Social Life Cycle Assessment of Seaweed Farming to Achieve Sustainability of Blue Economy in Zanzibar

Social life cycle assessment (SCLA) is an emerging framework for sustainability assessment of processes, companies and products throughout their life cycle that is popularly known in the Global North. Seaweed farming is one of blue economy which is seen as a contributor to sustainable development in Zanzibar. This study examines the social life cycle assessment (SLCA) of seaweed farming in Zanzibar, Tanzania in accordance to the UNEP sustainability assessment. The objective is to assess the potential social impact of seaweed farming. The study identifies the stakeholder categories and sub-categories whose positive impact is more pronounced on community stakeholders. The system boundaries of the study include all phases from cradle-to-gate, i.e. from on-farm to production of seaweed products. Two stakeholder groups were considered (workers and local communities) as those that better represent the seaweed farming. The analysis carried out on the functional unit of the study allowed assessing social impact of the process and product. The application of Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) to Seaweed farming in Zanzibar, Tanzania adopts the UNEP Social Life Cycle Assessment guidelines. The study objective is to assess the potential social, economic and environmental impact of seaweed farming. The study identifies the positive impacts on community stakeholders. The system boundaries of the study include all phases from cradle-to-gate, i.e. from on-farm to production of seaweed products. Two stakeholder groups were considered (workers and local communities) as those that better represent the seaweed farming. The analysis carried out on the functional unit of the study allowed assessing social impact of the process and product. Seaweed farming contributes to new production system that ought to observe sustainability questions. SLCA presents new approaches for sustainability assessment in the East African context thus it becomes a novel methodology to in the region. The study results contribute to scholarly work on S-LCA as a methodological tool to inform business decisions, assessing social impact of products on stakeholders and therefore inform policy decisions. Seaweed farming is of the strategic productive sector in Zanzibar as it contributes to employment and economic growth. This sector is projected to increase production and employment through the established manufacturing farming. One of the methods for assessing sustainability of production is the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) technique, which assesses the potential social, economic and environmental impact which is valuable to inform policy decisions.