Including biodiversity aspects in life cycle assessments - A case study of forest-based biofuel

Analysing the environmental impact connected to biofuels has lately become more important due to the European Commission’s energy and climate target for 2020. These targets includes among others, 20 % reduction of greenhouse emissions and 20 % energy efficiency. One important solution for achieving this climate target is to increase the renewable fuel sector. In order to decide which biofuels that are of importance to focus on for further development is to use a life cycle assessment (LCA) to analyse the different environmental impacts caused by the biofuels life cycle. Biodiversity and ecosystem services are environmental categories that recently have become more of interest to include in environmental analysis assessments such as life cycle assessments. Biodiversity involves the diversity of genes within species or ecosystem, diversity of species within ecosystems, and diversity among ecosystems with in an area. This underlies all ecological processes and therefore it is vital to be able to utilize ecosystem services. Including this concept in lifecycle assessments are very complicated and until recently few methodologies existed for enable this. The largest biodiversity losses have been found to be caused by land use changes and for this reason has this been the main focus for including biodiversity in LCA. The aim of this thesis is therefore to investigate if and how it is possible to include biodiversity aspects in LCA, if not- what is needed to enable this or are alternative methods necessary? This were answered by conducting a case study for forest based DME where two different methodologies were tested. From the literature and case study it was possible to draw some conclusions about the possibility for including biodiversity aspects in LCAs. First or all, most biodiversity indicators are based on species richness for a land use type compared to a reference. This is a very simplified measure of the whole biodiversity concept and may not say so much of the impact on the ecosystem by only analyse how many species that is lost in one taxonomic group as a proxy for the whole biodiversity. Moreover, it is very complicated to perform the calculations required for the characterizations factors. Against this background one can doubt how good this indicator is. What is needed is more research and data available to include more biodiversity indicators as well as more taxonomic groups and altered geographic locations in the characterization factors. In this way the current methodology be improved.Inkludera biodiversitet i livscykelanalyser - Hur fungerar det? Biodiversitet är ett begrepp som innefattar mångfalden av arter, ekosystem och gener. Ju större mångfald desto bättre. Hur kan man koppla mångfald i naturen till produktion av olika biodrivmedel och varför är detta viktigt? Att världens befolkning står för en stor utmaning att minska utsläppen av växthusgaser för att dämpa den globala uppvärmningen, är ett ämne som nog inte undgått någon de senaste decennierna. Växthusgaser släpps ut vid tillverkning av i princip alla produkter och en av de största klimatbovarna är transportsektorn. En övergång från fossila drivmedel till drivmedel tillverkade av förnyelsebara resurser (biodrivmedel) är därför en viktig del av att minska den globala uppvärmningen. För att försäkra oss om att rätt biodrivmedel satsas på, kan en livscykelanalys (LCA) användas för att beräkna biodrivmedlets miljöpåverkan under dess livscykel. Det vill säga hur stor miljöpåverkan produkten genererar från att man utvinner råmaterialet till att man återvinner produkten. Många olika typer av miljöpåverkanskategorier inkluderas i en LCA; växthusgaser, försurning, övergödning, energiåtgång bland annat, och under de senaste åren har behovet av att inkludera påverkan på biodiversitet blivit allt större. Biodiversitet är dock ett komplicerat begrepp som innefattar mångfald av gener, arter och ekosystem. Hur kan man mäta detta och vad säger det egentligen? I examensarbetet testas två olika metoder för möjliggöra denna inkludering. Då förändring av markanvändning, så som att gå från skog till åker, har visat sig vara den största orsaken till biodiversitetsförlust, fokuserar metoderna för att inkludera biodiversitet i LCA på detta. Med markanvändning menas den mark som utnyttjas för att tillverka produkten, det kan vara den area som krävs för produktionsanläggningen, eller/och den area som krävs för att utvinna råmaterialet. Detta görs genom att ta reda på vad för typ av mark som används samt vilken area det är och under hur lång tid. För att kunna relatera detta till inverkan på biodiversiteten behövs en karakteriseringsfaktor för aktiviteten, och det är just metoder för att beräkna karakteriseringsfaktorer som undersöks i studien. Den ena metoden som testas baseras på att mäta artantal av kärlväxter (örter, buskar och träd) för olika marktyper som relateras till en referens för att kunna utvärdera statusen på biodiversiteten för en viss markaktivitet. Finns det färre arter på en viss typ av mark i jämförelse till referensen indikerar detta en negativ inverkan på biodiversiteten. Denna metod visade sig vara känslig för vilken data man använde i beräkningarna. För att beräkningarna skall vara tillförlitliga måste samma datamängd användas i alla marktypsberäkningar, i annat fall kan resultaten bli väldigt motsägelsefulla. Den andra metoden som testades i studien var en metod som undersökte förutsättningarna för biodiversitet. Genom att titta på vad som är viktigt för biodiversiteten för en viss typ av mark och genom att titta på dessa parametrar, kan man beräkna statusen på biodiversiteten för en viss marktyp. För skogstypen i norra Sverige, som studien undersökte, visade sig mängden död ved vara en bra indikator för biodiversitet och avsaknaden av detta kan vara ett hot för biodiversiteten. Varför är det viktigt att inkludera biodiversitet i produkters livscykelanalyser? Eftersom alla produkter tillverkas av olika naturresurser är vi beroende av att dessa även kommer att finnas i framtiden. Detta beroende kallas ekosystemtjänster, det vill säga tjänster som naturen tillhandahåller oss människor. Detta kan då vara till exempel biomassa, som kan användas för att tillverka biodrivmedel, matgrödor, och rent vatten. För att dessa tjänster från naturen skall fungera krävs det att biodiversiteten bevaras. Om det då är möjligt att inkludera detta i en LCA, kan man kvantifiera vilka produkter som är hållbara ur biodiversitetssynvinkel, och på så vis lättare tillverka produkter som inte äventyrar framtida generationers leverne. Detta är en sammanfattning av examensarbetet ”Inkludering av biodiversitetsaspekter i livscykelanalyser – En fallstudie av skogsbaserat biodrivmedel” av Siri Willskytt (LTH 2015

Resource efficient products in a circular economy – The case of consumables. From environmental and resource assessment to design guidelines

The circular economy (CE) is a concept to challenge the unsustainable production, consumption, and waste management of products, through the recirculation of resources and products through various means while reducing environmental impact. Within this concept, many measures are recommended for reducing environmental impact and resource use. However, to ensure and verify whether a measure is leading to its intended outcome, environmental and resource assessment is necessary. \ua0This thesis aims to investigate which measures are resource efficient and identify for which products different measures are suitable and under what circumstances they lead to their intended outcomes. Based on this, design methods are developed to enable the design of more resource-efficient products. Finally, this thesis aims to investigate more specifically the measures that are suitable for consumable products, as these products have not been examined thoroughly in the circular economy literature as durable products.\ua0The aims of this research were met by investigating which resource-efficiency measures exist and are applicable to products with different characteristics. This was done through life cycle assessment studies of specific consumable products. Further, a synthesis study was carried out in which lifecycle-based assessment studies of different products and measures were analysed. This research concludes that depending on a product’s characteristics, some measures are more relevant than others. In addition, the analysis shows that many measures lead to trade-offs between different types of environmental impacts and resources uses, as well as between different life cycle phases. For these findings to be practically useful, they were subsequently translated into design guidelines expressed as a design tool. \ua0Finally, a literature review was conducted of general product design guidelines in the CE and ecodesign literature to compile and analyse to what extent the design guidelines are applicable to different types of consumables. Among other factors, this review shows that, on average, less than half of the recommendations found in the general product design guidelines are possible to apply to consumables. Further, the CE literature was found to provide fewer relevant design considerations than the ecodesign literature. This work also identifies what aspects make product-types specific design guidelines transferable to other consumables

Design of consumables in a resource-efficient economy - a literature review

Consumable products have received less attention in the circular economy (CE), particularly in regard to the design of resource-efficient products. This literature review investigates the extent to which existing design guidelines for resource-efficient products are applicable to consumables. This analysis is divided into two parts. The first investigates the extent to which general product-design guidelines (i.e., applicable to both durables and consumables) are applicable to consumables. This analysis also scrutinizes the type of recommendations presented by the ecodesign and circular product design, to investigate the novel aspects of the CE in product design. The second analysis examines the type of design considerations the literature on product-type specific design guidelines recommends for specific consumables and whether such guidelines are transferable. The analysis of general guidelines showed that, although guidelines are intended to be general and applicable to many types of products, their applicability to consumable products is limited. Less than half of their recommendations can be applied to consumables. The analysis also identified several design considerations that are transferable between product-specific design guidelines. This paper shows the importance of the life-cycle perspective in product design, to maximize the opportunities to improve consumables

How can consumables be made more resource efficient? Environmental and resource assessment of measures

The global population growth paired with increasing consumption per capita puts resource efficiency and sustainability on the political agenda. Consequently, the need for resource-efficient and sustainable products, including consumables, is expected to increase in the future. Strategies and measures for resource-efficient products are being developed, however, with less focus on consumables. This thesis aims to investigate how consumables can be made more resource efficient. The research was carried out in two parts. First, a life cycle assessment was carried out on a selected consumable, namely an incontinence product. The aim was to investigate the potential to improve the resource efficiency of incontinence products by assessing four different resource efficiency (RE) measures which could be applied within a short time frame using current technology. The measures included reduce losses in production, change material composition to a larger proportion of renewables, shift to a partly multiple-use product and improve the use of the product through customisation. The second part of this thesis focused on synthesising learnings from a number of assessment studies. The analysis was based on typologies formulated for mapping resource efficiency measures and product characteristics. This resulted in a number of findings detailing under which circumstances resource efficiency measures yield environmental and resource benefits, as well as when there are possible trade-offs. The assessment studies of consumables were selected for a more detailed analysis in this thesis. Based on the review of cases and the typology of RE measures, the following RE measures were found applicable to consumables: reduce losses in production, reduce material use in products, change material in product, use effectively, shift to multiple-use products, reduce use of auxiliary materials and energy, recycle, digest anaerobically or compost, recover energy, and landfill. These are more measures which could potentially be applied to consumables than commonly discussed in the circular economy literature. Moreover, the identified measures among the cases all showed potential to improve resource efficiency. For the measure shift to multiple-use product, it was important for the product to last enough times to outweigh the environmental impact from production. In addition, an efficient maintenance system using electricity with low fossil content was an important element for achieving RE. When changing the material in a product, a risk of burden shifting between environmental impact categories was identified. Moreover, the measures applied to the incontinence products were found to be widely combinable, which could ultimately lead to greater resource efficiency. Others findings were that some measures are interdependent and that many, if not most, are dependent on design

Resource efficiency of consumables – Life cycle assessment of incontinence products

Circular economy is presented as a sustainable alternative to the take-make-waste society. The discourse on circular economy emphasizes the role of durable products, while consumable products are less in focus, although resources efficiency is needed for all types of products. This paper aims to contribute knowledge on resource efficient measures that are possible to implement for consumables and to evaluate their resource efficiency potential by means of a case study on incontinence products using life cycle assessment. Four possible measures were identified that can be implemented at different stages of the value-chain, to increase their resource efficiency. The study was delimited to measures possible to implement using current technology. The measures were: recycling of waste generated in production, increasing the share of bio-based material in the product, shifting to a partly reusable product system and more effective use of products through customization to user\u27s needs. Effective use of products through customization led to at least 20% decrease in environmental impact with no trade-offs between studied impact categories. However, when looking at global warming potential only, the partly reusable product system was found to decrease environmental impact with more than 50% compared to a corresponding disposable product. Moreover, many resource efficient measures were identified as being possible to implement for consumables, and in the case of incontinence products a combination of measures was possible

A design navigator to guide the transition towards environmentally benign product/service systems based on LCA results

With rising societal demands for a transition towards a circular economy and intensifying market competition, manufacturing companies are increasingly seeking alternative ways to design and develop their industrial offerings with reduced environmental impacts and increased value. A possible solution lies in designing environmentally benign product/service systems (PSSs), which often requires the redesign of existing offerings in industrial practice. This article presents a design navigator named lifecycle-oriented function deployment (LFD), which builds on the widely utilized life cycle assessment (LCA) and quality function deployment (QFD) to support the redesign of existing industrial offerings towards PSSs with reduced environmental impacts. LFD includes a novel procedure to derive environmental requirements using LCA and to prioritize them along with customer requirements. It introduces a list of generic service design characteristics to support service design. It also contains a QFD-based procedure to identify design parameters (characteristics and components for both products and services) that have a relatively strong influence on the prioritized requirements. Further, a novel way is proposed to capture specific product and service design characteristics that are feasible to integrate and potentially have a rather strong influence on the requirements when combined. LFD is subsequently applied in a case study to conceptually redesign an existing offering in a manufacturing company. The application is then assessed using an LCA and a semi-structured interview with the users of LFD. The LCA results indicate significant reductions in environmental impacts of the redesigned concepts, and the interview revealed benefits for the practitioners who used LFD

How product characteristics can guide measures for resource efficiency - A synthesis of assessment studies

A circular economy aims at decoupling value creation from resource throughput. For circular economy to contribute to environmental and resource improvements, there is need for critical assessments regarding in what general situations, beyond individual cases, solutions may lead to improvements. On the product-level, there is need for synthesized knowledge accounting for a wide range of contexts and environmental impacts. We investigate what resource efficiency (RE) measures result in reduced physical flows and environmental impacts, depending on the characteristics of products and their life cycles. The study is limited to physical measures on a product system level, irrespective of manner of implementation. A library of comparative assessments (primarily life cycle assessments and material flow analyses) was built, covering a wide range of products and RE measures. A framework was formulated for analysing for which product characteristics a measure tends to improve RE, and under which contexts there are trade-offs to take into account. For example, sharing of products is best suited for durable and infrequently used products that tend not to reach their full technical lifetime. A trade-off is that sharing can increase transportation for accessing shared stock. The identified key product characteristics were: whether products are consumable or durable, active or passive, typically used for their full technical lifetimes or discarded before being worn out, the product’s frequency of use and whether function remains at a product’s end of use. Pace of development matters for suitability of measures for active, durable products, while complexity is relevant for restorative measures and recycling

What circular economy measures fit what kind of product?

This chapter provides guidelines onmeasuresfor resource efficiency (RE) for products with different characteristics. The guidelines target product chain actors, producers and their designers, users and post use actors and are useful also to policy makers and business models developers.They are based on a life-cycle based typology for RE measures, distinguishing what measures may be undertaken in different life cycle phases, extraction and production, use and post use. Product characteristics is argued to be an appropriate basis for identification of RE strategies. For the use phase, it matters whether products are durable or consumable. Durable products are further divided into those using energy and/or auxiliary material during use and those that do not. Characteristics of importance for consumable products are whether they are disposable orused in a dissipative manner. Post use measures depend primarily on material properties while measures in the production phase are largely independent of product characteristics

Design of Consumables in a Resource-Efficient Economy—A Literature Review

Consumable products have received less attention in the circular economy (CE), particularly in regard to the design of resource-efficient products. This literature review investigates the extent to which existing design guidelines for resource-efficient products are applicable to consumables. This analysis is divided into two parts. The first investigates the extent to which general product-design guidelines (i.e., applicable to both durables and consumables) are applicable to consumables. This analysis also scrutinizes the type of recommendations presented by the ecodesign and circular product design, to investigate the novel aspects of the CE in product design. The second analysis examines the type of design considerations the literature on product-type specific design guidelines recommends for specific consumables and whether such guidelines are transferable. The analysis of general guidelines showed that, although guidelines are intended to be general and applicable to many types of products, their applicability to consumable products is limited. Less than half of their recommendations can be applied to consumables. The analysis also identified several design considerations that are transferable between product-specific design guidelines. This paper shows the importance of the life-cycle perspective in product design, to maximize the opportunities to improve consumables