SOCIAL CO-BENEFITS VS. SOCIAL HANDPRINTING
Social Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a comprehensive methodology, seeking to complement environmental LCA, and filling gaps in identification of the human impacts of activities. Therefore, Social Handprinting involves identifying the social Footprint of an action or entity, working to reduce any negative impact and working to create Handprints that create positive social impact.
In contrast, Social Co-Benefits are additional socio-economic benefits of an environmentally-focused Handprint action. These may happen naturally, or may be considered in the creation of Handprints to engineer actions that do more than just create the requisite number of kilowatt-hours or gallons of potable water. Handprints can do more than offset Footprints. They can result in education, job training, community support and more if we consider the context and ripple effects of our actions.
PERCENTAGE REQUIREMENT FOR IMPERATIVE
To achieve this Imperative, manufacturers must demonstrate that at least 75% of one of the relevant LCA impact areas in LPC (Energy, Water or Carbon) is associated with a strategy that results in tangible social co-benefits. Manufacturers are encouraged to keep positive impacts as local as possible.
