Life cycle assessment research and application in Indonesia
Date
2018-04-02Author
Wiloso, Edi Iswanto
Nazir, Novizar
Hanafi, Jessica
Siregar, Kiman
Harsono, Soni Sisbudi
Setiawan, Arief Ameir Rahman
Muryanto, Muryanto
Romli, Muhammad
Utama, Nuki Agya
Shantiko, Bayuni
Jupesta, Joni
Utomo, Tri Hendro Atmoko
Sari, Ajeng Arum
Saputra, Sharah Yunihar
Kai Fang
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Purpose This paper presents a review of the research and application of life cycle assessment (LCA) in Indonesia over the last
20 years and analyzes challenges and opportunities for future development.
Methods The study assessed 107 peer-reviewed scientific publications on LCA about Indonesia or written by authors affiliated
with institutions in Indonesia. Relevant programs and recommendations to advance LCA adoption were elaborated.
Results and discussion The first paper on the subject of LCA appeared as early as in 1996, while the number of publication
significantly increased since 2010. The majority of these articles came from universities, research institutions, and international
organizations. Drivers were mainly related to product competitiveness aiming to fulfill sustainability requirements of the global
commodities market. Government policies also played an essential role in many aspects, including a reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions, sustainable consumption and production, green public procurement, eco-labeling, and green industry. Simultaneously,
life cycle thinking has been embraced by governments and industries, especially with an immediate increase in the number of
organizations implementing the recent version of ISO 14001. Increased participation in voluntary sustainability reporting also
provides evidence of the prevalence of the sustainability concept. We believe that this development can serve as an essential step
toward the spread of LCA studies in the future. Furthermore, the recent adoption of ISO 14040/44 as national standards in
2016/2017 also marked the commitment of Indonesian governments in LCA and is expected to stimulate the adoption of LCAbased
environmental labels, such as carbon footprint, environmental product declaration, and product environmental footprint.
Conclusions The research and application of LCA in Indonesia are still in its infancy, as partly proved by a relatively small
number of publications as compared to some other Southeast Asian countries. However, there was a notable increase in
publication over the last 5 years, indicating a growing interest in LCA, mainly from academics and to less extent from private
sectors. Although LCA has not been explicitly formulated in the national strategies and legislation, Indonesian governments do
require life cycle thinking to inform policy-making. Nevertheless, the lack of incentives for green products, LCA programs, LCA
expertise, and localized inventory data hampers its implementation. In the future, improvement should focus on LCA capacity
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- LSP-Jurnal Ilmiah Dosen [7292]