You are here:
FRAMEWORK FOR RESPONSIBLE DECISION-MAKING (FRED): A TOOL FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE PRODUCTS
Citation:
Curran*, M A. AND R. C. Schenck. FRAMEWORK FOR RESPONSIBLE DECISION-MAKING (FRED): A TOOL FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE PRODUCTS. Presented at International Life Cycle Assessment Conference (InLCA), Washington, DC, 04/27/2000.
Description:
In support of the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program of the USEPA, a decision-making tool based on life cycle assessment has been developed. This tool, the Framework for Responsible Environmental Decision-making or FRED, streamlines LCA by choosing a minimum list of impact categories, providing guidance about data sources and data quality requirements, and examples of LCA's performed in this streamlined fashion. The tool also provides models for calculating indicators, while recognizing that other models may be more appropriate for certain studies. FRED identifies: global climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, eutrophication, acidification, photochemical smog, human toxicity, ecological toxicity, resource depletion, land use, and water use. FRED also gives guidance on data quality objectives based on the function and usage of the product. Three pilot projects were undertaken during the development of FRED. Two were based on previously collected data available through NIST EPP tool, BEES. The third was a new data collection on a road maintenance product produced by a small business. The outcome indicated there are significant data gaps in existing databases which may limit some tyupes of analysis, particularly those relating to land use. Yet it was possible to collect and analyze the data from a small vendor in a reasonable period of time using the FRED format. This indicates that it is possible to use a streamlined life cycle approach for environmentally preferable purchasing without unduly burdening even small businesses.