Corporate environmental responsibility in the supply chain

A continuing trend in outsourcing increases the complexity of supply chains. Global supply chains extend over numerous echelons of countless companies. In parallel, the company-internal view on corporate environmental responsibility is being challenged as customers and legislation alike broaden a company's environmental responsibility to include organisations' upstream as well as downstream in the supply chain. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine corporate environmental responsibility beyond corporate boundaries, i.e. in the supply chain. A cross-industrial study based on 16 case studies in Finnish trans-national corporations sheds light on various dimensions of corporate environmental responsibility upstream and downstream of product and process supply chains. Conclusions were drawn for corporate environmental responsibility as well as for the role of supply chain management in extending environmental demand over several echelons and diverse industries.     

Will progress in science and technology avert or accelerate global collapse? A critical analysis and policy recommendations

Industrial society will move towards collapse if its total environmental impact (I), expressed either in terms of energy and materials use or in terms of pollution, increases with time, i.e., dI/dt > 0. The traditional interpretation of the I = PAT equation reflects the optimistic belief that technological innovation, particularly improvements in eco-efficiency, will significantly reduce the technology (T) factor, and thereby result in a corresponding decline in impact (I). Unfortunately, this interpretation of the I = PAT equation ignores the effects of technological change on the other two factors: population (P) and per capita affluence (A). A more heuristic formulation of this equation is I = P(T)·A(T)·T in which the dependence of P and A on T is apparent. From historical evidence, it is clear that technological revolutions (tool-making, agricultural, and industrial) have been the primary driving forces behind successive population explosions, and that modern communication and transportation technologies have been employed to transform a large proportion of the world’s inhabitants into consumers of material- and energy-intensive products and services. In addition, factor analysis from neoclassical growth theory and the rebound effect provide evidence that science and technology have played a key role in contributing to rising living standards. While technological change has thus contributed to significant increases in both P and A, it has at the same time brought about considerable eco-efficiency improvements. Unfortunately, reductions in the T-factor have generally not been sufficiently rapid to compensate for the simultaneous increases in both P and A. As a result, total impact, in terms of energy production, mineral extraction, land-use and CO₂ emissions, has in most cases increased with time, indicating that industrial society is nevertheless moving towards collapse. The belief that continued and even accelerated scientific research and technological innovation will automatically result in sustainability and avert collapse is at best mistaken. Innovations in science and technology will be necessary but alone will be insufficient for sustainability. Consequently, what is most needed are specific policies designed to decrease total impact, such as (a) halting population growth via effective population stabilization plans and better access to birth control methods, (b) reducing total matter-energy throughput and pollution by removing perverse subsidies, imposing regulations that limit waste discharges and the depletion of non-renewable resources, and implementing ecological tax reform, and (c) moving towards a steady-state economy in which per-capita affluence is stabilized at lower levels by replacing wasteful conspicuous material consumption with social alternatives known to enhance subjective well-being. While science and technology must play an important role in the implementation of these policies, none will be enacted without a fundamental change in society’s dominant values of growth and exploitation. Thus, value change is the most important prerequisite for avoiding global collapse.

Prospering Revolution of Resource Efficiency in Northeast Industrial Area in China

Abstract

Despite its strong advantages in resource, technology and human resource, China's Northeast Industrial Area is also experiencing problems of unreasonable industrial structure, environmental pollution, and the degradation of ecological condition, etc., which prevent this area from achieving a sustainable development. Through analyzing the resource problem, the present paper proposed a strategy of circular economy for the prosperity of this are, discussed the theories of circular economy and resource recycling, and finally concluded that improving resource productivity is at the core of circular economy.     

Seismic risk assessment of storage tanks in Turkish industrial facilities

In 1999, two earthquakes in northwest Turkey caused heavy damage to a large number of industrial facilities. This region is the most industrialized in the country, and heavy damage has a significant economic influence. Industrial storage tanks, ruptured by earthquakes, exascerbate damage through the spread of fire. Storage tanks are uniquely structured, tall cylindrical vessels, some supported by relatively short reinforced concrete columns. The main aim of this study is to evaluate the earthquake performance of Turkish industrial facilities, especially storage tanks in terms of earthquake resistance. Modeling a typical storage tank of an industrial facility helps to understand the structure’s seismic response. A model tank structure was modelled as a solid with lumped mass and spring systems. Performance estimation was done with 40 different earthquake data through nonlinear time history analyses. After the time history analyses, fragility analyses produced probabilistic seismic assessment for the tank model. For the model structure, analysis results were evaluated and compared. In the study, vulnerability of storage tanks in Turkey was determined and the probabilistic risk was defined with the results of the analysis.     

关于工业园区突发环境事件应急管理体系的思考

工业园区内企业集聚,导致环境风险隐患增加,加强对工业园区突发环境事件的应急管理尤为重要。在综合分析国内外环境应急管理体系现状的基础上,结合实际工作中发现的问题,从工业园区内风险物质的识别、环境应急资源共享、环境应急监测、环境应急管理体系的闭环管理模式、环境应急联动系统建设等5个方面,提出了一些关于建立和完善工业园区突发环境事件应急管理体系的建议。     

濮阳市工业污染特征与产业布局调整路径探析

基于2017年濮阳市第二次全国污染源普查数据,采用聚类分析和核密度分析的方法对濮阳市行业结构特征、工业污染集聚特征进行了分析。结果表明,濮阳市支柱行业为石化行业,工业总产值占比36.92%,远高于其他行业;非金属矿物制品企业数量最多,污染物排放总量最高;颗粒物排放量占濮阳市工业污染源排放总量的33%,占比最高;非金属矿物制品业与石油、煤炭及其他燃料加工业是濮阳市废气污染物的主要来源,石油、煤炭及其他燃料加工业与农副产品加工业是濮阳市废水污染物的主要来源;濮阳市产业集聚区是污染物产排的重要区域,其污染物产生量占濮阳市污染物产生总量的95.49%,污染物排放量占濮阳市排放总量的63.05%。而非产业集聚区的污染物排放量占濮阳市排放总量的36.95%,是精准治污的重点。针对濮阳市产业结构和产业布局现状,提出,重新整合辖区非金属矿物制品业,继续做强石化行业,兼顾发展污染物排放强度低的行业;挖掘产业集聚区减排潜力,建设绿色产业集聚区是经济与环境协调发展的重要途径;非产业集聚区企业应因地制宜,政策引导,发挥中小企业自主能动性,提升环境质量。以期为濮阳市产业布局调整提供技术支持。     

Pollution havens and industrial agglomeration

This paper examines the pollution haven hypothesis using a spatial-economy model of two countries and two sectors. The manufacturing sector generates cross-border pollution which reduces cross-sectoral productivity of agricultural goods, and lowers local income. We derive a demand-reducing effect that discourages firms to move to the country with laxer environmental regulations, in the absence of any comparative advantage. Our analysis also demonstrates that manufacturing agglomeration forces can alleviate the pollution-haven effect: a pollution haven may not arise if environmental regulation is slightly more stringent in the larger country.     

秦皇岛市工业企业需水量零增长预期分析

本文在对“九五”期间秦皇岛市工业用水情况认真分析的基础上,按照秦皇岛市“十五”计划和2010年远景目标对秦皇岛市2005年和2010年未来工业企业需水量进行了预测;同时对2020年和2030年进行了展望,综合分析预测的结果,提出了节水措施的建议,并对工业需水量的零增长进行了预期分析。     

Building partnerships — the Ohio Materials Exchange

This paper discusses a method by which individuals working in government, private business, not-for-profit and educational organizations developed a collaborative statewide program involving the exchange of materials from manufacturers, commercial business and not-for-profit organizations in Ohio.     

曝气生物滤池处理城市污水的试验研究

采用两级曝气生物滤池处理含工业废水的城市污水。结果表明:在水温26.7~29.5℃,气/水比6∶1,进水CODcr浓度为260~600mg/L,NH3 浓度为52~90mg/L、SS浓度为60~90mg/L、滤速为2.2m/h条件下,系统取得了良好的处理效果,其CODcr、NH3、SS的平均去除效率分别达到80.2%、97.8%、95.4%、出水CODcr、NH3、SS浓度满足污水综合排放要求。