Using the current state of life cycle assessment (LCA), carbon and water footprinting, and EPDs in South Africa, this work explores the challenges and opportunities for scholarly development in these areas in the country. Being a relatively small LCA community in South Africa, academics, consultants, and other stakeholders were approached to provide lists of known studies, with further reports, that may have been missed, obtained through internet searches. Information was collated on database development, capacity building, and other aspects and presented here in a single paper. While the authors are aware of companies working on LCA and related studies, hidden in confidential reports, we were able to find 27 LCA, 17 water and 12 carbon footprinting, and 10 EPD studies. Although these studies have potential advantages for policymaking and business, their number, implementation, and impact remain limited. While previously seen as an academic exercise, life cycle thinking has been adopted by industry, private consultants, and the South African National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC-SA), among others. Growing interest has led to the creation of several training courses available at academic institutes, the NCPC-SA, and consulting firms, ranging from the basic understanding to advanced use of software packages and modeling techniques. The development of a national LCI database and further exposure and opportunity for LCA studies are important steps to hopefully spur LCA in Southern Africa in the future.

中文翻译：

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南非生命周期评估和碳和水足迹研究的现状和前景

这项工作利用南非的生命周期评估 (LCA)、碳和水足迹以及 EPD 的现状，探索了该国这些领域学术发展的挑战和机遇。作为南非一个相对较小的 LCA 社区，学者、顾问和其他利益相关者被要求提供已知研究的清单，以及通过互联网搜索获得的可能遗漏的进一步报告。对数据库开发、能力建设和其他方面的信息进行了整理，并在本文中呈现。虽然作者知道从事 LCA 和相关研究的公司，但隐藏在机密报告中，我们能够找到 27 个 LCA、17 个水和 12 个碳足迹以及 10 个 EPD 研究。尽管这些研究对决策和商业具有潜在优势，它们的数量、实施和影响仍然有限。虽然以前被视为学术活动，但生命周期思维已被行业、私人顾问和南非国家清洁生产中心 (NCPC-SA) 等采用。日益增长的兴趣导致在学术机构、NCPC-SA 和咨询公司开设了一些培训课程，从基本理解到软件包和建模技术的高级使用。国家 LCI 数据库的开发以及 LCA 研究的进一步曝光和机会是希望在未来刺激南部非洲 LCA 的重要步骤。和南非国家清洁生产中心 (NCPC-SA) 等。日益增长的兴趣导致在学术机构、NCPC-SA 和咨询公司开设了一些培训课程，从基本理解到软件包和建模技术的高级使用。国家 LCI 数据库的开发以及 LCA 研究的进一步曝光和机会是希望在未来刺激南部非洲 LCA 的重要步骤。和南非国家清洁生产中心 (NCPC-SA) 等。日益增长的兴趣导致在学术机构、NCPC-SA 和咨询公司开设了一些培训课程，从基本理解到软件包和建模技术的高级使用。国家 LCI 数据库的开发以及 LCA 研究的进一步曝光和机会是希望在未来刺激南部非洲 LCA 的重要步骤。