Designation:D7075–04StandardPracticeforEvaluatingandReportingEnvironmentalPerformanceofBiobasedProducts1ThisstandardisissuedunderthefixeddesignationD7075;thenumberimmediatelyfollowingthedesignationindicatestheyearoforiginaladoptionor,inthecaseofrevision,theyearoflastrevision.Anumberinparenthesesindicatestheyearoflastreapproval.Asuperscriptepsilon(e)indicatesaneditorialchangesincethelastrevisionorreapproval.INTRODUCTIONBiobasedmaterialsandproductsofferpotentialenvironmentalbenefits,energysavings,andreducedconsumptionofnonrenewableresources.However,thereisaneedforstandardapproachesandproceduresforcomparingtheoverallenvironmentalbenefitsandburdensofbiobasedproductsandnon-biobasedproductsthatareusedinsimilarapplications.Suchcomparisonsareneeded,amongotheruses,byindustryandgovernmentalinstitutionsinselectingmaterialsandproductsinmakingpurchasingdecisions.Anapproachfordeterminingthebiobasedcontent,resourceconsumptionandenvironmentalprofileofbiobasedproductshasrecentlybeenpublishedasanASTMguide(D6852),whichprovidesaframeworkforassessingtheenvironmentalprofileofabiobasedproduct.GuideD6852proposedtheuseoflifecycleassessment(LCA)asthetoolforassessingtheenvironmentalperformanceofbiobasedproductsanddeferredtofutureASTMstandardsforadditionaldetails.Thesubjectofthispracticeistoprovideadditionalguidanceforevaluatingtheenvironmentalprofileorperformanceofbiobasedproducts.Forconsistencyindecision-making,theLCAapproachshallbefurtherdefinedforbiobasedproducts,althoughtheoverallapproachisapplicablefornon-biobasedproductsaswell.ThispracticeisinaccordwithconceptsandterminologyusedinISOStandardsonLCA(ISO14040–14043)andisdesignedasaguidethroughthestepsofLCAassessment.ReferencesareprovidedtothemoredetailedISOStandardspertinenttoeachstep.ThispracticeisaimedattechnicalprofessionalsnotdirectlyinvolvedinLCAevaluationswhodesiretobecomefamiliarwiththemethodologyofLCAasitrelatestobiobasedproducts.1.Scope1.1Environmentalperformanceshallbemeasuredusingthelife-cycleassessment(LCA)approach.LCAisa...
