Holistic Environmental Assessment Research Articles

A Systems Firm-Centered Perspective on the Environmental Assessment of Recyclable PET and Glass Soft Drink Containers

This paper adopts a systems firm-centered perspective on the environmental assessment of recyclable glass and PET soft drink containers. We employ LCA and discrete-event simulation modeling for the environmental assessment of the two soft drinks packaging alternatives in operational terms over the entire supply chain over a period of three years. The assessment is based on real data collected from a large soft drink producer and its suppliers. The research and practice contribution of the paper is twofold: first, it introduces a methodological framework for environmental assessment of companies’ packaging environmental impact under different product and operations strategies; and secondly, it provides a holistic environmental assessment of the two packaging materials (PET and glass) taking into account specific operational issues, such as product mix and recycling and reuse options, as well as activity interdependences and stochasticity. The results of the simulation experiments confirm at the operations system level, for glass, the importance for sustainability, to increase the number of reuse cycles (for the particular case, for significant improvement, seven reuses) and the percentage of used bottles collected for refilling (80% recovery rate), whereas for PET, to increase the percentage of recycled PET in new bottles (towards 30%).

Environmental assessment of daily mobility for the design of neighbourhoods: Coupling mobility microsimulation and life-cycle assessment

This paper aims to develop an environmental assessment methodology of daily mobility for neighbourhoods. Thus, a microsimulation model represents mobility at an individual scale, which is coupled with a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for private cars and public transport to provide a holistic environmental assessment. The model is calibrated using census data and regional mobility surveys, providing information on population, jobs, dwellings, mobility and car fleets. The methodology is applied to a real neighbourhood project in Paris suburbs. Aggregated results show low environmental impacts of mobility compared to previous studies, with 276 kg CO2-eq per individual per year, reflecting the selected central and accessible location. Leveraging the microsimulation approach, disaggregated results highlight strong heterogeneity within both residents and employees, with respectively 17 % and 5 % of each group being responsible for half the emissions. Microsimulation further allows for estimating the effect of various levers to improve the project design. Although location exerts the greatest influence on the environmental impacts of mobility, reducing parking availability also proves very efficient, especially for residents. These findings support the use of microsimulation – instead of common mean approaches – to capture the heterogeneity of mobility behaviours and better estimate responses to levers in neighbourhood design.

Overcoming challenges in life cycle assessment of smart energy systems – A map of solution approaches

Current research underlines the benefits of digitalization to integrate renewable energy sources (RES) efficiently and to coordinate generation and supply. This development towards smart energy systems (SES) includes emerging use cases at the distribution grid level, e.g., smart charging strategies for electric vehicles or energy management systems in buildings. An environmental assessment of such, however, is challenging. The standardized Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approaches seem insufficient since SES are emerging systems at the interface of digitalization and energy with multiple intended and unintended environmental effects. This article aims to derive solution approaches for LCA professionals that investigate use cases enabled by information and communication technology (ICT), specifically in SES. To identify challenges during the first two phases of an LCA and solution approaches, we examine seven recent research projects and conduct a real-time Delphi workshop with LCA experts in the field of SES. As a result, the article provides approaches on setting up an LCA, filling data gaps, and methods to draw upon the long-term impacts of use cases in SES. Key findings include a modified taxonomy of potential environmental effects. Results show that systemic effects in SES have potentially the highest impact on the LCA, followed by effects caused by user behavior. Assessing these effects of ‘higher-order’ poses an increased complexity. Determined solution approaches include combining the standardized LCA with energy system modeling or surveys on user behavior. Overall, this article reveals orientation strategies and recommendations to guide LCA professionals toward a holistic environmental assessment of use cases in SES.

Environmental Assessment of Local Food Policies through a Territorial Life Cycle Approach

Sub-national governments play a vital role in achieving food-related sustainability goals through the re-territorialization of agriculture. While the environmental impact of such policies cannot be reduced to decreased food miles, multiple methodological bottlenecks prevent seizing their entire potential. In this paper, a territorial life cycle analysis is adapted and used to comprehend the cradle-to-grave impact of local food policies. This is conducted by assessing the impact of a territory’s food-producing and consuming activities before and after the local food policies implementation. To evaluate the feasibility of the methodology, the municipality of Mouans-Sartoux (southeast France), engaged in local food policies for twenty years, is chosen. Four impact categories are modeled: global warming, fossil resource depletion, water consumption, and land use. The findings show that local food policies drive direct and indirect changes in farming and retail practices, but a more significant transformation is achieved by inhabitants, mostly by decreasing meat and ultra-processed product consumption. All actions summed up decrease the local food system’s impact by between 7 and 19%. These results demonstrate the efficiency of the method to provide a holistic environmental assessment at a mesoscale as well as the environmental efficacity of the local authority’s intervention in food-related matters.

Environmental assessment of prosumer digitalization: The case of virtual pooling of PV battery storage systems

The emergence of decentralized renewable energies together with digitalization enable new possibilities for the provision of system services that are needed for the energy transition. In Germany and worldwide, prosumers with a PV battery storage system are on the rise. With the aid of digital information and communication technologies (ICT), energy service providers can pool individual battery storage units to form a virtual battery energy storage system (VBES). The VBES is supposed to provide flexibility services and, thereby, support the transition towards an energy system with high shares of intermittent renewables. Although the concept is environmentally motivated, a holistic environmental assessment is missing so far. Therefore, we carry out a life-cycle analysis that considers environmental benefits, as well as burdens of VBES. For this, we compare a PV battery storage unit in a German single-family household with and without participation in a VBES for the year 2018. We assess three levels of environmental effects: direct effects due to digitalization (data transfer, ICT resources for VBES operation), indirect effects from external optimization on the household-level (changes in battery life and power supply), and enablement effects on the system level (provision of Frequency Containment Reserve, redispatch, and preventing renewables curtailment). We find that digitalization has a comparably low direct impact but it can enable relatively high environmental benefits for climate protection, and in other impact categories. Conditions for our findings are that battery life and the household's degree of self-sufficiency with PV electricity are not significantly affected by the external control of the VBES operator. We conclude that current and future battery owners should be encouraged to allow external access for system services. Furthermore, the necessary ICT roll out should be implemented in the short- to mid-term.

Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of residential battery storage systems: A German case study

AbstractBattery storage systems (BSSs) are popular as a means to increase the self‐consumption rates of residential photovoltaics. However, their environmental impact is under discussion, given the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the production and the efficiency losses during operation. Against this background, we carry out a holistic environmental assessment of residential BSSs by combining a partial life cycle assessment for the production phase with a detailed simulation of 162 individual German households for the operational phase. As regards the production phase, we only find small differences between the carbon footprints of different cell chemistries. Moreover, we can show that the balance of plant components have a comparable impact on the global warming potential as the cell modules. In terms of the operational phase, our simulations show that BSSs can compensate at least parts of their efficiency losses by shifting electricity demand from high‐emission to low‐emission periods. Under certain conditions, the operational phase of the BSSs can even overcompensate the emissions from the production phase and lead to a positive environmental impact over the lifetime of the systems. As the most relevant drivers, we find the exact emissions at the production stage, the individual household load patterns, the system efficiency, and the applied operational strategy.

Relevance of Impact Categories and Applicability of Life Cycle Impact Assessment Methods from an Automotive Industry Perspective

Climate change impacts have been extensively addressed in academia, politics and industry for decades. However, particularly within the scientific community, the importance of considering further impact categories to ensure holistic environmental assessment and avoid burden shifting is strongly emphasized. Since considering all impact categories might become overwhelming for industry, a prioritization approach can support practitioners to focus their efforts on the most relevant impacts. Therefore, within this paper, an approach for the identification of relevant impact categories is developed for the automotive sector together with Volkswagen AG. The evaluation is conducted using a criteria set including criteria groups “relevance for automotive sector” and “relevance for stakeholders”. For the impact categories identified as relevant, an evaluation of LCIA methods is conducted considering the methodologies CML and ReCiPe 2016 and the methods recommended by PEF. The results demonstrate that climate change is by far the most relevant impact category followed by resource use, human toxicity and ecotoxicity from both automotive and stakeholder perspective. Based on the evaluation of the LCIA methods, a combination of different methods can be recommended. This work provides guidance for the automotive sector to prioritize its focus on the most relevant impact categories and to select applicable LCIA methods for their quantification.

COSMO-susCAMPD: Sustainable solvents from combining computer-aided molecular and process design with predictive life cycle assessment

Sustainable solvents are crucial for chemical processes and can be tailored to applications by Computer-Aided Molecular and Process Design (CAMPD). Recent CAMPD methods consider not only economics but also environmental hazards and impacts. However, holistic environmental assessment needs to address the complete life cycle of solvents. Here, we propose a CAMPD framework integrating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of solvents from cradle-to-grave: COSMO-susCAMPD. The framework builds on the COSMO-CAMPD method for predictive design of solvents using COSMO-RS and pinch-based process models. Cradle-to-grave LCA is enabled by combining predictive LCA from cradle-to-gate using an artificial neural network with gate-to-grave life cycle inventory data from the process models. The framework is applied to design solvents in a hybrid extraction-distillation process. The results highlight the need for cradle-to-grave LCA as objective function: Heuristics, economics, or cradle-to-gate LCA lead to suboptimal solvent choices. COSMO-susCAMPD thus enables the holistic environmental design of solvents using cradle-to-grave LCA.

Land development in an urban megalopolis: A holistic environmental assessment of housing on Chongming Eco-island, China

Over the last decade, the Chinese government has promoted Chongming Eco-Island as an example of sustainable urbanization and a means to mitigate the growth of residential districts within the Shanghai megalopolis. With the immense urbanization pressure of a growing city, we ask “what is an appropriate type and scale of housing for land development on Chongming?” This study uses the method of emergy (with an “m”) synthesis to prepare a holistic assessment of the housing on Chongming, accounting for all renewable, non-renewable and imported resources used as well as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during building's life cycle stages. To overcome the lack of unit emergy values (UEVs) of building materials used on Chongming, this study first developed a method to derive accurate UEVs of local materials from a regional life cycle inventory (LCI) database. With Chongming Eco-Island as a case study, four typical residential housing types (farmhouse, single-family house, slab housing, high-rise apartment) were classified according to site density, the structure and floor area ratio (FAR) of buildings. Results indicate that slab housing with FAR as 3.1 contributes most to the total emergy and GHG emissions per building area, while it proves to have the highest environmental performance when taking into account the residential density. In this respect, high-rise apartments are not the optimum options for the overall sustainability of Chongming Eco-Island.

Holistic Environmental Approaches and Aichi Biodiversity Targets: accomplishments and perspectives for marine ecosystems.

In order to help safeguard biodiversity from global changes, the Conference of the Parties developed a Strategic Plan for Biodiversity for the period 2011–2020 that included a list of twenty specific objectives known as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. With the end of that timeframe in sight, and despite major advancements in biodiversity conservation, evidence suggests that the majority of the Targets are unlikely to be met. This article is part of a series of perspective pieces from the 4th World Conference on Marine Biodiversity (May 2018, Montréal, Canada) to identify next steps towards successful biodiversity conservation in marine environments. We specifically reviewed holistic environmental assessment studies (HEA) and their contribution to reaching the Targets. Our analysis was based on multiple environmental approaches which can be considered as holistic, and we discuss how HEA can contribute to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets in the near future. We found that only a few HEA articles considered a specific Biodiversity Target in their research, and that Target 11, which focuses on marine protected areas, was the most commonly cited. We propose five research priorities to enhance HEA for marine biodiversity conservation beyond 2020: (i) expand the use of holistic approaches in environmental assessments, (ii) standardize HEA vocabulary, (iii) enhance data collection, sharing and management, (iv) consider ecosystem spatio-temporal variability and (v) integrate ecosystem services in HEA. The consideration of these priorities will promote the value of HEA and will benefit the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity.

Environmental Indicators for the Evaluation of Wood Products in Consideration of Site-Dependent Aspects: A Review and Integrated Approach

On the way towards a more biobased economy, the sustainable use of global wood resources remains a challenge as several trade-offs arise, e.g., from an increased energetic use of wood, an increased use of innovative but probably less recyclable wood composites, or from the need to conserve other forest ecosystem services. The aim of this study is to identify existing environmental indicators and methods for an evaluation of the sustainability of wood products in consideration of all life cycle stages, site-dependent aspects and later use in corporate decision-making. We chose a systematic literature review to answer the research questions explicitly and comprehensively. Qualitative content analysis was used to code indicators and scientific methods according to the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) framework. The sample (N = 118) is characterized by a high number of life cycle assessment (LCA) case studies. In 51% of all studies, the study authors use a combination of different methods. A total of 78 indicators and 20 site-dependent aspects could be identified in the sample. The study findings represent a first step towards a holistic environmental assessment of wood products.

Environmental performance of wastewater reuse systems: impact of system boundaries and external conditions.

Wastewater reclamation will be a significant part of future water management and the environmental assessment of various treatment systems to reuse wastewater has become an important research field. The secondary treatment process and sludge handling on-site are, especially, electricity demanding processes due to aeration, pumping, mixing, dewatering, etc. used for operation and are being identified as the main contributor for many environmental impacts. This study discusses how the environmental performance of reuse treatment systems may be influenced by surrounding conditions. This article illustrates and discusses the importance of factors commonly treated as externalities and as such not being included in optimization strategies of reuse systems, but that are necessary to environmentally assess wastewater reclamation systems. This is illustrated by two up-stream and downstream processes; electricity supply and the use of sludge as fertilizer commonly practiced in regions considered for wastewater reclamation. The study shows that external conditions can have a larger impact on the overall environmental performance of reuse treatment systems than internal optimizations could compensate for. These results imply that a more holistic environmental assessment of reuse schemes could provide less environmental impacts as externalities could be included in measures to reduce the overall impacts.

HEALTH2: A Holistic Environmental Assessment Lay Tool for Home Health

Although the adverse health effects of poor indoor air quality on occupants from mold and dampness in indoor environments are well described, there is no reliable empirical tool to evaluate indoor mold and dampness levels in the home for use by the medical profession and health safety regulatory bodies. The economic impact to society approaches $40 billion a year in North America alone from the cost of health care and workplace lost productivity. Mobilizing corrective action necessitates an acceptable home environment evaluation method. This paper proposes a reliable empirical model and tool, the Holistic Environmental Assessment Lay Tool for Home Healthiness, and develops guidelines for its use as a tool to evaluate and rank mold and dampness related indoor environmental conditions associated with known respiratory health outcomes. HEALTH2 was calibrated using theoretical homes and then validated using data from 269 home evaluations where occupant health and the home environment factors were collected. Results suggest the model can be used as an early detection tool to assist in determining indoor environment risk factors associated with respiratory illness from mold and dampness. Empirical modeling and this tool can assist environmental professionals in determining improvement scenarios beyond general industry prescription and assist regulatory bodies in setting home health guidelines. The HEALTH2 model challenges the dominant view and suggests that damp and moldy environments are measurable and the impact to society is sufficient to necessitate prompt medical and regulatory action.

Assessing environmental impacts of biofuels using lifecycle‐based approaches

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to inform decision makers about the data and information generated by commonly‐used, holistic environmental assessment approaches.Design/methodology/approach – Descriptions of eight types of lifecycle‐based methods are provided: Carbon/Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Management, Ecological Footprint, Energy Assessments, Fuel Cycle Analysis, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Risk Management (LCRM), Material Flow Analysis (MFA), and Sustainability Indicators. Example assessments of bio‐based products are provided because of the current environmental and socio‐economic relevance of bio‐feedstocks.Findings – Assessment methods that focus on single impact indicators, such as air emissions (Carbon Management and Fuel Cycle Analysis) and energy, typically show biofuels in a favorable light compared to conventional gasoline (petrol). Ecological Footprint addresses land use implications; LCRM addresses possible impacts to human and ecological health due to chemical contaminant exp...

Holistic Environmental Assessment and Offshore Oil Field Exploration and Production

According to UK Government surveys, concern for the environment is growing. Environmental regulation of the industry is becoming wider in its scope and tougher in its implementation. Various techniques are available to assess how the industry can drive down its environmental impact and comply with environmental regulation. Environmental Assessments (EA) required by European law do not cover the whole life cycle of the project that they are analysing. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) was developed to assess the environmental loadings of a product, process or activity over its entire life cycle. It was the first technique used in environmental analysis that adopted what was described as a holistic approach. It fails this approach by not assessing accidental emissions or environmental impacts other than those that are direct. Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) offers the opportunity to value environmental effects and appraise a project on the basis of costs and benefits. Not all environmental effects can be valued and of those that can there is considerable uncertainty in their valuation and occurrence. CBA cannot satisfactorily measure the total environmental risk of a project. Consequently there is a need for a technique that overcomes the failures of project-level EA, LCA and CBA, and assesses total environmental risk. Many organizations such as, the British Medical Association, the European Oilfield Speciality Chemicals Association, the Royal Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (Norway) and Shell Expro now recognize that a holistic approach is an integral part of assessing total risk. The Brent SPAR case study highlights the interdisciplinary nature required of any environmental analysis. Holistic Environmental Assessment is recommended as such an environmental analysis.

Life cycle assessment: data quality and databases practitioner survey

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a technique for holistic environmental assessment of products, packaging and activity systems. There are variations in the way LCA data are collected, processed and presented, which potentially affect the study results. A survey was conducted to document the range of variability in international LCA practice relative to data and databases. Results indicate that the inventory portion of LCAs is as well developed from a data quality perspective as it is from a technical/procedural framework standpoint. Practitioners are aware of the need for assessing and maintaining data quality. However, application of quality assessment procedures is by no means widespread, uniform or rigorous. Practitioners compensate by being cautious in drawing conclusions. The development of more systematic tools for assessing data quality in LCA, consistent with the goal of the study, is warranted. Judging from present practice, this development would be welcomed. Life cycle impact assessment is procedurally less well defined and the data quality practices reflect this state of affairs.