Sustainable services and systems (3S) are only just beginning to be established in the Asia Pacific countries and this region lags behind the developments currently underway in some parts of Europe. Management tools such as life cycle analysis and sustainability indicators are necessary to assist in determining the effectiveness of 3S. However, life cycle analysis (LCA) is primarily focused on identifying the environmental impacts of manufacturing activities and products, including the impact of disposal and attempts to quantify qualitative assessments. Sustainability analysis (SA), however, examines the components of a service or system to determine the ability of the service or system to be continued indefinitely. Unlike LCA, SA is focused on the potential sustainable continuation of those activities without harming the environment or depleting a resource. It has been developed using concepts from LCA and sustainability indicators but focusing on the sustainability of the activity. The potential sustainability is measured by availability of supplies of raw materials, energy (human and otherwise), the environmental impact and the waste production and disposal requirements (inputs vs outputs) and defines how long the service or system can been sustained. For example, the amount of energy used in manufacturing a single item may be minor when compared to global energy consumption; however, if the production of the item is highly dependant on fossil fuels, then that production will only be able to continue as long as fossil fuels are available - the potential production period. This then indicates changes required in the manufacture of the item and the timeframe available to make the changes to achieve a longer potential production period.

SA enables an effective comparison to be made between systems and services, sets priorities on the outcomes and should be more readily understood by the public, thus allowing companies to measure the sustainability of their service or system and better incorporate sustainable services or systems into their operation. This management tool will be described, including how it is applied, the outcomes and how the results can then be implemented. A case study using the building construction industry will be presented to illustrate the application of SA to further 3S initiatives.

Back to Top | Back to 3S abstract programme

Last updated: 13 November, 2008