Social life cycle inventory for pavements – a case study of South Africa

Abstract

Social consideration, assessed using a social life cycle assessment (S-LCA), is a relatively new concept that has yet to be standardised. Attempts at measuring social sustainability in pavement management have been made in South Africa, using social impact assessments (SIAs) and empowerment impact assessment models (EmpIAs). However, these models only focus on certain social considerations and do not incorporate holistic social sustainability in evaluations. The first response to these challenges is to identify and secure universal acceptance for indicators which measure social impacts of pavements and the broader impacts of technical and managerial choices in pavement infrastructure provision. These indicators may then be used to develop a situational- and locationspecific social life cycle inventory (S-LCI). This study starts by identifying key social indicators in pavement infrastructure provision and proposes a framework for an S-LCA. Potential indicators were sourced from a large database, focusing on indicators most aligned with social sustainability. Indicators were assessed and scored using an adapted methodology and refinement was conducted through sensitivity analyses employing Bayesian-based Monte Carlo simulations. By allowing weightings and scores of sub-goals and criteria to be changed, the results reflect the importance of inputs from local stakeholders on the impacts of sustainability. A worked example is provided to demonstrate its implementation. The framework is envisioned to function as the first version of a living protocol that will be improved on through further research. Although the primary target audience is South African road authorities, the approach can be adapted for use in any country.