Towards more sustainable management systems: through life cycle management and integration

The standards for management systems such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 are developing towards a higher degree of compatibility. At the same time, organisations increasingly integrate these systems. The paper discusses this development and presents different levels of integration. The aim is to suggest the next steps to take in order to improve an integration which promotes sustainable management. Product-oriented management and stakeholders are in focus and the standards for management systems and the need for a common integrated ISO standard are discussed. Finally, the need for changes in life style and needs is presented as crucial to the development of more sustainable management systems.     

Environmental management and life cycle approaches in the Mexican mining industry

Mexico ranks among the 11 major producer countries of minerals worldwide; its open pit and underground systems are 500 years old. This paper presents an overview of the Mexican mining industry from technological development, historical and economic perspectives. The efforts made by mining companies to address issues of environmental management and sustainable development expressed in national and international frameworks, as well as the Mexican environmental regulatory framework for the mining sector, are analyzed. Since, among others, life cycle assessment (LCA) has been recognized as a key topic to promote sustainable development in the Latin American and Caribbean region, this paper also examines the application of LCA in mining. Two life cycle approaches are presented: a national life cycle inventory for base metals, and an integral life cycle model for the management of mining processes.     

The role and implementation of LCA within life cycle management at Alcan

Life cycle management (LCM) aims at expanding the scope of the environmental management system of a company to address the up- and downstream impacts associated with the activities of its suppliers and customers. It is based on a perspective that focuses on products and the corresponding processes in addition to facilities and production sites. Therefore, the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology plays a central role in implementing LCM. At Alcan, one of the world's leading producers of aluminum materials and products, as well as composite components and packaging solutions, LCA as a core element of LCM is being used for a variety of applications. In order to achieve the objectives of LCM and to ensure efficient decision support, the LCAs are performed in a simplified mode. Simplifications predominantly concern up- and downstream processes outside of Alcan's direct control as well as impact assessment procedures, the reuse of internal life cycle inventory analysis modules, and the aggregation and presentation of the results for top-management and other internal decision-makers. A recently completed LCA from the automotive sector demonstrates the ongoing implementation of LCA at Alcan.     

Mining life cycle modelling: a cradle-to-gate approach to environmental management in the minerals industry

It is common practise in mining Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies to use a predefined set of data to represent mining production systems. Besides this, very little is added to improve data quality, and essential mining process details which affect the ultimate environmental impacts is rarely taken into account. Some significant omissions include exploration and development work, mining method used, production, ore losses, location and the mining/processing method dependent factors that govern the nature of discharges to the environment. The mining system is often represented as a black-box, not lending itself to the interpretation of different processes used in minerals production. The generic data used are often inadequate for a mining LCA, and cannot be used as an accurate account of mining environmental burdens contributing to more complex systems “down-stream”, such as metals, building, chemical or food industries. Therefore, the main objective of the mining LCA model presented in this paper was to develop a tool that is able to represent the mining system in a comprehensive way. To attain this objective, the mining system was studied in more detail, as it is commonly practised during mine feasibility and design stages. It (LICYMIN) was developed as part of an international research project led by Imperial College London. The model integrates the mine production, processing, waste treatment and disposal, rehabilitation and aftercare stages of a mine's life within an LCA framework. The development work was carried out in collaboration with several industrial partners in Europe, including Bakonyi Bauxitbánya Kft. in Hungary. The model structure, database development and examples of field applications from industrial sites are presented.     

工业固体废物生命周期管理方法及案例分析

通过分析工业固体废物管理过程与工业生产过程间的耦合关系,提出了涵盖减量化过程的工业固体废物生命周期管理框架和方法,并应用于铜渣管理的方案评估与决策过程中.结果表明,铜渣3种不同管理方案的环境负荷值依次为2800.46,2156.00,2162.04Pt.与熔池熔炼法相比,闪速熔炼法虽有利于铜渣的源头减量,但其减少的铜渣量并未导致精铜生产与铜渣管理全过程环境影响的整体下降.单从铜渣的内部再循环工艺来看,处理同样数量的铜渣,选矿法的环境表现优于电炉贫化法.案例研究证实了工业固体废物管理应将减量化过程纳入全生命周期管理方案中进行综合评估,而非简单遵循废物管理的优先顺序和等级制度.     

Towards sustainable production and use of charcoal in Kenya: exploring the potential in life cycle management approach

The study seeks to demonstrate the potential role that industrial ecology could play towards energy poverty reduction and environmental conservation in Kenya through sustainable charcoal production and consumption. This is achieved through an exploration of the application of the life cycle management (LCM) concept that identifies various opportunities for technological intervention for energy and environmental conservation and reduction of material and energy losses. It also identifies opportunities for income generation at various stages of the product’s life cycle; an aspect critical in poverty reduction in developing countries. The study finds that applying LCM in the charcoal trade in Kenya can deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to developing country communities and should, therefore, be promoted. However, appropriate legal, policy and institutional frameworks must exist in these countries for this to occur.     

Simplified life cycle sustainability assessment of mangrove management: a case of plantation on wastelands in Thailand

Sustainable mangrove management needs to consider trade-offs between multiple benefits provided by mangrove ecosystems and to balance the conflicting objectives of various stakeholders. The aim of the present study is to assess the sustainability of mangrove management based on the life cycle approach. We examine two mangrove management systems in Thailand, namely, the strict preservation and charcoal production systems. The results show that the strict preservation system has an advantage over the charcoal production system from the environmental perspective (the net amount of CO₂ absorbed by mangroves) while the charcoal production is a more favorable system than strict preservation from the social perspective (the amount of employment created in local communities). On the other hand, it is difficult to say that both systems are sustainable from an economic aspect. The charcoal production system needs to develop improved management regimes for commercial charcoal production and requires financial assistance in the period when its net cash flows are negative. As solutions for these problems, the introduction of community forest management and the utilization of a fund for REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in Developing Countries) can be proposed.     

Simulation and life cycle assessment of process design alternatives for biodiesel production from waste vegetable oils

This study uses the process simulator ASPEN Plus^® and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare three process design alternatives for biodiesel production from waste vegetable oils that are: the conventional alkali-catalyzed process including a free fatty acids (FFAs) pre-treatment, the acid-catalyzed process, and the supercritical methanol process using propane as co-solvent. Results show that the supercritical methanol process using propane as co-solvent is the most environmentally favorable alternative. Its smaller steam consumption in comparison with the other process design alternatives leads to a lower contribution to the potential environmental impacts (PEI’s). The acid-catalyzed process generally shows the highest PEI’s, in particular due to the high energy requirements associated with methanol recovery operations.     

Approach and application of life cycle screening in early phases of process design: case study of supercritical water gasification

Process design can be influenced most in the early phases. Here, screening methods play a major role, as they reduce the complexity of a system studied by making a pre-selection from a set of alternatives available. The remaining alternatives can be analyzed in more detail in the subsequent design process, which increases design efficiency. The present paper focuses on a multi-stage screening approach for use in the early process development phase in particular. This approach is based on the use of non-compensatory decision support methods that are transferred to life cycle assessment. It may be divided into a first stage, in which the decision matrix used is developed on the basis of decision analysis principles, and a second stage, in which the decision matrix developed is further processed using non-compensatory decision support methods. An example of such a method is the pareto-dominance analysis applied here. The approach proposed is validated by application to the process of biomass gasification in supercritical water, which is being developed at the moment. Here, screening is performed to identify those life cycles, the potential environmental impacts of which contribute most to the total impacts. Attributes are selected in line with the requirement of a simple, but still sufficient modeling of these environmental impacts. By pareto-dominance analysis, emissions from the gasification of sewage sludge, the pre-chain of natural gas production, and from the construction of the supercritical gasification plant are identified to dominate over the remaining life cycles studied. Apart from the predominating alternatives, it is of particular importance to know the dominated alternatives. Due to their small shares in the result, no or only a small expenditure is needed to identify improvement potentials of these alternatives.     

Application of a comparative multidimensional life cycle analysis in solid waste management policy: the case of soft drink containers

The paper describes the application of a multidimensional life cycle analysis (LCA) for packaging soft drinks in Israel. The suggested approach combines the conventional product LCA, vertical summation of all environmental burdens along the chain of production, use and disposal activities, and horizontal comparison of different products and disposal options, such as recycling, incineration or landfilling. The paper attempts to show that the most effective, as well as transparent, means of comparing packaging alternatives, is to place them on a commensurate basis, the most appropriate one being a monetary basis. Taking into account limitations and drawbacks of monetary valuation of non-market assets (namely, environmental assets), the study derived estimates of environmental benefits and damages associated with each alternative. The production of soft drinks containers in Israel, used here as an example for the above mentioned considerations, is based mainly on imported materials, since natural resources such as oil or bauxite do not exist in Israel. Locally, only direct production and pollution abatement costs are incorporated in the final bill, while global environmental burdens are excluded. Countries extracting and producing raw material for the packaging industry, in effect, grant an environmental subsidy to the final users, in this case — the Israeli user. The paper suggests that only by globalization of externalities and fully internalizing environmental costs into the price of the final product (the packaging material or the packaged product), an equitable full environmental accounting can be designed. This mechanism can be even accompanied by global trading in the relevant environmental credits. Decisions will, consequently, follow a sustainable path, in both importing and exporting countries.     

Resource productivity enhancement as means for promoting cleaner production: analysis of co-incineration in cement plants through a life cycle approach

The objective of this paper is to assess the environmental effectiveness of a strategic measure aimed at resource productivity enhancement. The cement industry has been identified as a relevant sector for this global issue, since the related production process enables the use of waste in partial substitution of raw materials and in substitution of traditional fuels. The analysis of the cement production sector in Italy has been here performed, investigating the recovery of energy from waste through co-incineration. In terms of air emissions, the emission performances of cement kilns appear independent from the use of alternative fuels at the percentages usually employed. However, in order to measure the cleanliness of a production system, systematic analysis with global perspective is needed. For this aim, the principles of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) have been used for a case study analysis of an Italian active plant using an amount of recovered plastics as an alternative fuel resource. The improvement on the investigated process has been quantitatively measured as a way for cleaner production, first in terms of gross energy requirement, and then through an environmental performance comparison with a sector benchmark. The analysis has highlighted the benefits on the global environmental balance for the practice of co-incineration in the cement production process.     

Flash flood forecasting, warning and risk management: the HYDRATE project

The management of flash flood hazards and risks is a critical component of public safety and quality of life. Flash-floods develop at space and time scales that conventional observation systems are not able to monitor for rainfall and river discharge. Consequently, the atmospheric and hydrological generating mechanisms of flash-floods are poorly understood, leading to highly uncertain forecasts of these events. The objective of the HYDRATE project has been to improve the scientific basis of flash flood forecasting by advancing and harmonising a European-wide innovative flash flood observation strategy and developing a coherent set of technologies and tools for effective early warning systems. To this end, the project included actions on the organization of the existing flash flood data patrimony across Europe. The final aim of HYDRATE was to enhance the capability of flash flood forecasting in ungauged basins by exploiting the extended availability of flash flood data and the improved process understanding. This paper provides a review of the work conducted in HYDRATE with a special emphasis on how this body of research can contribute to guide the policy-life cycle concerning flash flood risk management.     

复杂工业产品制造阶段生命周期清单数据获取方法:以轿车为例

准确可靠的工艺单元数据是开展产品生命周期清单分析和影响评价最重要的基础.目前开展的相关研究,由于数据获得性的问题,大多集中在结构或成分较为简单的工业产品.而利用相关数据库开展的生命周期清单分析,不能很好地满足对外公开的对比性评价或商业性应用需要.本文以国产轿车为例,研究提出了其制造阶段生命周期清单分析数据的获取方法,并通过理论研究和实践完善,设计出了一套系统化的数据收集表格,可用于机动车及类似复杂工业产品制造阶段生命周期清单数据获取.     

Sources, chemistry, impacts and regulations of complex air pollution: Preface

正Clean air is essential to people's health and that of the environment.Since the industrial revolution,however,the quality of the air that people breathe has deteriorated considerably—mainly as a result of human activities.Rising industrial and energy production,the burning of fossil fuels and the dramatic rise in traffic all contribute to air pollution in our cities which,in turn,can lead to serious health problems for instance     

Environmental impacts of cocoa production and processing in Ghana: life cycle assessment approach

Ghana is the world's second largest producer of cocoa beans. In addition to exporting raw cocoa beans, the country also processes some of its beans into finished and semi-finished cocoa products for both the local and international markets. This paper is aimed at providing a comprehensive picture of the environmental impacts associated with cocoa production and processing in Ghana by applying the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The analysis considered the entire system required to produce and process 1 kg of cocoa bean. It included the extraction of raw materials (e.g. fossil fuels, minerals), the production of farming inputs (e.g. fertilizers and pesticides) and all agricultural operations in the field (e.g. tillage, fertilizer and pesticides application, harvest, etc.). Transportation of beans to processing factory and industrial processing of the beans into cocoa butter, liquor, cake and powder were also included. The study was conducted in accordance with the international ISO procedural framework for performing LCA in the ISO 14040–14043 series.The overall environmental impacts resulting from cocoa production and processing activities and improvement options towards the sustainability of the system studied are presented and discussed.     

The challenge of waste minimisation in the food and drink industry: a demonstration project in East Anglia,UK

Waste minimisation in the food and drink industry leads to many of the improvements demonstrated in other sectors—energy efficiency, reduction of raw material use, reduction in water consumption and increasing reuse and recycling on site. Such improvements in environmental performance produce a directly beneficial effect on the profitability of business.The East Anglian Waste Minimisation in the Food and Drink Industry Project has demonstrated that significant amounts of food-grade material are rejected from the production line for their unsatisfactory quality, whether visual, physical, microbiological or compositional (chemical or biochemical). The Project has demonstrated that waste reduction of 12% of raw materials can be achieved and that this makes significant contributions to company profitability by improving yields per unit output and by reducing costs associated with waste disposal. Evidence also shows that there is potential for further improvements through improving dialogue between producers, retailers and consumers.The East Anglian Waste Minimisation Project has demonstrated that the packaging of food products presents considerable challenges to the food and drink industry. Significant opportunities exist for modifying both primary and secondary food packaging. However, whilst packaging requirements principally consider health and safety, the demands of the major supermarket chains and consumers have taken little or no account of criteria designed to meet the wide-ranging demands of waste minimisation.Optimising the opportunities for waste minimisation in the key areas of putrescible wastage and packaging, and improving consensus and dialogue are essential catalysts between purchasers, including both consumers and the major supermarkets, and between food producers and manufacturers. These food and drink sectors must identify the process options that result in a lower waste burden, pursuing contractual agreements that reinforce and support the selection of such options.     

Concurrency: a system design approach to environmental management and sustainability

The lessons of history indicate that mismanagement of natural resources and the environment often leads to potentially adverse consequences.The increasing interest in economic development,particularly in the developing countries of the world coupled with increasing population pressures and the globalization of economic activity is placing noticeable stresses on the ultimate sustainability of both human and environmental systems.Sustainable development is not a new concept.It has been an area of concern for different elements of society for some time.Yet efforts to understand the implications of sustainable development have not,until recently,been formalized.We have focused singularly on economic development and environmental quality as if they were mutually exclusive.This paper focuses on the concept of concurrency as both a conceptual framework and practicable method of understanding and implementing the ecology and economy of sustainability.     

Environmental decision making in multi-stakeholder contexts: applicability of life cycle thinking in development planning and implementation

According to the targets set for sustainability, integrating the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs is one of the main goals for development projects. A major challenge in the development field is cross-sectoral integrated planning and achieving multi-stakeholder consensus for collaborative joint projects, especially when sustainability is a goal. This increases the complexity of the multi-stakeholder interaction in decision making and requires enhanced mechanisms for stakeholder participation, coordination, and commitment beyond narrow self-interest. A critical aspect in the decision making process is to enable stakeholders to not only interpret and make decisions based on expert judgments, but also to appropriately involve the relevant parties in the research and decision making process. Therefore, scientific analyses in multi-stakeholder contexts have to be more transparent, participatory, and stakeholder-based in order to provide useful information to assist responsible decision making.This paper presents an outline of a stakeholder-based life cycle assessment approach that can be used to support sustainable decision making in multi-stakeholder contexts. The framework is discussed and compared to other common methods used to support environmental decision making in development projects. We argue that the fundamental concept of life cycle thinking can be effectively used to incorporate stakeholders in the research and decision making process, which can lead to more comprehensive, yet achievable assessments in collaboration with stakeholders. Life cycle thinking is not just a way to examine environmental impacts of activities, but also a way to comprehend and visualize a broader set of upstream and downstream consequences of decisions in development planning and implementation. A life cycle framework including the mapping of stakeholder involvement at each activity in upstream and downstream stages would give stakeholders a holistic view that they otherwise may not have.     

Resource consumption and emissions from olive oil production: a life cycle inventory case study in Cyprus

“Cradle to gate” life cycle analysis (LCA) has been used to evaluate the consumption of raw materials and emissions of pollutants from olive oil production in Lythrodontas region in Cyprus, in order to identify the processes which give rise to the most significant environmental burdens. The system investigated includes the production of the chemical inputs used (fertilisers and pesticides), agricultural processes, the industrial processing and the transportation and waste management associated with olive oil production. Raw material and energy use as well as emissions were quantified on the basis of a functional unit of 1 l of extra virgin olive oil. The production of the inorganic fertilisers used in the agricultural stage of olive oil production and the disposal of liquid effluent from olive mills to evaporation ponds were found to be “hot-spot” processes not only in terms of resource consumption but also in terms of emissions into the environment.