Linkages between best practice in business and good environmental performance by companies

Is the adoption of currently accepted best practice in business associated with improved environmental performance by companies? What methods can be used to assess and compare the environmental practices and performance of different companies? In this pilot study, the business and environmental practices and performances of five companies in the metal working sector were examined and scored. The business practices and performances were assessed using the best practice model adopted in the Australian Manufacturers Council study (AMC, November 1994, Melbourne, 112pp.). The environmental practices and performance of the companies were assessed based on a five stage framework of business response to environmental issues presented here. A strong correlation was observed between environmental performance and business practices (correlation coefficient, r = 0.85, p < 0.05). The company closest to best practice had a strong focus on quality, efficiency and elimination of waste, well-developed strategy, good teamwork and a high level of commitment and also had the highest score for environmental performance. The company with poorest score for its business practices had the poorest environmental performance, with the remaining companies lying between on both scores. There was no significant correlation between business performance outcomes and environmental performance.     

环境监测实验室废液管理与处置问题的思考

文章分析了环境监测实验室废液的特点、来源以及一些常用的处置方法。对废液处置中的有关问题做了探讨,并进一步提出将清洁生产理念用于解决实验室废液污染的问题。     

我国进口废物循环利用和环境管理政策研究

我国进口废物加工过程中的二次污染问题非常突出,非法进口垃圾的事件时有发生,大量危险废弃物通过夹带或走私等途径进入到国内,造成严重的环境污染问题,引起社会各个层面的广泛关注。针对我国进口废物管理中存在的这些问题,对国内废物进口和加工产业开展了多次调研,辨析我国当前进口废物管理中存在的主要问题,提出政策调整思路。     

How environmental management driving forces affect environmental and economic performance of SMEs: a study in the Northern China district

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form the core of societal and economic development. However, most people query on the implementation and performance of environmental management. In this paper, the manufacturing SMEs in Northern China with different pollution levels are studied to explore the main forces (e.g., government, society, market, and enterprise itself) driving SMEs for promoting environmental management. It focuses on the correlation between environmental management and economic performance for SMEs at different pollution levels. The results show that SMEs of different pollution levels have significant differences in the relationship of driving forces and performance. First, for SMEs with high-pollution levels, social and market driving forces and government incentives are revealed having a significant effect on their environmental performance. Driving forces from within the enterprise itself and the market provide a positive effect on the economic performance, while social forces have a negative effect. Second, for SMEs with light pollution, social and market driving forces, and government assistance play a supporting role on corporate environmental performance improvement. It is also found that the driving force of the enterprise itself does not have a significant effect on the environmental performance for SMEs with different pollution levels. In addition, the environmental performance and economic performance for SMEs with high or light-pollution levels are positively correlated. Further, it shows that the environmental performance is moderately correlated with financial indices, but not significantly with the non-financial indices.     

Improving the environmental performance of machine-tools: influence of technology and throughput on the electrical energy consumption of a press-brake

Machine-tools have been identified as one of the main energy-using products to be analyzed in an Ecodesign perspective, targeting the reduction of their environmental impact. Following this, machine-tool manufacturers are committed to anticipate eminent regulations and are looking for guidelines to improve their products on an effective and low-cost manner. This paper describes part of the energy consumption study followed in the frame of the Ecodesign of a commercial press-brake. All-hydraulic and all-electric commercially available systems, of different capacities and working in real production scenarios, have been included. From this study, a preliminary version of an LCI dataset for the bending process is proposed, structured in technology, machine capacity and usage mode categories, and using the bending cycle as the reference unit. The energy consumption per category was estimated based on a specific process energy model built as a function of the referred parameters. The contribution of the respective machine-tool structure to the environmental impact of the machining process is to be included, targeting the completion of such machining unit process dataset. The full LCA of an all-hydraulic system revealed the significant contribution of the machine-tool structure to the global life-cycle environmental impact of the machine (about 40%), while electricity during use phase contributes with about 46% to the total impact. This contradicts the general results published for other metal and non-metal forming processes, and is understood to be related with the discrete loading character of such forming processes here discussed.     

PRIMA: a Dutch initiative for environmental improvement of retail assortments

Cleaner production (CP) working methods should facilitate the search for feasible CP options and contribute to their on-going implementation in a company. Over the past decade, numerous working methods have been developed in order to cater for specific segments of industry. This paper describes, compares and analyses the core components of six Dutch working methods to develop a framework for CP methodologies, to draft guidelines for the selection of an appropriate working method for a certain industry, and to identify areas which require additional methodology development. A division is proposed between four types of CP working methods: indicators, scan, pre-assessment and assessment. Each of these has its strengths and weaknesses, which calls for a careful selection of the working method, which in turn could be based on size of the company, material- and energy-intensity of the production, and complexity of the production processes. This comparative evaluation further proves that the working methods are still weak in stimulating the corporate transition process from ‘end-ofpipe’ to CP thinking and acting. It is tentatively concluded that an ‘assessment’ is superior in identifying comparatively radical environmental improvements (‘innovations’) as well as in fostering the integration of CP into the daily operation and management of a company. The use of simplified working methods in selected industries, is, however, justified given their ability to contribute to the implementation of relatively obvious CP options.     

Improving the environmental performance of the fishing fleet by use of Quality Function Deployment (QFD)

This article introduces Quality Function Deployment (QFD) as a method for improving the environmental performance of the Norwegian fishing fleet. Systems engineering has been introduced as a feasible process for handling sustainability issues in the fisheries, because it contains methods for general system design, operation, and support in a life-cycle perspective. QFD is related to systems engineering as a method for translating stakeholder needs into detailed system requirements at each life-cycle stage. Eco-QFD extends the scope of QFD, and combines QFD, Life-Cycle Cost (LCC), and Life-Cycle Analysis (LCA) to evaluate environmental effects and costs in the system development process. The article assesses the usefulness of Eco-QFD in fisheries management decision-making regarding sustainability in the fishing fleet, and for shipyards in their design of fishing vessels. It is concluded that Eco-QFD may be difficult to use for fisheries management in its present form, due to the complexity of sustainability, and the time and efforts demanded to carry out the analyses. Nevertheless, the structuring of the stakeholder needs and requirements may contribute to improved understanding of the decision-situation.     

New environmental performance baseline for inland ports: A benchmark for the European inland port sector

This paper presents the results of a collaborative programme of action between the European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP) and the EC PORTOPIA research project to assist EU inland ports to enhance further their environmental performance. In order to achieve this goal, an environmental survey was specifically designed to reflect the operational and geographical circumstances of inland ports and to help to accelerate the culture of the reporting of environmental performance.The survey was developed to be user-friendly and practicable, and based on established good-practice taking into account the suggestions and advice of EFIP and its members, as well as the experience of the EcoPorts Network. As a result of the survey, an initial baseline of environmental performance for the EU inland port sector was established.A total of 27 port authorities participated in the survey, representing a range of port profiles in terms of size, commercial profile and geography. All response details were treated in strict confidence and the benchmark performance was reported as a European average. Results show that approximately 70% of the respondent ports declare that they have the major components of an Environmental Management System (EMS) actively in place (e.g. policy, inventory of legislation). An environmental index (1–10) has been calculated reflecting the performance of the sector in terms of the application of major EMS components. The average index value for the EU inland port sector baseline resulted in 6.Almost 67% of respondent ports indicated that they conduct environmental monitoring of different aspects, with waste being the most common. The survey results have also delivered the first top-10 ranking of environmental priorities for the EU inland port sector. It is interesting to note that also almost 70% of the inland ports apply initiatives to implement green actions. The outcomes of this paper are likely to be of interest to a wide range of stakeholders and decision-makers.     

树立大安全观提高企业非生产系统安全与健康水平

本文针对控制企业非生产系统和八小时外发生的安全事故,提出了企业做好大安全工作的具体措施,包括:企业必须确立大安全观,建立综合型安全管理机构和模式;拓宽安全培训内容;加强对野外作业临时住房等生活设施的安全检查与评价,控制境外交通运输事故;积极推行质量、环境、职业安全卫生管理体系"三合一"运行;定期为职工体检,引导职工建立...     

The role of environmental statisticians in environmental policy: the case of performance measurement

Environmental statisticians often experience the difficult task to provide clear results for environmental policy objectives on the basis of complex science, limited data, and many sources of uncertainty. This paper highlights the particularly challenging situation of environmental statistics in developing countries before focusing on the role of statisticians working at the nexus of environmental statistics and policy within the context of measuring environmental performance. Three issues create particular tension at the environmental science-policy junction: (1) the general complexity of environmental problems (including scientific uncertainty and insufficient data) and the often negative perceptions associated with their solution, (2) the comparatively recent introduction of quantitative methods and information to the environmental policy process and continued skepticism and ideologically motivated resistance to their routine integration, and (3) the language barriers between policymakers and statisticians as well as between statisticians and other scientists engaged in environmental research. Based on the case study of the 2006 Pilot Environmental Performance Index (EPI) developed by an interdisciplinary team at the universities Yale and Columbia the paper examines how the EPI tackles these tensions while aiming to be a fact-based, statistically sound policy tool that helps countries achieve environmental objectives by tracking progress, identifying environmental “best practices”, and providing strategic peer-group analyses. In conclusion, the paper suggests some remedies for the deficiencies in the co-operation between policymakers and environmental statisticians.     

原生、再生有色金属利用程度的比较研究

以1953—2005年期间我国10种有色金属产量的统计数据为基础,以原生、再生有色金属资源对形成有色金属产量各自所做贡献为依据,对原生、再生资源被利用程度进行比较研究,试图从重原生轻再生的原料结构比例失衡中给人以醒悟,从而提升对再生金属在战略资源中地位的认识。从循环经济的实质出发,提出了循环经济有可能成为再生金属资源产业发展的内在动力。     

Results of a questionnaire investigation on the management of environmental issues during conceptual design. A case study of two large made-to-order companies

This paper investigates the current treatment of environmental issues by two companies within the large made-to-order sector. Fifty questionnaires were issued to the design team of each company to assess current practice in the integration of environmental issues with design activities, awareness of environmental issues, awareness of existing environmental design tools and the preferred format for a potential clean design tool.     

Measuring the environmental performance of IPPC industry: II. Applying the Environmental Emissions Index to quantify environmental performance trends from routinely reported data

Reported emissions data were collated for 35 pharmaceutical-manufacturing installations and 18 power stations holding IPPC licences in Ireland. Consistent and essentially complete sectoral emissions time-series were generated, covering 2002–2006 for the pharmaceutical sector, and 2001–2006 for the electricity-generating sector. Applying the Environmental Emissions Index (EEI) to reported emissions indicated environmental performance improvements of 35 and 30%, respectively, for these two sectors. However, considerable uncertainty was attributed to reporting of heavy metals, NO_x and NMVOC emissions at the installation level, and overall NMVOC emissions from the pharmaceutical sector appeared to be considerably under-reported. The fixed average toxicity factor applied to NMVOC emissions in the EEI may deviate from potential temporal changes in the NMVOC compound mix. Overall, reporting uncertainties were found to have a greater impact on EEI outputs than assumptions made in the EEI model, and including an estimate of total sectoral NMVOC emissions reduced the pharmaceutical sector's environmental performance improvement to 24%. The EEI facilitates the comparison and visualisation of reported emissions, integrating them into environmental performance trends. It should optimise interpretation of abundant, detailed, and underutilised ‘bottom-up’ emissions data generated by IPPC installations. For Ireland's pharmaceutical sector, these data are considerably more comprehensive than EPER data.     

危险废物焚烧处理中的法制化管理问题的探讨

从我国危险废物焚烧管理现状和国外危险废物焚烧处理的法制化管理的实践经验出发探讨我国在危险废物焚烧处理中的法制化管理的有关问题，提出了加快危险废物焚烧处理的法制化建设在今后分阶段实施法制化管理的主要任务等建议意见。     

城市固体废物的处置和管理

对城市固体废物的处置，应做到减量化、无害化、资源化并避免二次污染；对其管理则应健全法规，加大监管和处理费用征收的，适时开放固体废物处理市场。     

加强固体废物交换、转移的市场化与规范化

对固体废物交换、转移的重要性 ,以及固体废物交换、转移的市场化和规范化作了探讨。就制度建设、机构建设和设施建设提出建议     

发达国家建筑垃圾再生利用经验及借鉴

介绍了德国、日本、美国等发达国家对建筑垃圾进行处理和再利用的经验,提出我国应借鉴发达国家经验,从科研、法律、教育以及政策等方面加强建筑垃圾的再利用工作。     

餐饮废弃物的危害及环境管理对策

介绍了餐饮废弃物的特点,处理不当污染环境,探讨餐饮废弃物无害化处理方式,并提出了针对餐饮业废弃物的环境管理对策。     

浅谈医疗废物环境管理

提高人们对医疗废物管理的认识,明确划分医疗废物监管机构的事权界限,建立医疗废物管理体系,建立医疗废物处置技术的创新机制和人才培养机制,是中国医疗废物管理的发展方向和走向完善的有效路径.