Enterprise Liability, Public and Private

In Sweden, where forests cover more than 60% of the land area, silviculture and the use of forest products by industry and society play crucial roles in the national carbon balance. A scientific challenge is to understand how different forest management and wood use strategies can best contribute to climate change mitigation benefits. This study uses a set of models to analyze the effects of different forest management and wood use strategies in Sweden on carbon dioxide emissions and removals through 2105. If the present Swedish forest use strategy is continued, the long-term climate change mitigation benefit will correspond to more than 60 million tons of avoided or reduced emissions of carbon dioxide annually, compared to a scenario with similar consumption patterns in society but where non-renewable products are used instead of forest-based products. On average about 470 kg of carbon dioxide emissions are avoided for each cubic meter of biomass harvested, after accounting for carbon stock changes, substitution effects and all emissions related to forest management and industrial processes. Due to Sweden’s large export share of forest-based products, the climate change mitigation effect of Swedish forestry is larger abroad than within the country. The study also shows that silvicultural methods to increase forest biomass production can further reduce net carbon dioxide emissions by an additional 40 million tons of per year. Forestry’s contribution to climate change mitigation could be significantly increased if management of the boreal forest were oriented towards increased biomass production and if more wood were used to substitute fossil fuels and energy-intensive materials

Dynamic Substance Flow Analysis as a Valuable Risk Evaluation Tool – A Case Study for Brominated Flame Retardants as an Example of Potential Endocrine Disrupters

Most studies of potentially hazardous substances focus on aspects of their occurrence and fate in the environment (monitoring and modelling studies) to estimate the environmental impact and the potential exposure of humans. In order to evaluate emission sources, to recognise environmental impacts at an early stage, and to take efficient legislative or technical measures, it is essential to know their behaviour in the anthroposphere as a function of time. So far, only very few investigations of this type exist for chemicals. In regular risk assessments, only rather limited knowledge is available concerning the behaviour of chemicals in the anthroposphere (production data, substance quantities in products, recycling rates, emissions occurring during use, etc.) or their lifecycle, and no information at all about their behaviour as a function of time. For this reason, it is these aspects that were investigated in a case study within the framework of the national research programme NRP50 for selected brominated flame retardants with endocrine-disrupting potential (pentabromodiphenyl ether, hexabromocyclododecane) or the potential to degrade to such substances (decabromodiphenyl ether). A dynamic substance flow analysis (SFA) model was performed for Switzerland for the time period 1980–2020. In this review paper (a) we present a summary of typical results (system overview, consumption trends/application patterns, anthropogenic stocks and their changes, emission trends including major sources and environmental fate), (b) we summarize the effectiveness of recent risk-reduction measures in Switzerland and (c) we indicate serious remaining data gaps and recommend further important measures for risk reduction. For the future, we suggest improving the knowledge of the lifecycle of chemicals such as brominated flame retardants by applying SFA as a suitable tool to weight the effect of substance flows with respect to environmental emissions, and to serve as the basis for planning actions and measures to reduce such emissions. This is in line with one major conclusion of the NRP50 consensus platform 'Brominated Flame Retardants'

Carbon pool and substitution effects of an increased use of wood in buildings in Switzerland: first estimates

Long-living wood products can contribute to the mitigation of climate change in many ways. On the one hand, they act as a carbon pool during their service life, as they withdraw CO2 from its natural cycle. After their service life, they can substitute for fossil fuels if they are incinerated in adequate furnaces. On the other hand, wood products can substitute for more energy intense products made of ‘conventional’ materials. This paper quantifies the substitution and carbon pool effects of an increased use of wood in the building sector in Switzerland for the years 2000–2130. For this purpose, life cycle data on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 12 wood products and their substitutes is used as proxies for the most important groups of building products used in construction and in interior works; this data is linked to the forecasted wood flows for each group of building products in a cohort-model. For the political assessment, GHG effects occurring abroad are distinguished from GHG effects occurring in Switzerland. The results show that the C-pool effect of an increased use of wood products with long service life is of minor importance; the substitution effects associated with the thermal use of industrial and post-consumer waste wood as well as with the substitution of ‘conventional’ materials are much more relevant, especially on a long-term. For construction materials, the Swiss share of the GHG effect related to the material substitution is relatively high, as mainly nationally produced concrete, mineral wool, and bricks are substituted for. For products used in interior works, the Swiss share of the GHG effect related to the material substitution is rather small (or even negative for single products) because mainly imports are substituted, such as ceramic tiles or steel produced in the EU. The results are rough estimates. Nonetheless, these calculations show that an increased use of wood in the building sector is a valid and valuable option for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and for reaching GHG emission targets on a mid- to long-term basis. Still, the carbon storage and substitution capacity of an increased use of wood is relatively small compared to the overall greenhouse gas emissions of Switzerland.Effets de puits de carbone et de substitution par l’utilisation augmentée de bois dans les bâtiments en Suisse. Les produits en bois avec une longue durée de vie en service peuvent contribuer de manière diverse à la diminution des émissions de gaz à effet de serre. D’une part, ils forment un puits de carbone issu du CO2 retiré de l’atmosphère par l’arbre au cours de sa croissance. Après leur utilisation, ils peuvent se substituer aux combustibles fossiles s’ils sont incinérés dans des chaudières adéquates. D’autre part, le matériau bois peuvent se substituer à des matériaux « conventionnels » plus coûteux en énergie. Cet article quantifie les effets de la substitution et de puits de carbone qui résultent d’une utilisation augmentée de bois dans les bâtiments en Suisse de 2000 à 2130. Dans ce but, les valeurs de rejets de gaz à effet de serre de 12 produits de bois et de ses substituts sont utilisées comme approximations pour les ensembles de produits de construction et d’aménagement les plus importants. Ces valeurs sont combinées avec une prévision des flux de chaque ensemble de produits dans un modèle de cohortes. Pour l’évaluation politique des résultats, les émissions des gaz à effet de serre en Suisse sont distinguées des émissions à l’étranger. Les résultats indiquent que l’effet de puits d’une plus grande utilisation de bois à durée de vie longue est d’une moindre importance; les effets de substitution associés à la valorisation énergétique des déchets de bois industriel et des produits en fin de vie ainsi que les effets de substitution de matériaux « conventionnels » sont beaucoup plus significatifs, particulièrement dans une perspective à long terme. Concernant les produits de construction, les effets de substitution de matériaux sont relativement importants en Suisse, parce que dans la majorité des cas, se son les éléments construits en Suisse en béton ou en briques qui sont remplacés. En ce que concerne l’aménagement, les effets de substitution de matériaux en Suisse sont relativement petits (ou même négatif dans certains cas), parce que dans la majorité des cas, ce son des produits importés qui sont remplacés, par exemple des carreaux de céramique ou des éléments en acier fabriqués dans la CE. Les résultats de ces calculs doivent être considérés comme estimations. Cependant, ces calculs montrent qu’une plus grande utilisation de bois dans les bâtiments est une option valable visant à diminuer les émissions de gaz à effet de serre à moyen et long terme. Mais la capacité de puits et de substitution d’une utilisation augmentée de bois est relativement petite, si on la compare avec le total des rejets de gaz à effet de serre en Suisse