Sustainability Assessment of current and recommended methods : TECH4EFFECT project report

The TECH4EFFECT project (http://www.tech4effect.eu/), funded by the "Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program", is an international research collaboration of 20 partners from science and industry. The objective of the project is to enhance efficient wood production, by adapting the management of European forests to the requirements of a modern bioeconomy, and to meet new challenges such as climate change. Data and knowledge- based management will enable more efficient silviculture and harvesting, but also reduction of soil and environmental impact from forest operations with the TECH4EFFECT benchmarking system. Within the Tech4Effect project, the baseline reference of current and most common wood value chain practices in major EU regions (Northern, Central, Southern, Eastern EU) from stand regeneration to timber at road side was defined, building on the processes and supply chains gathered in Work Package (WP)5.This was done in a process-based approach, integrating the silvicultural and operational practices with current volumes of growing stock and fellings, calculating material flows along those wood value chains and quantifying via a set of indicators their environmental, social and economic performance. In a second step, the TECH4EFFECT scenarios of increased wood mobilization (link to WP2) and improved efficiency (link to WP3) was compared against the baseline. The analysis focused on the study cases analysed in WP2, WP3 & WP4, using the Tool for Sustainability Impact Assessment ToSIA (Lindner et al., 2010). The analysis of the environmental wood chain performance considered greenhouse gas emissions (consistent with LCA methodology), energy use, and soil impact indicators. Social impacts were studied in terms of employment effects and occupational safety. The economic performance of the alternative wood value chains was analysed with cost-benefit analysis. Indicators as well as data needs for calculating these pan-European indicator values was harmonised in close cooperation with WP5. This deliverable report consists of bottom-up upscaling from work studies and case studies to national level for selected representative countries, as well as top-down assessments at EU level and disaggregated impacts for four regions: Northern EU (NEU), Southern EU (SEU), Eastern EU (EEU) and Central EU (CEU). These impacts have been cross referenced to the Tech4Effect goals: Efficiency goals of 20% reduced production costs, 15% reductions in fuel consumptions, less environmental impacts (soil damage) and 2% increased forest (yield) productivity. These goals are discussed per impact category and technological solution. In addition, digitalisation and biofuels are assessed and discussed as options to mobilise timber at reduced environmental impact

Consumer perceptions of new wood-based products

Combatting current, global environmental challenges such as climate change requires transition from fossil-based economy towards environmentally, economically and socially sustainable bioeconomy. Wood has proven to be a versatile and readily available material that is renewable and able to substitute for non-renewable, fossil-based, environmentally harmful materials. Wood has multiple traditional applications but it is also a potential material to many emerging products, such as textiles and chemicals. This paper discusses consumer perceptions of new wood-based products in four different product categories: textiles, multi-story construction, chemicals, and packaging. Product attributes affecting purchase decisions and consumer attitudes towards new wood-based products were examined by an online survey that yielded 235 responses. The results of the study show that consumers are interested in new wood-based products in all product categories, especially in packaging, and majority of them would choose a wood-based product over a conventional alternative. Wooden multi-story construction divides opinions most. The main attribute that affects consumer purchase decisions, according to the consumers themselves, is quality, while others (such as price and environmental friendliness) are less important. Consumer view new wood-based products as safe and environmentally friendly, but also expensive and not easily available. It is clear that the general attitudes towards wood-based products are positive but more knowledge and information is still needed. Many consumers are unaware of the actual potential and characteristics of new wood-based products. In order to improve the market share of new wood-based products, the focus needs to be on developing products that can compete with conventional alternatives in terms of especially quality and availability, but also price

Luonnontuotealan hanketoiminta 2015–2018

Luonnontuotealan kehittämistyön aihealueiden, tulosten ja vaikuttavuuden tarkastelemiseksi alaan liittyvistä hankkeista koottiin tietoa eri lähteistä. Hankkeiden toimenpiteitä ja tuloksia peilattiin Luonnontuotteet monipuolistuvissa arvoverkoissa – luonnontuotealan toimintaohjelma 2020 -raporttiin, jossa on määritelty luonnontuotealan keskeiset painoalat, tulevaisuuden tavoitteet ja tarvittavat toimenpiteet niiden saavuttamiseksi. Luonnontuotealan kehittämistyön koordinointiin ja tukemiseen keskittyneen Luonnontuotteet monipuolistuvissa arvoverkoissa (LUMOA) -koordinaatiohankkeen aikana vuosina 2015–2018 toiminnassa oli 73 teemaan liittyvää hanketta. Hankkeista 49 keskittyi kehittämiseen, 24 tiedonvälitykseen, 20 tutkimukseen ja 10 koulutukseen. Osalle hankkeista oli määritelty useampi kuin yksi toimintamuoto. Tietoja näistä tunnistetuista luonnontuotealan hankkeista koottiin LUMOA-hankkeen ja Suomen luontoyrittäjyysverkosto ry:n aitoluonto.fi -verkkosivujen rekisteriin. Yksinomaan tutkimusta sisältäneitä hankkeita tai yritysten investointihankkeita ei tarkasteltu tässä yhteydessä. Luonnontuotealan hankkeita toteutettiin monipuolisesti eri puolilla Suomea. Erityisesti Lapissa, Pohjois-Pohjanmaalla ja Kainuussa oli käynnissä runsaasti hankkeita. Valtakunnallisia hankkeita tunnistettiin kolmetoista ja kansainvälisiä hankkeita neljä. Suomen maakunnista ainoastaan Pohjois-Savossa ei ollut käynnissä luonnontuotealan hanketoimintaa, muissa Manner-Suomen maakunnissa toteutettiin vähintään yksi luonnontuotealaan liittyvä hanke. Hankkeiden yhteenlaskettu kokonaiskustannusarvio oli yli 23 miljoonaa euroa, josta noin 7,3 miljoonaa muodostui kansainvälisen StarTree-hankkeen kustannuksista. Hankkeiden päärahoittajina toimivat Manner-Suomen maaseudun kehittämisohjelma sekä ELY-keskusten (28 hanketta, 5 663 415 €) että Leader-yhdistysten (16 hanketta, 1 412 654 €) kautta, Euroopan aluekehitysrahasto (14 hanketta, 5 563 654 €) ja kansainväliset rahoitusohjelmat (neljä hanketta). Yhdentoista hankkeen päärahoittajana oli muu kuin edellä mainittu taho, esimerkiksi maa- ja metsätalousministeriö tai Alueelliset innovaatiot ja kokeilut (AIKO) -rahoitus. LUMOA-hankkeen yhtenä tavoitteena oli toimeenpanna Luonnontuotealan toimintaohjelmaa 2020, jossa määritellään luonnontuotealan kehittämisen neljä keskeisintä painoalaa: 1) raaka-ainetuotannon kehittyminen; 2) jalostusarvoa lisäävä tuotekehitys; 3) lisäarvon tuottaminen matkailu- ja hyvinvointipalveluihin ja 4) tutkimuksen, teknologian ja osaamisen kehittäminen. Toteutetuissa hankkeissa tartuttiin näihin painoaloihin ja niihin liittyviin toimenpiteisiin monipuolisesti. Yleisimmin hankkeissa keskityttiin kestävän, markkinavetoisen raaka-ainetuotannon kehittämiseen ja/tai tutkimuksen, teknologian ja osaamisen lisäämiseen. Hankkeissa muun muassa parannettiin resurssitehokkuutta sivuvirtoja hyödyntämällä, kehitettiin keruu- ja viljelymenetelmiä, lisättiin alan koulutusta ja vahvistettiin yhteistyötä eri toimijoiden välillä. Innovatiiviseen ja jalostusarvoa lisäävään tuotekehitykseen liittyi noin kolmasosa hankkeista, joissa pyrittiin esimerkiksi kehittämään erikoistuotteita ja teknologiaa, selvittämään luonnontuotteiden arvoaineiden ominaisuuksia ja käyttömahdollisuuksia sekä edistämään yritysten kansainvälistymistä. Pienempi määrä hankkeita liittyi matkailu- ja hyvinvointipalveluihin, mutta nämä hankkeet onnistuivat tarttumaan luonnontuotealan toimintaohjelmassa määriteltyihin toimenpiteisiin hyvin. Aktiivisesta hanketoiminnasta huolimatta luonnontuotealaa tulee kehittää edelleen. Alan haasteisiin lukeutuvat muun muassa hajallaan olevat toimijat, hankaluudet raaka-aineiden saatavuudessa ja nykyinen suomalainen ruoka- ja toimintakulttuuri, jossa kaikkien luonnontuotteiden potentiaalia ja arvoa muiden metsänkäyttömuotojen ohella ei vielä tunnisteta. Tutkimustietoa tarvitaan lisää esimerkiksi luonnontuotteiden arvoaineista, vaikuttavuudesta, viljelymenetelmistä, turvallisuudesta ja käsittelystä. Yhteistyötä, kansainvälisiä tutkimusyhteyksiä ja osaamista tulee lisätä ja kehittää. Uusia, konkreettisia hankkeita tarvitaan viennin ja myynnin edistämiseksi sekä tuotteiden, palvelujen ja prosessien kehittämiseksi

The carbon footprint of a knowledge organization and emission scenarios for a post-COVID-19 world

The looming climate crisis requires an immediate response, in which organizations, as major contributors, should play a central role. However, these organizations need appropriate tools to measure and mitigate their climate impacts. One commonly applied method is carbon footprint analysis. Carbon footprint analyses have been conducted for various types of organizations, but knowledge organizations, such as universities and research institutes, have received far less attention, because their carbon footprint is often less visible and can be easily underestimated. This study is based on the carbon footprint analysis of one multinational knowledge organization. This analysis then helped identify the major sources of climate impacts in other such knowledge organizations. These are mainly indirect emissions (Scope 3) and to a large extent (79%) travel-related emissions. Based on these findings, three scenarios for a post-COVID-19 world were developed and analyzed. The results from the first two scenarios showed that despite a reduction in business travel and employees working from home, Scope 3 and travel-related emissions would remain the largest contributor. Only in the unlikely case of the third, non-recovery scenario did the share of travel-related emissions drop, turning heating into the largest contributor. In addition to measuring the carbon footprint, the study discusses potential mitigation strategies knowledge organizations could apply to reduce their carbon footprint. The focus is on how to avoid and reduce emissions, but new forms of carbon offsetting are also addressed. Based on the findings, a mitigation policy framework and recommendations for further research are proposed.peerReviewe

Exploring 2040 : Global Trends and International Policies Setting Frames for the Finnish Wood-Based Economy

Global trends influence the approaches and mindset for using natural resources and technological capacities. Participatory scenario methods have proven useful in long-term foresight. However, country-level foresight studies often ignore the broader trends affecting international markets and setting frames for economic development. This study envisions which global trends could occur and how the resulting European policies might affect the Finnish forest sector’s development in 2040. We applied a Futures Wheel approach, where stakeholder groups consisting of policy-, economic- and social sustainability-, technology-, and climate sustainability -experts in the field of forestry and interlinking industries created three future scenarios in a workshop: (1) biodiversity and regulated economy, (2) circular economy, and (3) era of social connection. The scenarios assumed growing resource scarcity as a result of climate change, as well as over-consumption and increasing inequality problems globally. Thus, European-level policies focused on the circular economy and resource-use restrictions. Finnish industries should invest in wood-based side stream and waste utilization to increase added value and decrease virgin wood uses to succeed in these scenarios. However, this would require investments in non-wood energy sources to release these secondary wood flows from energy uses.peerReviewe

Targeting net climate benefits by wood utilization in Finland : Participatory backcasting combined with quantitative scenario exploration

Highlights • Wood-based substitution benefits are likely to decrease over time • Carbon residence has more importance in the future as an indicator • Energy use of wood should be reduced to increase climate benefits • Global agreement is needed to fund clean technologies and reduce fossil onesTo obtain net climate benefits from intensified forest utilization in the short-term, the substitution impact of wood harvesting and increased carbon stocks of wood-based products should be higher than the forest carbon stock loss. However, the product specific substitution impacts change dynamically over time along with technological development, and long-term climate change mitigation strategies need to consider this, as well as the market forces. We identified future pathways enabling globally market viable environments for wood utilization scenarios in Finland resulting in net climate benefits in 2050. We I) indicated substitution impacts in 2050 applying future-oriented parameter modification based on LCA, and developed quantitative target scenarios by altering wood-based product portfolios to achieve required substitution, and II) identified pathways enabling scenarios by applying participatory backcasting. In the scenarios, a major shift from primary energy use to high added-value products including textiles, chemicals, composites and advanced biofuels, or long-lifetime construction products was needed and more lifecycles for wood products by recycling were required. The actions enabling market viable environment focused on the global level policies and consumer perceptions, while actions locally were limited and current production technology development oriented. We recommend multi-target backcasting together with LCA to analyse more synergies and trade-offs