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Bibliometric Analysis and Benchmarking of Life Cycle Assessment of Higher Education Institutions

Author

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  • Denner Deda

    (Department of Civil Engineering, ISISE, University of Coimbra, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal
    Department of Chemical Engineering, CIEPQPF, University of Coimbra, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal)

  • Helena Gervásio

    (Department of Civil Engineering, ISISE, University of Coimbra, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal)

  • Margarida J. Quina

    (Department of Chemical Engineering, CIEPQPF, University of Coimbra, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal)

Abstract

Higher Education Institutions (HEI), such as Universities and Institutes worldwide, are making efforts and setting goals to assess and minimise their environmental impacts, and to become more sustainable. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been considered a powerful approach to deal with environmental impacts of products and services. Thus, in this paper, a bibliometric analysis was carried out to benchmark the sustainability of HEI in terms of key areas, impacts, and barriers. Results indicate that, although some HEI are concerned with sustainability, LCA has not been systematically adopted in their assessments, and the main focus is on the calculation of carbon emissions. The lack of available internal information and managing commitment are the main barriers to adopting LCA in HEI. In the few cases where LCA was considered, it was observed that differences in scopes, functional units, intensities, and data reliability hamper comparisons, and lead to biased conclusions. In the end of the paper, the results of some Portuguese HEI are provided and discussed, showing the need for a better understanding of environmental assessment results.

Suggested Citation

  • Denner Deda & Helena Gervásio & Margarida J. Quina, 2023. "Bibliometric Analysis and Benchmarking of Life Cycle Assessment of Higher Education Institutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-18, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:5:p:4319-:d:1083408
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    1. Eckard Helmers, 2024. "Do’s and Don’ts in Climate Impact Assessment of University Campuses: Towards Responsible, Transparent and Comprehensive Reporting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-24, October.
    2. Odysseas Christou & Dimitra B. Manou & Stefano Armenia & Eduardo Franco & Anastasia Blouchoutzi & Jason Papathanasiou, 2024. "Fostering a Whole-Institution Approach to Sustainability through Systems Thinking: An Analysis of the State-of-the-Art in Sustainability Integration in Higher Education Institutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-22, March.
    3. Yanyi Zhu & Youpei Hu, 2023. "The Correlation between Urban Form and Carbon Emissions: A Bibliometric and Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-28, September.
    4. Wang, Aijia & Wang, Junqi & Zhang, Ruijun & Cao, Shi-Jie, 2024. "Mitigating urban heat and air pollution considering green and transportation infrastructure," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).

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