DOCSLIB.ORG

Extended Producer Responsibility: Stakeholder Concerns and Future Developments

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Extended Producer Responsibility: Stakeholder Concerns and Future Developments White Paper Extended Producer Responsibility: Stakeholder Concerns and Future Developments Extended Producer Responsibility: Stakeholder Concerns and Future Developments A report prepared by the INSEAD Social Innovation Centre with the support of European Recycling Platform (ERP) Nathan Kunz Atalay Atasu Kieren Mayers Luk Van Wassenhove INSEAD Social Innovation Centre Bd de Constance 77305 Fontainebleau FRANCE About INSEAD INSEAD is one of the world’s leading and largest graduate business schools, with campuses in France, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. As a global educational institution, INSEAD’s mission is to create a learning environment that brings together people, ideas and cultures from around the world, in order to transform businesses and individuals through business education. With 146 faculty members from 34 countries, INSEAD teaches more than 1,300 degree participants annually in MBA, Executive MBA, Master and PhD programmes. In addition, more than 12,000 executives participate in INSEAD’s Executive Education programmes each year. Besides education, INSEAD also conducts research through its research centres. The present project was carried out by the INSEAD Social Innovation Centre, an inclusive platform for cross-disciplinary research, education, projects and engagement in the area of business in society. This centre aims to develop innovation for sustainable economic, environmental and social prosperity. Its fields of research include Corporate Social Responsibility & Ethics, Humanitarian Research, Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability. About the authors: Nathan Kunz, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, INSEAD Social Innovation Centre Atalay Atasu, Associate Professor, Scheller College of Business, Georgia Institute of Technology Kieren Mayers, Executive in Residence, INSEAD Social Innovation Centre Luk Van Wassenhove, The Henry Ford Chaired Professor of Manufacturing, Professor of Technology and Operations Management, INSEAD Social Innovation Centre Contacts: Miranda Helmes, Communications INSEAD Social Innovation Centre Bd de Constance - 77305 Fontainebleau - France Tel: +33 1 60 72 91 16 Email: [email protected] Web: http://centres.insead.edu/social-innovation Acknowledgements The authors wish to thank European Recycling Platform (ERP) for funding and supporting this research. The authors would also like to thank the 23 interviewees who answered our questions. 2 About ERP European Recycling Platform (ERP) started its operations in August 2005 in response to the introduction of the European Union’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. ERP’s mission is to ensure cost-effective implementation of the WEEE, Batteries and Packaging EPR legislations for the benefit of participating companies and their customers. This is achieved through innovative waste management strategies and by encouraging national implementation of the Directives according to a set of core principles fundamental to the protection of consumers and businesses, as well as the environment. ERP operates directly or through solid partnerships in 16 countries—Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands (partnering with WEEE NL), Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and the UK. Expansion to further countries will soon follow. Contacts: Samantha Charalambous, Communications European Recycling Platform Tel: +39 02 92 14 74 79 Email: [email protected] Web: http://erp-recycling.org 3 Motivation For This Report By attaining an overall collection and recycling volume of 2 million tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in 2013, European Recycling Platform (ERP) reached an important milestone in its development. In its 8 years of operation, ERP had collected approximately 2.5 times the volume of all consumer electronics waste recycled in the entire US in 2011, 1 or the volume of all WEEE collected in Germany, Italy, UK and Spain in 2010. 2 ERP reached its first major milestone of 1 million tonnes in July 2010, 5 years after starting its operations. The 2 million tonnes milestone was reached in October 2013, only 3 years later. This demonstrates ERP’s growth in recent years, due in large part to its expansion into additional countries as well as organic growth of collection. Removing hazardous gases from end of life electrical appliances has allowed ERP to prevent the release of 3,000 tonnes of ozone-depleting substances 3 (i.e., CFCs). The release of these substances into the atmosphere would represent a global warming potential of 19 million tonnes of CO 2 equivalents. 4 Recycling valuable waste for reuse in new products is another benefit deriving from these 2 million tonnes of WEEE. Over these first 8 years of operation, ERP recovered 16 tonnes of gold, 130 tonnes of silver and 160,000 tonnes of copper. 5 Besides the positive impact on the economy, the recovery of these amounts of valuable metals obviated the need for their extraction, a 6 highly energy-consuming task that would have emitted approximately 2.7 million tonnes of CO 2. Together with the benefits from recovering CFCs, this equals 21.7 million tonnes of CO 2 equivalents avoided, or nearly 40% of Denmark’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2011. 7 To mark this important milestone, ERP supported INSEAD in conducting a study on the future of extended producer responsibility. The publication of this report also coincides with the 14 February 2014 deadline for the transposition of the WEEE Directive Recast into national legislation in EU Member States. This report therefore provides a timely and interesting view on the future of extended producer responsibility. 1 US EPA (2013). Municipal solid waste in the United States: 2011 facts and figures, p.68 2 Eurostat (2014b). Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) 3 ERP (2014) 4 RWTH Aachen University (2010). Analysis of WEEE output flows on the greenhouse effect 5 ERP (2014) 6 RWTH Aachen University (2010). Analysis of WEEE output flows on the greenhouse effect 7 Eurostat (2014c). Environment 4 Executive Summary Developed at a time when waste had come to be seen as a cost producers should pay for, the concept of extended producer responsibility (EPR) evolved into a legislative tool to handle this cost, using the mechanism of producer responsibility organisations (PROs). Increasing commodity prices over the last decade are changing this paradigm, however, and waste is increasingly considered as a potential source of revenue. Legislation has largely failed to adapt to this paradigm shift, and therefore does not fit the reality of waste markets anymore. Indeed, from the legislative tool it was initially, EPR has developed into a market driven by multiple forces, one in which legal and market- based approaches try to cohabit, which has led to an inefficient and partially dysfunctional system. Our report aims to explore recent advances in EPR and to provide recommendations for the stakeholders involved in this market. After a brief introduction on the history of EPR in Europe, we discuss pending issues in the current practice of EPR, with particular emphasis on the WEEE Directive and its Recast as they are the focus of recent discussions on implementation. Then, based on a series of interviews with a set of stakeholders, we analyze the perspectives and key concerns regarding EPR implementation. From the analysis of stakeholder concerns, we identify five factors that limit or disrupt the stability and effectiveness of EPR systems: • Commodity dynamics 8: Volatile commodity prices influence leakages of waste outside the EPR system and the value producers recover from waste • Volume dynamics: Uncertain volumes of waste collected by PROs limit planning of future investment for waste operators • Competition dynamics: Variations in the level of competition between PROs may change the efficiency of EPR markets • Regulatory dynamics: The possibility of unexpected changes in future legislation may negatively impact the stability needed by producers and waste operators • Design dynamics: Potential product design changes lead to uncertainty in terms of waste to be recycled in the future As they play against the long-term stability that businesses need to operate, these different factors should be alleviated through some legal and operational mechanisms. For example, we recommend flexible adaptation at national levels of a limited number of general principles imposed by the European Commission. In order to let competing PROs contribute to increasing performance and efficiency, we also suggest national authorities further open EPR markets to competition. We also recommend that PROs take a role in providing stability to EPR markets, thus helping to improve the effectiveness of EPR in achieving its objectives. 8 In this paper, the term dynamics is used in the sense of “the forces or properties which simulate growth, development or change within a system or a process” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2014) 5 Table of Contents ABOUT INSEAD ................................................................................................................................................................ 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................................................... 2 ABOUT ERP ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3 MOTIVATION FOR THIS REPORT ...........................................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Life Cycle Assessment
    Life cycle assessment http://lcinitiative.unep.fr/ http://lca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/lcainfohub/index.vm http://www.lbpgabi.uni-stuttgart.de/english/referenzen_e.html "Cradle-to-grave" redirects here. For other uses, see Cradle to the Grave (disambiguation). Recycling concepts Dematerialization Zero waste Waste hierarchy o Reduce o Reuse o Recycle Regiving Freeganism Dumpster diving Industrial ecology Simple living Barter Ecodesign Ethical consumerism Recyclable materials Plastic recycling Aluminium recycling Battery recycling Glass recycling Paper recycling Textile recycling Timber recycling Scrap e-waste Food waste This box: view • talk • edit A life cycle assessment (LCA, also known as life cycle analysis, ecobalance, and cradle-to- grave analysis) is the investigation and valuation of the environmental impacts of a given product or service caused or necessitated by its existence. Contents [hide] 1 Goals and Purpose of LCA 2 Four main phases o 2.1 Goal and scope o 2.2 Life cycle inventory o 2.3 Life cycle impact assessment o 2.4 Interpretation o 2.5 LCA uses and tools 3 Variants o 3.1 Cradle-to-grave o 3.2 Cradle-to-gate o 3.3 Cradle-to-Cradle o 3.4 Gate-to-Gate o 3.5 Well-to-wheel o 3.6 Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment 4 Life cycle energy analysis o 4.1 Energy production o 4.2 LCEA Criticism 5 Critiques 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links [edit] Goals and Purpose of LCA The goal of LCA is to compare the full range of environmental and social damages assignable to products and services, to be able to choose the least burdensome one.
    [Show full text]
  • Sample Thesis Template
    Development of a Decision Support System for Resolving Conflicts in Environmentally Sensitive Areas Ahmed Abdelrehim A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at The University of Newcastle upon Tyne 2012 Abstract The aim of this research is to develop a new methodology to assist decision-makers in assessing and measuring the degree of stakeholder conflict in environmentally sensitive areas. The research tried to answer the following question: How can the understanding of the magnitude and direction of consensus among conflicting stakeholders shape the management of an environmentally sensitive area? The case study area of Lake Maryout, Egypt, provided a good example of failure in the management of natural resources. It demonstrated that conflict among different stakeholders coupled with contradiction in the current policies and legislation play a role in exacerbating the deterioration of its environmental quality. The methodology therefore, is applied on simplified application of analytical hierarchical structure as an example to identify the main variables underpinning Lake Maryout‘s stakeholders‘ conflicting priorities. The research adopted both a qualitative and quantitative mixed methodology. The underpinning data was collected through expert and stakeholder questionnaires, interviews, public hearings, field survey and remotely sensed data. The research methodology applies Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), with the support of Geographic Information System (GIS), and the Driving Forces–Pressures–State–Impacts–Responses (DPSIR) analytical framework. The research has shed light on the dynamics of environmental conflicts, illustrating the formation and direction of disagreements between various stakeholders.
    [Show full text]
  • Mathematical and Computational Modelling Frameworks for Integrated Sustainability Assessment (ISA)
    Mathematical and Computational Modelling Frameworks for Integrated Sustainability Assessment (ISA) Maryam Farsi, Amin Hosseinian-Far, Alireza Daneshkhah and Tabassom Sedighi Abstract Sustaining and optimising complex systems are often challenging prob- lems as such systems contain numerous variables that are interacting with each other in a nonlinear manner. Application of integrated sustainability principles in a com- plex system (e.g. the Earth’s global climate, social organisations, Boeing’s supply chain, automotive products and plants’ operations, etc.) is also a challenging pro- cess. This is due to the interactions between numerous parameters such as eco- nomic, ecological, technological, environmental and social factors being required for the life assessment of such a system. Functionality and flexibility assessment of a complex system is a major factor for anticipating the systems’ responses to changes and interruptions. This study outlines generic mathematical and computa- tional approaches to solving the nonlinear dynamical behaviour of complex systems. The goal is to explain the modelling and simulation of system’s responses experi- encing interaction change or interruption (i.e. interactive disruption). Having this knowledge will allow the optimisation of systems’ efficiency and would ultimately reduce the system’s total costs. Although, many research works have studied inte- grated sustainability behaviour of complex systems, this study presents a generic mathematical and computational framework to explain the behaviour of
    [Show full text]
  • Assessment of Eco-Labelling and Green Procurement from a Strategic Sustainability Perspective
    PROCUREMENT FROM ASSESSMENT OF ABSTRACT Efforts to reduce negative impacts from con- but also gaps and thus potentials for improve- sumption and production include voluntary ment. The criteria development processes and E CO-L ASSESSMENT OF ECO-LABELLING AND market-based initiatives. Examples are the con- the resulting criteria mostly concern the cur- A cept of eco-labelling and the concept of green rent market supply and a selection of current A GREEN PROCUREMENT FROM A STRATEGIC BELLING S procurement. These have emerged as policy environmental impacts outside the context of TR SUSTAINABILITY PERSPECTIVE instruments with great potentials to steer pro- long-term objectives. Neither sustainability nor A TEGIC duct innovation and purchasing decisions in a any other clearly defined long-term objective is A sustainable direction. This potential has been re- agreed upon, and the criteria are not structured ND S UST cognized by the United Nations, the European to support procurers, suppliers and product de- G REEN Union, the Organization for Economic Coopera- velopers in a systematic and strategic stepwise A IN tion and Development and national governments approach towards sustainability. Recommended A through, e.g., various programmes and schemes. improvements include a more thorough sustai- BILITY PERS The aim of this thesis is to assess current crite- nability assessment, communication of clearer ria development processes within eco-labelling objectives, broader competence in the criteria Cecilia Bratt and green procurement from a strategic sus- development groups and more emphasis on the P tainability perspective and to describe possible dialogue and interaction between key actors. ECTIVE improvement potentials from such a perspective This includes an extended view on both the pro- to make these instruments more supportive of duct concept and actors involved.
    [Show full text]
  • Stakeholder Engagement – a Good Practice
    Stakeholder Engagement: A Good Practice Handbook for Companies Doing Business in Emerging Markets Cover photo credits: 1st row (L to R): WB Staff, WB Staff, WB Staff 2nd row (L to R): T.Pollett, I. Michuci, Courtesy of AGD 3rd row (L to R): K.Merckens, C. Warren, WB Staff 4th row (L to R): T.Pollett, Courtesy America Latina Logistica, WB Staff ® 2007 INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION 2121 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433 U.S.A. Telephone: 202 473-1000 Facsimile: 202 974-4384 Internet: www.ifc.org/enviro All rights reserved First printing, May 2007 The findings, interpretations, views, and conclusions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of the International Finance Corporation or of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank) or the governments they represent. Rights and Permissions IFC encourages use and distribution of its publica- tions. Content from this document may be used freely and copied into other formats without prior permission provided that clear attribution is given to the original source. Stakeholder Engagement: A Good Practice Handbook for Companies Doing Business in Emerging Markets iii Table of Contents Introduction. 1 Towards a broader concept of “engagement” . 2 About this handbook . 3 Tips for successful engagement . 4 PART ONE: Key Concepts and Principles of Stakeholder Engagement Stakeholder Identification and Analysis . 13 Information Disclosure . 27 Stakeholder Consultation . 33 Five Steps for Iterative Consultation. 34 Informed Participation . 44 Consultation with Indigenous Peoples . 47 Gender Considerations in Consultation . 56 Negotiation and Partnerships .
    [Show full text]
  • Locating Hotspots for the Social Life Cycle Assessment of Bio-Based Products from Short Rotation Coppice
    BioEnergy Research https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-021-10261-9 Locating Hotspots for the Social Life Cycle Assessment of Bio-Based Products from Short Rotation Coppice Daniela Fürtner1 & Lea Ranacher1 & E. Alejandro Perdomo Echenique1 & Peter Schwarzbauer2 & Franziska Hesser1,2 Received: 8 July 2020 /Accepted: 17 February 2021 # The Author(s) 2021 Abstract The establishment of new value chains raises expectations in economic and social benefits. To determine whether these expec- tations can be fulfilled or whether there are also negative consequences, social aspects should be assessed as early as the R&D phase. Potential social impacts can be assessed with the help of a social life cycle assessment (SLCA). A common problem in SLCA studies is the large number of social aspects. Thus, it is important to prioritize the most relevant aspects. Scholars agree that socioeconomic indicators should not be selected on a purely intuitive and common sense basis and that a standardized approach is missing. A three-step process has been developed to identify the most vulnerable and relevant social aspects. These three steps were implemented into a case study to empirically test the method. Short-rotation-coppice as an alternative form of agricultural dendromass production is one possibility to obtain wood resources for the processing of bio-based products. The use of agricultural land for dendromass production promises additional income for the region’s farmers and job opportunities for the local population. The extant literature shows that the most frequently addressed impacts are related to workers’ health and safety aspects. The outcome of this study aims to support future research by identifying an appropriate approach for the selection of indicators in SLCA.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding the Stakeholders' Involvement in Utilizing Municipal
    sustainability Article Understanding the Stakeholders’ Involvement in Utilizing Municipal Solid Waste in Agriculture through Composting: A Case Study of Hanoi, Vietnam Nam Phong Le 1,2,*, Thi Thu Phuong Nguyen 3,4 and Dajian Zhu 3 ID 1 College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Siping Road 1239, Shanghai 200092, China 2 Faculty of Architecture and Planning, National University of Civil Engineering, 55 Giai phong, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam 3 Department of Public Administration, School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Tongji Building A, Siping Road 1500, Shanghai 200092, China; [email protected] (T.T.P.N.); [email protected] (D.Z.) 4 Faculty of Economics and Rural Development, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Trau Quy, Gia Lam, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +848-6866-5488 Received: 7 June 2018; Accepted: 2 July 2018; Published: 4 July 2018 Abstract: Although the involvement of stakeholders is believed to be the key to the success of sustainable municipal waste management, the specific features of stakeholders, as well as their interdependence, have been under-researched. This study employed a multilevel governance approach to understand the manner in which different types of stakeholder networks interact with one another and how their roles should be reinforced. A combination of stakeholder analysis (SA) and social network analysis (SNA) was employed to investigate the perspective of stakeholders in utilizing municipal solid waste (MSW) in agriculture in Hanoi, Vietnam. SA indicated that the local authorities take the main responsibility for the management of MSW in Hanoi. Although other stakeholders express a significant interest in recycling MSW through composting, many of them do not have sufficient power to make any changes to the current system.
    [Show full text]
  • MGE2: a Framework for Cradle-To-Cradle Design MGE2: Un
    MGE2: A framework for cradle-to-cradle design María-Estela Peralta-Álvarez a, Francisco Aguayo-González b, Juan-Ramón Lama-Ruiz c d & María Jesús Ávila-Gutiérrez a . Engineering Design Department, University of Seville, Seville, Spain. [email protected] b, Engineering Design Department, University of Seville, Seville, Spain. [email protected] c Engineering Design Department, University of Seville, Seville, Spain. [email protected] d Engineering Design Department, University of Seville, Seville, Spain. [email protected] Received: May 2th, 2014. Received in revised form: December 1th, 2014. Accepted: December 17th, 2014. Abstract Design and ecology are critical issues in the industrial sector. Products are subject to constant review and optimization for survival in the market, and limited by their impact on the planet. Decisions about a new product affect its life cycle, consumers, and especially the environment. In order to achieve quality solutions, eco-effectiveness must be considered, therefore, in the design of a process, its product development and associated system. An orderly methodology is essential to help towards creating products that meet both user needs and current environmental requirements, under paradigms that create environmental value. To date, the industry has developed techniques in an attempt to address these expectations under Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C), which is loosely structured around the conceptual frameworks and design techniques. The present work describes a new framework that encompasses all stages of design, and enables interaction under a set of principles developed for C2C. Under this innovative new paradigm emerges the Genomic Model of Eco-innovation and Eco-design, proposed as a methodology for designing products that meet individual and collective needs, and which enables the design of eco-friendly products, by integrating them into the framework of the ISO standards of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), eco-design, eco-labeling, and C2C certification.
    [Show full text]
  • Background Document
    Background document supplementing the “Roadmap for Sustainability Assessment in European Process Industries” Current State of LCSA Authors: N. Minkov1, M. Finkbeiner1, S. Sfez2, J. Dewulf2, 3 3 4 4 A. Manent , E. Rother , P. Weyell , D. Kralisch , 5 6 7 7 D. Schowanek , A. Lapkin , M. Jones , A. Azapagic 1 Technical University of Berlin, Department of Environmental Technology, Chair of Sustainable Engineering 2 Ghent University, Research Group ENVOC 3 Evonik Technology & Infrastructure GmbH, Life Cycle Management 4 Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Institute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Tech- nology 5 Procter & Gamble Services Company NV, Global Product Stewardship 6 University of Cambridge, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology 7 The University of Manchester, School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science An initiative from the European Community's framework programme for research and innovation H2020 [H2020/20014-2020] under grant agreement no. 636816 (MEASURE). 2 Version: 1.0 Published online: April 2016 3 Table of Content 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 5 2 Challenges in achieving full life cycle sustainability assessment ................ 6 2.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Development and limitations ................................................................................ 7 2.2.1 General LCA and the environmental
    [Show full text]
  • Integrating Cradle to Cradle and Life Cycle Assessment for Product Sustainability: Case Study Insights from International Flavors & Fragrances Inc
    AALBORG UNIVERSITET STUDY BOARD OF PLANNING AND SURVEYING DEPARMENT OF PLANNING Integrating Cradle to Cradle and Life Cycle Assessment for product sustainability: Case study insights from International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. and DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences merger process DANIELA MEJIA ECHEVERRIA MASTER’S THESIS ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE JUNE 2021 Author: Daniela Mejia Echeverria Title: Integrating Cradle to Cradle and Life In collaboration with International Cycle Assessment for Product Flavors & Fragrances Inc. Sustainability: Case study insights from International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. Supervisor: and DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences Henrik Riisgaard merger process Department of Planning, Aalborg University Project period: February 2021 – June 2021 Main report length: 65 pages Appendices: 7 pages Document type: Annexes (submitted separately): 15 pages Master’s Thesis (30 ECTS) Total length: 97 pages Abstract: Despite the priority given to sustainability topics on the business agenda today, not much information is available on how to address corporate sustainability in shifting business dynamics such as mergers and acquisitions (M&A). This case study analyses the latest combination between International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF) and DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences (N&B) from a corporate sustainability standpoint. A focus is given to the two product sustainability approaches that have come across after the merger process: Cradle to Cradle (C2C) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Here, the main objective was to explore C2C and LCA as integrated approaches for promoting product sustainability among the stakeholders of the combined company, which keeps operating under the name of IFF. For this, a comprehensive literature review was carried out, followed by semi-structured interviews conducted to key stakeholders.
    [Show full text]
  • Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessments of Replacing Conventional Fossil Fuels: Oil Sands Industry Case Studies
    Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessments of Replacing Conventional Fossil Fuels: Oil Sands Industry Case Studies by Jennifer Marie McKellar A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Civil Engineering University of Toronto © Copyright by Jennifer Marie McKellar (2012) Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessments of Replacing Conventional Fossil Fuels: Oil Sands Industry Case Studies Jennifer Marie McKellar Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Civil Engineering University of Toronto 2012 Abstract Conventional fossil fuels are widely used, however there are growing concerns about the security of their supply, volatility in their prices and the environmental impacts of their extraction and use. The objective of this research is to investigate the potential for replacing conventional fuels in various applications, focusing on the Alberta oil sands industry. Such investigations require systems-level approaches able to handle multiple criteria, uncertainty, and the views of multiple stakeholders. To address this need, the following are developed: life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing models of polygeneration systems; a life cycle-based framework for multi- sectoral resource use decisions; and a method combining LCA and real options analyses to yield environmental and financial insights into projects. These tools are applied to options for utilizing oil sands outputs, both the petroleum resource (bitumen) and by-products of its processing (e.g., asphaltenes, coke), within the oil sands industry and across other sectors. For oil sands on-site use, multiple fuels are assessed for the polygeneration of electricity, steam and hydrogen, in terms of life cycle environmental and financial impacts; asphaltenes gasification with carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the most promising option, able to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 25% of those of current natural gas-based systems.
    [Show full text]
  • The IEA Climate Change VIA Module.Pdf
    The GEO Approach to Integrated Environmental Assessment VIA Module List of contents Definition of key terms iv List of Acronyms vi Overview vii Course Materials 1 Introduction and Learning Objectives 1 Relevance 3 1. Characteristics of Vulnerability and Scope of the Assessment 7 1.1 Defining vulnerability 7 1.2 Vulnerability to climate change 8 2. Vulnerability Assessments and the DPSIR Framework 12 3. Monitoring Vulnerability 16 4. Impacts of Climate Change and their Assessment 19 5. Creating Responses: Determining the adaptation options 28 5.1 Mainstreaming climate change into development decisions 28 5.2 Developing adaptation responses 30 6. Prioritizing Adaptation Responses 35 7. Developing a Basic Implementation Plan and a Communication Strategy 40 7.1 Implementing adaptation responses 40 7.2 Communicating climate change and adaptation 45 References 46 Appendix 49 A. Setting IEA in the context of existing UNFCCC processes 49 B. Facilitator’s preparation guide 50 C. Suggestions for integration of vulnerability, climate change and adaptation to 54 IEA process D. Examples of the IEA Report Content with Included Vulnerability, Climate 55 Change and Adaptation s for Regional or Sub-National Reports E. Sources of further information 57 IEA Training Manual iii VIA Module An integrated environmental assessment and reporting training manual Definition of Key Terms Adaptation includes initiatives and measures to reduce the vulnerability of natural and human systems against actual or expected stresses, including climate change effects. Various types of adaptation exist, for example, anticipatory and reactive, private and public, and autonomous and planned.Examples include: raising river or coastal dikes, the substitution of more temperature- shock resistant plants for sensitive ones, etc.
    [Show full text]