Abstract
This paper presents the findings of an expert working group of researchers from East Asian countries. The group was tasked with developing a theoretically sound and practically implementable methodology for assessing the sustainability of biomass utilisation in East Asian countries based on the needs and potential of biomass resources in this region. Building on six years of research conducted between 2007 and 2013, the working group formulated a set of main and secondary indicators for biomass utilisation under three pillars of sustainability. For the environmental pillar, the main indicator was life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and secondary indicators were water consumption and soil quality. For the economic pillar, the main indicator was total value added and secondary indicators were net profit, productivity, and net energy balance. For the social pillar, the main indicators were employment generation and access to modern energy, and the secondary indicator was the human development index. The application of the working group methodology and indicators in sustainability assessments of biomass utilisation will enable decision makers in East Asian countries to compare the sustainability of biomass utilisation options and to make decisions on whether or not to launch or sustain biomass utilisation initiatives.
Highlights
Utilisation of biomass resources has attracted worldwide attention because of its potential to contribute to rural development and employment generation
This was because the working group (WG) observed that there were very few land use change (LUC) models when we identified and field‐tested the sustainability indicators for biomass energy until 2010, which posed a big challenge for countries in East Asia to obtain information/data and calculate losses of carbon stock from land clearance
From the year 2011 to 2013, the WG formulated the sustainability indicators for biomass utilisation as energy and as materials by reflecting the lessons learnt from the field‐testing of the biomass energy sustainability indicators and the discussions made in Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) and Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) for establishing their standard and indicators
Summary
Utilisation of biomass resources has attracted worldwide attention because of its potential to contribute to rural development and employment generation. In recent years, growing concern over these issues, especially in relation to biomass utilisation for generating energy, has led to the emergence of several initiatives for assessing bioenergy sustainability [1] These initiatives are aimed at developing sustainability criteria, indicators, certification systems, and legislation for processing bioenergy feedstock as well as producing and consuming bioenergy. To develop appropriate sustainable assessment methodologies for biomass utilisation in biomass‐rich East Asian countries, it is important to consider existing feedstock availability and socioeconomic conditions within this diverse group of countries. In 2010, the WG tested the above guidelines and indicators through their application in four respective pilot studies conducted in India, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines These field studies used the WG methodology to assess the sustainability of biomass energy produced from various feedstocks in these countries [6]. In the year 2010, the applicability of the sustainability indicators developed was field‐tested in four pilot studies conducted in East Asian countries
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