Sustainable life cycle management : development of social indicators for technology management in the process industry of South Africa

Abstract

Corporations are increasingly pressurised to commit to and report on the overall sustainability performances of operational initiatives, i.e. undertaken projects or technological innovations. A prerequisite for aligning these operational initiatives with the principles of sustainable development is a clear understanding of the various life cycles that are involved and the interactions between these life cycles. Such a holistic Life Cycle Management (LCM) approach therefore requires an effective integration of different life cycles that are fundamental to the manufacturing sector, i.e. projects that drive internal change, assets (or technologies) that are required to manufacture products or supply services, and products (or services) from which income is derived. From a technology management perspective, tools are necessary to evaluate the sustainability of these integrated life cycles. Social indicators are subsequently introduced to evaluate the sustainability of operational initiatives in the process industry through an integrated Life Cycle Management (LCM) approach. The indicators consider the social footprint in a specific region where a process technology will be deployed in order to evaluate its potential social impacts. However, the practicability of these indicators is highly dependent on the availability of information where a technology is assessed. A case study in the South African process industry is used to demonstrate the calculation procedure. Further case studies are required in order to refine social indicators that are practical for technology management purposes in the process industry.