Environmental Footprint and Material Efficiency Support for Product Policy - Feasibility study for a standardized method to measure the time taken to extract certain parts from an Electrical and Electronic Equipment

A study of the Joint Research Centre – JRC- on material efficiency published in 2012 established a method for the identification and assessment of “hot-spots” for End-of-Life (EoL) treatments of Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), including television, washing machines and imaging equipment. The method has been since then applied to various other product groups (e.g. enterprise servers). The improved extractability of target parts in Energy related Products (ErP) can represent a potential suitable requirement in the context of Ecodesign Directive for various product groups. In the case of measures for the “design for extraction of target parts in ErP” the 2012 JRC study identified the “time for the extraction” as a good proxy to prove the ‘easiness to disassembly’. However, the verification of the application of measures on extractability implies the availability of a method for repeatable measurements. The present report intends to provide scientific evidences on the feasibility of defining extraction times for the disassembly of WEEE and how it should be structured. The development of a standardised method for measuring the time for extraction of product’s target parts should allow the repeatability of measurements and minimizing uncertainty by removing or decreasing the influence of uncontrolled experimental conditions. The report includes a review of the relevant scientific references (including standards and scientific articles), discusses key issues for the measurement of the ‘time for extraction’ of product’s target parts and proposes how such keys issues can be integrated in an exemplary method for the measurement. Key definitions to be provided in the measurement method have been identified and provided for the following terms: target parts, extraction, extraction sequence, extraction time, worker experience, and tools for the extraction of components/parts. This report also establishes possible operating conditions such as testing area and safety requirements to extract parts of WEEE. The dismantling sequence has been identified as a crucial aspect. Detailed provisions on the dismantling sequence have been provided. The testing dismantling sequence has to be pre-defined prior to the product dismantling. Finally, a proposed measurement method has been developed as proof of concept and it is attached in Appendix 1. The method has been structured in order to reflect the framework of a potential international standard.JRC.H.8-Sustainability Assessmen

ILCD Data Network and ELCD Database: current use and further needs for supporting Environmental Footprint and Life Cycle Indicator Projects.

The aim of this report is to investigate the current use and needs of the ILCD DN and of the ELCD supporting the EF and the LC Indicator projects providing a coherent data basis increasing usability and consistent application in the European context. Some recommended future development have been investigated and reported as well in this report.JRC.H.8-Sustainability Assessmen

Coexistence of a generalist owl with its intraguild predator: distance-sensitive or habitat-mediated avoidance?

Intraguild predation is increasingly reported as a population-limiting factor for vertebrate predators. However, long-term coexistence of the intraguild prey with its predator is a common occurrence usually maintained by some form of predator avoidance, which may be achieved through distance-sensitive avoidance (selection of sites as far as possible from the intraguild predator), and/or habitat-mediated avoidance (avoidance of habitats associated with high predation risk). The former is expected when the distribution of the predator is heterogeneous, leaving gaps which can be exploited by the prey, while the latter is expected at high predator densities, when few predation refugia are available. To date, few studies have focused on such switch in predator avoidance under changing scenarios of intraguild predator density. To test this hypothesis, we censused tawny owls (Strix aluco, body mass ∼0.4-0.7 kg) and their intraguild predator, the eagle owl (Bubo bubo, ∼1.5-4 kg), in 12 areas of the Alps. As predicted, tawny owls were indifferent to predator distance in an area of low predation risk, they switched to distance-sensitive avoidance in an area of medium predator density and to habitat-mediated avoidance in an area of high predator density with few available refugia. Actual predation rates were low, but increased with proximity to the intraguild predator nest. Similarly, tawny owl breeding output declined with closeness to an eagle owl nest. Habitat loss associated with predator avoidance translated into population effects, leading to a negative relationship between the densities of the two owl species. The spatial gaps in tawny owl distribution caused by eagle owls indirectly favoured other owl species, resulting in higher diversity of the overall owl community and suggesting that eagle owls acted as keystone predators. Our results suggest that intraguild predation may alter habitat choices and affect density, productivity and guild structure of vertebrate mesopredators. Such effects are probably more common than previously thought. © 2007 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.Peer Reviewe

Challenges and opportunities for web-shared publication of quality-assured life cycle data: the contributions of the Life Cycle Data Network

Purpose: The European Commission’s Integrated Product Policy Communication, 2003, defined Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as the ‘best framework for assessing the potential environmental impacts of products’. Since then, the use of LCA and life cycle approaches has been developing in a wide range of European policies, and its use has also significantly grown in business. Increasing the availability of quality-assured Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data is the current challenge to ensure the development of LCA in various areas. Methods: One solution to increase availability is to use LCI data from multiple database sources but under the condition that such LCI data are fully interoperable. Results and discussion: This paper presents original solutions and recent achievements towards increased availability, quality and interoperability of life cycle inventory data, developed through European Commission-led activities and based on wide stakeholder consultation and international dialogue. An overview of related activities, such as the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD), the European Reference Life Cycle Database (ELCD) and the ILCD Entry-Level quality requirements are presented. The focus is then on the Life Cycle Data Network (LCDN). Conclusions: A non-centralised data network of LCI datasets complying with minimum quality requirements that was politically launched in February 2014, already includes several database nodes from different worldwide sources and has the potential to contribute to the needs of the international community

Rethinking the Area of Protection “Natural Resources” in Life Cycle Assessment

Life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) in classical life cycle assessment (LCA) aims at analyzing potential impacts of products and services typically on three so-called areas of protection (AoPs): Natural Environment, Human Health, and Natural Resources. This paper proposes an elaboration of the AoP Natural Resources. It starts with analyzing different perspectives on Natural Resources as they are somehow sandwiched in between the Natural Environment (their cradle) and the human-industrial environment (their application). Reflecting different viewpoints, five perspectives are developed with the suggestion to select three in function of classical LCA. They result in three safeguard subjects: the Asset of Natural Resources, their Provisioning Capacity, and their role in Global Functions. Whereas the Provisioning Capacity is fully in function of humans, the global functions go beyond provisioning as they include nonprovisioning functions for humans and regulating and maintenance services for the globe as a whole, following the ecosystem services framework. A fourth and fifth safeguard subject has been identified: recognizing the role Natural Resources for human welfare, either specifically as building block in supply chains of products and services as such, either with or without their functions beyond provisioning. But as these are far broader as they in principle should include characterization of mechanisms within the human industrial society, they are considered as subjects for an integrated sustainability assessment (LCSA: life cycle sustainability assessment), that is, incorporating social, economic and environmental issues

Recycling of electronic displays: Analysis of pre-processing and potential ecodesign improvements

This article analyses the current and future end-of-life management of electronic displays (flat screen televisions and monitors), and identifies and discusses possible ecodesign recommendations to improve it. Based on an investigation of the treatment of displays in two typical European recycling plants, key aspects and criticalities of the recycling methods (sorting, dismantling and pre-processing) are identified. Disaggregated data concerning on-site measurements of the time needed to manually dismantle different displays are presented. The article also discusses the potential evolution of end-of-life scenarios for electronic displays and suggests possible recommendations for recyclers, producers and policy-makers to promote resource efficiency in the recycling of such waste products. Data on time for dismantling the displays can be used to build measurers for voluntary and mandatory policies, to stimulate design innovations for products improvement, and to assess possible alternative treatments of the waste during the pre-processing at the recycling plants. Some quantitative product measures (based on the time thresholds for dismantling some key components) are also discussed, including an assessment of their economic viability. These measures can potentially be enforced through mandatory and voluntary European product policies, and could also be extended to other product groups.JRC.H.8-Sustainability Assessmen

Combining Five Criteria to Identify Relevant Products Measures for Resource Efficiency of an Energy Using Product

Product recovery at end-of-life (EoL), initially focusing on the reduction of residual (hazardous) waste, is currently being enlarged and now link with emerging issues such as “resource efficiency” and “use and management of Critical Raw Materials”. However, for many environmental aspects, product’s measures considered by current policies and industry practices are not always consistent, nor optimized. It can be concluded that there is currently no systematic and consistent integration of EoL and resource efficiency measures in product design practices and in product policies and this should be improved. The paper proposes a new integrated method to assess the resource efficiency performances of products and to derive relevant product’s measures for improvement. The assessment is based on five different criteria: reusability/recyclability/recoverability - RRR - (per mass and per environmental impacts); recycled content (per mass and per environmental impact); use and management of hazardous substances. The paper briefly describes the assessments methods proposed for each of these criteria. The methods are based on existing literature and technical documents, and have been adapted to this particular aim. The proposed method is presented and discussed on the basis of a Energy using Product (EuP) case-study: a LCD-TV.JRC.H.8-Sustainability Assessmen