We are excited to announce the development of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) project for silver and silver chloride, led by Ecomatters and ARCHE Consulting, commissioned by the European Precious Metals Federation (EPMF) and key industry stakeholders. This initiative is rooted in our shared commitment to transparency, environmental stewardship, and data-driven decision-making.
The LCA study will comply with the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards to ensure transparency, consistency and scientific validity. The project will evaluate the environmental footprint of silver products through a cradle-to-gate (raw materials acquisition to manufacturing) perspective. By identifying hotspots and improvement opportunities, we aim to support more sustainable production practices and greener innovations.
Metals play a foundational role in modern infrastructure and clean technologies, from renewable energy systems to healthcare. Silver is a good example, as its properties make it essential in components of green technologies (e.g. solar panels, rapid chargers, circuit boards, batteries) but also in X-ray and other medical applications. While there are numerous benefits, mining, production, and recycling of metal-based compounds, such as silver metal and silver chloride, may come with environmental burdens. To address these challenges meaningfully, it is essential to quantify these impacts accurately.
The role of industry data
High-quality representative data is the backbone of any meaningful LCA. Industry participation ensures the results truly reflect real-world operations, limiting generic assumptions. By providing operational data, companies help build a more accurate and credible picture of environmental performance.
Moreover, participating stakeholders will benefit directly from the insights generated, which can:
- Support internal sustainability goals
- Communicate impacts along the value chain
- Enhance sustainability reporting
- Prepare for upcoming regulatory requirements and market expectations
Maxime Lambert, Sustainability Manager at the European Precious Metals Federation had this to say about the upcoming collaboration:
“The European Precious Metals Federation (EPMF) is taking action to better understand the environmental footprint of European silver production. This will enable us to provide industry average LCA data to support downstream users of silver products in making informed, sustainable choices. This project is a unique opportunity to shape and better inform the conversation around metals and sustainability. We look forward to working together to deliver robust, transparent, and actionable results.”
If you have questions or inquiries about industry-average LCA studies, please contact us or plan a call with one of our experts.
