RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Founded in 2013, the expertise of the Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory in life cycle assessment and circular economy (LIRIDE) is internationally recognized for its sound scientific research. We supports industry, SMEs, and organizations in their commitment to true sustainability supported by life cycle assessment and circular economy.
RESEARCH THEMES
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA)
LCA allows :
The consideration of all stages of the life cycle of the product; from the extraction of materials to its end of life (as well as its reuse, recycling, energy recovery, or disposal).
The quantification of environmental impacts such as
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Climate change
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Impacts on ecosystems
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Impacts on resources
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Impacts on human health, etc.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
The circular economy aims to counter two problems of the current consumer society, namely:
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the increased exploitation of resources
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the accumulation of waste
To do so, it proposes to optimize the loops throughout the life cycle by adopting, in particular, practices such as:
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industrial symbiosis
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maintenance and repair
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the economy of functionality
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the collaborative and sharing economy
CARBON FOOTPRINT AND WATER FOOTPRINT
Carbon footprinting and water footprinting focus on the quantification of a single environmental impact - greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water use, whether for a product or a service.
Various tools and standards (e.g., PAS 2050, ISO 14064, Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and ISO 14046) are available for these analyses.
It is important to note that the information gathering efforts for a carbon footprint, a water footprint or an LCA are almost similar.
DEVELOPMENT OF LCA TOOLS
LCA, depending on its complexity, requires a lot of resources and above all a very specific expertise.
To ensure ease of use for SMEs and R&D centers, LIRIDE develops easy-to-use LCA tools based on robust LCA data.
You no longer have to invest in software, databases, etc. Moreover, the use of these tools does not require any specific level of expertise (e.g. basic knowledge of Excel).