ABSTRACT
Economic and demographic growths coupled with technological advancement are among the major drivers of an increasing demand on industrial minerals. The dynamics of mineral resource use and their potential supply disruption due to geopolitical and social constraints have recently drawn the attention of material scientists, environmentalists and policy makers. A number of life-cycle impact assessment methods exist to evaluate the direct impact from the use of resources, but there is lack of consistency. Impact from resource use has been addressed as depletion which only focuses on the physical availability from long-term perspective. The short- and mid-term consequences due to limited accessibility of resources have been overlooked in the current life-cycle impact assessment method. This chapter, therefore, presents the methodological advancement in integrating the concept of resource criticality, which measures the potential supply risk and economic importance of a resource, into the life-cycle assessment context under the life-cycle sustainability assessment framework. The chapter illustrates the importance of such integration with a case study on electric vehicle.
