Comprehensive environmental assessment of a chemical product
 

The results from the ERA study mentioned in the Background show that the chemical may pose a risk to the environment due to emissions during the construction and use phase, while the LCA study points out the production of one of the raw materials as the main contributor to environmental impact. These studies show that an ERA as well as an LCA may be needed in order not to spend resources on wrong improvement activities.  Having studied the product from both perspectives also gives a more complete picture of the environmental impact associated with the product, which increases the credibility of the producing company.

The comparative LCA study shows that the alternatives to the asphalt additive, i.e. lime and cement, have larger environmental impacts than the additive. This is due to the fact that the additive is used in much smaller amounts than the alternatives in order to provide the same effect. A comparative LCA study performed in this way can provide a more complete picture of the environmental consequences of e.g. banning a substance from the market.

To perform an comprehensive environmental assessment including ERA and LCA is a time and resource demanding task and it is probably only worth while for products with a larger market value or profit margin. The time and resources needed are much dependant on the complexity of the system and whether the required data are available.
It is difficult and in our view not useful to join the two different methods Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) into one integrated tool, but there are definitely benefits from considering chemical products from both perspectives. It is important to include both the ERA and LCA thinking in the decision-making process in e.g. product development or discussions with customers.

Business value

The business value of applying both methods when a choice is to be made between different products is that the risk of unwanted surprises is decreased. If an LCA result shows one chemical product to be the most favorable from an environmental perspective then that product