Screening life cycle assessment of an office used for academic purposes

The aim of this study is to contribute to the analysis of the environmental impacts deriving from common aspects of the service sector activity and to identify auxiliary actions and hot spots in order to improve the environmental performance of offices used for educational purposes. In that aspect, a screening life cycle assessment (LCA) for a university office-workstation of Democritus University of Thrace, Greece, was performed with the application of the SimaPro LCA software, and the Impact 2002+ method with fifteen impact categories for the interpretation of results. Findings from this research indicated that energy consumption for the powering electronic appliances was the key factor affecting most of the environmental impact categories examined. The impact categories most seriously affected by the office life cycle were the emissions of respiratory inorganics (39%), global warming (31%) and non-renewable energy use (27%). The saving of the energy consumed due to standby mode could lead to a reduction of 2.4% of the total energy consumption in the office in a yearly basis with proportional positive influence in all the respective impact categories. Additionally, utilization of solar energy through photovoltaic panels could lead to a reduction close to 90% for a number of impact categories. Therefore, actions and strategies for improving the environmental performance of academic offices should focus on the reduction of energy consumption.     

Development and environmental improvements of plastics for hydrophilic catheters in medical care: an environmental evaluation

Single-use medical devices have been under close scrutiny for several years, especially the choice of plastic materials. Many different requirements such as medical safety, treatment functionality and efficiency, environmental performance, etc. have to be fulfilled. Today, the most commonly used materials for hydrophilic urinary catheters are polyvinylchloride (PVC) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). In this research study, these two materials' environmental performance was evaluated. In light of the knowledge gained in that study a new plastic material for use in urinary catheters was developed. The aim of the development of this new material was to design a high performance material with superior environmental performance. The newly developed plastic material is a polyolefin-based elastomer. The ecological environmental performance of the new material was evaluated and compared to the existing plastic materials. The study focused exclusively on the choice of plastic materials and their ecological environmental performance.The analysis has been performed using a system perspective and a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The functional unit has been set to the treatment of one patient during one year. The results from the LCA models have been presented both in terms of direct inventory data, such as energy use and formed emissions, and in terms of the results from four different impact assessment methods. Analysis of the results based on direct inventory data, i.e. common inventory results such as energy resource uses and emissions of CO₂, NO_x and SO₂ show an overall better environmental performance for the new polyolefin-based elastomer compared to the existing PVC and TPU plastic materials. The normalization and weighting steps in the analyzes have indicated the importance of energy resource uses and global warming as indicator for the environmental performance even if other impact categories also can play a role. In the environmental impact assessment, the polyolefin-based elastomer showed a clearly better environmental performance than the TPU material. Compared to PVC plastic material the new polyolefin-based elastomer showed an almost equivalent environmental performance. This can be mainly explained by the different materials' energy use. The new material has thus also shown to be an environmentally good alternative to PVC if a PVC-free material is requested. Basing the plastic formula, on simple bulk plastics with low energy use in the production of single-use medical devices, has been shown to be a successful method of producing high quality products with superior environmental performance.     

Environmental indicators for small and medium enterprises in the Philippines: An empirical research

Environmental indicators allow a firm to make measurements related to its environmental performance. In practical terms, they can be used to form a measuring, benchmarking and monitoring tool to track environmental performance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).Within an Environmental Management System (EMS), environmental indicators can be used to check if a firm has met the targets it is required to set for itself. It can also be used in firms that have not yet implemented an EMS. The use of an Environmental Indicators System (EIS) is thus recommended for SMEs, many of which do not have an EMS, in order to enhance their environmental performance. As noted in A Guide to Corporate Environmental Indicators published by the Federal Environment Ministry (Bonn) and the Federal Environmental Agency (Berlin), three categories of environmental indicators can be developed, depending on whether they describe: (1) a company's environmental impact (environmental performance); (2) the management's environmental activities; or (3) the external condition of the company's environment.The objective of this paper is to present how environmental indicators were established and implemented for Philippine SMEs and to show that the indicators significantly correlate with the environmental performance of the SMEs. In order to test this hypothesis, a survey-questionnaire was designed and administered among SMEs covering six industrial sectors in the Philippines. Based on the survey responses, a Gap analysis between the environmental performances of SMEs and state-of-the-art companies was performed. The Gap analysis showed that environmental indicators were indeed able to capture the features of actual environmental performance.Further, a structural equation model was proposed and validated. It yielded a significant linkage between the environmental indicators and environmental performance.     

Environmental response indicators for the industrial and energy sector in Flanders

Environmental reporting with quantitative indicators is becoming popular worldwide. However, environmental response indicators, which describe the reaction of societal actors to environmental problems and to government policy, still remain under investigation. This paper describes the collection of potential response indicators for the industry and energy sectors in Flanders, the quality assessment, and the identification of a core set of suitable response indicators. The selected core set consists of four indicators: eco-efficiency (a mainstream indicator for decades), the presence of an environmental management system, the amount of environmental expenditures and the use of sustainable energy. This core set is applied to the Flemish situation in order to assess the environmental performance of the industry and energy sectors. The core set allows identification of areas where the industry and energy sectors are performing better than other sectors, as well as areas where additional efforts are needed.     

Improving eco-efficiency in the steel industry: The ArcelorMittal Gent case

In addition to CO₂ released by the combustion of fossil fuel and leading to climate change, large steelworks emit pollutants that have other environmental impacts. ArcelorMittal Gent, an integrated steelwork producing ca. 5 × 10⁶ tons of steel per year, not only decreased its specific energy consumption and CO₂-emissions, but also reduced the environmental impact of its other emissions. This is illustrated by means of the evolution of 6 partial eco-efficiency indicators for the impact categories acidification, photo-oxidant formation, human toxicity, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, eutrophication and water use. The partial eco-efficiency indicators are eco-intensities, defined as the environmental impact in the respective impact category, divided by the amount of liquid steel produced. In the period 1995 – 2005 these indicators decreased by 45, 4, 52, 9, 11 and 33% respectively, whereas the steel production increased by 17%. The net impact of discharges of wastewater is negligible for human toxicity and is negative (concentrations lower than in the canal water used) for freshwater aquatic toxicity and eutrophication. For acidification, human toxicity (only emissions to air) and water use, the decoupling between environmental impact and production was absolute; for photo-oxidant formation, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity (only emissions to air) and eutrophication, it was relative.     

Farm level environmental indicators; are they useful?: An overview of green accounting systems for European farms

Green accounts or input–output accounting systems (IOA) have been developed in countries with intensive agricultural production to facilitate voluntary improvements in farm environmental performance. There is a need for an overview of indicators used and a review of results and experiences reported. Ten IOA systems covering the topics of the farm’s use of nutrients, pesticides and energy were selected from a survey of 55 systems and compared in this paper. The approaches and indicators used vary from systems based on good agricultural practices (GAP) to accounts based systems that use physical input–output units. Many IOA systems use farm gate nutrient balances, pesticide use per hectare and energy use per kilogram product. These indicators are easy to calculate but the resulting value needs separate interpretation for the farmer. Other systems include modeled emissions and rate the yearly farm results using closed scales, which allows for easy interpretation but builds on implicit normative assumptions of best practices. Participating farmers were most often reported to be motivated for the use of IOA but empirical evidence of improved environmental farm performance was scarce. IOA systems should be linked with production planning tools used by the advisory services. Farmers and advisors needs better reference values to evaluate the indicator levels (environmental performance) on the individual farm possibly based on analysis of a larger number of farms. The statistical properties of IOA indicators need to be researched regarding: (1) the relation between changed management practice and changes in indicator values on a given farm over a period of time; (2) the relative importance of systematic versus coincidental differences in environmental performance of a set of farms. It is concluded that IOA systems could become effective tools for agri-environmental improvement of European farms given further development and standardization.     

Eco-efficiency trends of the Flemish industry: decoupling of environmental impact from economic growth

A methodology for eco-efficiency reporting is proposed with eco-efficiency indicators for climate change, acidification, photo-oxidant formation, human toxicity, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, eutrophication, energy consumption and waste generation. The method is applied to emission, consumption and production data of the Flemish industry provided by the Flemish environmental agency for the period 1995–2006. For climate change, acidification, photo-oxidant formation, human toxicity, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity and eutrophication, the eco-efficiency improved by 39, 55, 41, 58, 72 and 53%, respectively. For each of these impact categories, the total environmental impact decreased despite an increase in production, indicating absolute decoupling of environmental impact from economic growth. The eco-efficiency indicator for energy consumption and waste generation improved by 16 and 14%, respectively. However, due to the increase in production, the total energy consumption and the amount of waste generated increased: for these two environmental themes decoupling from economic growth was relative. Despite the improved eco-efficiency, industry remains one of the main polluters in Flanders. The application of the method to emission, energy consumption and production data of the Flemish industry resulted in a comprehensive and correct source of information for the general public and the government. Moreover, it can serve as a basis for economically and environmentally sound decisions and for the evaluation of the impact of former decisions.     

网络有效性:评价旅游活动对环境影响的一个新指标

旅游会给环境带来一定的负面影响,而旅游区的游径往往是这种影响的集中体现地。游径的构建方式、空间格局在很大程度上决定了旅游对环境的影响程度。但目前景观生态学中相关的廊道指标不能对此做出有效的评价。论文以九寨沟国家级自然保护区为案例研究地,克服现有廊道指标只单一考虑空间特性的局限,将廊道的空间格局与生态功能结合起来,采用运筹学的方法,提出网络有效性这个新的指标。在九寨沟案例研究地的应用表明,与传统景观生态学指标连通度和环通度相比,网络有效性指标能够直观地反映游径的利用状况,也能够较好地反映旅游的环境影响程度,从而为旅游管理提供依据。     

煤与秸秆成型燃料的复合生命周期对比评价

利用复合生命周期对比评价方法,引入能量返还率、资源耗竭系数、环境影响负荷和生命周期成本4个参数,对煤和秸秆成型燃料在整个生命周期内的能源消耗、环境影响和经济性做了对比分析.同时,为了平衡能源、环境与经济三者之间的关系,建立EEE (Energy, Environment, Economic)综合指标进行整体评价.结果表明,在整个生命周期内,与煤相比,秸秆成型燃料的能量返还率低、资源耗竭系数小.秸秆成型燃料的全球变暖潜值、酸化潜值、富营养化潜值、工业烟尘、粉尘潜值及固体废弃物潜值均比煤小,因此,秸秆成型燃料的环境影响负荷比煤小.秸秆成型燃料的EEE指标值比煤小79.8%,所以,从平衡生命周期能源消耗、环境排放和经济性角度出发,秸秆成型燃料具有替代煤的潜力.但是,秸秆成型燃料的生命周期成本比煤高,其大力推广需要政府的财政补贴.     

生命周期环境影响类型分类体系研究

环境影响类型是生命周期影响评价中重要的一个步，其分类国际上目前尚未达成共识文章分析了环境干扰因子与环境影响类型之间的关系，确定了影响类型分类的原则和步骤，通过对ＥＰＡ、ＳＥＴＣＡ方案的比较，提出了３＊３方案，从全球，区域和局地３个层次，波及环境污染，资源消耗和人体职业健康３方面的影响体系框架，并提出了其６项量化表征指标。     

The role of co-operation between academia and policymakers for the development and use of sustainability indicators – a case from the Finnish Kymenlaakso Region

In this article, we analyze the co-operation between academia and other stakeholders in the development and use of sustainability indicators. The empirical case is a self-assessment of a Life-Environment project, ECOREG (2002–2004), in which eco-efficiency indicators were constructed for the Finnish Kymenlaakso Region. In the article the relationship between academia and local decision-makers in both the ECOREG Project and the activities thereafter is examined. Contrary to many sustainability indicator initiatives the ECOREG indicators have been updated and used after the original project ended. A main conclusion of the article is that the use of the indicators is largely influenced by how they were originally developed. More specifically, that knowledge was jointly produced instead of being merely transferred from academia to policymakers affected the relevance of the indicators as well as the capabilities of local actors to use, update and further develop the indicators.     

Biodiversity and life support impacts of land use in LCA

An operational method to include land use impacts in LCA has been developed. The aim was to base the approach on a scientific framework and to use scientific data to arrive at indicator scores. This has led to a first set of rough impact score data per type of land use on a global level, for two indicators. Remaining subjective elements are related to the restrictions of the approach: only two indicators are chosen as a basis for expressing land use impacts (vascular plant species diversity and free net primary biomass production), a reference state had to be included to incorporate regional differences, and for biodiversity the measure is relative to the local background biodiversity, leading to relatively low sensitivities to changes. Finally, land use impacts are considered to be proportional to the area which is a common understanding in LCA, but not always agreed upon. It is clear that this operationalisation is at present only in its teens.     

A comparative study on milk packaging using life cycle assessment: from PA-PE-Al laminate and polyethylene in China

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach was used to compare the environmental impacts in the life cycle of two milk packaging systems, PA-PE-Al laminate—a laminated foil made from paper, polyethylene and aluminum foil—and polyethylene. The data for the mass, energy fluxes and environmental emissions were obtained from published literature and from site investigations, for the two systems being analyzed for environmental impacts. The application of LCA using Eco-Indicator 99 has made the comparison of the environmental impacts of the two milk packages possible. The results of this LCA study are discussed and the results reveal that the composite packaging has a slightly higher environmental impact than the plastic one. In addition, the environmental impact of raw material extraction is the highest in all of the life cycle stages except for disposal. The environmental impact of composite packaging mainly comes from the fossil fuels, land use and respiratory inorganics categories, while the plastic packaging mainly comes from the fossil fuels category. However, the composite packaging has a greater environmental impact because it has not been well recycled and reused. This environmental impact could be decreased by developing the technology to separate out polyethylene and aluminum from the packaging.     

居住区生态适宜性指标体系的探讨

生态适宜性指标体系已为上海市居住区的环境影响评价和规划工作广泛采用。在评述34份规划与评价报告中该指标体系使用情况的基础上．从生态居住区的内涵出发．新增并修正了部分指标。修正后的指标体系有反映居住区自然与人文生态环境的二级指标2项．三级指标8项。四级指标17项．基本实现了各项指标的定量化衡量。     

Life cycle assessment of sunflower and rapeseed as energy crops under Chilean conditions

An option for the agriculture and energy sectors in Chile is the cultivation of energy crops, but environmental studies are first needed in the framework of a sustainable national energy policy.In this study, we used a cradle-to-farm gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare environmental impacts and energy and water demand of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in Chile, as potential oleaginous crops for first-generation biodiesel production. National agricultural data are used for the LCA inventory and process data of international databases are adapted to local conditions. The effect of field N₂O emissions and land use change is evaluated. The results indicate that, compared to sunflower, rapeseed production has a better environmental performance in 9 out of the 11 impact categories evaluated, and lower water consumption. The energy demand of rapeseed is 4.9 GJ/t seed, 30% less than that of sunflower. Mineral fertilizers cause the highest environmental impact in both crops. The analysis of the life cycle of fertilizers indicates that extraction of raw materials and its production are key stages. Attempts to reduce the environmental impact and energy requirement of both crops should be mainly associated with the evaluation of other types of fertilization. In addition, particularly for sunflower, low impact herbicides should be evaluated, seed yield improved and cultivation practices optimized. If the crops are produced on degraded grasslands, the greenhouse gas emissions may be reduced.     

Implementing stricter environmental regulation to enhance eco-efficiency and sustainability: a case study of Shandong Province’s pulp and paper industry, China

There has been much debate on the topic of whether stricter environmental regulations can promote environmental performance and economic performance at the same time. Different researchers have used different indicators to measure environmental performance and economic performance in their empirical studies. However, it is a surprise that few studies have checked the relationship between environmental regulation and eco-efficiency, as the latter is widely regarded as a quite powerful tool of considering ecology and economy together.In this study the background is the implementation in 2003 of the Stricter Discharge Standard (SDS) in Shandong Province’s Pulp and Paper Industry (SPPI), compared to the national standards of China. The stricter regulations were intended to promote corporate change from passive management to active control and from end-of-pipe treatment to cleaner production. This study investigated the eco-efficiency trends of SPPI from 2001 to 2008 in three fields: water efficiency, energy efficiency and environment efficiency. A “de-linking” and “re-linking” tool was used to attain a further evaluation. The study showed that with the implementation of stricter regulation most of the efficiency indicators (except CO₂ emission and energy consumption) had achieved significant improvements, and the overall environmental performance trends of SPPI showed it to be more sustainable. However, the study also found that it was not enough to address a single indicator in the environmental regulation of the pulp and paper industry. More holistic eco-efficiency indicators need to be further considered and introduced to the industry as the next step to create true sustainable development.     

The role of consumption and consumers in zero emission strategies

This article contributes to the theoretical and empirical discussions on how it could be possible to transform technical eco-efficiency into reduced environmental impact of consumption. The rebound effect is an important concept in this context. The relevance of consumer behaviour is addressed within three important sectors for the Zero Emissions Techniques and Systems: shopping of paper products, energy use in household and waste management. It is not only important how much the consumers buy, but also what kinds of products they buy and how they use and dispose of them. However, the responsibility for a sustainable development should not entirely be put on the shoulders of the individual consumer.     

战略环境评价指标体系框架研究——以流域规划为例

《规划环境影响评价技术导则》（试行）对规划环境影响评价的实践给出了指导,但作为规划环境评价对象之一的流域规划,该导则目前还没有给出其环境影响评价的指标体系。依照DPSIR框架的思路,初步建立了流域规划环境影响评价指标集。但DPSIR框架也不是很完善,因其对因果关系简化过多,难以了解复杂的现实因果关系,所以要达到真实的综合环境评价,需要对现实指标的关系进行深入的研究,需要改进DPSIR思路。     

Land use indicators in life cycle assessment. Case study: The environmental impact of Mediterranean greenhouses

The importance of land use evaluation has recently been recognised in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Even so, there is still a considerable lack of definition, particularly concerning what parameters should be considered and – as a result – what particular methodology should be used. This paper presents a review of the different methods proposed for assessing the environmental impact of land use. The methodology is specially developed for assessing endpoint categories such as biodiversity and life support systems. We evaluated the environmental impact associated with protected horticulture and compared it with other forms of human activity. The study was carried out in the area of El Maresme. This has traditionally been an agricultural area, although it is now under heavy pressure from urban and industrial developments due to its proximity to Barcelona. On the basis of the results obtained in the case study, it was demonstrated that agricultural uses ranked at the same level or slightly below those of urban uses, and that both uses clearly scored lower than forest uses, from the point of view of biodiversity. When a productivity indicator was used, agricultural use registered a smaller environmental impact than urban use, but larger than for forestry. Finally, we discuss the problems and limitations encountered when these methods were applied in our case study.     

陇中黄土丘陵地区农村生活能源消费的环境经济成本分析

陇中黄土丘陵地区经济贫困、环境脆弱、生活能源短缺,生物质过量消费成为生态环境退化的重要驱动因素。论文通过问卷调查获取相关数据,并建立计量模型,基于替代性分析估算了不同用能结构情景下的环境经济成本。结果表明,现状户均生活能源消费2 112.44kgce/a,人均428.59kgce/a,用能水平较低。目前农户消费能源选择的主要依据是能源的现金支出和可获得性。与农户现状用能结构相比较,4种替代结构的能源消费总成本、环境成本、经济成本及现金支出差异较大。利用沼气和太阳能的结构各项成本低,应是今后农村能源建设的方向。