https://sam.ensam.eu:443 The DSpace digital repository system captures, stores, indexes, preserves, and distributes digital research material. Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:45:33 GMT 2026-03-12T13:45:33Z http://hdl.handle.net/10985/22317 Losses and lifetimes of metals in the economy CHARPENTIER PONCELET, Alexandre; HELBIG, Christoph; LOUBET, Philippe; BEYLOT, Antoine; MULLER, Stéphanie; VILLENEUVE, Jacques; LARATTE, Bertrand; THORENZ, Andrea; TUMA, Axel; SONNEMANN, Guido The consumption of most metals continues to rise following ever-increasing population growth, affluence and technological development. Sustainability considerations urge greater resource efficiency and retention of metals in the economy. We model the fate of a yearly cohort of 61 extracted metals over time and identify where losses are expected to occur through a life-cycle lens. We find that ferrous metals have the longest lifetimes, with 150 years on average, followed by precious, non-ferrous and specialty metals with 61, 50 and 12 years on average, respectively. Production losses are the largest for 15 of the studied metals whereas use losses are the largest for barium, mercury and strontium. Losses to waste management and recycling are the largest for 43 metals, suggesting the need to improve design for better sorting and recycling and to ensure longer-lasting products, in combination with improving waste-management practices. Compared with the United Nations Environmental Programme’s recycling statistics, our results show the importance of taking a life-cycle perspective to estimate losses of metals to develop effective circular economy strategies. We provide the dataset and model used in a machine-readable format to allow further research on metal cycles Thu, 19 May 2022 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10985/22317 2022-05-19T00:00:00Z CHARPENTIER PONCELET, Alexandre HELBIG, Christoph LOUBET, Philippe BEYLOT, Antoine MULLER, Stéphanie VILLENEUVE, Jacques LARATTE, Bertrand THORENZ, Andrea TUMA, Axel SONNEMANN, Guido The consumption of most metals continues to rise following ever-increasing population growth, affluence and technological development. Sustainability considerations urge greater resource efficiency and retention of metals in the economy. We model the fate of a yearly cohort of 61 extracted metals over time and identify where losses are expected to occur through a life-cycle lens. We find that ferrous metals have the longest lifetimes, with 150 years on average, followed by precious, non-ferrous and specialty metals with 61, 50 and 12 years on average, respectively. Production losses are the largest for 15 of the studied metals whereas use losses are the largest for barium, mercury and strontium. Losses to waste management and recycling are the largest for 43 metals, suggesting the need to improve design for better sorting and recycling and to ensure longer-lasting products, in combination with improving waste-management practices. Compared with the United Nations Environmental Programme’s recycling statistics, our results show the importance of taking a life-cycle perspective to estimate losses of metals to develop effective circular economy strategies. We provide the dataset and model used in a machine-readable format to allow further research on metal cycles http://hdl.handle.net/10985/20215 Life cycle impact assessment methods for estimating the impacts of dissipative flows of metals CHARPENTIER-PONCELET, Alexandre; HELBIG, Christoph; LOUBET, Philippe; BEYLOT, Antoine; MULLER, Stéphanie; VILLENEUVE, Jacques; LARATTE, Bertrand; THORENZ, Andrea; TUMA, Axel; SONNEMANN, Guido The dissipation of metals leads to potential environmental impacts, usually evaluated for product systems with life cycle assessment. Dissipative flows of metals become inaccessible for future users, going against the common goal of a more circular economy. Therefore, they should be addressed in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) in the area of protection “Natural Resources.” However, life cycle inventory databases provide limited information on dissipation as they only track emissions to the environment as elementary flows. Therefore, we propose two LCIA methods capturing the expected dissipation patterns of metals after extraction, based on dynamic material flow analysis data. The methods are applied to resource elementary flows in life cycle inventories. The lost potential service time method provides precautionary indications on the lost service due to dissipation over different time horizons. The average dissipation rate method distinguishes between the conservation potentials of different metals. Metals that are relatively well conserved, including major metals such as iron and aluminum, have low characterization factors (CFs). Those with poor process yields, including many companion and high-tech metals such as gallium and tellurium, have high CFs. A comparative study between the developed CFs, along with those of the Abiotic Depletion Potential and Environmental Dissipation Potential methods, show that dissipation trends do not consistently match those of the depletion and environmental dissipation potentials. The proposed methods may thus be complementary to other methods when assessing the impacts of resource use on the area of protection Natural Resources when pursuing an increased material circularity. Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10985/20215 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z CHARPENTIER-PONCELET, Alexandre HELBIG, Christoph LOUBET, Philippe BEYLOT, Antoine MULLER, Stéphanie VILLENEUVE, Jacques LARATTE, Bertrand THORENZ, Andrea TUMA, Axel SONNEMANN, Guido The dissipation of metals leads to potential environmental impacts, usually evaluated for product systems with life cycle assessment. Dissipative flows of metals become inaccessible for future users, going against the common goal of a more circular economy. Therefore, they should be addressed in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) in the area of protection “Natural Resources.” However, life cycle inventory databases provide limited information on dissipation as they only track emissions to the environment as elementary flows. Therefore, we propose two LCIA methods capturing the expected dissipation patterns of metals after extraction, based on dynamic material flow analysis data. The methods are applied to resource elementary flows in life cycle inventories. The lost potential service time method provides precautionary indications on the lost service due to dissipation over different time horizons. The average dissipation rate method distinguishes between the conservation potentials of different metals. Metals that are relatively well conserved, including major metals such as iron and aluminum, have low characterization factors (CFs). Those with poor process yields, including many companion and high-tech metals such as gallium and tellurium, have high CFs. A comparative study between the developed CFs, along with those of the Abiotic Depletion Potential and Environmental Dissipation Potential methods, show that dissipation trends do not consistently match those of the depletion and environmental dissipation potentials. The proposed methods may thus be complementary to other methods when assessing the impacts of resource use on the area of protection Natural Resources when pursuing an increased material circularity. http://hdl.handle.net/10985/21396 Linkage of impact pathways to cultural perspectives to account for multiple aspects of mineral resource use in life cycle assessment CHARPENTIER-PONCELET, Alexandre; BEYLOT, Antoine; LOUBET, Philippe; LARATTE, Bertrand; MULLER, Stéphanie; VILLENEUVE, Jacques; SONNEMANN, Guido Important advances have been made to define the multiple impact pathways relating mineral resource use to the area of protection (AoP) natural resources in life cycle assessment (LCA). Yet, the link between stakeholders’ interests and the aspects relevant to resource use as addressed by existing impact assessment methods has so far only marginally been explored. This article proposes to go beyond the case-specific determination of stake­ holders’ interests (and the associated selection of impact assessment method) by defining multiple groups of different values based on cultural perspectives, in order to determine the corresponding relevant impact path­ ways and assessment methods. Relying on the Cultural Theory and related potential development scenarios, we identify socio-economicobjectives and resource management strategies that fit the egalitarian, individualist and hierarchist perspec­ tives. Our analysis reveals that different aspects of resource use may be most relevant to assess for each perspective since they pursue different socio-economic objectives. Egalitarians are expected to prioritize the long-term availability of geological stocks for future generations by keeping extraction flows to a minimum to reach global sufficiency, and individualists, to safeguard their short-term accessibility to resources by managing their supply risk. Hierarchists are likely to aim to maximize the value obtained from resources globally, and could thus focus on addressing dissipative flows. Building on this analysis, we provide a proposal for a more holistic assessment of the impact pathways linked to mineral resource use using existing LCIA methods, and identify ways forward for method developments to come. Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10985/21396 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z CHARPENTIER-PONCELET, Alexandre BEYLOT, Antoine LOUBET, Philippe LARATTE, Bertrand MULLER, Stéphanie VILLENEUVE, Jacques SONNEMANN, Guido Important advances have been made to define the multiple impact pathways relating mineral resource use to the area of protection (AoP) natural resources in life cycle assessment (LCA). Yet, the link between stakeholders’ interests and the aspects relevant to resource use as addressed by existing impact assessment methods has so far only marginally been explored. This article proposes to go beyond the case-specific determination of stake­ holders’ interests (and the associated selection of impact assessment method) by defining multiple groups of different values based on cultural perspectives, in order to determine the corresponding relevant impact path­ ways and assessment methods. Relying on the Cultural Theory and related potential development scenarios, we identify socio-economicobjectives and resource management strategies that fit the egalitarian, individualist and hierarchist perspec­ tives. Our analysis reveals that different aspects of resource use may be most relevant to assess for each perspective since they pursue different socio-economic objectives. Egalitarians are expected to prioritize the long-term availability of geological stocks for future generations by keeping extraction flows to a minimum to reach global sufficiency, and individualists, to safeguard their short-term accessibility to resources by managing their supply risk. Hierarchists are likely to aim to maximize the value obtained from resources globally, and could thus focus on addressing dissipative flows. Building on this analysis, we provide a proposal for a more holistic assessment of the impact pathways linked to mineral resource use using existing LCIA methods, and identify ways forward for method developments to come. http://hdl.handle.net/10985/22703 Midpoint and endpoint characterization factors for mineral resource dissipation: methods and application to 6000 data sets CHARPENTIER PONCELET, Alexandre; LOUBET, Philippe; HELBIG, Christoph; BEYLOT, Antoine; MULLER, Stéphanie; VILLENEUVE, Jacques; LARATTE, Bertrand; THORENZ, Andrea; TUMA, Axel; SONNEMANN, Guido Abstract Purpose The accessibility to most metals is crucial to modern societies. In order to move towards more sustainable use of metals, it is relevant to reduce losses along their anthropogenic cycle. To this end, quantifying dissipative flows of mineral resources and assessing their impacts in life cycle assessment (LCA) has been a challenge brought up by various stakeholders in the LCA community. We address this challenge with the extension of previously developed impact assessment methods and evaluating how these updated methods compare to widely used impact assessment methods for mineral resource use. Methods Building on previous works, we extend the coverage of the average dissipation rate (ADR) and lost potential service time (LPST) methods to 61 metals. Midpoint characterization factors are computed using dynamic material flow analysis results, and endpoint characterization factors, by applying the market price of metals as a proxy for their value. We apply these methods to metal resource flows from 6000 market data sets along with the abiotic depletion potential and ReCiPe 2016 methods to anticipate how the assessment of dissipation using the newly developed methods might compare to the latter two widely used ones. Results and discussion The updated midpoint methods enable distinguishing between 61 metals based on their global dissipation patterns once they have been extracted from the ground. The endpoint methods further allow differentiating between the value of metals based on their annual average market prices. Metals with a high price that dissipate quickly have the highest endpoint characterization factors. The application study shows that metals with the largest resource flows are expected to have the most impacts with the midpoint ADR and LPST methods, metals that are relatively more expensive have a greater relative contribution to the endpoint assessment. Conclusion The extended ADR and LPST methods provide new information on the global dissipation patterns of 61 metals and on the associated potentially lost value for humans. The methods are readily applicable to resource flows in current life cycle inventories. This new information may be complementary to that provided by other impact assessment methods addressing different impact pathways when used in LCA studies. Additional research is needed to improve the characterization of the value of metals for society and to extend the methods to more resources. Thu, 01 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/10985/22703 2022-09-01T00:00:00Z CHARPENTIER PONCELET, Alexandre LOUBET, Philippe HELBIG, Christoph BEYLOT, Antoine MULLER, Stéphanie VILLENEUVE, Jacques LARATTE, Bertrand THORENZ, Andrea TUMA, Axel SONNEMANN, Guido Abstract Purpose The accessibility to most metals is crucial to modern societies. In order to move towards more sustainable use of metals, it is relevant to reduce losses along their anthropogenic cycle. To this end, quantifying dissipative flows of mineral resources and assessing their impacts in life cycle assessment (LCA) has been a challenge brought up by various stakeholders in the LCA community. We address this challenge with the extension of previously developed impact assessment methods and evaluating how these updated methods compare to widely used impact assessment methods for mineral resource use. Methods Building on previous works, we extend the coverage of the average dissipation rate (ADR) and lost potential service time (LPST) methods to 61 metals. Midpoint characterization factors are computed using dynamic material flow analysis results, and endpoint characterization factors, by applying the market price of metals as a proxy for their value. We apply these methods to metal resource flows from 6000 market data sets along with the abiotic depletion potential and ReCiPe 2016 methods to anticipate how the assessment of dissipation using the newly developed methods might compare to the latter two widely used ones. Results and discussion The updated midpoint methods enable distinguishing between 61 metals based on their global dissipation patterns once they have been extracted from the ground. The endpoint methods further allow differentiating between the value of metals based on their annual average market prices. Metals with a high price that dissipate quickly have the highest endpoint characterization factors. The application study shows that metals with the largest resource flows are expected to have the most impacts with the midpoint ADR and LPST methods, metals that are relatively more expensive have a greater relative contribution to the endpoint assessment. Conclusion The extended ADR and LPST methods provide new information on the global dissipation patterns of 61 metals and on the associated potentially lost value for humans. The methods are readily applicable to resource flows in current life cycle inventories. This new information may be complementary to that provided by other impact assessment methods addressing different impact pathways when used in LCA studies. Additional research is needed to improve the characterization of the value of metals for society and to extend the methods to more resources.