Comparative evaluation of life cycle impact assessment methods for biodiversity from the perspective of a car manufacturer

Abstract

The aim of this thesis was to evaluate different life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) packages, to see how they can be used to examine a car manufacturing company’s impact on biodiversity in different parts of the world, in particular related to car battery production. This was conducted through a literature study, where the first task was to identify relevant LCIA packages to be evaluated. To be examined, the package had to meet four criteria: inclusion of ecosystem quality as an area of protection, utilization of an endpoint indicator, sufficient documentation, and availability in LCA software. This resulted in the LCIA packages ReCiPe 2016, IMPACT World +, and LC-IMPACT being examined. Once identified, the LCIA packages were evaluated by investigating their impact categories, and the research they were based on. The packages were then compared to each other to identify major differences and similarities. In addition to this, a case study was conducted on nickel sulfate, a key component in the production of nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries commonly used in electric cars, to identify major differences between the LCIA packages and to facilitate the comparison. This case study did not include LC-IMPACT, as it was not freely available in the LCA software used, OpenLCA. Also, a sensitivity analysis was performed by shifting the electricity mix, from a global, to an Indonesian and Canadian, representing two nickel-producing countries with different electricity mixes. The results showed that IMPACT World+ and LC-IMPACT could be used for regionalized results by using regionalized characterization factors, while ReCiPe 2016 only provides global characterization factors. However, the case study revealed that finding regionalized inventory data was difficult, and without this, that advantage is lost as the packages defaults to global characterization factors. ReCiPe 2016 and LC-IMPACT offers a clearer pathway from inventory data to endpoint than IMPACT World+, which uses a more branched approach. This leads to some inconsistency in the modeling. IMPACT World + does however offer a broader set of impact categories, 17, compared to 10 for the other two LCIA packages. Some of these extra impact categories are rather new, with new underlying research that is not as scientifically robust as some of the more established categories. After analyzing the LCIA packages, it was clear that no single package currently offers a fully comprehensive approach to assessing biodiversity and all it entails. The packages are currently mostly focused on species diversity, overlooking other important aspects of the term biodiversity, such as genetic diversity. If a company want to fully understand their impacts on biodiversity, they cannot only depend on LCIA at its current state. This master’s thesis was carried out in collaboration with the car manufacturer Volvo Cars, located in Gothenburg, Sweden.