Content: Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCRs) for calculating the environmental impact of leather manufacturing were approved by the European Commission in 2018. Chemicals are key input data for this methodology, given leather’s chemically intensive makeup. The increasing use of nonpetrochemical materials represents an important part of industry-wide efforts to reduce overall environmental impact. Though still in its infancy, research and commercial use of renewable raw materials for leather chemicals is expected to accelerate in the coming years, especially with regard to understanding the environmental impact of bio-based products. Indeed, when decisions are made to substitute fossil fuel-derived products with alternative bio-based versions, a common assumption is that a reduction in environmental footprint will accompany that substitution. However, reports have been published that challenge this view1,2,3. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of environmental impact data for bio-based polyurethanes and to interpret the data in order to make better decisions about further research and product design. Take-Away: Environmental impact is not just about Climate Change

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a widely recognized tool usedto evaluate environmental impacts of a product or process, based on environmental inventory database, and supply chain information. Although significant progress has been made on the development of LCA methodology and growth of LCA applications, there areissues to be addressed. As the number of LCA related publication increases rapidly it becomes challenging to gain a comprehensive understanding on the state-of-the-art: only a small number of review papers have been published and they tend to narrowly focus on a particular field or application while literature search is largely done manually. In addition, almost all LCA software tools are still using the legacy desktop application which have steep learning curve, unfriendly user interface, and complicated installation and maintenance requirements. Moreover, life cycle inventory databases, which serve as the data foundation of LCA, are designed and managed as a centralized structure with slow updates and low spatial and temporal resolution i.e., not supply chain specific. The development of informatics techniques opens up numerous opportunities to address these issues. This dissertation reports one of the first effort on applying informatics techniques i.e., automatic content analysis (ACA), web-based application, and blockchain to modernize LCA. <div><br></div><div>For the first time, ACA is applied on LCA related research to comprehend the big picture and get a better overview regarding the focus and evolution of LCA related research. The results show that while the field changed overtime, the most interested environmental category remained to be carbon emissions. However, the result also shows that whilecomputer science has evolved considerably, modern informatic techniques have only had a scattered impact on LCA. To overcome the limitation of current LCA software, an idea of developing a web-based application to benefit LCA implementation is proposed, especially for a certain type of industry with complex and hierarchical bills of materials. In cooperation with International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI), a web-based application is developed named Eco-impact Estimator (EiE). EiE is capable of performing quick and straightforward eco-impact estimation, especially for information and communication technology (ICT)products, with more than 50 users currently. To further optimize LCA, decentralized structure might be necessary. A new method is needed that can automatically back track supply chain along with material flow, with robust data availability and privacy. A blockchain-based LCA (BC-LCA) is proposed to solve this problem, with a framework built up, a detailed mechanism discussed, and a case study provided based on a practical industrial supply chain. Result shows that BC-LCA could improve data availability by providing increased data privacy and timeliness with the application of blockchain. Furthermore, the more nodes from a supply chain that join in BC-LCA, the better it could get.<br></div><div><br></div><div>With the help of informatic techniques, LCA can be improved significantly, including generating a more quantitative research overview, developing a more user-friendly LCA web-based application for ICT product manufacturing, and providing a LCA framework with more data availability, data privacy and data timeliness. Though it is still necessary to estimate the budget for such implication, which e is left as future work, trialing on interdisciplinary solutions may bring a new possibility to classic LCA.<br></div>

Content: A Conventional technique of bovine hide preservation requires approximately 40-50% sodium chloride or table salt on raw hide weight or 95% saturated brine in case of wet salting. This salt resides in wastewater after the soaking process and generates a huge environmental pollution in the form of total dissolved solids (TDS) and chloride (Cl-) during leather processing. The current research has developed an antiseptic based hide curing formulation using 45% saturated brine solution which reduces 50% salt usage in compare to the traditional method. For hide preservation, it is essential to arrest microbial attack on hide as the main constituent of raw hide is protein which is very susceptible for bacterial degradation. The newly developed formulations have been found more effective in limiting microbial growth on cured hide than the conventional method preserving the bovine hide for more than 30 days. In-process analysis of cured hides during storage period reveals the compatibility of the alternative curing process. Post-leather analysis e.g. grain pattern, scanning electron microscopic images, mechanical properties and organoleptic evaluation reveal that the crust leather produced from alternatively cured hides are comparable to the control obtained from traditionally preserved hide. The efficacy of the alternative system is also assessed by monitoring the environmental impacts caused by the leather processing effluents on the basis of TDS and chloride content, total solids (TS), total aerobic bacterial counts in soaking liquor, Bio-Chemical oxygen demand (BOD) and Chemical oxygen demand (COD). The environmental advantages of the alternative hide curing method are determined particularly by 50% reduction of TDS and chloride content. Therefore, this new development will not only preserve hide through better protection from microorganisms but also offer improved conservation of the environment. Take-Away: Environmentally friendly technique of animal hide preservation Hide preservation through better protection from microbial degradatoin than the traditional technique

This thesis' objective is to analyse local environmental impact of NPP. For impact determination, it is necessary to monitor the locality for a long period. For biomonitoring method, gamma-spectrometers might be used. It should be calibrated before the measurement. Within the thesis investigation, spectrometer of the faculty was calibrated in the laboratory of ionizing radiation and three samples of Czech nuclear facilities outlet were analysed.

Le droit applicable aux études d’impact environnemental a considérablement évolué depuis sa création par la loi sur la protection de la nature du 10 juillet 1976. D’un droit fondé sur une nature cloisonnée, on se retrouve en 2017 avec un droit souple et négocié, fondé sur une approche systémique et dynamique des interrelations entre l’homme et son environnement. Les échanges de connaissances par le biais de l’expertise offrent progressivement un espace de négociation où les intérêts économiques et la réalité scientifique en viennent à fusionner, donnant naissance à une conception modernisée de la nature : celle de l’évaluation de la biodiversité par les services qu’elle rend à l’homme. Pourtant, la complexité de la nature dépasse l’appréhension que l’homme peut en avoir. Dès lors, bien que les procédures juridiques applicables aux études d’impact environnemental reflètent encore les limites imposées par le pouvoir de l’économie sur la nature, le droit ouvre néanmoins une brèche grâce aux développements d’outils numériques qui pourrait permettre de rééquilibrer les forces en présence. La naissance d’une négociation écologique où les expertises scientifiques profanes, la participation du public et la création d’une connaissance commune de la nature influenceraient également la décision publique est alors peut-être en pleine émergence. / The law applicable to environmental impact assessments has evolved considerably since its creation by the Nature Protection Act of 10 July 1976. From a right based on a segregated nature to a right based on a systemic and dynamic approach of the interrelations between man and his environment, we work in 2017 with a flexible and negotiated right. Knowledge exchange through expertise gradually opens up a space for negotiation where economic interests and scientific reality merge, giving rise to a modernized conception of nature: the assessment of biodiversity by Services it renders to man. However, the complexity of nature surpasses the apprehension that man can have. Therefore, although the legal procedures applicable to environmental impact assessments still reflect the limits imposed by the economic power over nature, the law nevertheless opens up a breach through the development of digital tools that could equilibrate forces. The emergence of an ecological negotiation in which secular scientific expertise, public participation and the creation of a common knowledge of biodiversity would also influence public decision-making may well be emerging.

Gummistövlar är en väsentlig del av många människors liv och utgör idag en viktig del av företaget Polarn O. Pyrets produktsortiment. Gummistövlar tillverkas av flera olika material såsom naturgummi (NR), styren-butadien-gummi (SBR), termoplastiska elastomerer (TPE) samt termoplaster. Syftet med rapporten är att, genom en materialjämförelse, reda ut hur en gummistövels miljöpåverkan ser ut. Genom en litteraturstudie har en jämförelse av råvaruutvinning och tillverkningsprocess utförts samt en översikt kring hur de olika materialen omhändertages vid livets slut. En gummistövel med en lång livslängd har i regel en lägre miljöpåverkan än en stövel med en kort livslängd. I och med en avsaknad av livscykelanalyser (LCA) för specifikt gummistövlar har detta emellertid försvårat och påverkat utformningen av arbetet. Sammanfattningsvis visade studien att råvaruutvinning av både NR samt syntetiskt gummi såsom SBR, TPE och termoplaster är samtliga material som har en negativ påverkan på den biologiska mångfalden i flera anseenden. Vad det gäller tillverkning av TPE och termoplaster har dessa material en lägre energiförbrukning och färre resurssteg vilket i sin tur genererar en lägre miljöpåverkan. Det är dessutom möjligt att återvinna dessa typer av material till skillnad från vulkat gummi såsom NR och SBR. Återvinningsmöjligheten är emellertid begränsad i och med en bristfällig infrastruktur för återvinning inom kläd- samt skoindustrin i allmänhet. / Rubber boots are an essential part of many people’s lives and today form an important part of the company Polarn O. Pyret’s product range. Rubber boots are made of several different materials such as natural rubber (NR), styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) and thermoplastics. The purpose of the report is to, through a material comparison, find out what the environmental impact of a rubber boot looks like. Through a literature study, a comparison of raw material extraction and a manufacturing process was made as well as an overview of how the various materials are handled at the end of life. A rubber boot with a long service life usually has a lower environmental impact than a boot with a short service life. However, due to the lack of life cycle analysis(LCA) for specific rubber boots, this has made it difficult and affected the design of the work. In summary, the study showed that raw material extraction of both NR and synthetic rubber such as SBR, TPE and thermoplastics are all materials that have a negative impact on biodiversity in several respects. As regards the production of TPE and thermoplastics, these materials have a lower energy consumption and fewer resource steps, which in turn generate a lower environmental impact. It is also possible to recycle these types of materials unlike vulcanized rubber such as NRand SBR. However, the possibility of recycling is limited due to a poor infrastructure for recycling in the clothing and shoe industry in general.

Ship exhausts contain high levels of sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide and particles dueto the heavy fuel oil, HFO, used for combustion and the combustion characteristics of the engine.As a result of upcoming stricter regulations for shipping pollution, as well as growing attentionto greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and uncertainty of future petroleum oil supply, a shifttowards a cleaner burning fuel is needed.This work explores potential alternative fuels, both conventional and unconventional, and abatementtechnologies, to be used by tankers in the worldwide spot market to comply with upcomingenvironmental regulations in the near and coming future. As a reference the product tanker M/TGotland Marieann is used and recommendations for which fuel that shall be used by the referenceship in 2015 and 2020 are presented.The environmental assessment and evaluation of the fuels are done from a life cycle perspective usingresults from Life Cycle Assessment, LCA, studies.This study illustrates that, of the various alternatives, methanol appears to be the best candidatefor long-term, widespread replacement of petroleum-based fuels within tanker shipping. It does notemit any sulphur oxides nor particles and the nitrogen oxides are shown to be lower than those ofmarine gas oil, MGO. The global warming potential of the natural gas produced methanol is notlower than that of MGO, but when gradually switching to bio-methanol the greenhouse gas emissionsare decreasing and with methanol the vision of a carbon free society can be reached.For 2015 a switch towards methanol is not seen as realistic. Further research and establishment ofregulations and distribution systems are needed, however there are indications that a shift will bepossible sometime between 2015 and 2020. For 2015 a shift towards MGO is suggested as it involveslow investment costs and there is no need for infrastructure changes. As MGO is more expensivethan methanol, a shift is preferable as soon as the market, technology and infrastructure are ready.

The Great East Japan earthquake and the resulting tsunami struck Japan east coast on March 11th 2011. All nuclear power plants on the east coast were automatically shut down, and several thermal plants were damaged: Japan was left with only 19% of its nuclear capacity available (i.e. 9 GW). The Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant underwent major incidents, with a fusion of the nuclear core and radioactivity leakage, the most important nuclear accident since Chernobyl. During the summer 2011, the Japanese government undertook emergency measures to offset the expected 20% capacity shortage in Tokyo and Tohoku areas. On the supply side, capacity was recovered by restarting and restoring fossil-fuelled power generation, and importing power from neighboring areas. On the demand side, stringent demand restriction measures led to a summer peak demand 10 GW lower in the Tokyo area and 3.1 GW lower in the Tohoku area, compared to 2010. In early 2012, only 2 reactors were still in operation, after further nuclear shutdowns. Market-driven electricity conservation reforms and subsidy-driven supply capacity additions aim to avoid emergency measures in the summer 2012 similar to those of summer 2011, and offset the expected 9% power deficit in the country. For the longer term, Japan government has launched various initiatives to review the 2010 Basic Energy Plan, which envisaged a nuclear expansion. In this study, a model was developed to assess the economic and environmental impacts of three contrasted scenarios, reflecting different options for Japan’s electricity mix by 2050. The results show that a nuclear phase-out would induce additional costs of the order of €850bn to the power system over the period 2010-50, compared to the Basic Energy Plan, while also preventing Japan to reach its CO2 emissions’ reduction targets by 2050. A sensitivity analysis shows that a reduced renewables development would lower the cost of the power system, but put aside climate change mitigation and energy security of supply. On the other hand, a reduced electricity demand through energy efficiency measures would have a positive impact on both CO2 emissions and the security of supply. / <p>-</p> / -

Studien grundar sig i den problematik som finns med nedskräpning. Nedskräpning skapar negativa konsekvenser för miljön och kan skapa en känsla av otrygghet hos invånarna i samhället. Syftet är att undersöka Laholms kommuns möjligheter att implementera nudgingåtgärder. Åtgärderna ska redovisas i deras kommande avfallsplan tillsammans med målen för minskad nedskräpning. Kontakt med tjänstemän på Laholms kommun har skapat en förståelse för kommunens nuläge och framtida insatser. Fyra kategorier har formulerats som baserar sig på insamlade svar från gruppintervjuer med gymnasielever i Laholm. De identifierade kategorierna är: orsaker till nedskräpning, soptunnors tillgänglighet, intryck av soptunnor samt kunskap om nedskräpning. Genom elevintervjuerna skapades en förståelse över vilket skräp som slängs offentligt samt vilka åtgärder som uppskattas. Ytterligare åtgärdsförslag fanns från tidigare nudgingarbete som andra länder och kommuner använt sig av. Den yngre generationen har i både intervjuer och vetenskapligt material visat sig bidra till nedskräpning på offentliga platser. En analys av ungas beteende är därmed relevant att inkludera i studien. Åtgärder som utgår från nudging är ett användbart verktyg för kommuner och det finns möjligheter för implementering i Laholm. Denna studie kan vara ett underlag för fortsatt arbete i Laholms kommun som bidrar till en hållbar samhällsutveckling. Rapporten kan även vara till hjälp för alla som vill minska nedskräpning genom nudging.

Many of our most important and debated environmental problems of today have a tight relationship to the built environment. Examples are energy use, diffusion of chemical compounds through building materials and products and negative health impacts caused by emissions to indoor environments. Systematic work with such issues practiced in environmental management systems has become more and more common in companies, also in real estate companies. A series of studies have been exploring whether the application of environmental management systems also effectively ascertain reduced environmental impact. It has turned out that in many cases, this was not even possible to evaluate, since follow-up procedures often are insufficient. The purpose of this project was to study environmental management in real estate companies and to come up with ideas on how this practice could benefit from improved follow-up of environmental impact. In the first part of the project, nine real estate companies of different types were studied through deep interviews and document analysis. The companies were primarily chosen because they were considered to have an ambitious environmental management practice. And even though many of the companies also were very ambitious, the results indicate that it is difficult to draw conclusions concerning improvements in terms of reduced environmental impact. The formulation of targets and objectives with unclear relation to reduced environmental impact is an important reason. A result is that follow-up of improvements is pursued in diverse ways and this is mainly due to the difficulties of relating company activities to environmental impact. In the second part of the project a case study of a real estate unit (a housing unit with 900 apartments) was pursued. Large amounts of quantitative data on environmentally influencing flows were collected in order to explore the possibilities to account for the environmental impact of such a unit. Based on these data, a few environmental indicators with as clear relationship to environmental impact as possible were suggested and calculated, mainly through LCA-methodology. The amount of CO2-equivalents per year caused by the energy use and transports of the unit is one example of an indicator, which is expressing the unit’s contributions to the global problem of climate change. Both the flow’s extent and significance are then expressed in contrast to traditional measurements of energy use, like the amount of kWh/sqm and year. Indicators of this type may be used in order to develop environmental management in real estate companies, for example to formulate objectives and targets with a higher degree of relationship to environmental impact and to follow-up the efficiency of the environmental management system more clearly. For energy use, this is possible today. For other aspects in real estate management, indicators need to be developed further. Concerning availability of data from real estate for calculating environmental impact, structural difficulties to find data is a problem for some activities. However, routines for data collection are possible to develop. Clear, quantitative target formulations and benchmarking are examples of situations that support the introduction of routines for such data collection. / <p>QC 20100601</p>