Social Assessment in the Design Phase of Automotive Component Using the Product Social Impact Assessment Method

This paper shows one of the first example of S-LCA application in the automotive sector by means of the Product Social Impact Assessment method, developed by the Roundtable for the Product Social Metrics. The case study concerns a vehicle component. The main companies involved in the production stage have been engaged in the data collection; therefore, this work gave the opportunity to test the method usability as a supporting tool in the design phase. The main outcomes concern: (i) product system and system boundaries definition; (ii) data collection feasibility; (iii) handbook steps applicability. The PSIA quantitative approach proved to be practicable, even if opportunities for improvements have been identified especially regarding the social indicators granularity in terms of their capability to reflect the differences among the alternative design options from a social point of view. This is a decisive aspect to enhance the assessment of social impacts during the product design phase.