Benefits

The creation of SCORELCA is an expression of the willpower of several large companies which, being aware of the issues related to the LCA method and along with their experience in that field, wished to establish shared research dynamics between the various actors involved. They thus aim at advancing on LCA methodology, and more broadly on environmental quantification, so that it can respond more precisely, efficiently and operationally to current and future needs of companies.

The choice of collaborative functioning

SCORELCA relies on collaborative functioning between the members. It is in particular made possible by a voluntarily non-competitive character of the topics included in the annual research programme.

This type of collaborative functioning has already been experimented for more than 20 years in the framework of RECORD association (Recherche Coopérative sur les déchets et l’environnement / Cooperative research network on waste and the environment: www.record-net.org) where it has demonstrated its entire efficiency and its interest for the member companies.

Benefits of collaborative functioning

Collaborative functioning has many benefits for the members:

• Minimising costs - Costs associated to research activities (conducted according to a programme set up by member companies) and to scientific monitoring are minimised for each member (since they are shared).
• Maximising of added value - The added value for research activities is however maximised: research topics are selected in a consensual manner, and then problematized while taking advantage of the knowledge and the experience of everyone, and with support of a Scientific Director. The best scientific teams are selected to drive each study, the contribution to monitoring of the latter by active members aim to build repositories that are shared by the economic actors, and recognition of best practices. The collective dimension of the structure allows finally an exploitation and an active valorisation of the research results, as well on the national than the international level.
• Privileged exchange opportunity - Participation to the Monitoring Committees of various research projects provide privileged time to exchange, as well with external scientific teams responsible for the projects, as with the other members, and with the Scientific Director of SCORELCA.
• Invested time exclusively dedicated to the scientific content - The time invested in participating in the Monitoring Committees (meetings are held in Paris, due to proximity of industrials) for the individual research projects is fully dedicated to the scientific content: members participating in the follow-up of a project are thus released from frequently time consuming aspects like managing the practical, administrative and financial aspects associated to the publication of a tender, daily management of the project and its closing…
• Being part of a network - Joining the Association materialises de facto being part of a network promoting exchange between companies and the other scientific and institutional actors interested in research in the field of LCA, as well on the national than the international level.

Opening to the largest number