Assessment of eco-labelling criteria development from a strategic sustainability perspective

To turn current patterns of consumption and production in a sustainable direction, solid and understandable market information on the socio-ecological performance of products is needed. Eco-labelling programmes have an important role in this communication. The aim of this study is to investigate what gaps there may be in the current criteria development processes in relation to a strategic sustainability perspective and develop recommendations on how such presumptive gaps could be bridged. First a previously published generic framework for strategic sustainable development is described and applied for the assessment of two eco-labelling programmes. Data for the assessment is collected from literature and in semi-structured interviews and discussions with eco-labelling experts.The assessment revealed that the programmes lack both an operational definition of sustainability, and a statement of objectives to direct and drive the criteria development processes. Consequently they also lack guidelines for how product category criteria might gradually develop in any direction. The selected criteria mainly reflect the current reality based on a selection of negative impacts in ecosystems, but how this selection, or prioritization, is made is not clearly presented. Finally, there are no guidelines to ensure that the criteria developers represent a broad enough competence to embrace all essential sustainability aspects.In conclusion the results point at deficiencies in theory, process and practice of eco-labelling, which hampers cohesiveness, transparency and comprehension. And it hampers predictability, as producers get no support in foreseeing how coming revisions of criteria will develop. This represents a lost opportunity for strategic sustainable development. It is suggested that these problems could be avoided by informing the criteria development process by a framework for strategic sustainable development, based on backcasting from basic sustainability principles.     

枣庄市生态足迹动态研究

应用生态足迹模型对山东省枣庄市1995-2008年生态足迹进行了计算,分析该市14年来各类土地生态足迹消费和供给的动态变化趋势,研究了该市土地资源利用的可持续性发展状况。结果表明,枣庄市生态足迹消费从1995年的2.926 4 hm2/人增加到2008年的6.880 1 hm2/人,增加了2.25倍;生态足迹消费大于土地生态系统的承载力表现为生态赤字,赤字水平由1995年的2.630 4hm2/人上升到2008年的6.529 0 hm2/人,增加了2.48倍,区域内的土地利用处于不可持续发展状态。计算表明该市的资源利用方式仍处于消耗型、粗放型阶段,发展模式是不可持续的,其生态环境具有不安全性,社会经济发展与生态环境的协调性很差。     

浅谈油库安全巡检管理系统的发展

介绍了油库安全巡检管理系统发展的5个阶段,指出了未来的发展趋势,着重论述了目前广泛应用的智能巡检管理系统.     

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?     

Linking supply chain strength to sustainable development: a country-level analysis

Several global corporations have been severely criticized by different lobbying groups for the impact of their operations on the natural environment and on the local communities. Because corporate operations cannot be studied in isolation but rather as a part of a large network often referred to as a supply chain, this paper investigates the potential link between supply chain characteristics and sustainable development at the country level. In particular, the linkage between supply chain strength, generally defined as the number and quality of the suppliers and customers in a country, and the three dimensions of sustainable development namely environmental performance, corporate environmental practices, and social sustainability is assessed. Using archival data from The Global Competitiveness Report (2004–2005) and the 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index, a statistical assessment of the linkage was conducted. The results indicate that supply chain strength is positively linked to all three dimensions of sustainable development.     

重庆市1997年-2005年生态足迹与发展能力实证分析

生态足迹是一种定量测量人类对自然资源利用程度的全新方法。在介绍了生态足迹的概念和生态足迹的模型与生态系统经济发展能力以及目前的研究成果基础上,根据1998年-2006年的《重庆市统计年鉴》的资料数据,对重庆市1997年-2005年的生态足迹进行了实证计算与分析,结果表明重庆市从1997年的人均生态足迹由1.096ha/cap增加到2005年底的1.635ha/cap,人均生态赤字由1997年的0.9000ha/cap增加到2005年的1.2742ha/cap,9年间的增幅为41,5％,平均每年为6.1％;通过人均GDP与发展能力的回归分析表明,生态系统的经济发展能力是一个很好的反映重庆市经济系统状况的指标。     

浅议贵州水电开发与生态环境保护

贵州的水能资源储量丰富,水能蕴藏量1874千瓦,列全国第六位,开发潜力巨大。开发水电不仅能充分地利用贵州丰富的水资源,同时水电还具有防洪、灌溉、供水、旅游等综合效益,对促进贵州省经济社会的可持续发展具有重要作用;但另一方面水电开发可能会给生态环境造成负面的影响,水土流失、下游水质恶化、水电开发区生态平衡的失调等。因此,水电开发者只有坚持水电开发建设与生态环境保护相协调发展的战略思想,水电开发才能在贵州走得更久。     

浅析中国的电子垃圾治理

本文分析了电子垃圾的成分、特征、危害以及中国电子垃圾现状,并在借鉴国外先进经验的基础上,进一步探讨了中国电子垃圾污染现状的原因和如何规范并合理地处理和回收电子垃圾,通过从法律、市场、企业和政府等多方面分析,提出了防治电子垃圾污染的建议和措施,同时呼吁社会各界共同关注电子垃圾对我们生存环境的影响,提高资源化废弃物和循环经济理念,提高全社会的环境保护意识,鼓励公众参与,这对促进中国经济的可持续发展和构建和谐社会具有重大意义。     

基于旅游生态足迹模型的山东省旅游可持续发展评价

以生态足迹理论为基础,将旅游生态足迹引入区域旅游可持续发展评价,阐述了旅游生态足迹的概念,并构建旅游生态足迹模型,用于衡量旅游可持续发展能力。以山东省作为研究对象,对旅游生态足迹模型在大尺度区域旅游业可持续发展定量测度中的运用进行实证研究,计算其2000年-2004年的旅游生态足迹。结果表明：山东省近五年出现了不同程度的旅游生态赤字和生态压力,平均存在0.133 3 hm2/人的旅游生态赤字,旅游生态压力平均值为4.898 3,并呈现出明显的逐年递增趋势,其旅游业处于不可持续发展状态。     

开发区环境管理指标体系研究

开发区环境管理指标体系研究是建立开发区环境管理综合体系的基础性工作,也是考核开发区生态环境建设与管理效果的定量评价工具。本文在探讨环境管理指标体系的确定原则、选择和量化等基础上。提出了一套包括环境保护指标、循环经济指标、绿色管理指标和相关性指标四类指标在内的环境管理综合指标体系。并将该指标体系应用于杭州钱江经济开发区的环境管理实践。结果表明,杭州钱江经济开发区的环境管理完善程度总得分为74．6％,总体上还有待进一步完善,特别是ISO14001管理体系认证和环境质量改善等方面有待进一步加强。