Int. J. Sustainable Society, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2011 327 Copyright © 2011 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Integrated life cycle management of aggregates quarrying, processing and recycling: definition of a common LCA methodology in the SARMa project Gian Andrea Blengini* Department of Production Systems and Business Economics, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Torino 10129, Italy and CNR – IGAG, Institute of Environmental Geology and Geo-Engineering of the Italian National Research Council, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Torino 10129, Italy Fax: +39 011 5647299 E-mail: blengini@polito.it *Corresponding author Elena Garbarino Department of Sustainable Development and Environmental Planning, Torino Province, Corso Inghilterra 7, Torino 10138, Italy Fax: +39 011 861 6730 E-mail: elena.garbarino@provincia.torino.it E-mail: elena.garbarino@gmail.com Abstract: Most of the environmental knowledge, presently used to understand or design sustainable industrial systems, is derived from an application of life cycle assessment (LCA). The mining/quarrying industry is probably one of the sectors where there has been relatively less use of LCA tools, or where LCA has received less consensus. A key issue is the integration between three inter- dependent life cycles: project, asset and product life cycles. Given the unique features of mining LCAs, this paper presents a common methodology implemented within the EU sustainable aggregates resource management project in order to boost adoption of LCA in the aggregate industry in South Eastern Europe. Keywords: mining; mineral processing; recycling; C&DW; construction and demolition waste; NA; natural aggregates; RA; recycled aggregates; LCA; life cycle assessment.