Marketing and sustainability

'Marketing and sustainability' is based on an original booklet written by Martin Charter in 1990. The text has been updated and re-written to take account of the changing and emerging debate of marketing’s role in relation to sustainable development. This booklet has been produced as a supporting publication for the Sustainable Marketing Knowledge Network (Smart: Know-Net) a web-based information and communication platform for marketers interested in sustainability, available at www.cfsd.org.uk/smart-know-ne

Screening of energy efficient technologies for industrial buildings' retrofit

This chapter discusses screening of energy efficient technologies for industrial buildings' retrofit

Hydro/Battery Hybrid Systems for frequency regulation

An innovative Hydro/Battery Hybrid System (HBHS), composed of a hydropower plant (HPP) and a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is proposed to provide frequency regulation services in the Nordic Power System (NPS). The HBHS is envisioned to have a faster and more efficient response compared to HPPs currently providing these services, whilst retaining their high energy capacity and endurance, thus alleviating stand-alone BESS operation constraints. This Thesis aims to explore the operation and optimization of such a hybrid system in order to make it efficient and economically viable. A power plant perspective is employed, evaluating the impact different control algorithms and parameters have on the HBHS performance. Providing Frequency Containment Reserves for Normal Operation (FCR-N), to the national TSO in Sweden, is defined from technology and market analyses as the use case for the HBHS. The characteristics of HPPs suitable for HBHS implementation are found theoretically, by evaluating HPP operational constraints and regulation mechanisms. With the aim of evaluating the dynamic performance of the proposed HBHS, a frequency regulation model of the NPS is built in MATLAB and Simulink. Two different HBHS architectures are introduced, the Hydro Recharge, in which the BESS is regulating the frequency and the HPP is controlling its state of charge (SoC), and the Frequency Split, in which both elements are regulating the frequency with the HPP additionally compensating for the SoC. The dynamic performance of the units is qualitatively evaluated through existing and proposed FCR-N prequalification tests, prescribed by the TSO and ENTSO-E. Quantitative performance comparison to a benchmark HPP is performed with regards to the estimated HPP regulation wear and tear and BESS degradation during 30-day operation with historical frequency data. The two proposed HBHS architectures demonstrate significant reductions of estimated HPP wear and tear compared to the benchmark unit. Simulations consistently report a 90 % reduction in the number of movements HPP regulation mechanism performs and a more than 50 % decrease in the distance it travels. The BESS lifetime is evaluated at acceptable levels and compared for different architectures. Two different applications are identified, the first being installing the HBHS to enable the HPP to pass FCR-N prequalification tests. The second application is increasing the FCR-N capacity of the HPP by installing the HBHS. The Frequency Split HBHS shows more efficient performance when installed in the first application, as opposed to the Hydro Recharge HBHS, which shows better performance in the second application. Finally, it is concluded that a large-scale implementation of HBHSs would improve the frequency quality in the NPS, linearly decreasing the amount of time outside the normal frequency band with increasing the total installed HBHS power capacity

Product Service Systems and Sustainability: Opportunities for Sustainable Solutions

Given that the concept of PSS is beginning to 'catch on' and gain attention, it is time for UNEP to contribute to, and influence the progress of PSS, to ensure that in concept and application it incorporates the idea of sustainability. In this context its potential is not generally understood by the public and private sectors or civil society. This booklet is intended to contribute to the dissemination and the discussion of the PSS concept as a promising approach to sustainability. The ultimate goal must be to achieve Sustainable Product-Service Systems. This UNEP publication is targeted at industry and government, academia and civil society to explain PSS – their potential benefits and limitations – in the sustainability context – using real company examples. To prepare this booklet, UNEP has drawn on the knowledge and experience of PSS experts to flesh out the concept of a sustainable PSS, to collect case studies of PSS in practice, to begin to document both its benefits and the hurdles which need to be overcome in its application, and to suggest ways forward in its development

A generic operational simulation for early design civil unmanned aerial vehicles

Contemporary aerospace programmes often suffer from large cost overruns, delivery delays and inferior product quality. This is caused in part by poor predictive quality of the early design phase processes with regards to the operational environment of a product. This paper develops the idea of a generic operational simulation that can help designers to rigorously analyse and test their early product concepts. The simulation focusses on civil Unmanned Air Vehicle products and missions to keep the scope of work tractable. The research agenda is introduced along with ideas, initial results and future work. Designers specify details about their product, its environment and anticipated operational procedures. The simulation returns information that can help to estimate the value of the product using the value-driven design approach. Information will include recurring and non-recurring mission cost items. The research aim is to show that an operational simulation can improve early design concepts, thereby reducing delays and cost overruns. Moreover, a trade-off between mission fidelity and model generality is sought along with a generic ontology of civil Unmanned Air Vehicle missions and guidelines about capturing operational informatio

Standardization Framework for Sustainability from Circular Economy 4.0

The circular economy (CE) is widely known as a way to implement and achieve sustainability, mainly due to its contribution towards the separation of biological and technical nutrients under cyclic industrial metabolism. The incorporation of the principles of the CE in the links of the value chain of the various sectors of the economy strives to ensure circularity, safety, and efficiency. The framework proposed is aligned with the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development regarding the orientation towards the mitigation and regeneration of the metabolic rift by considering a double perspective. Firstly, it strives to conceptualize the CE as a paradigm of sustainability. Its principles are established, and its techniques and tools are organized into two frameworks oriented towards causes (cradle to cradle) and effects (life cycle assessment), and these are structured under the three pillars of sustainability, for their projection within the proposed framework. Secondly, a framework is established to facilitate the implementation of the CE with the use of standards, which constitute the requirements, tools, and indicators to control each life cycle phase, and of key enabling technologies (KETs) that add circular value 4.0 to the socio-ecological transition

Designing a novel virtual collaborative environment to support collaboration in design review meetings

Project review meetings are part of the project management process and are organised to assess progress and resolve any design conflicts to avoid delays in construction. One of the key challenges during a project review meeting is to bring the stakeholders together and use this time effectively to address design issues as quickly as possible. At present, current technology solutions based on BIM or CAD are information-centric and do not allow project teams to collectively explore the design from a range of perspectives and brainstorm ideas when design conflicts are encountered. This paper presents a system architecture that can be used to support multi-functional team collaboration more effectively during such design review meetings. The proposed architecture illustrates how information-centric BIM or CAD systems can be made human- and team-centric to enhance team communication and problem solving. An implementation of the proposed system architecture has been tested for its utility, likability and usefulness during design review meetings. The evaluation results suggest that the collaboration platform has the potential to enhance collaboration among multi-functional teams