Improvement Of Environmental Performance Research Articles

Environmental performance evaluation of electric enterprises during a power crisis: Evidence from DEA methods and AI prediction algorithms

With the continuous occurrence of power crisis events worldwide, meeting society's demand for electricity has kept coal-fired power generation high, which leads to a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions and environmental pollution problems. Therefore, improving the environmental performance of thermal power plants under the background of a power crisis has become particularly important. This research provides a new path for production optimization and environmental performance improvement of electric power enterprises from the perspective of combining prediction algorithms and DEA methods. We apply the modified non-radial directional distance function (MNDDF) method to a set of panel data containing 16 different cogeneration units and 27 different periods in eastern China and construct the grey prediction model to predict the future environmental performance of these units. Empirical analysis shows that our model has high prediction accuracy and offers a reasonable basis for future production decision-making adjustments for electric power enterprises. Based on the results herein, we present valuable suggestions for thermal power plants to improve their environmental performance during a power market crisis, including optimizing resource utilization, improving management level and operating conditions, strengthening technological innovation, and enhancing production factor allocation.

The Impact of Low‐Carbon City Pilot Policy on Corporate Environmental Performance: Evidence from China

As an important measure to achieve high‐quality economic development in China, the implementation of low‐carbon city pilot policy (LCCP) will inevitably have an impact on enterprises’ environmental protection behavior, but the empirical evidence in this field is limited. Therefore, based on the data of Chinese A‐share listed industrial enterprises in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2008 to 2020, this paper empirically tests the impact of LCCP on corporate environmental performance (EP) and its mechanism of action by using the multiperiod difference‐in‐difference (DID) method. The results show that (1) the implementation of LCCP has significantly improved EP, and after a series of necessary tests such as parallel trend and placebo, the conclusion remains robust. (2) LCCP promotes enterprises to improve their EP mainly through the pressure of environmental supervision, financing constraints, and market competition. (3) The policy effect of LCCP varies with the nature of enterprise property rights, pollution attributes, and technical level. State‐owned enterprises, heavily polluting enterprises, and high‐tech enterprises respond more positively to LCCP, and the effect of EP improvement affected by the policy is more obvious. Further analysis shows that facing the pressure of environmental policy, state‐owned enterprises mainly deal with it through two methods: increasing environmental protection investment and strengthening green innovation; heavy‐polluting enterprises tend to increase investment in environmental protection; high‐tech enterprises mainly benefit from the improvement of the green innovation level. Our findings have important policy implications for improving LCCP to achieve high‐quality economic development based on the improvement of EP.

Ecodesign Strategies for Packaging: a Simplified Approach to Evaluate Environmental Benefits

The improvement of environmental product performance is an important driver for product development. It is also related to the optimization of product packaging solutions. This paper addresses the question related to packaging eco-design strategies. A simplified approach, based on the Life Cycle Assessment methodology and Material Flow Analysis, is proposed to quickly compare alternative design solutions in terms of environmental impacts. Quantifying impacts and identifying the most significant design parameters for these products can assist industrial companies in avoiding potential impact transfer issues and finding the best solutions for their products. Multiple environmental impact categories and indicators are included to comprehensively consider impacts on the environment, resources, and human health. The proposed approach is applied to the environmental performance evaluation of several alternative design solutions for the packaging of a professional coffee machine. Alternative designs, starting from the selection of appropriate materials to the identification of solutions suitable for the reverse supply chain, will be compared and deeply analysed in environmental terms.

Improving drinking water quality through proficiency testing-the impact of testing method and accreditation status on Escherichia coli detection by Canadian environmental testing laboratories.

Water quality testing is crucial for protecting public health, especially considering the number of boil water advisories annually issued across Canada that impact daily life for residents in affected areas. To overcome these challenges, the development of drinking water safety plans and accessibility to regular testing using simple, rapid, and accurate materials are necessary. However, the significance of monitoring the accuracy of environmental microbiology testing laboratories cannot be overlooked. Participation in external quality assessment programs, such as those that include proficiency testing (PT), is a necessary risk management resource that ensures the effectiveness of these testing processes. Proficiency Testing Canada (PTC), in collaboration with the Canadian Microbiological Proficiency Testing (CMPT) program based at the University of British Columbia, have implemented a drinking-water microbiology PT program since 1996. Both PTC and CMPT are ISO/IEC 17043:2010-accredited EQA providers. The drinking water program provided PT challenges to subscribing testing laboratories twice per year. Each challenge consisted of four samples containing unknown concentrations of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterobacter spp. Results from participants were assessed for accuracy based on the method of testing. This cross-sectional study evaluated 150 rural and metropolitan testing sites across Canada between 2016 and 2022. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the impact of different testing methods and laboratory accreditation status on the proficiency scores. This approach enabled us to assess the association between multiple independent variables and the likelihood of achieving specific proficiency scores, providing insights into how testing methods and accreditation status affect overall performance. After adjusting for rural residence, testing time, and survey year, the membrane filtration method was positively associated with the likelihood of scoring satisfactory results compared to the enzyme-substrate method (OR: 1.75; CI: 1.37-2.24), as well as accreditation status (OR: 1.47; CI: 1.16-1.85). The potential for improvement in environmental laboratory testing performance through the implementation of regulated PT in drinking water safety plans is proposed, along with the need for reliable testing methods applicable to rapid drinking water microbiology testing.

Complexity of green innovation in manufacturing: a case in a foundry

Nowadays the improvement of environmental performances is one of aims of innovation in factories, to implement the sustainable development. For the achievement of the environmental goals, a firm can follow Green Innovation, namely developing environmentally friendly products and processes. In spite of the interest on Green Innovation, the progress towards the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, at halfway, is insufficient. In searching for solutions probably the complexity of introducing Green Innovation in factories is an issue.The aim of the paper is to show the complexity of innovation management by a real case: the pretests of new inorganic binders in a ferrous foundry. After a brief description of the Green Casting project case is considered by showing all the activities and entities involved. Finally, the results are discussed, and possible future developments are drawn. Results will show that development of project management tools and new technologies for training could be useful.

Screening Life Cycle Assessment comparing One-step and Two-step Injection Molding Compounding using Conservative and Optimistic Scenarios

One-step injection molding compounding (IMC) is an innovative process to manufacture short-fiber-reinforced polymer composites. The aim of combining compounding and injection molding into one process is to enhance component quality and minimize environmental impacts. In this study, a screening Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is conducted to evaluate and compare the environmental impacts of the IMC process with standard two-step manufacturing. Two scenarios for the IMC are considered, each differing in terms of machinery requirements, energy consumption, and material usage. Mechanically recycled polypropylene and glass fiber are used, and considered in the LCA employing a simple cut-off approach without awarding credits for substituting (primary) materials. The functional unit is the composite produced via the respective process, assuming equal functionality. Inventory data are obtained from initial experiments, literature, and the ecoinvent database. The impact assessment method selected is ReCiPe2016. Results indicate that the environmental performance improvement achieved by the IMC compared to the reference process is minimal in the conservative scenario where energy and material usage can be reduced but machinery usage is increased. However, in an optimistic scenario, the IMC can reduce the impacts of composite manufacturing by 34 %. The contributions at the midpoint level vary, and metal usage and energy consumption are the main contributors in all scenarios. A variation of the energy source for manufacturing shows the dependency of environmental impacts of components produced in both processes on the geographical location of production and its electricity supply. Methodological choices, such as the definition of the functional unit and modeling of recycled materials, have a large influence on LCA results, and alternative options are discussed.

Economic, energy and environmental analysis and evaluation of hybrid CCHP system considering different buildings: A two-level optimization model

Combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) integrated energy systems can realize the gradient utilization of energy and the coordination and complementarity of multiple energy sources, which is the primary choice for solving the energy crisis and alleviating the environmental pressure. However, most current design and operational optimizations for CCHP are performed under rule-based operational strategies. This paper constructs a two-level alternating optimization framework for the planning-operation of the CCHP system with an embedded scheduling strategy. The upper-level solves for the optimal capacity configuration of the system to optimize energy, economic and environmental performance, and the lower-level solves for the operating capacity of the equipment system to optimize the operation and maintenance cost. In order to obtain the optimal configuration scheme and scheduling strategy for the system, a novel multi-objective weIghted meaN oF vectOrs (MOINFO)-mixed integer linear programming (MILP) method is proposed. The optimization results suggest that the hybrid CCHP for three buildings (market, office, and restaurant) under the two-level optimization model can achieve better economic, energy, and environmental performance than the rule-based single-level optimization model. Generally, for the market, office and restaurant, the two-Level model achieves maximum economic, energy and environmental performance improvements of 29.12%, 29.88%, and 42.13%; 38.32%, 19.56%, and 34.68%; and 47.37%, 30.93%, and 45.47%, respectively.

Green Bond Financing and Corporate Environmental Performance

Abstract We investigate whether a green bond issue constitutes a reliable indicator to capital market participants that the issuing firm will be able to improve its environmental footprint in the near future. Based on a propensity-score-matched sample of green bond and conventional bond issues within the EU, we compare firms’ environmental performances with respect to three measures, namely greenhouse gas emissions, energy intensity, and water intensity. We find that there is no evidence of green bond issues being a good indicator of a firm’s ability to improve its environmental performance in the near term. Overall, while we observe certain improvements in environmental performance in the years following corporate bond issuances in general, green issuers and conventional issuers do not differ significantly with respect to these changes. Hence, we conclude that a green bond issue in itself is not a useful indicator of a firm’s commitment to a more sustainable business model.

Does green credit help reduce smog pollution? Empirical evidence from China.

As a resource production factor in environmental governance activities, can green credit help reduce smog pollution? Based on China's provincial panel data from 2006 to 2019, this paper empirically tests the impact of green credit on smog pollution by using an OLS regression model and a spatial Durbin model. The results show that green credit helps to reduce smog pollution overall; Industrial structure upgrading and green technology innovation are two critical paths for green credit to reduce smog pollution. The analysis of period heterogeneity finds that the descending effect of green credit on smog pollution becomes more significant after the transformation of China's economic development stage. The regional heterogeneity analysis finds that the descending effect of green credit on smog pollution is more significant in non-low-carbon pilot provinces and regions with lower economic development levels. In addition, green credit not only helps to reduce local smog pollution but also has a spatial spillover effect of "benefiting thy neighbors" on smog pollution in geographically neighboring areas. This study provides important inspiration for the government to further promote the innovation of green financial instruments and promote the improvement of environmental governance performance, provides decision-making references for different regions to implement differentiated green credit strategies to improve ambient air quality, and provides an experience reference for the development of green finance and environmental governance in emerging market countries.

Environmental impact of grass-based cattle farms: A life cycle assessment of nature-based diversification scenarios

Diversification is widely considered to positively influence the environmental sustainability of livestock farming. Multiple options exist to diversify cattle farms, but few have been examined at a systems level for grass-based livestock farms. Three nature-based diversification options recommended for livestock farms were examined in this study: mixed grass–white clover swards (GWC), organic farming (OFS) and agroforestry (AGF). They were applied on dairy and suckler calf-to-beef farming systems common in the Republic of Ireland. Both of these bovine systems were evaluated over a 3-year period (2017–2019) and were nationally representative. The environmental impact and resource use of dairy and suckler calf-to-beef systems were modelled using life cycle assessment (LCA). The system boundary of the LCA model extended from the extraction of raw materials to the sale of milk and cattle from the farm, i.e. cradle to farm-gate. Six of the major environmental impacts of cattle farming were simulated; global warming potential (GWP), non-renewable energy (NRE) depletion, land occupation (LO), acidification potential (ACP), freshwater and marine eutrophication potential (FEP and MEP). Impacts were scaled to the following functional units: land area, fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) for dairy and carcass weight (CW) for beef. The result illustrated that GWC swards reduced the GWP of milk production by 9% and cut the GWP of beef LW by 3%. Per unit of product, this strategy decreased ACP by 4%–5%, NRE depletion by 13%–19% and LO by 6%–7%. However, it increased MEP by 5%–12% due to clover fixing more N than it replaced. Cattle farms based on GWC were more productive than conventional farms, but tended to increase impacts per hectare. Organic farming had the lowest environmental impacts per unit of land and reduced GWP and NRE depletion. Without carbon sequestration, organic farming had the opposite effect on GWP of FPCM and increased ACP and MEP per product unit. Declines in productivity in organic systems led to the rise in these impacts per unit of product and increases in LO relative to conventional systems. Partial conversion (10%–20%) of grassland to silvopasture decreased milk and beef output, and slightly improved environmental performance. Carbon sequestration was greater in silvopasture than in grassland, albeit LCA models struggle to accurately quantify the influence of management change on this process. This issue can be overcome through more field and modelling research on sequestration. Further research is also required on combining diversification options to optimise the environmental sustainability of cattle farming.

Impacts of energy-saving and emission-reduction on sustainability of cement production

How energy saving and emission reduction measures influence the interrelationship between carbon emissions and environmental sustainability of cement industry is not very clear, and this could lead to trade-off. This study investigates effects of three representative energy saving and emission reduction measures (steam Rankine cycle power generation (SRC), organic Rankine cycle power generation (ORC) and carbon capture and utilization (CCU)) on environmental performance of cement production using an improved emergy analysis and carbon emissions amounting. The proposed approach can investigate resource efficiency and emissions' impact as well as carbon footprint of a system in study simultaneously. A cement enterprise, in Jilin Province in China, as a case, is explored using the proposed combined approach based on scenario analysis. The results illustrate that combination of SRC + ORC can promote environmental sustainability of cement production and carbon emission reduction by 4.61 % and 4.28 % respectively, mainly derived from SRC application (by 4.06 % and 3.81 %), (2) CCU can promote carbon emission reduction by 3.97 % but weaken the environmental sustainability by 2.10 % due to enhancing share of purchased nonrenewable electricity, and (3) combination of SRC + ORC + CCU can promote the environmental sustainability (by 2.43 %) and carbon emission reduction by 8.25 %. In addition, due to strong dependence on nonrenewable resources, combination of SRC + ORC + CCU is still limited in improvement of environmental performance of the industry. In the future, China's cement industry should further enhance environmental performance of CCU and efficiency of ORC, as well as improve the resource structure of this industry.

Cofinancing and infrastructure project outcomes in Chinese lending and overseas development finance

Cofinancing from government agencies, development banks, and private actors is acknowledged as an important tool to bridge the infrastructure finance gap in developing countries, but relatively little is known about outcomes for cofinanced projects. To fill this void, we explore the role of cofinancing in shaping Chinese lending and overseas development finance for infrastructure projects in terms of implementation outcomes and environmental performance. We examine a sample of 2997 infrastructure projects committed between 2000 and 2017 that were funded by Chinese finance, among which 15 percent are cofinanced. Our study shows that cofinancing correlates with higher infrastructure project completion rates, as cofinanced projects are 3.3–7.1 percentage points less likely to be cancelled or suspended than non-cofinanced ones. We also find that cofinancing with certain partners suggests specific benefits. Cofinancing with partners from the recipient country is associated with more localized implementation, whereas cofinancing with international partners has demonstrated improved environmental performance, with a 2.7 percent lower carbon dioxide emissions intensity and a 0.42 standard deviation decrease in biodiversity risks. The results suggest that cofinancing could be an effective tool to enhance infrastructure project success and achieve greater sustainable performance in Chinese lending and overseas development finance.

Improvement of firm's environmental performance under the background of green credit: The role of green supplier integration

Green credit is financial institutions voluntarily carry out loans and project funding, taking environmental risks into consideration and it is the most influential in the world at present. In order to obtain the support of green credit, manufacturing firms need to continuously improve the environment performance for low-carbon projects to promote energy conservation and emission reduction. Manufacturing firms can integrate supplier into its operation process. Taking manufacturing firms as samples, this study studies the direct relationship between governance mechanism and firm's environmental performance improvement and the mediating effect of green suppliers integration.

Environmental footprint performance improvement of black tea using the life cycle assessment approach

The cultivation and production of black tea are associated with significant energy consumption and adverse environmental concerns, largely stemming from inefficient practices, equipment incompatibility, and suboptimal cultivation methods. In response, this study employs a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) to address these issues and identify potential environmental improvements across the entire black tea system, encompassing both the cultivation and production phases. The primary focus of this analysis is the evaluation of key environmental metrics, including global warming potential (GWP), primary energy demand (PED), and water usage (WU). The study's findings highlight that a reduction in the use of chemical fertilizers during the black tea cultivation stage can effectively mitigate GWP, PED, and WU. A sustainable approach involves shifting towards a fertilization scenario that incorporates 70% organic fertilizers and 30% chemical fertilizers. This adjustment makes the cultivation stage more environmentally friendly, resulting in reduced resource depletion and water consumption. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that the application of artificial grass covering, as opposed to herbicides, has a significantly more negative impact on GWP, PED, and WU. Similarly, the use of insecticides during black tea cultivation leads to higher values for GWP, PED, and WU in comparison to employing solar pest control lamps. Additionally, the LCA analysis underscores the effectiveness of integrating solar pest control lamps and herbicide treatments during the black tea cultivation stage to achieve lower GWP and reduced resource consumption. On the other hand, the black tea production stage makes a substantial contribution to the system's GWP, PED, and WU, primarily due to the heated withering and natural fermentation processes. However, transitioning to frozen withering and aerobic fermentation processes presents a more environmentally friendly approach, resulting in a black tea production method that is lower in carbon emissions and energy-efficient, with minimal adverse environmental impact.

A comparative analysis of energy and lifecycle greenshouse gas emissions prefabricated building modules

Prefabrication is considered to provide improved environmental performance over traditional building construction. This paper provides evidence of the performance improvements of prefab construction by quantifying the embodied energy of modular prefabricated steel and timber multi-residential buildings. To this end, a benchmarking study is performed to ascertain the improved environmental performance of this method over conventional concrete construction methods. Furthermore, this paper assesses the potential benefits of material reusability in terms of reducing the space required for landfill, as well as the need for additional resources. It was found that a steel-structured prefabricated system resulted in reduced material consumption of up to 78% by mass compared to conventional concrete construction. However, the prefabricated steel building resulted in a significant increase (∼50%) in embodied energy compared to the concrete building. It was shown that there was significant potential for the reuse of materials in the prefabricated steel building, representing up to an 81% saving in embodied energy and 51% materials saving by mass.

A comparative analysis of energy and lifecycle greenshouse gas emissions prefabricated building modules

Prefabrication is considered to provide improved environmental performance over traditional building construction. This paper provides evidence of the performance improvements of prefab construction by quantifying the embodied energy of modular prefabricated steel and timber multi-residential buildings. To this end, a benchmarking study is performed to ascertain the improved environmental performance of this method over conventional concrete construction methods. Furthermore, this paper assesses the potential benefits of material reusability in terms of reducing the space required for landfill, as well as the need for additional resources. It was found that a steel-structured prefabricated system resulted in reduced material consumption of up to 78% by mass compared to conventional concrete construction. However, the prefabricated steel building resulted in a significant increase (∼50%) in embodied energy compared to the concrete building. It was shown that there was significant potential for the reuse of materials in the prefabricated steel building, representing up to an 81% saving in embodied energy and 51% materials saving by mass.

Implementing ISO 14001 in the engineering and construction sectors: a systematic review

There is a need within society to manage its impacts on the environment. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) ISO 14001 tool, based on the original BS 7750 standard, was created in 1996 and subsequently updated in 2004 and 2015; it has become the most prevalent type of environmental management system (EMS) adopted worldwide. Engineering and construction organisations wanting to implement ISO 14001 should be fully acquainted with the advantages and disadvantages of adopting an EMS. Using the Scopus academic database, this study used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses method to identify and select publications (since 1999) for systematic review. Examination of the chosen articles (n = 46) revealed a limited number of works per annum, with a peak in 2011 (n = 6). The most frequently reported benefits are ‘enrichment of green corporate and public image’, ‘improved environmental performance’ and ‘regulation compliance’, while the barriers are ‘costs’, ‘lack of experience, expertise or knowledge’ and ‘lack of training’. Further analysis, using the VOSviewer software, shows the network relationships between article keywords, notably that sustainability is increasingly listed (since 2011) and links with most other keywords. This suggests that the engineering and construction sectors may be seeing beyond the cost barrier and are realising the positive difference that ISO 14001 can contribute to their operations, their local/national communities and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

COMPARISON OF THE CREEP THRESHOLD OF PISTON ALUMINUM ALLOYS WITH TIME

The direction of work associated with the increase and improvement of efficiency and environmental performance while maintaining the trend of increasing specific power, leads to an increase in the thermal stress of the combustion chamber parts. This leads to cases of loss of parametric reliability of the side surface of the pistons both during experimental studies and during initial operation. Such cases are characterized by the appearance of rubbing in the area of the finger hole. These facts indicate the high relevance of additional studies of the properties of aluminum piston alloys, especially at the initial stage of thermal loads of structures. The aim of the work is to obtain comparative information about the creep threshold of materials, the excess of which causes deformation of the piston side surface in time and, accordingly, the occurrence of an unpredictable decrease in the gap in the friction pair piston-cylinder. This work presents a fundamental approach, in accordance with which the creep threshold of materials in the process of their hardening is determined. The creep process of the material at the first two stages is taken into account. The creep threshold of AL25 and AK4 alloys in their initially non-hardened and hardened with time state has been studied. Dependences between the level of temperatures and thermal stresses, which determine the creep thresholds of the studied piston aluminum alloys, are established. It is shown that the hardening of the studied alloys occurs during the first 10 hours of thermal loading. It has been established that the creep limit of non-hardened AL25 and AK4 alloys is 1.5-2 times less than the creep limit of hardened materials. An approach is proposed to ensure the parametric reliability of the piston side surface, which consists in the impossibility of thermal loading of the material by a level exceeding the creep threshold of unhardened materials. The presented approach is recommended to be used taking into account the concept of guaranteed reliability of structures at the initial stages of their design. A detailed presentation of the main material of the study is presented on the example of the AK4 alloy. The presented approach to the determination of the time-varying creep threshold can be used for arbitrary materials.

Assessing the lean-green practices in the automotive industry: Perspectives from academia and industry

Since the emergence of rising environmental issues, firms urgently require a supply chain strategy that will allow them to compete effectively in the marketplace. Implementing lean and green supply chain management strategies have been recommended to achieve sustainability and competitiveness. Yet, there is some ambiguity about how these practices must interact with one another. While lean practices have been around for a while and are widely adopted by businesses, the green movement is still evolving in the supply chains for most industries. This paper aims to identify the most important lean-green practices in supply chain management and their relative importance to firms’ sustainable performance in automotive industry context using Best Worst Method. The results reveal that green related practices are the most important to achieve environmental, economic, and social performance respectively. Whereas most lean practices remain the least important. As mentioned by the results three green practices, namely Environmental Management System (EMS), Green Purchasing (GP), and Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (3R), are the most important, while Small Lot Sizing (SLZ) is the least important lean practice. These practices contribute to the improvement of environmental, economic, and social performance respectively. The findings of this research offer a theoretical and empirical roadmap for decision makers seeking to identify key practices that are most likely to contribute to improving various aspects of sustainable performance in automotive context.

Grandfathering or benchmarking? The performance of implementing blockchain technology in a low-carbon supply chain

Blockchain can make the production process transparent and increase consumer recognition. With regard to the grandfathering and benchmarking, which are two widely implemented carbon regulation schemes in the industrial field, how will the use of blockchain perform asymmetric cost effects and emission reduction driving effects on these two carbon policies? From the perspective of carbon reduction and supply chain stakeholders, which regulation scheme should be adopted is an important issue that deserves attention. By analyzing the performances of two carbon allocation mechanisms with and without blockchain, we have the following findings: The implementation of benchmarking mechanism can better stimulate the manufacturer's enthusiasm for emission reduction, and the retailer also prefers benchmarking, regardless of whether the blockchain employed or not; There exists a situation where a higher unit blockchain cost leads to a lower total carbon emission, and unit improvement in environmental performance may not necessarily improve overall environmental performance; We define the Pareto regions in which the interests of supply chain stakeholders and the environmental performance of the supply chain can be improved simultaneously by adopting blockchain. We also investigate the impacts of consumer sensitivity to blockchain technology, carbon reduction cost and carbon trading price on the Pareto regions.