calabria, Italy ' Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Feo di Vito, 89121 Reggio Calabria, Italy ' Institut National de Recherche en Sciences et Technologies pour l'Environnement et l'Agriculture (IRSTEA), 361 Rue Jean François Breton, Montpellier, France; Montpellier Recherche en Mangement (MRM), University of Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, CC 19001, bâtiment 19, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France ' Department of Agriculture, Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Feo di Vito, 89121 Reggio Calabria, Italy

Abstract: Sustainable development (SD) and sustainability are considered the main goals of life cycle (LC) methodologies. This paper has a double purpose: first, to reflect upon the methodological diversity in social life cycle assessment (SLCA) approaches by paying attention to the theoretical underpinnings in terms of sustainability and SD concepts; secondly, to investigate possible links between the sustainability principles and the different type of SLCA studies. Therefore, a literature review has been conducted to investigate which have been the main sustainability and/or SD definitions that guided the authors in their LC studies and methodological proposals. Results showed that most of the references to sustainability and SD concepts are ascribable to three main schools of thoughts. We deduced a link between these main approaches of SD and the different types of SLCA, resulting in a different management of the research process (theory mobilised, methodology used, results provided).

Keywords: social LCA; life cycle assessment; life cycle sustainability assessment; sustainable development; sustainability.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSD.2018.100824

International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2018 Vol.21 No.1/2/3/4, pp.36 - 53

Received: 06 Feb 2018
Accepted: 26 Nov 2018
Published online: 18 Jul 2019 *

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