Plastics. Carbon and environmental footprint of biobased plastics

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Footprint

scholarly journals The evolution of life cycle assessment in European policies over three decades

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serenella Sala ◽  
Andrea Martino Amadei ◽  
Antoine Beylot ◽  
Fulvio Ardente
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
General Concept ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Environmental Footprint ◽  
Science And Policy ◽  
Policy Domain ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Eu

Abstract Purpose Life cycle thinking (LCT) and life cycle assessment (LCA) are increasingly considered pivotal concept and method for supporting sustainable transitions. LCA plays a relevant role in decision support, for the ambition of a holistic coverage of environmental dimensions and for the identification of hotspots, possible trade-offs, and burden shifting among life cycle stages or impact categories. These features are also relevant when the decision support is needed in policy domain. With a focus on EU policies, the present study explores the evolution and implementation of life cycle concepts and approaches over three decades. Methods Adopting an historical perspective, a review of current European Union (EU) legal acts and communications explicitly mentioning LCT, LCA, life cycle costing (LCC), and environmental footprint (the European Product and Organisation Environmental Footprint PEF/OEF) is performed, considering the timeframe from 1990 to 2020. The documents are categorised by year and according to their types (e.g. regulations, directives, communications) and based on the covered sectors (e.g. waste, energy, buildings). Documents for which life cycle concepts and approaches had a crucial role are identified, and a shortlist of these legal acts and communications is derived. Results and discussion Over the years, LCT and life cycle approaches have been increasingly mentioned in policy. From the Ecolabel Regulation of 1992, to the Green Deal in 2019, life cycle considerations are of particular interest in the EU. The present work analysed a total of 159 policies and 167 communications. While in some sectors (e.g. products, vehicles, and waste) life cycle concepts and approaches have been adopted with higher levels of prescriptiveness, implementation in other sectors (e.g. food and agriculture) is only at a preliminary stage. Moreover, life cycle (especially LCT) is frequently addressed and cited only as a general concept and in a rather generic manner. Additionally, more stringent and rigorous methods (LCA, PEF/OEF) are commonly cited only in view of future policy developments, even if a more mature interest in lifecycle is evident in recent policies. Conclusion The EU has been a frontrunner in the implementation of LCT/LCA in policies. However, despite a growing trend in this implementation, the development of new stringent and mandatory requirements related to life cycle is still relatively limited. In fact, there are still issues to be solved in the interface between science and policy making (such as verification and market surveillance) to ensure a wider implementation of LCT and LCA.

scholarly journals Moving Consumers along the Innovation Adoption Curve: A New Approach to Accelerate the Shift toward a More Sustainable Diet

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4477
Author(s):  
Antje Gonera ◽  
Erik Svanes ◽  
Annechen Bahr Bugge ◽  
Malin Myrset Hatlebakk ◽  
Katja-Maria Prexl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Of Innovation ◽  
Food System ◽  
Eating Habits ◽  
Innovation Adoption ◽  
Environmental Footprint ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Dietary Shift ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Sustainable Diet

Unsustainable food production and consumption contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Adopting a more plant-based diet has been identified as a necessary change toward a more sustainable food system. In response to the call for transdisciplinary research on the sustainability of food consumption, this exploratory study combined consumer science, nutrition and health, sustainability research, and innovation to develop a new approach that can accelerate the shift toward a more sustainable diet. Quantitative data on the eating habits and attitudes of 1785 consumers was combined with data on environmental impacts via a life cycle assessment for different consumer segments. We studied the sustainable dietary shift using the diffusion of innovation theory, as well as qualitative and quantitative approaches. We identified and characterized seven consumer segments and related habits and attitudes toward an increase in plant-based foods and meat reduction. The nutritional quality and the environmental footprint of the segments’ dinners showed large differences. The results indicate that moving consumers along the innovation adoption curve with targeted interventions can reduce the environmental footprint of people’s diets and improve dietary health. We also discussed the value of user-centric innovation tools for the translation of insights into interventions by working with personas.

A planetary boundary-based environmental footprint family: From impacts to boundaries

2021 ◽  
Vol 785 ◽  
pp. 147383
Author(s):  
Linxiu Wu ◽  
Kai Huang ◽  
Bradley G. Ridoutt ◽  
Yajuan Yu ◽  
Ying Chen
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Footprint

Environmental footprint as a criterion in the ZTA composites forming process via centrifugal slip casting

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Zygmuntowicz ◽  
Justyna Tomaszewska ◽  
Radosław Żurowski ◽  
Marcin Wachowski ◽  
Ireneusz Szachogłuchowicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Slip Casting ◽  
Environmental Footprint ◽  
Forming Process

scholarly journals Substitution of beef with pea protein reduces the environmental footprint of meat balls whilst supporting health and climate stabilisation goals

2021 ◽  
pp. 126447
Author(s):  
Sophie Saget ◽  
Marcela Costa ◽  
Carla Sancho Santos ◽  
Marta Wilton Vasconcelos ◽  
James Gibbons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Footprint ◽  
Pea Protein
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