The Italian LCA network

Bruno Notarnicola1 and Francesca Cappellaro2

1University of Bari2ENEA

Context

In 2006 at international level:

fast growing number and scope of LCA applications at

international level.

Italian situation

Charaterised by some delays

minor sensibility of both private and public structures.

There was the need to foster the dissemination of

LCA in Italy through the exchange of knowledge,

information, methods and good practices on LCA.

The Italian LCA Network

In 2006, ENEA proposed to create an Italian network of

the scientific community involved in LCA field, through:

a survey of the experts’ groups, working in Italy in the field of LCA

organizing an event to join the Italian scientific community of LCA.

The Italian LCA Network startsed as a voluntary initiative byseveral Italian research groups

After 5 five years of activities...

The main results are:

an informative web-site (www.reteitalinalca.it) with

LCA initiatives in Italy and worldwide

8 workshops and scientific conferences organized by

LCA Italian Network (about 100-150 attendees)

9 thematic working groups with the participation of

about 300 LCA experts

over 400 persons registered to the periodic newsletter

annual survey and data on LCA groups and activities

in Italy.

Information and dissemination

Spreading LCA initiatives and news through:

•Trimestrial Newletters (next issue: No.15)

• Mailing list retelca@enea.it

(over 400 persons registered)

• Web site www.reteitalianalca.it

Italian LCA Network Meeting

1. First workshop Bologna 2006 (80 participants)

2. Second workshop Pescara March 2008 (120)

3. Ecomondo Fair Rimini November 2008 (110)

4. Third workshop e Scientific Conference Palermo June 2009 (100)

5. Ecomondo Fair Rimini October 2009 (150)

6. Forth workshop e Scientific Conference Padova April 2010 (100)

7. Ecomondo Fair Rimini November 2010 (120) 2 Conferences: “LCA and GPP” and the methodological exchange conference on “Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA)”.

8. Next Conference: 8 June 2011 in Rome.

LCA Annual Survey

A map of the Italian teams working in LCA fields.

The survey is available on line and describes:

the nature and the dimension of the LCA teams

the type of activity (research, consultants,...)

the application fields (sector)

the development perspectives (projects, tools,...)

The survey highlights positive elements:

A growing number of persons involved in LCA (scientists, consultants, companies),

A variety of experiences (LCA studies, LCA tools development, certification support, etc.)

Well-distributed geographic location of the teams.

LCA Survey 2010Geographical distribution

40 participants:

Universities 45%,

Consultants 28%;

Research centers 23%

Industries 5%Actually the LCA Survey 2011

is still updating.

The survey and the LCA

Network activities

are co-ordinated byLCA and Ecodesign Laboratory.

Working group

Each WG is guided by 1 coordinator

Involving about 300 LCA experts and stakeholders

8 Sectoral WGs Food and Agro-industrial - Bruno Notarnicola

Sustainable Energy and Technology – Maurizio Cellura

Buildings – Monica Lavagna

Chemicals products and processes – Serena Righi

Tourist service – Andrea Raggi e Luigi Bruzzi

Waste Treatment and Management – Antonio Scipioni

Wood furniture – Caterina Rinaldi e Roberto Luciani

Automotive Electric and Electronic – Massimo Delogu, Anna Morgante

1 Methodological WGDevelopment and Improvement of LCA methodology: Research and Exchange of experiences (DIRE)

The food and agroindustrial WG

TOTAL: 90 Members

• Carry out research activities at national and international

level

• Enhance the participation to the activities of the WG of

the food and agricultural industries and of the agricultural

sector

• Identify expectations, and needs of firms

• Contribute to the diffusion of the LCA methodology in

small/medium food industry

• Set up a head office in which academia, research

centres, industry agriculture sectors and others can share

information regarding aspects of LCA analysis

Aims of the Agri-food WG

Agri-Food WG Activities

Sectorial surveys on LCA applications

Guidelines on Food LCA development in Italy

(olive oil, wines, cereals and derivates, zoothecnical)

Organizing international events on LCA:

i.e. LCA-food 2010 (Bari 22-24 September 2010)

VII Food LCA Conference, Bari 2010

Objectives of the conference:

• to show the recent developments in the methodology,

approaches, databases and tools;

• to present applications of the LCA methodology to food

product systems and to food consumption patterns;

• to increase the use of LCA and other industrial ecology

tools in agricultural and industrial food products;

• to support information sharing and exchange of

experience regarding environmental conscious decision

making in the agri-food chain.

VII Food LCA Conference, Bari 2010

Comparison of 7th, 6th and 5th LCA Food Conferences

160

2751

92

61

273

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

LCA Food 2007

(Gothenburg)

LCA Food 2008

(Zurich)

LCA Food 2010 (Bari)

Editions

Number of participants

Number of oral presentations

(incl. Keynotes)

VII Food LCA Conference, Bari 2010

Number of Participants by Country

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

2

2

2

2

2

3

3

5

6

8

8

9

10

10

11

11

13

14

15

17

35

77

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Estonia

Ghana

Greece

Iran

Nigeria

Portugal

Singapore

Turkey

Argentina

Canada

Ireland

Japan

…sterreich

Belgium

New Zealand

Australia

Finland

Brasil

Sweden

Norway

Denmark

Netherlands

Thailand

USA

Switzerland

Spain

Germany

UK

France

Italy

VII Food LCA Conference, Bari 2010

VII Food LCA Conference, Bari 2010

VII Food LCA Conference, Bari 2010

A selection of 15 papers of the conference will appear on a

Special Issue of the Journal of Cleaner Production, in an

extended version.

Guest editors:

Mary Ann Curran,

Kyiotada Hayashi

Bruno Notarnicola

Bo Weidema

VII Food LCA Conference, Bari 2010

Registered progresses:

• Increasing relevance of Carbon and Water Footprinting

• Stronger integration of Food LCA with economic

analysis, Social performance, and Optimization

techniques

• Active involvement of the agri-food sector

• Many aspects related to the agri-food products:

packaging, trade, ecodesign, and the alternative uses

of land

• Emphasis on the specific impacts of the primary sector:

water use and land use, soil erosion, biodiversity,

ecotoxicity

• Increasing applications from non-European Countries

• Latest trends in data-sets and tools

VII Food LCA Conference, Bari 2010

Next steps and needs

Set up of the Italian Association of LCA

Aim of the new Association is to become the reference

body at Italian level for LCA activities in order to raise

up and guarantee the quality of LCA activities carried

out in Italy

Peer reviews of studies and databases

Greater involvement of the Public sector