The Chemical Life Cycle Collaborative (CLiCC) was funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency's Network for Characterizing Chemical Life Cycle (NCCLC) program. The primary objective of this collaboration was to develop, implement and disseminate an open-access, online tool for rapid and efficient characterization of chemical life-cycle impacts. The CLiCC tool was developed to evaluate life-cycle impacts for chemicals and materials at an early stage of the chemical product development process, when the precise manufacturing routes and fates of the products are still uncertain.
The CLiCC tool:
- Enables rapid, high-throughput screening of life-cycle impacts for new chemicals.
- Provides a platform for accessing, generating and sharing information on the life-cycle impacts of chemicals.
- Expands life cycle thinking in emerging professionals, high school students and the general public through highly accessible, targeted modules.
An international network that includes academic and industry partners is collaborating to develop and refine this tool.
CLiCC Tool stakeholders, such as industry partners, policy makers, and academic researchers will be able use the tool in a variety of ways. For Upstream companies, CLiCC can be used as an early predictive tool, particularly in the research and development stages. CLiCC also offers support for alternative comparison and product phase-out option in planning stages. Downstream companies have the benefit of making sourcing decisions and designing a new product.
The CLiCC tool also facilitates collaborations between raw material designers and companies, so that new materials are created specifically to fit a certain application farther down the value chain. Regulated entities are able to complete alternatives assessments. Policy makers are able to use CLiCC as a screening tool for new chemicals, thereby informing new product restrictions and creating enforceable regulations.