A Framework to Promote Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in Saudi Arabia's Oil and Gas Sector

To address the sustainability concerns of the oil and gas sector, it is important to reduce environmental impacts throughout its value chain. Understanding these environmental impacts can also help in developing the right policies needed to meet greenhouse gas emission targets. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a comprehensive tool to quantify environmental impacts of products, processes, and systems across their entire life cycle. For more than the last thirty years, it has been used globally by various industries like construction, automotive, aerospace, etc. The objective of this paper is to present a theoretical framework to promote LCA in the Saudi Arabian oil and gas sector. This study relied on literature review to explore the current status of LCA in the Saudi Arabian oil and gas sector. Using the insights gained from literature, a framework consisting of three pillars—governance mechanisms, technical enablers, and competency building—is proposed. The framework encompasses the role of Saudi Arabian oil and gas industry stakeholders such as policymakers, relevant government agencies, and industry representatives in promoting the use of LCA. The adoption of this framework can accelerate the deployment of LCA studies, which in turn uncover environmental hotspots that are relevant to the local industry. This information can then be used to improve the sustainability of the entire oil and gas value chain in Saudi Arabia.