Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Allocation in Life Cycle Inventory Analysis for Joint Production

  • Published:
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Allocation in joint production is still one of the unresolved and often discussed methodological issues in Life Cycle Inventory Analysis. Using the many years of experience of man agement sciences, a new classification scheme is proposed. It is postulated that companies perform allocation in joint production in view of optimising the products’ performance (economic and/ or environmental), which helps them to maximise their profits. Therefrom it is derived that value judgements and negotiations are inevitable. The proposed classification scheme differentiates between the number of decision-makers involved, and the type of markets for joint products. Several decision-makers have to find fair allocation factors for their commonly operated joint production, whereas individual decision-makers may choose allocation factors considering the (economic and/ or environmental) competitiveness of their joint products. Applied on the case of a small-scale gas-fuelled combined heat and power plant, the methodology proposed shows a strong dependency on the disutility function, i.e., private costs, environmental damage costs or a combination of the two.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anonymous (1998): Environmental management. Life Cycle Assessment. Goal and scope definition and inventory analysis, ISO 14041, International Organization for Standardization (Ed.), AFNOR, France

    Google Scholar 

  • Azapagic, A. (1996): Environmental System Analysis: The Application of Linear Programming to Life Cycle Assessment, Volume I, Centre of Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey

  • Boustead, I. (1994): Co-product Allocation in Chlorine Plants, Report 5, Eco-profiles of the European polymer industry, Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Europe (APME), Brussels

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission DGXII, Science, Research and Development JOULE (1995a): ExternE, Externalities of Energy. Vol. 1. Summary, Luxembourg

  • European Commission DGXII, Science, Research and Development JOULE (1995b): ExternE, Externalities of Energy. Vol. 2. Methodology, Luxembourg

  • European Commission DGXII, Science, Research and Development JOULE (1995c): ExternE, Externalities of Energy. Vol. 3. Coal and Lignite, Luxembourg

  • European Commission DGXII, Science, Research and Development JOULE (1995d): ExternE, Externalities of Energy. Vol. 4. Oil and Gas, Luxembourg

  • European Commission DGXII, Science, Research and Development JOULE (1995c): ExternE, Externalities of Energy. Vol. 5. Nuclear, Luxembourg

  • European Commission DGXII, Science, Research and Development JOULE (1995f): ExternE, Externalities of Energy. Vol. 6. Wind and Hydro, Luxembourg

  • Eyre, N.;Downing, T.;Hoekstra, R.;Rennings, K.;Tol, R.S.J. (1997): Global Warming Damages, Final Report, ExternE Global Warming Subtask, The European Commission, Luxembourg

    Google Scholar 

  • Fava, J.A.;Denison, R.;Jones, B.;Curran, M.A.;Vigon, B.;Selke, S.;Barnum, J. (eds.) (1991): A Technical Framework for Life-Cycle Assessments, SETAC-Workshop during 18.-23. August, 1990 in Smugglers Notch, Vermont, Washington D.C.

  • Frischknecht, R. (1998a): Life Cycle Inventory Analysis for Decision-Making; Scope-dependent Inventory System Models and Context-specific Joint Product Allocation, ETH Ph.D.-thesis Nr. 12599, Uster

  • Frischknecht, R. (1998b): Allokation in der Sachbilanz bei starrer Kuppelproduktion, in R. Frischknecht, S. Hellweg (Eds.), ökobilanz-Allokationsmethoden. Modelle aus der Kosten- und Produktionstheorie sowie praktische Probleme in der Abfallwirtschaft. Vorbereitende Unterlagen des 7. Diskussionsforums ökobilanzen vom 24. Juni 1998 an der ETH Zurich. Laboratorium für Technische Chemie, Gruppe Sicherheit und Umweltschutz, ETH Zürich, pp. 38–49

  • Goedkoop, M. (1995): The Eco-indicator 95; Final Report, PRé Consultants B.V., Amersfoort

    Google Scholar 

  • Goedkoop, M.;Spriensma, R. (1999): The Eco-indicator 99; A damage-oriented method for Life Cycle Impact Assessment, Methodology Report, PRe Consultants B.V., Amersfoort

    Google Scholar 

  • Horngren, C.T.;Foster, G. (1991): Cost Accounting, A Managerial Emphasis, 7th edition, Prentice Hall International Inc.

  • Krewitt, W.;Heck, T.;Boyd, R.;Eyre, N. (1997): Aggregation — External Costs from Electricity Generation in Germany and the UK, Final Report, Stuttgart

  • Lindeors, L.-G.;Christiansen, K.;Hoffman, L.;Virtanen, Y.;Juntilla, V.;Hanssen, O.-J.;Rønning, A.;Ekvall, T.;Finnveden, G. (1995):Allocation;Technical Report No 7.in Lindfors, L.-G.;Christiansen, K.;Hoffman, L.;Virtanen, Y.;Juntilla, V.;Leskinen, A.;Hanssen, O.-J.;Rønning, A.;Ekvall, T.;Finnveden, G.: LCA-Nordic; Technical Reports No 1–9. Nordic Council of Ministers, TemaNord 1995:502, Copenhagen

  • Mill, J.S. (1848): Principles of Political Economy; With Some of Their Applications to Social Philosophy, Vol. II, John W. Parker, West Strand, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Müller-Furstenberg, G. (1998): Kostenallokation bei starrer Kuppelproduktion, in R. Frischknecht, S. Hellweg (Hrsg.) ökobilanz-Allokationsmethoden; Modelle aus der Kosten und Produktionstheorie sowie praktische Probleme in der Abfallwirtschaft, vorbereitende Unterlagen zum 7. Diskussionsforum ökobilanzen vom 24. Juni 1998, ETH Zürich

  • Schneider, F. (1996): Analyse des Réemplois, Récyclages, Valorisations de Déchets par l’Etude de Systèmes Cascade, Thèse 96ISAL0132, Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon

  • Shapley, L.S. (1953): A value for n-persons games, in A.W. Kuhn, A.W. Tucker (ed.) Contributions to the Theory of Games, Vol. II, Princeton University Press, p. 307–317

  • Udo de Haes, H.A.;DE Snoo, G.R. (1996): Environmental Certification; Companies and Products: Two Vehicles for a Life Cycle Approach, Int. J. LCA 1 (3), p. 168–170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Engelenburg, B.C.W.;Nieuwlaar, E. (1994): A framework for a just allocation procedure, in G. Huppes, F. Schneider (ed.), Proceedings of the European Workshop on Allocation in LCA, Feb. 24–25, Leiden 1994, p. 102–119

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. ESU-services, Zentralstrasse 8, CH-8610, Uster

    Rolf Frischknecht

Authors
  1. Rolf Frischknecht
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rolf Frischknecht.

Additional information

Presentation and Introduction of this set of articles see Int. J. LCA 4 (3) 175–179 (1999)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Frischknecht, R. Allocation in Life Cycle Inventory Analysis for Joint Production. Int. J. LCA 5, 85–95 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02979729

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02979729

Keywords

Search

Navigation