Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats analysis of carbon footprint indicator and derived recommendations

ABSTRACT: Demand for a low carbon footprint may be a key factor in stimulating innovation, while prompting politicians to promote sustainable consumption. However, the variety of methodological approaches and techniques used to quantify life-cycle emissions prevents their successful and widespread implementation. This study aims to offer recommendations for researchers, policymakers and practitioners seeking to achieve a more consistent approach for carbon footprint analysis. This assessment is made on the basis of a comprehensive Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats or SWOT Analysis of the carbon footprint indicator. It is carried out bringing together the collective experience from the Carbonfeel Project following the Delphi technique principles. The results include the detailed SWOT Analysis from which specific recommendations to cope with the threats and the weaknesses are identified. In particular, results highlight the importance of the integrated approach to combine organizational and product carbon footprinting in order to achieve a more standardized and consistent approach. These recommendations can therefore serve to pave the way for the development of new, specific and highly-detailed guidelines

Sustainable design of biorefinery processes: existing practices and new methodology

Nowadays, eco-designing products is increasingly practiced. The next challenge for sustain- ability is to optimize production processes. Biorefi neries are particularly concerned with this improve- ment, because they use renewable resources. To identify the contribution of transformation processes to the overall environmental impacts, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) appears as the adequate method. A literature review highlights that LCA is mainly performed on biorefi neries to compare biomass feed- stocks between them and to a fossil reference. Another part of environmental LCA compares the impacts of different processing routes. Nevertheless, these evaluations concern already designed pro- cesses. Generally, processes are considered as a unique operation in assessments. However, some criteria like operating can notably modify environmental burdens. The eco-design of biorefi nery pro- cesses can be guided by coupling process simulation to LCA. This method has been emerging in the chemical sector in recent years. Consequently, this paper proposes a new methodological approach to assessing the complete sustainability of biorefi nery processes, since its fi rst design stages. In addi- tion to coupling process simulation and environmental LCA, the other pillars of sustainability will be assessed. Indeed, Life Cycle Costing and Social Life Cycle Assessment can be performed to obtain an integrated methodological framework. The simultaneous optimization of the environmental, economic, and social performances of the process can lead to antagonist ways of improving. Consequently, compromises should be realized. Thereby, the multi-objective optimization can be accomplished by a metaheuristic method supported by a decision-making tool. Finally, the main limits of this method and some perspectives and ways for improving are discussed

Transposing lessons between different forms of consequential greenhouse gas accounting: lessons for consequential life cycle assessment, project-level accounting, and policy-level accounting

AbstractGreenhouse gas accounting has developed in a number of semi-isolated fields of practice and there appears to be considerable opportunity for transposing methodological innovations and lessons between these different fields. This research paper identifies three consequential forms of greenhouse gas accounting: consequential life cycle assessment; project-level accounting; and policy-level accounting. These methods are described in detail and then compared in order to identify the key methodological differences and the potential lessons that can be transposed between them. Analysis of the substantive methodological differences suggests that consequential life cycle assessment could be enhanced by adopting the same structure used in project and policy-level accounting, which provides a time-series of impacts, aggregate level analysis, and a transparent specification of the baseline and decision scenarios. There is a case for conceptualising a unified form of consequential time-series assessment, of which project, policy and product assessments would be sub-types

A compilation of Europe-wide databases from published measurements of PCBs, Dioxins and Furans

Chemical risk assessment always entails an evaluation of expected environmental concentrations of substances; these concentrations may be predicted using mathematical models or may be chosen on the basis of experimental observations and monitoring activities. The work discusses the usefulness and limitations in building compilations of published monitoring data by describing a feasibility study on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-pdioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), for which observed concentration data were retrieved from scientific journal articles published between 2000 and 2009. These chemicals are typical POPs and are of constantly high concern for their potential adverse effects on human health and ecosystems. PCBs were mainly used by the power industry in electrical transformers, capacitors, hydraulic equipment, and as lubricants. PCDD/Fs are formed as unintentional by-products of chemical manufacturing and incineration processes, as well as natural processes such as volcanic eruptions, and biomass burning. Emissions from incineration of industrial wastes such as metal reclamation and domestic heating (especially in central Europe) are considered as current sources of PCDD/Fs to the environment. A database of published observed concentrations of PCBs and PCDD/Fs in air, soil sediments and water was built as described in details in the report. As continental scale assessment is aimed more at the evaluation of the regional distribution of contamination, we excluded from the database those measurements taken close to known PCB or PCCD/F pollution sources of exceptional entity such as waste incinerators or contaminated sites. After presenting and interpreting the results of the literature search, we critically examine the completeness and usability of this information, and the usefulness of data compilations in the framework of chemical risk assessmen

EUR - Scientific and Technical Research Series

The present (third edition) of “Research at the JRC in Support of EU Climate Change Policy Making” provides overview of the Joint Research Centre research activities in support of EU climate change policy making. This document also presents activities, coordinated within the JRC’s Climate Change Priority Area, that will contribute to a sound foundation of scientific information for future policy actions