With the press of the society on environmental issues and the requirement to produce more using fewer resources, became necessary to develop a way for companies to measure their environmental impacts. An instrument for examining the sustainability of the industry that indicates a relationship between economic activities and their cost or environmental impact is to use ecoindicators, also known as eco-efficiency indicators. The indicators are based on principles that ensure their environmental relevance, accuracy and usability in every business worldwide. The primary goal is to improve business performance and monitor it with verifiable measurements and thus relevant for both business managers and for the various stakeholders. The ecoindicators show themselves as been an important tool in the management of companies, assisting in the identification of waste and unnecessary, so the environment as the economy affects the business. With detailed analysis can assess opportunities for improvement, monitor performance and set goals based on the results. Currently many companies in the industrial chemical sector use the eco-indicators as a way to track the evolution of its environmental efficiency based on its own history. The challenge is to establish a standard for the calculation of ecoindicators for business or industrial unit and it becomes possible to obtain figures that represent the reality of the environmental efficiency of the business. That would be extremely advantageous to companies because it values the initiatives to reduce unnecessary consumption and environmental impacts associated with the production, stimulating competitiveness and seeking better environmental efficiency. This work aims to develop a methodology for calculating the eco-indicators of the chemical. Thus, a survey of existing equations and concepts in the literature was done by seeking the necessary assumptions for the calculation. It was difficult to determine an equation that represents effectively the consumption of natural resources and generation of waste, relating to the cost of production. In the case study the proposed equations were applied to some industrial units a producer of thermoplastic resins, being made a comparison with the existing practice of monitoring. The results were very positive, as the proposed methodology provides a higher level of detail of ecoindicators, according to the qualitative assessment conducted and its application has made possible an analysis of the environmental performance of the units. Moreover, some of the assumptions proposals have already been implemented in the company analyzed, yielding a new calculation procedure. / Com a cobrança da sociedade quanto às questões ambientais e a exigência de se produzir mais utilizando cada vez menos recursos, surgiu a necessidade de elaborar uma maneira para que as empresas pudessem mensurar seus impactos ambientais. Um instrumento para análise da sustentabilidade da indústria que indica uma relação entre atividades econômicas e seu custo ou impacto ambiental é a utilização ecoindicadores, também conhecidos como indicadores de ecoeficiência. Os indicadores se baseiam em princípios, que lhes asseguram a relevância ambiental, a precisão e a utilidade em todos os negócios a nível mundial. O objetivo primordial é melhorar o desempenho do negócio e monitorá-lo com medições verificáveis e, consequentemente, relevantes, tanto para os gestores do negócio, como para as diversas partes interessadas. Os ecoindicadores se mostram uma ferramenta importante na gestão das empresas, auxiliando na identificação de desperdícios e impactos desnecessários, tanto ao meio ambiente quanto à economia do negócio. Com uma análise detalhada pode-se avaliar oportunidades de melhoria, acompanhar desempenho e traçar metas com base nos resultados. Atualmente muitas empresas do ramo industrial químico utilizam os ecoindicadores como uma maneira de acompanhar a evolução de sua eficiência ambiental com base em seu próprio histórico. O grande desafio é estabelecer um padrão no cálculo dos ecoindicadores para a empresa ou Unidade industrial que está sendo avaliada e que se torne possível obter números que representem a realidade da eficiência ambiental do negócio. Isso seria extremamente vantajoso para as empresas, pois valoriza as iniciativas para reduzir o consumo desnecessário e os impactos ambientais associados à produção, estimulando a competitividade e buscando uma melhor eficiência ambiental. Este trabalho tem como objetivo elaborar uma metodologia de cálculo para os ecoindicadores de indústrias químicas. Desta forma, foi feito um levantamento das equações e conceitos existentes na literatura, buscando as premissas necessárias para o cálculo. Houve dificuldade para determinar uma equação que represente de forma efetiva o consumo de recursos naturais e geração de rejeitos, relacionando ao custo de produção. No estudo de caso as equações propostas foram aplicadas em algumas unidades industriais de uma empresa produtora de resinas termoplásticas, sendo feito um comparativo com a prática de acompanhamento já existente. Os resultados se mostraram bastante positivos, pois a metodologia proposta apresenta um maior nível de detalhamento dos ecoindicadores, de acordo com a avaliação qualitativa realizada e sua aplicação, tornou possível uma análise do desempenho ambiental das unidades avaliadas. Além disso, algumas das premissas propostas já foram implementadas na empresa analisada, dando origem a um novo procedimento de cálculo.

This study used the socio-eco efficiency framework as an application tool to resilience the green environment at Kombolecha industrial zone by balancing the water consumption growth and green environmental tradeoffs. In addition, it aimed to determine the significant indicators, which associated with the water consumption and recycling efficiency. The consumers (factories and households) socio-eco efficiency practices were limited and then caused groundwater degradation and green environmental depletion. Previous studies, for instance, BASF (2009), ESCAP (2011) eco-efficiency, and Sailing et al., (2013) SEE balance (socio-eco efficiency) analysis targeted the company’s product portfolio and quality improvement. This study, however, considered both factories and household’s consumption activities that were proven to manifest in a complex water consumption compared to the production process. The study integrated social, economic and environmental indicators and determined the socio-eco efficiency effects on theresource consumption growth and green environment tradeoffs; water consumption and recycling efficiency. Subsequently, the study then developed a socio-eco efficiency model that used to balance the gaps between water consumption and recycling intensity inefficiency. The socio- eco efficiency indicators could, thus, be an applied tool that could be measured by employing the binary logistic regression, instrumental variable model, simultaneous equation model and the propensity score matching estimation. Based on this, this study results indicated that the household’s awareness, perception and consumption behaviours concerning the green mind adoption, product, market, technology and jobs use were strongly associated and influenced by the water resource consumption growth and green environment tradeoffs at the 5 percent significance level. Particularly, the household’s social aspects, consumer’s culture, behaviour and poverty; economic (monthly income) and environmental aspects (waterquantity limit and waste recycle) were found to bestatistically significant and strongly altered the water resource consumption and recycling efficiency by 0.000 values at the 95 percent confidence level. This study implication was thesocio-eco efficiency framework, which was key the finding of the study that holds the three key indicators, did directly associate and significant determine the factories and household’s groundwater consumption and recycling intensity differently by 0.000 values at the 95 percent confidence level. The socio- eco efficiency model could thus be an analytical tool that could be applied into groundwater consumption and recycling process. The socio-eco efficiency resource model, which is a key tool to resilient the green environment, optimized the water consumption and recycling efficiency and could be incorporated into the groundwater and green environment protection policy of Ethiopia. This study, in a circular fashion, proved socio-eco efficiency application and resolved some of the consumption paradox in the factories and household’s groundwater consumption and recycling processes. Thenon-integrated indicators and inapplicability of the socio-eco efficiency framework, nonetheless, made the green environment cautiously. So that a tactical integrative socio-eco efficiency resource model, particularly, green finances, such as green water tax, lease, paymenhave to be incorporated during the groundwater consumption that recovers the green environment attainments in Kombolecha and at large in Ethiopia. / Environmental Sciences / Ph. D. (Environment Management)

Decisions on measures reducing environmental damage or improving environmental impact are usually constrained by financial limitations. Eco-efficiency analysis has emerged as a practical decision support tool by integrating environmental and economic performance. Environmental impact, as well as economic revenues and expenses, are usually distributed over a certain time scale. The temporal distribution of economic data is frequently assessed by discounting while discounting of environmental impact is rather uncommon. The scope of this paper is to reveal if this assumed inconsistency is common in eco-efficiency assessment literature, what reasons and interrelations with indicators exist and what solutions are proposed. Therefore, a systematic literature review is conducted and 35 publications are assessed. Theoretical eco-efficiency definitions and applied eco-efficiency indicators, as well as applied environmental and economic assessment methods, are compared here, but it is revealed that none of the empirical literature findings applied or discussed environmental discounting. It was, however, found in methodical literature. It is concluded that the theoretical foundation for the application of discounting on environmental impact is still insufficient and that even the theoretical foundation of economic discounting in studies is often poor. Further research and, eventually, a practical framework for environmental discounting would be beneficial for better-founded, more “eco-efficient” decisions.

Στη διατριβή αυτή έχει αναπτυχθεί ένας νέος συνδυασμός της Ανάλυσης Κύκλου Ζωής (ΑΚΖ) και της Ανάλυσης Οικολογικής Απόδοσης, που εφαρμόζεται για την αξιολόγηση της περιβαλλοντικής και ενεργειακής απόδοσης και της απόδοσης κόστους ενός πρότυπου ηλεκτροχρωμικού παραθύρου, η οποία έχει σκοπό να χρησιμοποιηθεί ως διάταξη εξοικονόμησης ενέργειας σε κτήρια. Ο κύριος στόχος είναι να επισημάνουμε πώς η συγκεκριμένη μέθοδος συμπληρώνει τις δύο μεθόδους, ενσωματώνοντας τα ιδιαίτερα πλεονεκτήματά τους σε ένα πληρέστερο και πιο ισχυρό διαγνωστικό εργαλείο. Η αποδοτικότητα της μεθόδου αποδεικνύεται με εφαρμογή σε έναν ηλεκτροχρωμικό υαλοπίνακα (K-Glass/WO3/πολυμερής ηλεκτρολύτης/V2O5/K-Glass), διαστάσεων 40cmx40cm. Αξιολογείται ολόκληρος ο κύκλος ζωής του εφαρμόζοντας τη μέθοδο της ΑΚΖ (ISO 14040). Για να μετρηθεί και να καταγραφεί η οικολογική απόδοση, χρησιμοποιούνται δείκτες περιβαλλοντικής απόδοσης, οι οποίοι βασίζονται σε ισοζύγια υλικών και ενέργειας και ορίστηκαν λαμβάνοντας υπόψη διάφορες παραμέτρους, (σενάριο ελέγχου, προσδοκώμενος χρόνος ζωής, κλιματικές συνθήκες, κόστος αγοράς). Ο συνδυασμός των αποτελεσμάτων οδηγεί σε σημαντικά συμπεράσματα για τον συνδυασμό ιδιοτήτων και τις πιθανές βελτιώσεις, που μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθούν στη λήψη αποφάσεων για το σχεδιασμό και την ανάπτυξη του προϊόντος και για την επιλογή της βέλτιστης περίπτωσης μεταξύ διαφόρων υαλοπινάκων για ειδικές κλιματικές συνθήκες. Τέλος, μια τέτοια μεθοδολογία μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί για την καθιέρωση ενεργειακής σήμανσης, ή ενεργειακής ταξινόμησης των παραθύρων, ενώ επιπλέον είναι σύμφωνη με την Ευρωπαϊκή Οδηγία (2002/91/EC) για την ενεργειακή απόδοση των κτηρίων, που απαιτεί πιστοποιητικά ενεργειακής απόδοσης για υφιστάμενα και νέα κτήρια. / In this study, a novel combination of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the Eco-efficiency analysis has been developed and implemented to evaluate the environmental, energy and cost efficiency potential of an electrochromic (EC) window prototype that aims to be used as an energy saving component in the building. The main objective is to mark out how the proposed method complements the traditional techniques, namely LCA and Eco-efficiency integrating their individual advantages into a more complete and a further more powerful diagnostic tool. The efficiency of the method is demonstrated with implementation to a 40cm x 40cm EC glazing (K-Glass/WO3/polymer electrolyte/V2O5/K-Glass). The whole life cycle of the EC glazing is evaluated by implementing the method of LCA (ISO 14040). In order to measure and report the ecological efficiency, environmental performance indicators were used, based on material and energy balances. The indicators were suitably defined taking into consideration various parameters (control scenario, expected lifetime, climatic type, purchase cost). Significant conclusions can be drawn for the development and the potential applications of the device compared to other commercial fenestration products. The combination of the results leads to significant conclusions for the balance of its properties and possible improvements that can be utilized in decision making for the product design and development and for the selection of an optimum case among various fenestration products for specific areas/climates. Finally, such a methodology can be utilized to establish a system for energy labeling or energy rating of windows and it is in accordance with the European Directive (2002/91/EC) on the energy performance of buildings, which calls for energy performance certificates to be available for new and existing buildings.