The social dimension of sustainability plays a central role in the United Nations 2030 Agenda: at least 9 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) directly address social issues, such as respect for human rights, decent work, health, well-being, and the reduction of inequalities.
Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) is a fundamental tool for assessing the positive and negative social impacts associated with products and services throughout their entire life cycle. By using measurable indicators and verifiable data, this methodology enables companies to assess how their activities contribute to achieving the SDGs, identify opportunities for improvement, and highlight socially responsible practices. S-LCA results can also serve as a valuable communication tool in B2B and B2C markets, enabling companies to demonstrate their commitment to social sustainability in a transparent and scientifically sound manner, strengthen customer and consumer trust, and promote more responsible production and consumption patterns. S-LCA therefore provides an opportunity not only to identify and reduce negative social impacts, but also to recognize, measure, and highlight the positive impacts generated throughout the value chain, turning social sustainability into a tangible and measurable driver of value creation for both businesses and society.
"The compilation and evaluation of the socially relevant inputs and outputs and the potential social impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle."
ISO 14075:2024
Why is it necessary to consider the social dimension?
The sustainability of a product cannot be considered complete if we only measure what happens to the environment and the economy: we also need to assess what happens to people.
Measuring social sustainability enables companies to identify social risks throughout the supply chain, recognize situations of vulnerability, establish priorities for action, and monitor the effectiveness of improvement measures over time. At the same time, it allows companies to highlight and promote responsible practices, such as ensuring living wages, improving working conditions, providing vocational training, and supporting community development.
S-LCA can also support the assessment of how business activities contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by identifying links between social indicators and the corresponding targets of the 2030 Agenda. This contribution must be demonstrated through appropriate indicators and verifiable data, distinguishing between the assessment of social performance and the measurement of actual social impacts.
Measuring social sustainability also helps prevent social washing, which refers to the risk of communicating social commitments and achievements through vague, unsubstantiated, or potentially misleading claims.
S-LCA Regulatory and Methodological References
- ISO 14075:2024
- UNEP 2020 Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment of Products and Organizations
- UNEP 2021 Revision of the Methodological Sheets for S-LCA
- 2022 Pilot Report on S-LCA
•https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/34554
Circular Srl supports you in the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) of your products, processes and services, identifying and quantifying potential positive and negative social and socio-economic impacts throughout all stages of the life cycle, from raw material supply to production, distribution, use and end of life.
The assessments are developed according to the main international methodological references, including ISO 14075:2024 and the UNEP Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment, and can provide the basis for assessing contributions to the SDGs, sustainability reporting, social communication in B2B and B2C contexts, and the integration of the social dimension into sustainability strategies.