Utilizing a multiple account benefit-cost framework, this paper will identify and examine three different types of certifications in Ontario: market-driven, regulatory and voluntary. These three types of certification will provide the basis for the analysis of the distribution of benefits and costs in certification programs in the following three case studies: Local Food Plus, Canadian Quality Milk and the Canada- Ontario Environmental Farm Plan. From farmer to fork, the benefits and costs of certifications will be analyzed and best practices from these case studies will be identified. Indicators for success in certifications and recommendations for application in Ontario will be explored. / University of Guelph/ Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Research Program

The government has made a choice to call a halt to climate change and has defined concrete milestones that everyone can use in practical terms, but the practical and knowledge side is still lacking within society. There is still no unambiguous approach for circular economy. Unfortunately, no manual is ready yet to take the steps towards 2050. The best advice to give is to start with awareness: making known to the general public. This step is a first step towards 100% circular economy. The greatest effect of circularity of a product must be realized in the design phase. Aspects such as maintenance, flexibility in use and adaptability, disassembly possibilities and the usability at end of life is determined by the design. The choice of materials what a product consists of is also important here. For this, the researcher sought a solution that supports these two important pillars. Circularity is a complex subject and there is a need to convert this complex language whereby this language becomes more intelligible to the daily users, architects, designers and product developers. Making circularity measurable, on the basis of product information from the supplier, the tool calculates the degree of circularity. The focus of the tool lies in the calculation of the impact of its materials and the amount of waste generated during the entire journey of the product. The results of the tool is named PICI© and can be compared with the certification techniques of today, except this one is circular-proof, while almost all of the certifications has been developed within a linear economy. Today's certificates will have to make room for the circularity certificates of the future. In addition, this study will also provide a direction for a circular methodology that will fully support the transition towards a circular service or product development. This research has the aim to make manufacturers, designers, architects or product developers aware what the impact of their product is, whereby the material-decision-making process will be striving for a fully circular  products and the re-use of the those materials.  This tool can motivate and make this impact of waste more visible. On top of that, this tool has a special focus on urban and architectural lighting, due to the collaboration with Spectrum advice and Design, in the Netherlands. Therefore, a case study is included within this study from Hydro Aluminum who supported this research with real-end data.

Ce travail porte sur la conception du « durable » dans le milieu de l'architecture en Inde. Il s'appuie, notamment, sur deux séjours effectués en 2011 et en 2012, dans une agence d'architecture dans la ville d'Ahmedabad (dans l’État du Gujarat) et dans un bureau d'études dans la ville de Bombay (dans l’État du Maharashtra). L'arrivée des labels sur le marché de l'immobilier et de la construction permet de mettre au goût du jour l'idée de « durabilité » dans la conception architecturale et de raviver un débat typiquement local. La polémique concerne, plus précisément, la mise en œuvre des labels « LEED » d'origine nord-américaine. Ce « durable » « occidental » et procédural, qui sert des logiques économique et de marketing, ne représente pas, selon les architectes, l'« authentique ». Or, l'Inde est le pays, par excellence, du « durable » : il suffit de regarder autour de soi les modes de vie, la culture indienne, ou évidemment, l'architecture « traditionnelle » et « vernaculaire ». Au delà de cette rhétorique entre tradition et modernité, en suivant dans les petits détails des projets d'architecture en train de se faire, l'enquête ethnographique montre les similarités entre ces deux lieux de conception. Le devenir du « durable » est lié, d'une manière ou d'une autre, à l'idée d'engagement et de conviction. L'idéal de « durabilité » ne repose pas tant sur une certitude (qui demeure pour le reste toujours plus ou moins relative selon les acteurs), mais sur le quotidien et les pratiques qui tendent à le faire vivre et à lui donner corps le plus possible. / This work explores the making of sustainability in the field of architecture in India. It is based on two ethnographical studies made in 2011 and 2012, in an architectural studio in the city of Ahmedabad (in the State of Gujarat) and in an consultancy firm in the city of Bombay (in the State of Maharashtra). The arrival of labels on the real estate and construction markets makes it possible to date the idea of sustainability in architectural design and rekindle a typical local debate. The controversy more specifically concerns the implementation of LEED certifications of American origin. This “Western” and procedural sustainability, which serves economic and marketing logics, does not represent, according to the architects, the “authentic” one. But then, India is said to be, par excellence, the country of sustainability: just look the lifestyles, Indian culture, or of course, the “traditional” and “vernacular” architecture. Beyond the rhetoric between tradition and modernity, the ethnographic investigation follows the small details of architectural projects in the making and shows the similarities between the studio and the consultancy firm. The fate of sustainability is related, in one way or another, to ideas of commitment and conviction. The ideal of sustainability is not lying so much on a certainty (which still more or less depends on the actors), but on the daily life and on the practices that tend to give it life and the most substance possible.

O setor sucroenergético é um dos mais dinâmicos do país. Sua importância na economia brasileira é evidente, sendo um grande empregador, gerador de divisas externas, contribuindo para o crescimento econômico. Com o aumento da disponibilidade de informações e da conscientização da sociedade, as causas sociais e ambientais ganharam mais destaque. As certificações surgem como uma resposta para a sociedade, além de promover melhorias de acordo com seus requisitos. Através de estudos anteriores, constatou-se que certificações podem gerar vantagens competitivas para as empresas. Entre as certificações presentes no setor, os selos ISO 9001 e Bonsucro mereceram ser mais detalhadas. A ISO 9001 por ser tradicional, e estar presente em todos os setores da economia. E a Bonsucro, uma certificação socioambiental diretamente relacionada com o setor sucroenergético, além de estar presente nas principais usinas do país. Objetivou-se realizar um levantamento das certificações no setor sucroenergético, e foram identificadas aproximadamente 16 certificações distintas no setor, entre elas, ficou evidente a presença dos selos ISO 9001 e Bonsucro. As certificações podem ser caracterizadas de acordo com suas finalidades, de acordo com o levantamento realizado, observou-se que elas apresentam reconhecimento por práticas de gestão, qualidade, ética, ambiental e social. Por meio de métodos estatísticos de análise de variância (ANOVA), foram realizadas comparações entre as usinas certificadas e não certificadas, está análise contemplou apenas as certificações ISO 9001 e Bonsucro. Objetivou-se também encontrar as particularidades da ISO 9001 e Bonsucro, por meio de aplicação de questionários junto as usinas certificadas, a partir disto, foram mensurados os motivos de obtenção, impactos e dificuldades relacionadas a essas certificações. A certificação ISO 9001 apresentou boa notoriedade com reconhecimento de seus impactos operacionais e de mercado, entre eles, aumento da produtividade, melhoria da qualidade, redução de reclamações. Já a certificação Bonsucro por ter características socioambientais, obteve pouco destaque entre as motivações listadas, porém as usinas concordaram que ela possui impacto de mercado, entre eles, aumento da competitividade e aumento das exportações. Em relação as dificuldades para obtenção das certificações, as usinas relataram que as certificações ISO 9001 e Bonsucro não possuem grandes obstáculos, porém foi constatado que as usinas encontram mais burocracias para obtenção da certificação ISO 9001. / The sugar-energy sector is one of the most dynamic in the country. Its importance in the Brazilian economy is evident, being a great employer, generator of foreign exchange, contributing to economic growth. With increasing availability of information and awareness of society, social and environmental causes have gained more prominence. The certifications emerge as a response to society, as well as promoting improvements according to their requirements. Through previous studies, it has been found that certifications can generate competitive advantages for companies. Among the certifications present in the sector, the ISO 9001 and Bonsucro seals deserved to be more detailed. ISO 9001 for being traditional, and to be present in all sectors of the economy. And Bonsucro, a socio-environmental certification directly related to the sugar-energy sector, besides being present in the main plants of the country. The objective was to conduct a survey of certifications in the sugar-energy sector, and identified approximately 16 different certifications in the sector, among them, the presence of the ISO 9001 and Bonsucro seals was evident. The certifications can be characterized according to their purposes, according to the survey carried out, it was observed that they are recognized by management practices, quality, ethics, environmental and social. Using statistical methods of analysis of variance (ANOVA), comparisons were made between certified and non-certified plants, this analysis included only ISO 9001 and Bonsucro certifications. It was also aimed to find the particularities of ISO 9001 and Bonsucro, through the application of questionnaires to the certified plants, from which, the reasons for obtaining, impacts and difficulties related to these certifications were measured. ISO 9001 certification was well-known with recognition of its operational and market impacts, among them, increasing productivity, improving quality, reducing complaints. The Bonsucro certification, due to its socioenvironmental characteristics, obtained little prominence among the motivations listed, but the mills agreed that it has a market impact, among them, increased competitiveness and increased exports. Regarding the difficulties in obtaining the certifications, the mills reported that ISO 9001 and Bonsucro certifications do not have great obstacles, but it was verified that the mills find more bureaucracies to obtain ISO 9001 certification.

Submitted by (edna.saturno@ufrpe.br) on 2016-05-20T16:20:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniel Franco Goulart.pdf: 1807299 bytes, checksum: 5354e136922b8eb962cbb2e4050efe53 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-20T16:20:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniel Franco Goulart.pdf: 1807299 bytes, checksum: 5354e136922b8eb962cbb2e4050efe53 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-22 / This dissertation aims to verify the importance of GlobalGAP private certification to Vale do São Francisco’s mango productive chain access to the European Union retail networks. Assuming that supermarket networks from developed countries represent the main fresh fruit distribution channel and taking into account that these organizations play a decisive role on value chain governance, studies that propose to investigate the impacts from actions developed by this segment over its suppliers acquire great relevance. The fruit supply chain set beginning in developing countries and finishing at European Union presents peculiarities regarding power relations among segments and actor demands downstream that may be deeply explored by academic theories and approaches. This dissertation comes up with itself a discussion about the impacts generated by private certifications (specifically GlobalGAP) on the dynamic of Vale do São Francisco mango production flowing. For this, it was chosen as analysis tool two conceptual backgrounds: the Global Value Chain Theory and Agricultural Supply Chain Competitiveness concepts. The first theoretical instrument strives to study Global- GAP certification considering it as a result or consequence of power concentration (chain governance) by retail networks. The second conceptual approach arises to subsidize the discussions about the importance of these private protocols on the competitiveness of the productive region submitted to the standards established by the label. The data used to the development of the study were gotten from primary and secondary sources. The former source was explored through questionnaire application to important segments of the Vale do São Francisco’s mango productive sector. The latter source was obtained from mango commercial flow data, organizational aspects and world and Brazilian production numbers. The discussions were based on three elements: (1) technical information about the certification processes and the conceptual basis of GlobalGAP; (2) the adequacy of small farmers to the export reality taking into account private labels; (3) and the impacts of certifications over the Vale do São Francisco’s mango great exporter farmers. It was noticed that the irrevocable exigency from fruit importers about the necessity of GlobalGAP label created in the region a kind of clientsupplier relation between great and small farmers. The first ones, who have private certifications, complete their lots with fruits from small farmers. These relations and other nuances will be particularly discussed along this work. / O objetivo desta dissertação é verificar a importância da certificação privada GlobalGAP para o acesso dos produtores de manga do Vale do São Francisco às redes de distribuição da União Européia. Partindo-se do pressuposto de que as redes de supermercados dos países desenvolvidos representam o principal canal de distribuição de frutas frescas e sabendo-se que estas organizações jogam um papel decisivo na governança de cadeias de valor, estudos que se proponham a investigar os impactos de ações desenvolvidas por este segmento para com seus fornecedores passam a se revestir de grande relevância. A configuração das cadeias de suprimentos de frutas com origem em países em desenvolvimento e com destino à União Européia apresenta peculiaridades nas relações de poder entre os segmentos e nas demandas dos atores à jusante que podem ser profundamente explorados por teorias e abordagens acadêmicas. A presente dissertação se propõe a discutir os impactos gerados pelo advento das certificações privadas (mais especificamente o selo GlobalGAP) sobre a dinâmica da produção e do mercado da manga oriunda do Vale do São Francisco. Para tanto, escolheu-se como instrumento de análise duas bases conceituais: a Teoria da Cadeia Global de Valor e os conceitos de Competitividade em Cadeias de Suprimentos Agrícolas. O primeiro instrumento teórico tem a pretensão de estudar o certificado GlobalGAP considerando-o como um resultado ou conseqüência da concentração do poder (governança da cadeia) nas redes varejistas. A segunda teoria surge para subsidiar as discussões a respeito da importância destes protocolos privados no que concerne à competitividade da região produtora submetida aos padrões destes selos. No que se refere à metodologia, optou-se pela abordagem do tema a partir do instrumento de estudo de caso, que permite a limitação geográfica e temática da abordagem. Os dados utilizados para o desenvolvimento da dissertação foram obtidos de fontes primárias e secundárias. No primeiro caso, foram aplicados questionários junto a segmentos importantes do setor produtivo da manga no Vale do São Francisco. A segunda fonte de dados baseou-se no levantamento de informações sobre o fluxo comercial de manga, aspectos organizacionais e números relativos à produção no Brasil e no mundo. As discussões desenvolvidas nesta dissertação se basearam em três pilares: (1)informações técnicas sobre os processos de certificação e as bases conceituais do GlobalGAP; (2) a adequação dos pequenos produtores à realidade da exportação sob influência dos selos privados e (3) o impacto destes certificados sobre os grandes produtores exportadores de manga do Vale do São Francisco. Verificou-se que a irrevogável exigência por parte dos importadores de frutas produzidas sob os preceitos do GlobalGAP criou na região uma relação cliente-fornecedor entre grandes e pequenos produtores. Os primeiros, detentores das certificações privadas, completam seus lotes com frutas oriundas de áreas de pequena produção. Estas relações e outras questões serão pormenorizadamente discutidas ao longo deste trabalho.

Syftet har varit att på uppdrag av Periallo identifiera vad kunder tycker är viktigast ur ett säkerhetsperspektiv. Detta har skett genom att besvara frågorna vad som är viktigt för konsumenterna ur ett säkerhetsperspek-tiv när de handlar av små e-handelsföretag och vilka säkerhetslösningar samt betallösningar som är relevanta för små e-handelsföretag. Vi har även undersökt om det är värt för ett litet e-handelsföretag att investera i en certifiering. Arbetet har kartlagt betallösningar, säkerhetslösningar och certifieringar med hjälp av en kritisk litteraturstudie och med en enkät, det vill säga en kvantitativ metod. Resultatet av undersökningen har visat att de flesta kunderna känner sig trygga när de handlar på Internet. Den säkraste betallösningen anses vara faktura, medan de populäraste betalsätten är konto/kreditkort och direktbetalning. Utöver det har undersökningen också visat att det är viktigare för mindre och okända e-handelsföretag att tydligt visa vilka säkerhetslösningar de använder sig av gentemot de stora och kända företagen trots att de flesta av deltagarna inte var medvetna om vilka säkerhetslösningar som finns för att skydda företag och konsument. / The purpose of this study is, on behalf of Periallo, to identify what it is that customers consider to be of greatest importance from a security perspective. This has been conducted from the answers given by consumers when asked a question concerning what they deem to be important from a security perspective when they shop from small e-commerce companies. In addition, a consideration has also been given to the security and payment solutions that are relevant to small e-commerce companies. An examination has also been conducted as to whether it is worth a small e-commerce company investing in a certification. In this work, payment solutions, security solutions and certifications have been identified by means of a critical literature review and a questionnaire, which is a quantitative method. The results of the study have shown that the majority of customers feel that it is safe to shop online. The most secure payment solution is considered to be an invoice, while the most popular payment methods are debit/credit cards and direct payment. In addition, the study has also shown that it is more important for a small and unknown e-commerce company to properly reflect upon the security solutions that they use against the large and well-known companies, even though, the majority of the participants in this study, were not aware of the security solutions available to protect companies and consumers.

The aim of this diploma thesis is an analysis and evaluation of environmental certifications influence on rental rates and operating costs of administrative buildings. The analysis is conducted for administrative buildings because these are the most frequently certified buildings in the Czech Republic. To fulfil this defined goal, two office space offer price databases in Prague and Brno are compiled. The first database is consists of office space offer rentals which possess environmental certification. The second database is also compiled of building offer rentals but without environmental certification. Based on these two databases the effect of environmental certification on rental rates using paired t-test is examined. Simultaneously, effective operating costs of buildings located in Brno are analysed, and it is evaluated whether and if so, at what intensity their amount is affected by environmental certifications.

No description available.

The general public has become increasingly aware of the environmental effects humanity has on the planet. They expect companies to take responsibility and to sell green products. At the same time tourism and the hospitality sector contributes to the economic growth of society. Are climate certifications the right way to go towards a more sustainable society? This study examines how hotels in Umeå work with sustainability issues and whether they have environmental certifications or not. The findings indicate that all of the participating hotels have certifications and use them in their marketing and on their websites. However, it appears as though the hotel representatives’ perception of why they should use certifications at all are quite limited.

Detta examensarbete fokuserar på gröna byggnader på bostadsmarknaden, samt vad miljöcertifiering och miljömärkning av byggnader innebär. Hur stor är egentligen vetskapen om miljöcertifieringar och miljömärkningar hos kunder på marknaden för bostäder? Det är en intressant fråga som är återkommande i denna uppsats. Att konsumenter blir mer och mer miljömedvetna och strävar efter att göra mer hållbara val och välja rätt alternativ när det kommer till livsmedel och resor är inget som är främmande för någon. Men hur ser det ut när det kommer till bostadsmarknaden och när en konsument ställer sig inför att välja en bostad som finns i ett hus som omfattas av miljöcertifieringar? Examensarbetet behandlar tre huvudfrågor som berör efterfrågan på miljöcertifieringar på bostäder, vad detta har för koppling till byggaktörer lönsamhet samt vilken eller vilka miljöcertifieringar eller miljömärkningar som är att föredra på bostadsmarknaden.I examensarbetet har totalt sex intervjuer utförts under hösten 2019 där de deltagande representerar olika byggföretag i Sverige från antigen den kommersiella marknaden, bostadsmarknaden eller entreprenadföretag från byggskedet. De intervjuade är antingen hållbarhetschefer, VD eller på något sätt ansvariga för hållbarheten på företaget. Utöver dessa intervjuer skapades även en enkät som undersökte vilka tre variabler som hamnade högst när det kommer till att välja en ny bostad. Resultatet från empirin, i form av intervju och enkät, knöts samman med redogörelsen om miljöcertifieringar och miljömärkningar är i en avslutande analys. Examensarbetet mynnade ut i att efterfrågan på miljöcertifieringar och miljömärkningar på bostadsmarknaden inte är i paritet med efterfrågan på dessa på den kommersiella marknaden. Kunden har inte tillräckligt med information om vad dessa innebär och företagen behöver bli bättre på att nå ut till kunderna för att göra miljöcertifierade och miljömärkta bostäder mer attraktiva i kundens ögon. Miljöcertifierade byggnader genererar ett högre driftnetto då drift- och underhållskostnader för en miljöcertifierad byggnad blir lägre då den har högre krav på energianvändning och prestanda, i jämförelse med ett brunt hus. Detta, trots en låg efterfrågan hos kunderna, är en attraktiv aspekt för de byggaktörer som använder sig av miljöcertifieringarna. En miljömärkt byggnad är bra utifrån olika aspekter, liksom att den producerats av noga utvalda material. Däremot berör en inte miljömärkt byggnad den fortsatta förvaltningen, vilket en miljöcertifierad byggnad istället gör. Flertalet av de som intervjuats till detta examensarbete påpekar att Svanenmärkta hus kan vara ett bättre alternativ om företaget vill marknadsföra deras byggnader med ett mer igenkänt varumärke som Svanen. Däremot anser de att Miljöbyggnad är ett bättre alternativ då denna miljöcertifiering inte bara behandlar produktionsskedet utan även förvaltningen av byggnaden. / This bachelor’s thesis has its main focus on green buildings on the market for housing [in Sweden] and what is involved in the area of environmental certifications and ecolabelling of these buildings. How vast is one consumer’s knowledge about environmental certifications and markings on the housing market? This is an interesting question that is discussed continuously throughout this essay. The fact that consumers get more and more sustainable and aim towards making more sustainable choices for themselves when it comes to travel and consuming different goods, is not unfamiliar to anyone. But what does it look like when it comes to the housing market and when a consumer is presented with the choice of choosing a home which is in an apartment that is covered by environmental certifications? This bachelor’s thesis contains three main questions that revolve around how big the demand for apartments in an environmentally certified house is, what connection this has to the profitability of building actors and last but not least, which certification or ecolabel is the most preferable on the market for housing. A total of six people have been interviewed for this bachelor’s thesis, during the spring of 2019. The participants are all working for different building companies, either as contractors or on the market for commercial buildings or the market for housing. These people are either sustainability managers, CEOs or responsible for the sustainability of the company. Apart from these interviews a survey was filled by numerous people where the main question was to examine which three preferences were most popular when it comes selecting a new apartment. The result, from the six interviews and the survey, was entwined with the screening of the different environmental certifications and ecolabels in an analysis. The analysis argued that the demand for environmentally certified buildings on the commercial market is a lot higher than the demand for these on the market for housing. The customer is not briefed enough, and the companies need to step up their marketing and make environmentally certified buildings more attractive for the customer. Buildings that are environmentally certified generates a higher operations net since lower operations and maintenance costs tend to get lower if the building is certified, in comparison to a non-certified building. This, despite the low demand on environmental certifications, is an attractive aspect for building actors that use these certifications. When a building has an ecolabelling, it is effective in different aspects, such as when it comes to the appropriate selection of sustainable materials. A building that is equipped with an ecolabel only affects the production of the building. However, a building that is environmentally certified looks to the continued management of the facility. Most participants in the interviews suggest that the ecolabel Svanen is the best one for the housing market since it is most recognizable by customers. However, they point out that the certification Miljöbyggnad is a better choice if they are interested in, not only the production phase of the building but also the continued facility management.