Towards the Assessment of Social Sustainability: Identifying Social Hotspots for Road Pavement Materials

Studies have focused on quantifying life cycle environmental and economic impacts of road pavement materials. However, social performance is often either assessed in a limited way (e.g., relying on qualitative indicators or checklists, not adopting a life cycle approach) or completely neglected, hindering a truly holistic sustainability assessment. Social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) has proven to be a powerful, science-based method for evaluating the social performance of materials and products with a life cycle perspective, addressing both negative and positive impacts. This contribution is a first step in analyzing the quantitative performance of the social impacts of road pavement materials via a social hotspot assessment. It was conducted using two tools: Product Social Impact Life Cycle Assessment (PSILCA) database and Social Hotspot Database (SHDB). A cradle-to-gate approach was adopted, focusing on raw material extraction and transport and the asphalt mixing process. Furthermore, the main contributing economic sectors related to asphalt pavement materials were defined. The social hotspot assessment identified the critical stakeholder categories, relevant social subcategories, and associated social risk indicators of the sectors related to asphalt production for the example of Lithuania. The obtained results provide new insights into the road construction industry and new hotspots to evaluate in the asphalt supply chain. In particular, the results provide guidance regarding which social issues have the most significant relevance and should be awarded priority when conducting an S-LCA of asphalt mixtures. Findings are key elements to support a comprehensive, quantitative, and holistic assessment of the sustainability of road infrastructure.