The research shows that LCAs are poor in describing pressing environmental and social challenges such as biodiversity loss, land use change, threats to ecosystem services, the erosion of Indigenous Peoples rights, and poor working conditions.
“LCAs are geographically blind and overlook impacts that happen in the early stages of the product cycle. This is particularly problematic for forest-based products, where the majority of long-term environmental impacts happen during the forest management phase of the product cycle. FSC certification can act as a proxy for the gaps found in these methods,” noted Chief Advocacy Officer of FSC International, John Hontelez.
For LCA practitioners, and those who rely on LCAs as a policy tool, you can download the full paper here.
Contact: John Hontelez, j.hontelez@fsc.org