Environmental performance indicators: an empirical study of Canadian manufacturing firms

The aim of this exploratory study is to examine the importance of measurement and use of environmental performance indicators (EPIs) within manufacturing firms. Two research questions are investigated: (i) To what extent are firm characteristics associated with the importance of measurement of various categories of EPIs? (ii) To what extent are firm characteristics associated with global and specific uses of EPIs? More specifically, this paper examines four uses of EPIs (i.e. to monitor compliance, to motivate continuous improvement, to support decision making, and to provide data for external reporting) as well as four characteristics of firms, namely environmental strategy, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 compliance, size, and ownership. This study contributes to the environmental management accounting literature by collecting and analyzing empirical evidence that provides a better understanding of the associations among firm characteristics and EPIs.     

Towards a spatially explicit and quantitative vulnerability assessment of environmental change in Europe

Over the next century, society will increasingly be confronted with the impacts of global change (e.g. pollution, land use changes, and climate change). Multiple scenarios provide us with a range of possible changes in socio-economic trends, land uses and climate (i.e. exposure) and allow us to assess the response of ecosystems and changes in the services they provide (i.e. potential impacts). Since vulnerability to global change is less when society is able to adapt, it is important to provide decision makers with tools that will allow them to assess and compare the vulnerability of different sectors and regions to global change, taking into account exposure and sensitivity, as well as adaptive capacity. This paper presents a method that allows quantitative spatial analyses of the vulnerability of the human-environment system on a European scale. It is a first step towards providing stakeholders and policy makers with a spatially explicit portfolio of comparable projections of ecosystem services, providing a basis for discussion on the sustainable management of Europe’s natural resources.

Successful combination of remediation techniques at a former silver factory

A residential area that was formerly part of a silver factory site severely contaminated with chlorinated solvents was remediated using an in situ electro‐bioreclamation technique. Electro‐bioreclamation is a method for heating soil and groundwater combined with soil vapor and low‐yield groundwater extraction and enhanced reductive dechlorination (ERD). During the first two years of remediation in the source area (the intensive phase), a total of 80 kg of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was removed by heating combined with ERD. After another two years of ERD in the source and plume areas (the attenuation phase), the VOC concentrations were reduced to a level below 100 μg/L in groundwater. Given these satisfying results, electro‐reclamation in combination with ERD turned out to be a successful in situ remediation technique for removing VOCs. © 2006Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Risikobewertung von Perfluortensiden als Beitrag zur aktuellen Diskussion zum REACH-Dossier der EU-Kommission

Background

The analysis of the intrinsic effects of perfluorinated organic surfactants shows the group to have a characteristic overall picture:

-high polarity

-high thermal and chemical stability

-ubiquitous distribution

-non-biodegradability

-multiple toxicity

In addition, certain substances belonging to this group (e.g. PFOS) exhibit a very long retention time in the human body. Toxic properties vary and, like the mechanisms for global distribution, have not been fully clarified. In the meantime, individual members of this substance group have been (are being) removed from the market. This report shows that in future the planned EU chemicals law (REACH) can be used to prevent such substances being regulated after they have been distributed in the environment and thus after damage has already occurred. To this end, however, the requirements for registration for low tonnage substances (1–10 tonnes/a) must be supplemented with specific tests (in particular on biodegradability)

Aim and Scope

The aim of the work was to analyse the intrinsic properties and risks of a subgroup of fluorinated organic substances.

Results

A summarising article describes the toxic effects and properties of a group of substances selected from the approximately 30,000 existing substances. With regard to the ongoing debate on revising the European regulations of existing substances (REACH). it is apparent that standardised test requirements cannot be applied to impact and risk analyses which are at times highly complex. For governments, REACH only provides the starting points for this process in the form of prescribed standard tests. If a substance (or a substance group) draws attention, more detailed tests must be carried out by the industry itself in the framework of responsible care and in the framework of the evaluation step of REACH. It is therefore important that the standard requirements of REACH are selected appropriately. In this respect, the study reveals some serious deficiencies in the Commission proposal.

Conclusion

The standard information for low tonnage substances (1–10 tonnes/a) must be supplemented in particular with an obligatory test on biodegradability. The possibility provided by the REACH dossier to evaluate substances on the basis of group observarions (SAR, QSAR e.g.) is to be welcomed.     

Occurrence,fate, and risk of the organic pollutants of the surface water watch List in European groundwaters: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Groundwater is the main source of freshwater in the European Union, yet freshwaters are polluted by organic contaminants if contaminants are not efficiently...     

Nitrogen cycling in a hypothetical scenario of generalised organic agriculture in the Seine,Somme and Scheldt watersheds

Nitrogen contamination of ground and surface water in the Seine, Somme and Scheldt watersheds, as well as in the receiving coastal marine zones, results in severe ecological problems. Previous modelling results showed that the implementation of classical management measures involving improvement of wastewater purification and “good agricultural practices” are not sufficient to obviate these problems. A more radical scenario was therefore established, consisting of a generalised shift to organic agriculture of all agricultural areas in the three basins, with the additional constraints that livestock is fed only on local fodder production. This scenario involves an increased livestock density in the Seine and Somme and a decrease in livestock in the Scheldt basin. It leads to a significant reduction of agricultural production that finally brings the three basins closer to autotrophy/heterotrophy equilibrium. Nitrate concentrations in most of the drainage network would drop below the threshold of 2.25 mgN/l in the most optimistic hypothesis. The excess of nitrogen over silica (with respect to the requirements of marine diatoms) delivered into the coastal zones would be decreased by a factor from 2 to 5, thus strongly reducing, but not entirely eliminating the potential for marine eutrophication.     

Chain-Length Shortening of Methyl Ethyl Hydroxyethyl Cellulose: An Evaluation of the Material Properties and Effect on Foaming Ability

During the past century, plastics have become a natural element in our every-day life. Lately however, an awareness about the fossil origin and often non-degradable nature of many plastics is rising. This has resulted in the emergence of some bio-based and/or biodegradable plastics, often produced from renewable resources. One possible candidate for bioplastics production could be found in cellulose. This paper aims at contributing information regarding a cellulose derivative, which could possibly be used in foamed plastics applications. Therefore, the reduction of the chain-length of a methyl ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose (MEHEC), assessed by size exclusion chromatography, and the effect of chain-length on the foaming behaviour were studied. The foaming was accomplished with a hot-mould technique using aqueous polymer solutions. The generated steam was here used as the blowing agent and important parameters were polymer concentration and solution viscosity. The density of the produced foams was assessed and was in some cases comparable to that of commodity foams. It was found that reducing the chain-length enabled an increase of the initial polymer concentration for the foaming process. This is believed to be beneficial for creating more structurally stable foams of this type.     

Bolder science needed now for protected areas

Recognizing that protected areas (PAs) are essential for effective biodiversity conservation action, the Convention on Biological Diversity established ambitious PA targets as part of the 2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity. Under the strategic goal to “improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity,” Target 11 aims to put 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine regions under PA status by 2020. Additionally and crucially, these areas are required to be of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative, and well‐connected and to include “other effective area‐based conservation measures” (OECMs). Whereas the area‐based targets are explicit and measurable, the lack of guidance for what constitutes important and representative; effective; and OECMs is affecting how nations are implementing the target. There is a real risk that Target 11 may be achieved in terms of area while failing the overall strategic goal for which it is established because the areas are poorly located, inadequately managed, or based on unjustifiable inclusion of OECMs. We argue that the conservation science community can help establish ecologically sensible PA targets to help prioritize important biodiversity areas and achieve ecological representation; identify clear, comparable performance metrics of ecological effectiveness so progress toward these targets can be assessed; and identify metrics and report on the contribution OECMs make toward the target. By providing ecologically sensible targets and new performance metrics for measuring the effectiveness of both PAs and OECMs, the science community can actively ensure that the achievement of the required area in Target 11 is not simply an end in itself but generates genuine benefits for biodiversity.     

Evidence for early intracellular accumulation of volatile compounds during spadix development in Arum italicum L. and preliminary data on some tropical Aroids

Staining and histochemistry of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were performed at different inflorescence developmental stages on nine aroid species; one temperate, Arum italicum and eight tropical from the genera Caladium, Dieffenbachia and Philodendron. Moreover, a qualitative and quantitative analysis of VOCs constituting the scent of A. italicum, depending on the stage of development of inflorescences was also conducted. In all nine species, vesicles were observed in the conical cells of either the appendix or the stamens (thecae) and the staminodes. VOCs were localised in intracellular vesicles from the early stages of inflorescence development until their release during receptivity of gynoecium. This localisation was observed by the increase of both number and diameter of the vesicles during 1 week before receptivity. Afterwards, vesicles were fewer and smaller but rarely absent. In A. italicum, staining and gas chromatography analyses confirmed that the vesicles contained terpenes. The quantitatively most important ones were the sesquiterpenes, but monoterpenes were not negligible. Indeed, the quantities of terpenes matched the vesicles’ size evolution during 1 week. Furthermore, VOCs from different biosynthetic pathways (sesquiterpenes and alkanes) were at their maximum quantity 2 days before gynoecium receptivity (sesquiterpenes and alkanes) or during receptivity (isobutylamine, monoterpenes, skatole and p-cresol). VOCs seemed to be emitted during gynoecium receptivity and/or during thermogenesis, and FADs are accumulated after thermogenesis in the spadix. These complex dynamics of the different VOCs could indicate specialisation of some VOCs and cell machinery to attract pollinators on the one hand and to repulse/protect against phytophagous organisms and pathogens after pollination on the other hand.