Brazil is one of the world\'s largest producers and exporters of soybeans. The oil and meal obtained from grains are important components of biodiesel and animal feed chains. In recent years, international standards and certifications were developed to promote sustainability in the agricultural supply chain. In this context, greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in the products life cycle has been the main point of interest to the scientific community and consumers. Few studies have evaluated the GHG emissions in soybean cultivation with specific data for the Brazilian reality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the main sources of GHG in soybean production in the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. We evaluated 55 farms in the crop years of 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10, accounting for 180,000 hectares of soybean cultivation area and totaling 114 individual situations. The results indicated that the largest source of GHG in the soybean production is the decomposition of crop residues (36%), followed by fuel use (19%), fertilizer application (16%), liming (13%), pesticides (7%), seeds (8%) and electricity consumed at the farms (<1%). The average GHG emissions considering the three crop years were 0.186 kg of CO2eq kg-1 of soybean produced. Based on these results, field experiments were conducted to quantify N2O emissions from the decomposition of soybean crop residues in different climatic regions and harvest periods in Brazil. Our results show that, in field conditions, the contribution of N2O emissions from senesced and desiccated residues that remain on field after soybean harvest are unlikely to represent a significant source of N2O loss above normal background soil emissions. These results were also supported by the laboratory incubation experiment, indicating that the IPCC methodology for estimating N2O emissions from soybean crop residues may provide overestimations for the Brazilian conditions. The results of this study provide relevant and specific information to producers, industry and scientific community regarding the environmental impacts associated with soybean production in Brazil / O Brasil é um dos maiores produtores e exportadores mundiais de soja. O óleo e farelo obtidos dos grãos são componentes importantes das cadeias do biodiesel e ração animal. Nos últimos anos, normas e certificações internacionais foram desenvolvidas para promover a sustentabilidade na cadeia de produção agrícola. Nesse contexto, as emissões de gases de efeito estufa (GEE) no ciclo de vida dos produtos tem sido o principal ponto de interesse para a comunidade científica e consumidores. Poucos estudos avaliaram as emissões de GEE no cultivo da soja com dados específicos para a realidade brasileira. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar as principais fontes de GEE na produção de soja em Mato Grosso, principal estado produtor brasileiro. Foram coletados dados de 55 fazendas nos anos-safra de 2007/08, 2008/09 e 2009/10, totalizando 114 avaliações. Os resultados indicaram que a maior fonte de GEE na produção de soja é a decomposição de resíduos culturais (36%), seguido pelo uso de combustível (19%), aplicação de fertilizantes (16%), calagem (13%), pesticidas (7%), sementes (8%) e eletricidade consumida nas fazendas (<1%). A emissão média considerando os três anos-safra avaliados foi 0,186 kg de CO2eq kg-1 de soja produzido. Com base nesses resultados, foram desenvolvidos experimentos em campo para quantificação das emissões de N2O proveniente da decomposição dos resíduos culturais da soja em diferentes regiões climáticas e períodos de colheita no Brasil. Adicionalmente, foram realizadas incubações em laboratório com materiais de soja em diferentes estágios de desenvolvimento. Os resultados indicaram que resíduos culturais de soja que permanecem no campo após a colheita não representam uma fonte significativa de N2O. Os resultados obtidos neste estudo fornecem informações relevantes para produtores, indústria e comunidade científica quanto aos impactos ambientais associados à cultura da soja no Brasil

In order to extend ecological footprint analysis (EFA) to electronic products, new methods had to be developed which associate the world average bioproductive space per capita and year - the fair Earth share - with an individual product. The problem analysed in this thesis is the need for an environmental assessment tool for electronic products, which uses natural capital accounting. This need arose because so far, electronic products were mainly assessed using life cycle analysis with a focus on toxicity. Since the ecological footprint (EF) is a sustainability indicator, the sustainability discussion and in particular its relevance and implications with regard to the EF is reviewed. The electronic products assessed in this thesis are a personal computer (PC) in an exploratory study, and three mobile phones (two main case studies and one updated case study). To establish the land areas used by the mined materials used in electronic products, a database was developed based on site specific data found in the literature, and on approximations from the density of materials and their overburden. A life cycle energy approach was used to determine the burdens from producing and using a mobile phone. In order to estimate energy requirements for materials for which no data was available, the relationship between abundance and rucksack / overburden values was used in a regression analysis. Direct land use data and results from the energy analysis were used as an inventory for the subsequent EFA. An EF time series was applied to represent a more accurate picture of PC and phone use. This was also necessary since the EF reflects the instantaneous rate (a snapshot) of resource consumption. Key results are that the EF of electronic products are much larger than their actual size and that different electronic products have different EF. Our methodology proved sensitive enough to reveal differences even in small electronic products, given the high benchmark of a fair Earth share, and useful in monitoring space-efficient technology.

Effective implementation of resource policies requires consistent and robust indicators. An increasing number of national and international strategies focussing on resource efficiency as a means for reaching a green economy call for such indicators. As supply chains of goods and services are increasingly organised on the global level, comprehensive indica-tors taking into account upstream material flows associated with internationally traded products need to be compiled. Particularly in the last few years, the development of con-sumption-based indicators of material use also termed material footprints has made considerable progress. This paper presents a comprehensive review of existing methodol-ogies to calculate material footprint-type indicators. The three prevailing approaches, i.e. environmentally extended input-output analysis (EE-IOA), coefficient approaches based on process analysis data, and hybrid approaches combing elements of EE-IOA and process analysis are presented, existing models using the different approaches discussed, and advantages and disadvantages of each approach identified. We argue that there is still a strong need for improvement of the specific approaches as well as comparability of re-sults, in order to reduce uncertainties. The paper concludes with recommendations for further development covering methodological, data and institutional aspects.

The raising awareness of sustainable strategies within businesses has resulted in corporations becoming more conscious of sustainable development. As concerns about the environment and global climate change increases with carbon emissions as a cause, companies are now considering the extent of their emissions, their so-called carbon footprint. Due to the fact that organizations are starting to recognize the need to engage in sustainability initiatives; it is integral to success to communicate that they are doing so. This research therefore attempts to provide a better understanding of how international corporations communicate their carbon footprint to key stakeholders. To reach this purpose, three research questions was stated. Based on these questions, a literature review was conducted, resulting in a conceptual framework which guided the data collection. Methodologically, a cross-case analysis has been conducted on three international corporations, LKAB, DIAB Group AB and BillerudKorsnäs. The case study included qualitative semi-structured interviews with sustainability- and communication managers and a content analysis of information available through the corporations’ communication channels.  The analysis showed that neither of the three corporations have a clear strategy for their carbon footprint communication. The corporations have implemented sustainability and carbon emissions well within the organization, but they only communicate this to a small extent externally. Through this, there is a difficulty in involving stakeholders in questions regarding the corporations’carbon footprint and allowing this dialogue to be included in the communication. The findings indicate that it is important to let sustainability be a part of the overall communication and to focus on what the company see value in. Finally, we have come to the conclusion that better strategies are needed in order for corporations to communicate their carbon footprint more effectively to stakeholders, as well as methods for how companies can report their carbon footprint to a greater extent.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Rapidly increasing global population is adding more pressure to the agricultural sector to produce more food to meet growing demands. However the sector is already faced with a challenge to reduce freshwater utilisation as this sector is currently using approximately 70% of global water freshwater resources. In South Africa, the agriculture sector utilizes approximately 62% of freshwater resources and contributes directly about5% to the Gross Domestic Product. South Africa is a water scarce country receiving less than 500mm/year of precipitation in most parts of the country, and consequently approximately 90% of the crops are grown under irrigation. Studies have evaluated irrigation practices and crop water use in the country. However information is lacking on the full impact of South African horticultural products on freshwater resources. The water footprint concept can be used to indicate the total and source (blue/green) of water used to produce the crops. Information about water footprint (WF) can be used for identifying opportunities to reduce the water consumption associated with production of vegetables and fruits at the field to farm- gate levels, including the more effective use of rainfall (green water) as opposed to water abstracted from rivers and groundwater (Blue water). It can also be used to understand water related risks associated with the production of crops and facilitate water allocation and management at catchment/water management scale. While the potential value of water footprint information is well recognized there is still inadequate knowledge on how best to determine the water footprints of various crops within a local context. The aim of this study was to determine the water footprint and the crop water productivity of navel oranges, pink lady apples and potatoes produced with the Olifant/Doorn water management area in South Africa.The water footprint of the navel oranges, pink lady apples and potatoes assessed following the water footprint network method was 125 litres/ kg, 108 litres/kg and 65 litres/ kg respectively. The study concluded that water footprint studies should be carried out on the whole catchment instead of one farm in order to assess the sustainability of the process.

In a globalizing world, trade has become essential to supporting the needs and wants of billions of people. Virtually everyone now consumes resource commodities and manufactured products traded all over the world; the ecological footprints of nations are now scattered across the globe. The spatial separation of material production (resource exploitation) from consumption eliminates negative feedbacks from supporting eco-systems. Most consumers remain unaware of the impacts that their trade dependence imposes on distant ecosystems (out of sight out of mind). I take the first steps in developing a conceptual and practical framework for an ‘interregional ecology’ approach to exploring and analyzing sustainability in an increasingly interconnected world. Such an approach accounts for some of the ‘externalities’ of globalization and international trade. It underscores the increasing dependence and impact of almost any country on resources originating from others and recognizes that the sustainability of any specified region may be increasingly linked to the ecological sustainability of distant supporting regions. I empirically describe and quantify some of the interregional material linkages between selected countries. I document the flows of renewable resources into the U.S. and quantify the U.S. external material footprint (EF) on specific countries. I then document the physical inputs involved in production of most agricultural export products from Costa Rica and Canada. Finally, I focus on major export products such as bananas, coffee and beef in Costa Rica and agricultural activities in the Canadian Prairies and document some of the ecological consequences (loss of habitat, soil degradation, water contamination and biodiversity loss) of that production. My research findings show increasing U.S. imports, increasing reliance on external sources and growing external ecological footprints. They also show how production activities mostly for overseas consumption led to changes in ecological structure and function in the studied export countries. This dissertation adds a missing trans-national dimension to the sustainability debate effectively integrating the policy and planning domain for sustainability in one region with that in others. While my research focuses mainly on documenting the nature and magnitude of interregional connections I also consider some of the implications of the interregional approach for sustainability planning. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Nos últimos anos, as questões relacionadas à problemática ambiental multiplicaram sua presença na agenda do setor empresarial. Mais recentemente, observa-se o aumento do interesse das empresas pela água, recurso natural indispensável para a manutenção do equilíbrio dos ecossistemas e das atividades socioeconômicas humanas. Diante da ampliação da pressão sobre seu uso, resultado do crescimento populacional e incremento dos padrões atuais de produção e consumo, diferentes ferramentas têm sido desenvolvidas para contribuir para que o uso da água se torne mais racional e sustentável. Uma delas é a Pegada Hídrica (PH), um indicador de consumo direto e indireto da água utilizada durante a produção de bens ou serviços. A PH está relacionada com a pressão causada aos recursos hídricos pelas atividades humanas e classifica a água usada nesses processos e atividades de acordo com sua origem e impacto. Sua utilização pelo setor empresarial tem sido cada vez mais frequente. Tendo como base este contexto, este trabalho busca compreender quais são os principais motivos que tem levado as empresas a utilizarem a PH. Esta Tese, de caráter interdisciplinar, utiliza como referenciais teóricos a Teoria da Modernização Ecológica (TME), a Teoria dos Stakeholders (TS) e elementos da Nova Sociologia Econômica (NSE). Para alcançar o objetivo proposto, foram utilizados três procedimentos metodológicos: a) levantamento documental; b) revisão bibliográfica sistemática; c) estudos de caso. Os motivos que justificam a utilização da PH extraídos dos documentos analisados na revisão bibliográfica sistemática foram sistematizados e agrupados em quatro categorias que podem ser relacionadas com os referenciais teóricos utilizados. Os resultados obtidos na pesquisa indicaram que os motivos que têm levado as empresas a utilizarem a Pegada Hídrica são: 1) vantagens do método, já que permite uma visão detalhada do consumo de água em toda a cadeia produtiva (TME); 2) comunicação com stakeholders, pois reconhecem que é necessário avaliar o consumo da água em toda a sua cadeia, para atender as demandas dos diferentes stakeholders internos e externos e melhorar sua comunicação com eles (TS; NSE); 3) porque a PH pode colaborar na identificação de riscos associados à água, o que permite agir com certa antecipação a futuras regulações e contestações dos diferentes stakeholders (NSE); 4) porque os resultados dos estudos de PH podem fornecer informações que colabore na tomada de decisão para reduzir o consumo de água, estabelecer parcerias e cooperação entre os diferentes setores da sociedade (TME). Entre os motivos apontados, os mais frequentes são aqueles relacionados com as vantagens do método, o que permite uma compreensão mais ampla da pressão e impactos à água causados pelas atividades das empresas. Entretanto, considerando que sua utilização pelo setor empresarial é muito recente, pesquisas futuras necessitam ser realizadas para acompanhar a evolução das ações e do comportamento das empresas sobre a temática da água. Nesse sentido, torna-se cada vez mais urgente uma reflexão sobre a necessidade de que os limites físicos existentes e a capacidade de suporte dos ecossistemas orientem a organização das sociedades. / In recent years, several environmental issues have multiplied their presence in the corporate sectors agenda. More recently, an increased interest is observed among companies on the topic of water, an essential natural resource for the maintenance of ecosystems equilibrium and human socio-economic activities. To face the increasing pressure over the resource, resulting from the combination of population growth and changing consumption patterns, several tools have been developed. Their goal is to make corporate water consumption more rational and sustainable. One of these tools is the Water Footprint (WF), an indicator of direct and indirect water consumption in the production of goods and services. The water footprint quantifies and assesses the pressure from human activities on water resources. It classifies water resources according to their source and potential impact. Its use by the private sector is increasingly frequent. Against this context, this work aims at understanding the main reasons for companies adoption of the WF Assessment. This thesis, embracing a multidisciplinary approach, makes use of three theoretical frameworks: the Ecological Modernization Theory (EMT), Stakeholder theory (ST) and elements of the New Economic Sociology (NES). To this end, three different methodologies where used: a) document research; b) systematic literature research; c) case studies. The stated reasons for using the WF found in the literature research where classified into four categories that may be related to the theoretical frameworks presented. The results from this research identified as the main reasons under private sectors adoption of the WF. The first reason could be called advantages of this methodology, since it allows for a detailed analysis of water consumption in the supply chain, which can be analyzed using the EMT. A second reason would be related to the communication with the stakeholders. Companies recognize the need for addressing water consumption over their whole supply chain in order to meet the demands of different stakeholders and improve their communications with them. This recognition is explained by the ST and NES. Thirdly, risk assessment was is another important argument. WF assessment may help to address water-related risks, allowing them to anticipate the introduction of new regulations or contestation from different stakeholders. NES allows us to understand this reason. Lastly, companies include informed decision-making as another adoption reason. WF may be used for establishing goals and priorities for lower water consumption rates, identifying key partners and working together with key sectors of society. Ecological modernization theory contributes to explain this effect. The most frequent reasons mentioned were those related to the advantages of the methodology, arguing that the WF provides a broader understanding of pressure resulting from corporate activities. Nevertheless, considering the recent adoption by the private sector of this method, it would be important to re-evaluate the relation between water and the private sector, and with the WF in particular. In this sense, it is increasingly necessary that environmental limits and ecosystems carrying capacity guide societal organization.

Le rapport entre TIC, environnement et efficacité énergétique est sujet d’un grand nombre de polémiques. Ces concepts sont rarement associés, surtout pour les petites économies émergentes. Pourtant, chacun d’entre eux a des impacts considérables sur l’autre. Les impacts négatifs des TIC sur l’environnement sont très divers, de la même façon, l’usage et la diffusion des TIC peuvent profiter pour l’environnement. Ce travail propose d’approfondir l’étude des impacts des TIC sur la consommation énergétique et les émissions de GES, à l'échelle macroéconomique pour le cas de la Tunisie. Le contexte général de cette thèse s'articule autour de la relation entre l'environnent et la théorie des innovations, alors que le contexte spécifique se concentre plus particulièrement sur la consommation énergétique des TIC. Notre approche s’est insérée dans le cadre de la théorie de l’innovation et le fondement économique de l’usage des nouvelles technologies, plus précisément à l’intersection de l’économie industrielle et de l'économie de l'environnement. Notre recherche a abordé trois principaux aspects: théorique, descriptif et empirique. Tout d’abord, elle a traité la théorie des innovations environnementales et ses relations avec les technologies à usage général et en particulier les TIC. Deuxièmement, cette thèse nous a permis d’élaborer des analyses descriptives détaillées, fondées sur les données et les statistiques issues de la Banque mondiale et autres institutions. Troisièmement, un ensemble de tests statistiques et de modèles économétriques rigoureux ont été appliqués pour déterminer le lien entre l'investissement dans les TIC et la performance énergétique de la Tunisie. / The relationship between ICT, environment and energy efficiency causes a lot of controversies. Theseconcepts are rarely associated, especially for smaller emerging economies. Yet each has a significant impacton the other. The negative effects of ICT on the environment are various, in the same way, use and diffusionof ICT can also benefit the environment. This PhD thesis put forward further study impacts of ICT on energyconsumption and emissions of greenhouse gases, at the macro level for the case of Tunisia. The generalcontext of this thesis focuses on the relationship between the environment and the innovation theory, whilethe specific context focuses specifically on the energy consumption of ICT. Our approach is inserted underthe theory of innovation and economic basis for the use of new technologies, specifically at the intersectionof industrial economics and environmental economics. Our research focused on three main aspects:theoretical, empirical and descriptive. Firstly, this study handled the theory of environmental innovationsand its relationship with general purpose technology and ICT especially. Secondly, this thesis has allowed usto develop a detailed descriptive analyses based on the data and statistics from the World Bank, and otherinstitutions. Thirdly, a set of statistical tests and rigorous econometric models were applied to determine thelink between ICT investment and energy efficiency in Tunisia.

<div>As society rapidly migrates to digitized services, the Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) sector is projected to sustain a 16% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next five years, surpassing $1 trillion in revenue by 2024. The hardware infrastructure that supports ICT growth, such as semiconductor chips and hard disk drives (HDDs), is also experiencing parallel growth trajectories. Thus, large technology companies need to understand the environmental implications of growth in these vital components within their supply chains, as they strive to reach ambitious targets for carbon, water, and waste reduction.</div><div><br></div><div>Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool for measuring environmental impacts along the life cycle of a product and is implemented here to measure emissions and resource use in the semiconductor and HDD manufacturing supply chains, and to quantify the benefits of circularity for HDD components. However, to understand how environmental impacts of a manufacturing process relate to the landscapes (i.e. ecosystems) where manufacturing occurs, one must look to methods beyond LCA. </div><div><br></div><div>Footprinting methods are a promising tool for bridging the gap between LCA process data inventories and site-specific impacts on ecosystems. Further, the footprint assesses the total volume of emission over a time period, which is aligned with the concept of absolute sustainability. As such, regionalized footprint methods for freshwater use in the semiconductor industry and toxic chemical pollution for the HDD rare earth magnet supply chain were undertaken. In each case, data from the LCA literature or custom LCAs were used as the basis for the life cycle inventory, but advanced methods including regional databases of water scarcity and toxicity factors were used to quantify and communicate impacts. Further, geographic information systems (GIS) were used to allocate emissions or water use from a manufacturing facility with their associated watershed, which enabled aggregation of data across various geographies (i.e. watershed, region, country). </div><div><br></div><div>This work implements multi-disciplinary methods, databases, and tools with the aim to bring water and chemical footprinting methods a step closer towards meaningful assessment of a product’s impact on local, regional, and planetary boundaries. </div><div><br></div>

This thesis is focused on wireless sensor networks and implementation tools for creation and simulation of applications. It describes WSnageNt project, which is intended to support agents in wireless sensor networks. The main objective of this thesis is to extend the WSageNt project with new features that will allow to create agents with more capabilities. These features will be then used to extend the WSageNt project with network node movement tracking capability.