What can life cycle assessment modeling gain from agent-based modeling?

Abstract

Integration of agent-based modeling (ABM) and life cycle assessment (LCA) has been proposed and applied as an approach to leverage the complementary strengths of both methods in assessing sustainability impacts within complex socio-technical systems. However, the existing literature has focused primarily on the technical “how” of integration, while the rationale, benefits and drawbacks have received less attention. In this forum paper, we revisit the integration of ABM and LCA from a conceptual standpoint and examine how ABM can contribute to LCA across four dimensions, namely temporality, dynamicity, scale/spatiality, and causality. We position ABM as a method for enhancing recent advances in different “flavors” of LCA, such as dynamic, prospective, territorial, and consequential approaches. We argue that an agent-based LCA approach constitutes a paradigm shift in sustainability assessment becau`se it facilitates holistic understanding of consumption-production systems, explicit modeling of policy interventions beyond technological change, and supports decision-making under deep uncertainty, while requiring fundamentally different empirical data and validation approaches. We also offer a practical guide to support practitioners and researchers who aim to apply this interdisciplinary approach. By clarifying the rationale for integrating ABM and LCA, this article can assist and guide them in their research design and practice. In this way, this forum paper explicates the “why” underlying the use of the agent-based LCA approach, which responds to the challenges of modeling complex socio-technical systems, and ultimately advances sustainability assessment.