The Automobile Industry & Sustainability

This paper summarises the contributions made to the special issue on The automobile Industry & Sustainability. Taking a life-cycle perspective, the contributions are allocated into the automotive life-cycle phases of design, manufacture (and supply chain management), use, and disposal or ‘end of life vehicle’ management. The contributions are also set into the broader context of research into the global automotive industry, and the economic, social and environmental pressures confronting the industry. In doing so, this introductory paper provides a brief assessment of the ways in which the papers in the special issue have furthered our understanding of the difficulty in achieving a sustainable automotive industry, and some of the measures that might be taken as progress towards that difficult goal.     

Expert views on environmental impacts and their measurementin the forest industry

The paper argues that corporate environmental management should be based on significant environmental aspects that result in significant environmental impacts. The Finnish forest industry has substantially reduced its emissions but, being heavy industry, it still causes significant environmental impacts. This paper presents expert views on environmental impacts and their measurement. They were gathered through semi-structured theme interviews. The most frequently mentioned environmental impacts and significant environmental impacts related to water, energy and air. Positive environmental impacts resulted from recycling, forest industry products and use of energy. Traditional emission measurement was considered a well-measured issue. The target subjects of the measurement and especially environmental impact measurement require improvement. The contribution of this research is concerned with the development of measurement and two issues arising from the research are emphasised. First, environmental impact measurement should be further developed. Second, the measurement of the production chain that is physically outside the boundaries of forest industry mills should also be developed.     

Applying 3DCE to environmentally responsible manufacturing practices

A review of recent literature in the fields of operations, supply chain, and management indicates there is on-going interest in improving new product development (NPD) performance. Three-dimensional concurrent engineering (3DCE), the simultaneous design of product, process and supply chain have been proposed as a way to improve traditional NPD outcomes, such as reduced time to market, lower costs, and improved customer acceptance. There appears to be a lesser concern associated with the environmental impacts of new products. Environmentally responsible manufacturing (ERM) on new product development focuses on reduced emissions, hazardous materials elimination, and lower product weight without sacrificing functionality. This paper explores the following issue: will employing 3DCE to integrate NPD and ERM yield better benefits than the separate and uncoordinated application of environmental goals and NPD initiatives?     

An inter-sectoral comparison of green supply chain management in China: Drivers and practices

The issue of green supply chain management (GSCM) has received increased attention in recent years among manufacturing practice and research. Yet, the corporate and environmental manufacturing issues in developing countries have not been as well investigated. This paper compares drivers and practices of GSCM in one developing country, China, focusing on three typical sectors, the automobile industry, the thermal power plants and the electronic/electrical industry. We sought to determine where the differences occur and which industries are further along. This study indicates that Chinese companies in different industries have differing drivers and practices. We tend to confirm that globalization and China's entry into the world trade organization have helped promote GSCM practices in manufacturing enterprises.     

Incorporating sustainability into supply management in the automotive industry – the case of the Volkswagen AG

Companies are perceived as important actors in the drive for sustainability. Linked to this, and in response to increasing demands from various stakeholder groups, companies start to look at their supply chain to enhance their overall sustainability profile. Two major triggers can be identified: (1) focal companies are held responsible for environmental and social problems caused by their suppliers, which become more and more important as (2) an increasing share of value is created at the supplier level. In response to such demands, companies have to find ways to incorporate environmental and social aspects into their supply (chain) management. Therefore, environmental and social standards are integrated into supply management by amending the purchasing processes. This paper presents one approach to integrate social and environmental standards into supply policy and supply management at the Volkswagen AG, a focal company of the automobile industry. Therefore, required changes of the sourcing and supply structures were identified during an action research project, and possible options adaptable for company internal integration are shown.     

区域能源利用的碳足迹及其对生态经济影响分析

运用碳排放足迹的相关含义以及研究方法估算了2004-2008年江苏省能源利用的总碳排放、总碳足迹、碳足迹的产值与强度以及生态压力。提出了相应的管理策略。研究结果表明：总碳排放从2004年的41793．07万t上升到2008年的64750．84万t,一直呈现上升的趋势;总碳足迹由2004年的0．87hm^2／人上升到2008年的1．30hm^2／人,呈现上升的趋势;煤炭利用的碳足迹最大,石油次之,天然气与煤气所占比例较小;碳足迹产值从2004年的2．33万元／hm^2增加到2008年2．66万元／hm^2,碳足迹生态压力从2004年的193．77上升到2008年的307．64。     

Vulnerability of exporting nations to the development of a carbon label in the United Kingdom

Carbon labels inform consumers about the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) released during the production and consumption of goods, including food. In the future consumer and legislative responses to carbon labels may favour goods with lower emissions, and thereby change established supply chains. This may have unintended consequences.We present the carbon footprint of three horticultural goods of different origins supplied to the United Kingdom market: lettuce, broccoli and green beans. Analysis of these footprints enables the characterisation of three different classes of vulnerability which are related to: transport, national economy and supply chain specifics.There is no simple relationship between the characteristics of an exporting country and its vulnerability to the introduction of a carbon label. Geographically distant developing countries with a high level of substitutable exports to the UK are most vulnerable. However, many developing countries have low vulnerability as their main exports are tropical crops which would be hard to substitute with local produce.In the short term it is unlikely that consumers will respond to carbon labels in such a way that will have major impacts in the horticultural sector. Labels which require contractual reductions in GHG emissions may have greater impacts in the short term.     

废旧三元锂离子电池回收利用碳足迹

公路运输是我国交通运输领域主要温室气体排放源,新能源汽车行业作为实现交通运输领域“双碳”目标的重要抓手,未来面临大批动力电池报废情况,为量化评估废旧锂电池回收利用行业产生的碳减排效益,从生命周期角度构建废旧三元锂电池回收利用碳足迹核算模型,通过优化电力结构和运输结构,对废旧锂电池回收利用的碳减排潜力作预测评估,此外,使用误差传播方程进行不确定性分析保证碳足迹结果的可靠有效.结果表明,当前中国企业使用湿法技术回收1 kg废旧三元锂电池的碳足迹为-2760.90 g（定向循环工艺）和-3752.78 g（循环再造工艺）,碳足迹的不确定性分别为16 %（定向循环工艺）和15 %（循环再造工艺）.从碳排放贡献率分析,再生产品阶段是废旧三元锂电池湿法回收利用减碳首要贡献来源,电池获取、拆解和末端处置阶段是增碳主要来源.相比于优化运输结构,通过优化电力结构,可有效实现更大的碳减排潜力,协同优化情景下,相比于优化前可实现14 %~19 %的碳减排,与原生产品相比定向循环工艺和循环再造工艺分别可实现9 %和11 %的减排潜力.     

国际标准差异对产品碳足迹核算的影响分析——以胶版印刷纸为例

产品碳足迹以碳标签的形式日益广泛地应用于产品供应链，通过影响企业和消费者行为而有效地促进全球碳减排.然而产品碳足迹核算标准种类繁多，不同标准对产品碳足迹的核算规定存在差异，致使其核算结果难于有效对比.本文以胶版印刷纸为例，对比分析了目前最权威的3个国际标准PAS2050、GHG Protocol和ISO14067，识别了三者对于8点产品碳足迹核算要素的不同规定，定量解析了标准差异对产品碳足迹核算的影响.结果表明，3个标准规定的差异可导致产品碳足迹核算结果产生较大的不确定性，GHG Protocol和ISO14067结果分别比PAS2050高61%和49%，其中，"碳存储、消费者交通、固定资产和延迟排放加权影响"4个方面的差异对案例产品碳足迹影响最为显著.因此，按照产品类别制定统一的核算要求是碳标签交流对比的基本前提，明晰的标准规定是降低核算结果不确定性的必要途径.     

中国旅游足迹家族研究进展

作为定量评估的有效工具,旅游足迹方法在考察旅游资源消费和废弃物排放对生态环境的影响方面发挥着重要作用。基于研究的尺度、方法、内容等角度对中国旅游足迹家族（主要成员包括旅游生态足迹、旅游碳足迹和旅游水足迹等）相关代表性成果进行了系统梳理,总结旅游足迹研究取得的主要进展,比较旅游足迹家族成员之间的异同,分析旅游足迹方法的比较优势,剖析当前旅游足迹研究存在的不足,同时结合国际旅游足迹研究最新动向对完善中国旅游足迹研究进行展望,以期为中国旅游足迹研究以及可持续旅游发展实践提供参考。     

河南省不同产业碳水足迹效率研究

碳水关联分析是当前区域可持续发展研究的重要方向之一。从区域碳水耦合视角开展产业碳水足迹效率研究不仅有助于揭示资源利用强度和效率对产业碳排放的影响机制,而且对于全球化背景下区域产业转型中的节水和碳减排具有重要的实践意义。采用2012年河南省投入产出表及各产业取水量和能源消费数据,利用投入产出分析对不同产业的碳水足迹效率进行了对比研究。主要结论如下：（1）碳足迹和水足迹存在着行业不匹配现象。其中,农业水足迹最大,是水足迹最小的木材业的2333倍;采掘业碳足迹最大,是碳足迹最小的食品业的273倍。（2）不同产业碳水足迹效率具有较大的差异。一般来说,足迹较大的产业其足迹效率偏低。（3）产业碳水足迹效率的差异主要受产业属性、水能消耗强度、能源结构、企业技术水平及产业关联情况等因素的影响。（4）建议未来河南省应结合不同产业的特点及水能关联情况制定差别化的节水与碳减排政策,加强制度约束和法律监管,推动企业水能资源高效利用,进一步增强区域适应和减缓气候变化的能力。     

低碳供应链中第三方物流发展路径研究

第三方物流与企业合作从双边合作发展到多边合作,从闭环供应链发展到绿色供应链再到低碳供应链,第三方物流所起的作用愈发重要。通过对低碳供应链中第三方物流发展路径的研究,提出第三方物流的创新发展路径和联盟发展路径,其中创新发展以技术创新为主,创新模式采取多主体开放式创新;联盟发展包括横向联盟和纵向联盟,横向联盟整合多种功能型物流服务功能,纵向联盟即第三方物流与低碳供应链多边联动以进行全供应链管理。     

基于产品水足迹核算的印染企业生产节水潜力分析:案例研究

针对目前我国工业企业节水潜力分析准确程度不足的现状,以纺织印染企业为对象,根据水足迹评价方法建立了印染企业产品水足迹精确测算方法,从产品层面说明回用水和雨水收集对于水足迹的削减作用.结果表明,应用水回用及雨水收集利用后,单位产品新鲜水用量降低了11.3%,单位产品总工业用水量降低了10.4%.本研究将水平衡分析、水足迹评价与印染企业自身特点相结合,为企业内产品生产层面的节水分析提供了依据,并为企业的精细化节水路线设计提供了支持.     

新旧常态中国产业全碳足迹复杂网络比较

国民经济是由多个性质迥异且相互依赖产业构成的复杂系统,科学识别产业碳排放关联传导结构对于实现中国碳减排目标具有的重要理论及现实意义。为此,首先从直接和间接两个角度综合定义全碳足迹,基于能源消耗及生产服务修正直接消耗系数,创立函数改进容许性,及时更新投入产出表,夯实数据来源基础。再设计平衡性投入产出产业全碳足迹生命周期模型测算产业全碳足迹,基于WT指数法构建新旧常态中国产业全碳足迹复杂网络,继而从网络整体、节点地位、社团结构等角度分析新旧常态中国产业全碳足迹网络特征。经比较发现,构造的新旧常态中国产业全碳足迹复杂网络整体结构合理;较旧常态而言,新常态产业全碳足迹联系更为紧密,核心关键产业控制影响力更强,社团结构则总体保持稳定。在此基础上,提出综合衡量产业全碳足迹、全面顾及个体及整体特征、重点关注核心关键节点和充分考虑产业社团特征的对策建议,以求更有效提升新常态中国产业协同减排效率。     

Creating integrated business and environmental value within the context of China’s circular economy and ecological modernization

This paper investigates the challenges and opportunities of how firms and organizations can and will be able to strike a better balance between economic growth and environmental stewardship in the context of China’s emerging ‘circular economy’ policy paradigm and based on ecological modernization theoretic approaches.Based on three company case studies in the information technology and electronic industries in China, we identify and demonstrate how a blended business and environmental value can be created from adopting a sustainable supply chain management approach. The adoption of a sustainable supply chain management approach is rapidly becoming a key business challenge and opportunity in China and other large emerging economies around the world, where our greatest environmental management challenges currently reside and will continue to exist for many years to come. The value creation framework proposed in research focuses on evaluating three case study companies who appear in various stages of an electronic industry supply chain. Value creation within a supply chain can provide the impetus for organizations to adopt circular economy, sustainable supply chain practices, for competitive reasons.In addition, we describe how a value proposition can be evaluated at two levels of analysis, a more specific micro-level and a more general meso-level of analysis. The four major business value dimensions include cost reduction, revenue generation, resiliency, and legitimacy and image.The initial findings are that a variety of opportunities exist for electronic firms in emerging and developing countries, while results from this study provide an important scholarly foundation to develop and refine sustainable supply chain management practices in emerging and developing economies.     

基于生命周期的产品碳足迹评价与核算分析

近年来,越来越多的企业对其产品进行碳足迹评价,评价方法主要采用产品碳足迹评价标准提供的碳计量方程,如GHG Protocol、ISO14064、PAS 2050、TS Q 0010等。在介绍相关评价标准的基础上,分析了产品碳足迹的评价步骤,最后利用河北盛华化工有限公司生产的PVC产品为例,给出了基于生命周期的B2B模式的产品碳足迹评价的案例。为企业及相关机构开展碳足迹评价提供借鉴作用。     

Methodological complexities of product carbon footprinting: a sensitivity analysis of key variables in a developing country context

Product carbon footprinting schemes adopt different analytical methodologies. The calculations can also be affected by limited data availability and uncertainty surrounding the value of key variables. The combination of these factors reduces the validity of comparing carbon footprints between products and countries.We used data from sugar production in Zambia and Mauritius to test how variations in methodology affected the product carbon footprint (PCF). We calculated a PCF according to PAS 2050 and explored the sensitivity of the results to the variation of key variables.Results showed that land use change emissions can dominate PCFs. The largest potential impact came from assuming global worst case data for land use change emissions where a product's origin is unknown (+1900%). The issue of land use change can lead to high carbon footprints for products from developing countries where more natural vegetation is still being converted and data are most lacking. When land use change is not important, variables such as electricity emission factors, capital inputs and loss of soil carbon had significant impacts on the PCF.This analysis highlights the large effect of methodology on PCFs. These results are of particular concern for developing countries where data are scarce and the use of global worst case data may be prescribed. We recommend the development of more precise emission factors for tropical countries and bio-regions, and encourage the transparent use of PCF methodologies, where data sources, uncertainties and variability are explicitly noted.     

A critical assessment of motives for product recovery: the case of engine remanufacturing

Over the past decade, there has been an increasing interest in product take-back, product recovery and the (re-)distribution of these products. The automotive sector, in particular, has a strong history of product recovery operations, such as remanufacturing. Alongside this development, an academic interest in the management of re-use, recycling or remanufacturing has evolved and developed into the field of closed-loop supply chain management. Closed-loop supply chain management, however, is only characterised by a short research history, the earliest contributions can be found on reverse logistics and were published in the early 1990s. Due to the novelty of the field there are still a large number of unsolved research problems. One of these is the question for the rationale behind product recovery operations. This research is based on in-depth case studies within the remanufacturing facilities of a major European Vehicle Manufacturer. The article examines whether the ‘classic’ motives for product recovery are applicable to automotive remanufacturing. It concludes with a summary of the contributions this research makes to theory, to industry and to future research in the field.     

2006—2015年中国电力碳足迹及其生态压力分析

电力行业是我国节能减排的主力军.本文根据电力来源多样性特征,采用IPCC计算方法,结合净初级生产力模型,定量分析了中国2006-2015年电力消费碳足迹及其生态压力的变化,并将电力碳足迹生态压力与人均GDP进行脱钩分析.结果表明,2006-2015年,电力消费碳排放量经历了先升后降两个阶段,其中,2006-2013年,碳排放量稳步上升,2013年后开始逐渐下降,电力碳足迹生态压力与人均GDP之间主要呈弱脱钩关系,但在2013-2015年,开始出现强脱钩状态.可见在国家″十二五″政策引导下,推动经济结构转型调整,促进电力产业节能减排,已获得显著成效,但仍需继续努力,缓解电力消费过程给生态环境带来的压力.     

2020年中国区域及省级电网电力碳足迹研究

电力碳排放的数据质量取决于电网排放因子的准确性。为了获得用于产品碳足迹计算的电网电力碳足迹排放因子,基于电网排放因子数据和计算方法,将核算范围扩展到电力上游的燃料开采与生产、发电设施建设与退役以及电力生产过程,考虑CO₂、CH₄、N₂O等温室气体排放,得到2020年中国区域及省级的电网电力碳足迹排放因子。结果表明：华北地区排放因子最高(1.005 t CO₂e/MW·h),南方地区排放因子最低(0.470 t CO₂e/MW·h),可再生能源占比高的省份排放因子低,全国排放因子显著降低。研究得到的电网电力碳足迹排放因子可为电力碳排放计算提供参考,建议在计算产品碳足迹时优先使用。