Social life cycle assessment is a relatively immature field of LCA and subject to great uncertainties, but "SLCA" is in strong demand among companies that are worried about managing reputational risk in long and opaque supply chains.
One strategic way of dealing with this informational challenge is to use an extended form of input-output analysis. Recent work at Chalmers University of Technology examined methodological aspects of this approach and applied it to the global fashion industry.
Zamani, Sandin, Svanström, Peters (2016) Hotspot identification in the clothing industry using social life cycle assessment—opportunities and challenges of input-output modelling. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, doi:10.1007/s11367-016-1113-x
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