Table 3 Summary of expert feedback regarding the challenges

Challenge #1: Determination of what social impacts to consider and how to quantify them

Validated

The definition of a social impact should consider whose priorities are reflected when defining what is and what is not considered a social impact. Rather than focusing on how to quantify them, this challenge should only focus on the determination of what social impacts to consider

Challenge #2: Uncertainty with indicator selection, normalization, weighting, and aggregation

Validated

Some experts believe that having a uniform set of indicators would make the assessment more robust, while others believe that having such a uniform set of indicators is not beneficial, as social assessments must incorporate local aspects

Challenge #3: Determination of whether a functional unit should be used

Validated

The use of a functional unit should consider the nature of the data being used and see how important it is to link it to a functional unit to make it valuable

Challenge #4: Determination of minimum criteria to be satisfied during data collection efforts

Validated

The experts recommend strict data quality practices that are tailored to the data characteristics themselves, rather than to define a universal set of criteria to be satisfied

Challenge #5: Allocation of social impacts into different categories

Validated

This challenge is more relevant for analyzing the results rather than performing S-LCA. Experts mentioned that in certain studies with qualitative data, the categories emerge in data analysis

Challenge #6: Connection of social impacts with products rather than with the conduct of companies producing the products

Validated

This challenge becomes relevant when defining the stakeholders in the analysis. When evaluating the social impact of a product, employees will be affected by both the conduct of the companies and by the design choices, so it depends on the nature and the scope of the analysis

Challenge #7: Definition of “social well-being” used in the analysis

Validated

Well-being defined too narrowly means that S-LCAs cannot reach their full potential to influence decisions, design, and policy. Impacts do not have to be directly related to social well-being or fit in its definition to be significant

Challenge #8: Selection of a preferred method to perform the social impact assessments

Validated

Having a preferred method for performing an S-LCA is important when comparing across different studies, but not so much when performing an individual assessment. A benefit of having a preferred method is that it would be universally respected, thus allowing it to be teachable and shareable

Challenge #9: Definition of the system boundaries

Validated

Having extensive boundaries is beneficial, as they are inclusive of the social impacts considered, but they might make the analysis prohibitive. Having too narrow boundaries results in low financial and temporal requirements, but this might leave out crucial impacts from the analysis

Challenge #10: Selection of global or location-specific data

Invalidated

When performing a low-detail, screening analysis, the use of global data is convenient. When performing a highly detailed analysis, it is important to use location-specific data. Even though the decision to use global or location-specific data is challenging, it is not a challenge in performing S-LCA. Rather, it is a challenge in the study design itself

Challenge #11: Selection of scoring scales for reporting the results

Invalidated

This challenge is considered more as part of the interpretation of the results of the impact assessment, which is why it was removed from the list. Practitioners should select scoring scales that are relevant to the audience to whom they are communicating

Challenge #12: Selection of stakeholders relevant to the study

Validated

The decision to select relevant stakeholders should be driven by the goal and scope of the analysis and by the resources available to the researchers. Researchers should aim to include as many stakeholders as possible in their study, given their constraints