SME application of LCA‐based carbon footprints

Following a brief introduction about the need for businesses to respond to climate change, this paper considers the development of the phrase ‘carbon footprint’. Widely used definitions are considered before the authors offer their own interpretation of how the term should be used. The paper focuses on the contribution small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) make to the economy and their level of influence in stimulating change within organisations. The experience of an outreach team from the Engineering Department of a UK university is used which draws on the experience of delivering regional economic growth projects funded principally through the European Regional Development Fund. Case studies are used including the development of bespoke carbon footprints for SMEs from an initiative delivered by the outreach team. Limitations of current carbon footprints are identified based on this higher education‐industry knowledge exchange mechanism around three main themes of scope, the assessment method and conversion factors. Evidence and discussions are presented that conclude with the presentation of some solutions based on the work undertaken with SMEs and a discussion on the merits of the two principally used methodologies: life‐cycle analysis and economic input–output assessment.     

The NICE-Whyco technologies partnership: saving energy, dollars, and the environment in the metal plating industry

In partnership with the US Department of Energy’s Office of Industrial Technology, Whyco Technologies, Inc., has developed an innovative perforated plating barrel used in the plating of metal parts. This new technology employs a thin-walled construction, differing from the traditional thick-wall design required to provide adequate structural integrity. The thicker walls lowered the efficiency of transferring plating solution into and out of the barrel and diminished the electrical current pushed through the holes and onto the parts being plated. By machining pockets out of the traditional thick-walled perforated structure, Whyco produced a ‘honeycomb’ of staggered cells, allowing for the greatest number of holes per open area while maintaining structural integrity. Hydrodynamic pumping occurs during barrel rotation to create greater solution transfer than in traditional barrels. The Whyco barrel has higher current density plating, which leads to faster plating cycles, reduced bath concentration, and better plating of difficult chemistries such as in alloys. This new technology has helped the company reduce energy use by 16%, eliminate more than 480 tons/year of solid waste, and reduce wastewater by more than 17 000 gallons/day. The resulting cost savings total more than $500 000 annually. The company has manufactured and sold more than 275 of these barrels to other electroplating companies that are reporting up to a 40% increase in plating productivity and similar energy and environmental impacts.     

循环经济促进法律责任研究

循环经济促进法律责任是主体共同而有区别的责任,主要体现为清洁生产、能源节约、生态设计、可持续的消费和环境友好的废物管理等方面的义务要求.环境外部性理论和环境法基本原则为循环经济促进法律责任设计提供了理论依据.国家的循环经济促进法律责任的主要内容是制定并监督实施符合循环经济要求的基本法律、政策、标准和要求等.企业的循环经济促进法律责任主要是采用无毒、易降解、资源和能源消耗少、耐用、便于回收和再生利用的环境友好产品设计和生产技术等.消费者的循环经济法律赍任是:通过支付价格为产品的环境影响承担经济责任.同时对责任配置的规则、延伸生产者责任的合理性与限度进行了探讨,主张我国循环经济促进法律责任设计应重视成本收益分析、考虑具体国情,实行强制与经济激励并重.     

食品生产企业员工安全行为影响因素研究

为研究食品生产企业员工安全行为的影响因素,本文基于安全领导力、安全氛围、个体认知等方面对员工安全行为的重要影响作用,研究上述各维度对安全行为的影响,结果表明:可感知的安全领导力、良好的安全氛围及对安全的个体认知情况,均会促进员工主动安全行为的产生,且安全领导力对安全行为的影响作用最大,其次是个体认知,再次是安全氛围;安全氛围会抑制员工安全道德行为的产生,个体认知会抑制员工自律守纪行为的产生。     

乡镇工业电镀行业主要污染物排放量的估算方法

电镀分有氰电镀与无氰电镀两类。乡镇工业电镀行业的环境污染最主要是氰污染和铬污染。本文针对乡镇电镀行业的特点,调查了湖南省沅江市、四川省新都县、湖北省黄陂县、汉川县以及江苏省部分县市乡镇电镀厂,将收集资料及实际监测资料进行回归分析,得出乡镇电镀行业的污染物发生量大小与原材料的消耗有关,可以用多元回归方程估算乡镇电镀行业主要污染物发生量。这一估算方法简单易行,实用可靠,操作方便。     

营建21世纪汽车维修企业

本文从设备购置、人员培训、资料建设三个方面 ,提出了加强汽车维修企业的自身建设 ,以适应入世以后的汽车维修市场。     

太湖流域企业的水风险评估体系

基于世界自然基金会（WWF）和德国投资与开发有限公司（DEG）开发的企业水风险评估体系,进行太湖流域企业水风险评估体系本土化研究.根据太湖流域的水环境现状、企业管理方式、相关标准及法规,修订了部分指标,建立了包括物理风险指标9项、监管风险指标4项和声誉风险指标9项的太湖流域企业水风险评估体系.采用层次分析法（AHP）计算指标权重.评估指标的分级延续了原来的评估体系的5级5分制,采用综合指数加权求和法计算综合评分值.选取了一家化工企业进行实例研究,评估结果表明,该企业2015年综合水风险评价值为2.61,风险等级为Ⅲ级,属中等风险.实施7项水风险削减方案后,2016年综合水风险评价值降至1.94,风险等级为Ⅱ级,属低等风险.该评估体系可为太湖流域企业进行水风险评估及削减提供参考.     

企业消防工作标准化建设探讨

目前我国企业正处于消防工作标准化推广阶段。为了提高企业消防工作效率,促进企业安全稳定的发展,通过分析企业消防工作标准化建设中存在的问题,提出应以消防法规为基础,结合企业实际,积极创新推行企业消防工作标准化建设,并以标准化体系建设为抓手,在切实提高消防安全管理水平的同时加强消防设备的维护保养工作,确保消防设备在火灾来临时能够发挥自身应有的作用。     

Allometric scaling and accidents at work

Allometry is the knowledge concerning relations between the features of some beings, like animals, or cities. For example, the daily energy rate is proportional to a mass of mammals rise of 3/4. This way of thinking has spread quickly from biology to many areas of research concerned with sociotechnical systems. It was revealed that the number of innovations, patents or heavy crimes rises as social interaction increases in a bigger city, while other urban indexes such as suicides decrease with social interaction. Enterprise is also a sociotechnical system, where social interaction and accidents at work take place. Therefore, do these interactions increase the number of accidents at work or, on the contrary, are they reduction-driving components? This article tries to catch such links and assess the allometric exponent between the number of accidents at work and the number of employees in an enterprise.     

Risk-evaluation of Hi-tech Enterprise in the Process of Approaching Global Market

In the high technology industry, small and medium sized technology enterprises (SMSTEs) play a pivotal role in advancing the whole industry. To achieve sustainable development, they need to extend their scope of business activities beyond a national view and exploit international market actively to meet international competitions that increase quickly in the form of allocating resources within the scope of the world. However, the SMSTEs are also facing risks associated with themselves during the process of exploiting international market owing to their own restrictions, so what they should do is to consider risk evaluations in exploiting the international market.