Finding relevant stakeholders and related social topics for the implementation of Social Life Cycle Assessment in the multistorey timber construction sector

Purpose: This study aims to identify the most relevant stakeholder groups and related social topics for the multistorey timber construction sector and provide first insights on the potential social effects—negative (risks) and positive (benefits)—produced by the prospective increase of multistorey timber constructions in Europe considering their whole life cycle. Methods: The advancement of social materiality assessment was conducted to unveil the most relevant stakeholder groups and related social topics of the building sector by considering what is proposed by the UNEP Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment and Handbook for Product Social Impact Assessment. To verify selected social topics and collect information on their level of relevance, we based our research approach on stakeholder engagement through a dedicated online workshop and interviews. Results: Seventeen social topics were selected as material for the multistorey timber construction sector according to the literature review and the stakeholder engagement activities. No significant variance in relevance level was observed according to a five-level Likert scale (from 1, not at all relevant, to 5, very relevant), all rating above level 3 (relevant); the ones perceived as very relevant being “Health and safety” (Users), “Safe and healthy living conditions” (Local Community), and “Fair salary” (Workers). Conclusions: This study highlights how conducting a social materiality assessment and engaging stakeholders play a crucial role in identifying an initial set of critical social topics to focus on for further evaluation of potential impacts and performance. Since there is not yet a standardized approach for the S-LCA application in the construction sector, results from this work represent an initial step towards the prioritization process of social topics. This prioritization process aims to assign priority levels to a list of social topics derived from a review process based on various sources.