Biotic resources, biotic and abiotic, are fundamental from each the ecological and socio-financial point of view, being at the premise of life-support. However, because the call for for finite resources maintains to increase, the sustainability of present day manufacturing and intake patterns is wondered both in advanced and developing nations. A transition in the direction of an financial system based totally on biotic renewable assets (bio-economy) is considered necessary which will support a constant provision of sources, representing an opportunity to an financial system based on fossil and abiotic sources. However, to ensure a sustainable use of biotic sources, there is the want of properly accounting for his or her use along deliver chains in addition to defining a sturdy and complete effect evaluation version. Since up to now certainly going on biotic resources have gained little attention in impact evaluation techniques, together with lifestyles cycle evaluation, the intention of this observe is to permit the inclusion of biotic resources in the assessment of products and supply chains. This paper puts ahead a framework for biotic sources assessment, which include: i) the definition of device barriers between ecosphere and technosphere, specifically among naturally going on and man-made biotic assets; ii) a listing of naturally going on biotic resources that have a business price, as foundation for building existence cycle inventories (NOBR, e.G. Wild animals, flora and so on); iii) an impact pathway to pick out ability influences on each resource provision and environment exceptional; iv) a renewability-primarily based indicator (NOBRri) for the impact assessment of naturally happening biotic assets, including a list of related characterization factors. The examine, building on a solid evaluate of literature and of to be had statistical records, highlights and discusses the crucial aspects and paradoxes associated with biotic resource inclusion in LCA: from the machine limitations definition up to the resource characterization.
