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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

Garment Sharing Events : The Perspective of Organisers and Participants

Stock, Johanna, Adrami, Christina January 2019 (has links)
Background: Different social, environmental and economical aspects indicate the current need for sustainability and build the imperative for a change in the fashion industry from the prevailing “take-make-dispose” consumption habit to more circular practices, which minimise the input of resources. According to research, the most direct way to capture value and design out waste and pollution in the textile system lays therewith in increasing the number of times a garment is worn. Therefore, the key challenge is to subvert the habit that garments are perceived as disposable and to increase their utilisation. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how sharing events influence the use phase of garments through the perspective of organisers and participants of such events. Method: The study implemented a qualitative research nature and followed thereby an exploratory research design and strategy. Through semi-structured interviews, event organisers of different organisations with a well-founded experience in sharing events - staged in a Circular Fashion environment - provided their insights on the influence sharing events obtain regarding the use phase of garments. The research strategy supplemented the theories and empirical data with the insights of participants of a sharing event through self-completion questionnaires. Conclusion: Besides their practical ability to pass on garments to various users, sharing events are indicated to prolong the garment usage by promoting a possible change in the consumer’s mindset. Doing so, different aspects connected to Event Management, -Strategy as well as additional offers and activities, besides swapping, are facilitating. As the research outcome hints, the sharing event model, as one of the simplest forms of collaborative garment consumption, is indicated to influence the usage by enabling a change from garment consumer to user.
2

Reviving Mending to Benefit the Individual, Community & Industry: A Mixed Methods Study

Savocchia, Mathilda 15 September 2021 (has links)
No description available.
3

Use cases for traceability systems : An explanatory case study about the application areas for QR codes

Strömberg, Oliver January 2023 (has links)
The customer concept becomes more intertwined with the provider of products as serviceoriented business models is offered to the customer. This shift is referred as servitization in which innovation occurs in the company processes by shifting focus from providing products to providing product service systems (PSS). However, the servitization of the manufacturing industry has been slow compared to other sectors and there are many barriers to overcome for the transformation. Use phase data could be used as an enabler to resolve barriers to PSS. The collection of use phase data could be done through the usage of automatic identification technologies like QR codes. Despite the promising opportunities with collection of use phase data there are many challenges. Among them are the identification of use cases for the data. This study therefore aimed to identify both use cases and needed use phase data when collecting data using QR codes.  The manufacturing company Bosch Rexroth AB and their service department were chosen as a case study company, to establish their view on the use cases for QR codes. Additionally, a literature review identified the use phase data need for each use cases derived from the theory. The collected data was analyzed through an explanation building analysis in which plausible and rival explanations to the result was brought up. This resulted in five identified use cases for QR codes and from the use cases one identified need for use phase data. The identified use cases mainly providing value to the provider were derivation of new products or services and improvement of current products or services. The identified use cases mainly providing value to the external customer were the offering of predictive maintenance, the assistance in operations and the creation of a digital passport or image. The identified use phase data need was service data but also additional product related data that does not concern use phase of the products was also needed for the use cases.
4

Influence de la phase d’usage dans les enjeux de la rénovation de bâtiments résidentiels écologiques : vers une approche diachronique

Patenaude, Mario 11 1900 (has links)
En Amérique du Nord, les pratiques actuelles de conception de l’industrie de la construction suscitent de nombreux et importants problèmes, tant au niveau environnemental, que social et économique. Certaines tendances conceptuelles, telles que l’industrialisation de la construction, le bâtiment vert, l’approche diachronique et la rationalisation spatiale proposent des moyens afin de répondre à cette problématique. La conception synchronique, qui ne se base encore que sur des besoins immédiats, produit des bâtiments statiques qui ne peuvent accommoder l’évolution des besoins. En plus de la phase d’usage qui se révèle la plus coûteuse en termes de consommation d’énergie, d’eau, de matériaux et de génération de déchets, le bâtiment statique est amené à subir de nombreuses rénovations, profondément délétères pour l’environnement et la situation économique des ménages. Dans une perspective d’opérationnalisation du développement durable, la problématique de recherche concerne la considération de la phase d’usage dans le processus conceptuel de l’habitation. Dans l’optique de favoriser une conception plutôt diachronique, 55 projets de rénovation résidentiels ont été analysés et comparés afin de décrire la nature et l’intensité des interventions effectuées. L’examen des plans avant/après rénovation a permis de quantifier le niveau d’intensité des interventions et ainsi, mettre en relief certaines tendances et récurrences des pratiques actuelles. Dans le but de valider si le bâtiment vert est en mesure de répondre aux enjeux environnementaux contemporains de l’habitation, les contenus de trois programmes de certification utilisés en Amérique du Nord, à savoir BOMA-BESt®, LEED®, et Living Building ChallengeTM, sont analysés. Une classification des stratégies proposées montre la répartition des préoccupations envers le bâtiment, les systèmes et l’usager. Une analyse permet de mettre en relief que les considérations semblent, de façon générale, cohérentes avec les impacts associés à l’habitation. Un examen plus ciblé sur la teneur et les objectifs des stratégies considérant l’usager permet l’émergence de deux ensembles thématiques : les cinq sources potentielles d’impacts (énergie, eau, matériaux, déchets et environnement intérieur), ainsi que les quatre thèmes reliés aux objectifs et aux finalités des stratégies (entretien et surveillance; sensibilisation et formation; modélisation et mesurage; comportement et habitude). La discussion a permis d’émettre des pistes d’écoconception pour permettre à l’habitation d’accommoder l’évolution des besoins des occupants, à savoir la « démontabilité », l’aptitude à l’évolution et l’accessibilité. Des recommandations, telles que la nécessité de mieux prendre en compte l’usager comme facteur d’influence des impacts occasionnés par la phase d’usage, sont ensuite proposées. D’autres suggestions appellent à une concrétisation de la performance en suscitant l’implication, l’engagement, la responsabilisation et l’autonomisation des occupants. Enfin, il semble que certaines modifications des programmes de certification et de la législation en vigueur pourraient favoriser l’émergence d’une vision nouvelle concernant la nécessaire réduction de la superficie habitable. Toutes ces opportunités d’amélioration ont le potentiel de mener ce secteur vers une démarche plus globale et systémique, tout en bonifiant de façon majeure les implications environnementales, économiques et sociales de l’habitation. / In North America, construction industry design practices are linked to varied and important environmental, economic, and social concerns. Conceptual trends, like the industrialization of construction, green building, the diachronic approach, and spatial rationalization have proposed to address these issues. Synchronic housing design, still based only on present-day needs, generates static buildings that cannot accommodate needs that evolve over time. Furthermore, during the use phase, which reveals itself as the most costly in terms of energy, water, materials consumption, and waste generation, static buildings may undergo various renovations that are profoundly deleterious, both to the environment and the household’s economic situation. From a perspective that seeks to operationalize sustainable development, the research problem concerns the consideration of the use phase in the housing design process. In order instead to foster diachronic design, fifty-five residential renovation projects were analyzed and compared in order to describe the nature and intensity of their interventions. A review of before/after renovation plans allowed quantification of intervention intensity and highlighted certain trends and recurrences among current practices. In order to determine if green building can respond to contemporary environmental issues in housing, a content analysis of strategies proposed by three certification programs used in North America—BOMA-BESt®, LEED®, and Living Building ChallengeTM—is conducted. Classification of these strategies reveals the distribution of concerns regarding building, systems, and user. An analysis shows, generally, that considerations seem consistent with the impacts associated with housing. An examination focused on the content and objectives of those design strategies which consider the user yields the emergence of two thematic clusters: five potential sources of impacts (energy, water, materials, waste, and indoor environment) and four themes linked to the design strategies’ objectives and purposes (maintenance and monitoring; awareness and training; modeling and metering; behaviour and habit). Discussion permitted the formulation of ecological design criteria, such as disassembly, updatability, and accessibility, to allow for housing that accommodates occupants’ changing needs. Recommendations are proposed, such as the need for better consideration of the user phase in order to make it more consistent with the impacts it generates. Other suggestions call for making building performance more concrete by encouraging the involvement, commitment, accountability, and empowerment of occupants. Finally, it seems that particular changes in certification programs and legislation could encourage the emergence of a new, much-needed vision for total floor area reduction. All these opportunities for improvement seek to lead the sector toward a more holistic approach and to improve significantly the environmental, economic, and social implications of housing.
5

Méthodologie d'éco-conception orientée utilisation / Use oriented ecodesign method

Domingo, Lucie 20 November 2013 (has links)
En intégrant le cycle de vie d'un bien dans son processus de développement, l'éco-conception permet d'améliorer la performance environnementale de ce futur produit. La combinaison, dans cette thèse, des notions de la conception centrée utilisateur et de la pensée cycle de vie, permet de proposer une méthode pour l'intégration de la phase d'utilisation en éco-conception. La méthode repose sur la proposition de nouveaux modèles pour représenter l'utilisation adaptés aux spécificités de l'éco-conception. A partir du modèle de produit, un modèle de la phase d'utilisation, connectée aux phases de distribution et de fin de vie, permet d'associer l'utilisation du produit à son cycle de vie complet. Le modèle de contexte permet de positionner la performance environnementale du produit en utilisation par rapport à des paramètres associés à l'utilisateur et à l'environnement d'utilisation. L'évaluation environnementale du scénario d'utilisation regroupant tous ces modèles permet d'adapter les stratégies d'amélioration de la méthode à l'utilisation d'un produit en conception. Une application de la démarche à la re-conception d'un réfrigérateur pour la France et le Brésil permet d'illustrer le fonctionnement de la méthode. / By integrating product life cycle into the developement process, ecodesign enables the environnemental improvement of the product to be. The combination of user centred design proposition and life cycle thinking allows us to propose a method for use phase integration in ecodesign. This method is built on new models to represent product use that are compatible with ecodesign specificity. Based on the product model, the use phase model, which is connected to the distribution and end-of-life phases, facilitates the attachment of product use to the complete life cycle. Context model aims at possitionning the product use environmental performance according to influencing parameters related to the user and it environment. Environmental assessment is made based on the use scenario, a combination of the three previous models. This assessment enables to adapt the improvements strategies to the specificity of a product use phase. A case study has been perform to illustrate the capability of the new proposal to ecodesign a refrigerator for Brazil and for France.
6

Environmental impact of a led fitting : A conducted life cycle analysis on a led fitting

Fröjd, Mika, Skårhammar, Evelina January 2020 (has links)
Purpose –The purpose of this research is to increase knowledge about how a led fitting impacts the environment. To be able to fulfil the purpose, it has been broken down into four research questions: • RQ1: What is the environmental impact during transportation? • RQ2: What is the environmental impact during the use phase? • RQ3: What is the environmental impact during the end of life phase? • RQ4: How can the environmental impact be decreased? Method: The authors worked abductive in the relation between theories and empirical data. The authors conducted a case study at a Swedish company in Jönköping. The case study covers a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). The LCA includes four different stages; goal, scope & boundary definition, life-cycle inventory analysis, life cycle impact assessment and interpretation. During the stages the authors carried out a pre study, interview, document study and calculations. To find out more information about the problem area a literature study was conducted. Theoretical material was received from books, peer review articles and reports. The literature study and the case study increased the authors knowledge to answer the research questions. Findings: The research findings indicate that transportation, Use- and end of life phase impact the environment in different amounts of greenhouse gases (CO2e). The transportation from production to customer stands for 0,16 kg CO2e, the use phase for 15,6 kg CO2e and end of life for 0,5 kg CO2e. The environmental impact can be decreased if companies both deal with the issue to make products more sustainable during the entire life cycle. The transportation’s environmental impact can be decreased through reduction of CO2 emission, which is the dominated greenhouse gases during road freight transportation. The use phase environmental impact can be decreased if adapting a more efficient consumption system. Another way to minimize the environmental impact is to offer and implement maintenance and repairing. The end of life environmental impact can be decreased by recycling or reuse the materials. Another way to lower the impact is to have a holistic perspective when choosing material. Lastly the impact can be decreased if companies, already in the design stage to think about the products last phase. Implications: The practical implications in this study is the case study. The case study contributed with knowledge about the environmental impact of a led fitting. The study has not contributed with any new theories. The study is based on a problem statement with already amount of existing theories and developed tools to calculate the environmental impact. Even if the study did not contribute theoretically, it strengthens already existing theories or statement from other researchers. Limitations: The research ability to generalize can be questioned since the research was limited to a single case study. This can affect the generalizability of the result. Keywords – Sustainability, Environmental impact, LCA, led fitting, Life cycle, use phase, end of life phase, transportation, Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)
7

Monitoring Sustainability Performance during the Use Phase of Product-Service Systems / Kontroll och Utvärdering av Hållbarhetsprestanda i Användsorienterade Produkttjänstsystem

Samuelsson, Matilda January 2023 (has links)
Circular economy (CE) is widely seen as a potential solution to negative impacts caused by thelinear economy; however, companies must integrate CE principles into the business modeldeeper to achieve sustainable development. The Product-Service System (PSS) businessmodel is a potential solution to the superficial implementation of CE due to shifting the focusto delivering functionality rather than ownership. However, several researchers point out thatPSS systems, whilst promoted as sustainability alternatives, rarely have enough quantitativedata supporting these outcomes and where the research field widely highlight the need tofurther develop assessment methods for PSS, with the use phase being a specifically criticalarea to monitor due to companies increased responsibility. This master’s thesis, therefore,aims to evaluate how companies monitor and assess their use-oriented PSS during the usephase to safeguard the intended increase in sustainability performance. To achieve theseobjectives, a qualitative, multiple case study was employed, where four companies wereinterviewed following a semi-structured approach, creating in-depth knowledge in each case. The case studies reveal that the different companies' primary methods to safeguard theirsustainability ambitions were through data collection, which, however, lacked the structuralsupport of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The different case studies could be seen tomainly collect performance data for proactive maintenance and consumer behaviour data toadjust their services and, by that, reduce environmental impact. However, only Volvo CarMobility did try to reduce the risk of unforeseen rebound effects by investigating customers'changed mobility behaviour. All of the companies did during the interviews refer to KPIs thatthey used to ensure that their sustainability goals were met; however, only one of the casestudies had an indicator that could meet the requirements of KPIs, whereas others lackedspecified targets, were vaguely defined or were irregularly collected. Additionally, the casestudies confirmed different strategic reasons for implementing their PSS other thansustainability and whether all sustainability goals could be connected to economic incentives.These different drivers confirm the PSS attraction and suitability for companies; however, italso emphasises the importance of implementing a system perspective to mitigate risks ofburden shifting and loss of the potential to contribute to sustainable development. Future research could further evaluate the importance of information and communicationtechnologies (ICT) when collecting data on PSS consumers, how AI-supported technologycould facilitate the recognition of consumer behaviour, and how this data collection shouldbe efficiently managed in the organisation. Additionally, another interesting avenue for futureinvestigation would be the overall consumer behaviour of society and its impact on businessmodels such as PSS. In conclusion, this master's thesis confirms and extends previous assertions on theimportance and complexity of use-oriented PSS and adds to the emerging literature on the subject through the information from the case studies. The findings also point to the holisticinsights and performance assessments required to optimise the potential and ensure thesustainability of the services. / Cirkulär ekonomi (CE) betraktas allmänt som en potentiell lösning på den negativa påverkansom den linjära ekonomin orsakar. För att uppnå en hållbar utveckling är det nödvändigt förföretag att djupare integrera CE-principer i affärsmodellen. Affärsmodellen förprodukttjänstsystem (product service system - PSS) anses vara en potentiell lösning när CEytligt implementerats i företag, detta genom att fokusera på att leverera funktionalitetsnarare än äganderätt. Dock pekar flera forskare på att PSS-system, trots att de främjas somhållbarhetsalternativ, sällan har tillräckligt med kvantitativ data som stödjer dessa resultat.Inom PSS forskningsfältet betonas behovet av att vidareutveckla bedömningsmetoder(Nakada et al., 2020), där användningsfasen anses vara ett specifikt kritiskt område attkontrollera på grund av företagens ökade ansvar. Denna masteravhandling syftar därför tillatt utvärdera hur företag kontrollerar och bedömer sina användningsorienterade PSS underanvändningsfasen för att säkerställa den avsedda ökningen i hållbarhetsprestanda. För attuppnå dessa mål användes en kvalitativ, flerfallstudie där fyra företag intervjuades med ettsemistrukturerat förhållningssätt, vilket skapade mer djupgående kunskap om vardera fall. Fallstudierna visar att de olika företagens huvudsakliga metod för att säkerställa sinahållbarhetsambitioner var genom datainsamling, men detta saknade dock det strukturellastödet av nyckeltal (Key Performance Indicators - KPI:er). De olika fallstudierna kunde sessamla prestandadata främst för proaktivt underhåll och konsumentbeteendedata för attjustera sina tjänster och därigenom minska miljöpåverkan. Endast Volvo Car Mobility försökteminska risken för oförutsedda rekyleffekter genom att undersöka kunders ändraderörelsebeteende. Samtliga företag hänvisade under intervjuerna till KPI:er som de användeför att säkerställa att deras hållbarhetsmål uppnåddes, men endast företaget som hyrde utbilbarnstolar hade en indikator som kunde uppfylla KPI-kraven, medan de andra fallensaknade specificerade objektiv, var vagt definierade eller insamlades oregelbundet.Dessutom bekräftade fallstudierna olika strategiska skäl för att implementera sina PSS utöverhållbarhet, och alla hållbarhetsmål kunde kopplas till ekonomiska incitament. Dessa olikadrivkrafter bekräftar PSS attraktion och lämplighet för företag, men betonar också vikten avatt implementera ett systemperspektiv för att minska riskerna för tunnelseende ochförskjutning av belastningen (s.k. burden shifting) och förlora potentialen att bidra till enhållbar utveckling. Framtida forskning kan rikta sig mot att ytterligare utvärdera betydelsen av informations- ochkommunikationsteknologier (Information and Communication Technology - ICT) vid insamlingav data om PSS-konsumenter, hur AI-stödd teknik kan underlätta igenkänning avkonsumentbeteende och särskilt hur denna datainsamling bör hanteras effektivt iorganisationen. Dessutom skulle en annan intressant väg för framtida undersökningar kunnavara samhällets övergripande konsumentbeteende och dess påverkan på affärsmodeller somPSS.   Sammanfattningsvis bekräftar denna masteravhandling tidigare påståenden omanvändningsorienterade PSS betydelse och komplexitet och bidrar till den växandelitteraturen om ämnet genom information från fallstudierna. Resultaten pekar också på deholistiska insikter och prestandabedömningar som krävs för att optimera potentialen ochsäkerställa tjänsternas hållbarhet.
8

Life Cycle Assessment of a surface radar system : A case study at Saab Electronic Defence Systems / Livscykelanalys av ett markradarsystem : En fallstudie hos Saab Electronic Defence Systems

Gustafsson, Isabel, Rönnblom, Agnes January 2015 (has links)
This master thesis was performed with the main purpose of evaluating the environmental performance of a surface radar system with the means of a life cycle assessment, LCA. Saab Electronic Defence Systems, EDS, was the initiator and driver of the project, and is also owner of the radar system evaluated. Apart from the environmental performance the project was carried out with the intention of EDS wanting to gain knowledge about working with LCA, both in terms of methodology and to get an insight into whether and how well they can work with the tool in their current situation. In order to assess the radar systems environmental impact through its entire life cycle there was emphasis on the use phase since the object can be used in several different ways under various circumstances. Eight different operational profiles were thus addressed in order to compare these variations in use scenarios. In addition, studies were performed on whether there exist any guidelines on how use phase scenarios can or should be defined when conducting an LCA. The LCA was performed in accordance with the ISO 14040 family and the database Ecoinvent has been used for mapping the in- and outflows. To calculate the potential environmental impacts ReCiPé was used, where three out of 18 impact categories were chosen to focus upon in agreement with EDS, namely climate change, fossil depletion and mineral resource depletion. Apart from within some business areas, conclusion could be drawn that no general guidelines exist for the definition of the use phase in an LCA. Besides being described in order to increase transparency in the assessment, no further requirements are set by ISO. Found through the assessment is that the use phase shows a major contribution to the overall environmental impacts from the entire life cycle, by being accountable for roughly 85 %. Depending on impact category, the cause lies with either the radar operation due to its large amount of diesel consumption or with the extraction of materials needed to provide for the replacement of faulty components during maintenance. In accordance with their share of the object’s weight, aluminium, copper and iron stand for about 77 % of the materials environmental impact. Noticeable is though that gold takes place on the top ten list of contributing materials with its 0.0001 % of the total weight, meaning that not only do the large amounts of a material matter, more important is the relation between weight and environmental impact. Regarding the eight operational profiles, out of the two parameters compared the radar operation proved to have significantly larger impacts in all three impact categories than the vehicle operation. Interestingly enough, it was found that if the radar and vehicle would have the same amount of operating hours, the vehicle would have larger impacts than the radar. In conclusion, from an environmental perspective it is more important to keep the vehicle operating hours low. However, since the radar operating hours are high at this point it would make a significant difference in reducing the radar fuel consumption. Lastly, for EDS to be able to continue in working with LCA, conclusions are drawn that a more qualified information base needs to be built up within the organization to avoid as much assumptions as possible, this in order to achieve more reliable results. / Detta examensarbete utfördes med det huvudsakliga syftet att utvärdera miljöprestandan av ett markradarsystem med hjälp av en livscykelanalys, LCA. Saab Electronic Defence Systems, EDS, både tog initiativ till och drev projektet. De är även ägare av det utvärderade markradar-systemet. Utöver miljöprestandan utfördes examensarbetet även med avsikt att bistå EDS med kunskap om att arbeta med LCA, både vad gäller metodiken och för att ge en inblick i om och hur väl de kan arbeta med verktyget under nuvarande förhållanden. För att kunna bedöma radarsystemets miljöpåverkan genom hela dess livscykel lades betoning på användningsfasen då objektet kan användas på ett flertal sätt under olika omständigheter. Åtta olika driftsprofiler sattes därmed upp för att jämföra dessa varierande användnings-scenarier. Dessutom studerades om det idag finns några riktlinjer för hur användningsfasen kan eller bör definieras vid utförandet av en LCA. Analysen utfördes i enlighet med ISO 14040-familjen och databasen Ecoinvent har använts för kartläggning av in- och utflöden. För att beräkna den potentiella miljöpåverkan som uppstår användes ReCiPé, där tre utav 18 miljö-påverkanskategorier valdes att fokusera på, nämligen klimatförändring, fossil utarmning och utarmning av mineraler. Bortsett från några branscher kunde slutsatsen dras att inga generella riktlinjer finns för definitionen av användningsfasen i en LCA. Utöver att beskriva sina val i syfte att öka transparensen i analysen ställs inga ytterligare krav av ISO. Genom att bidra till omkring 85 % av den totala miljöpåverkan visade sig användningsfasen vara överlägsen i förhållande till övriga faser i livscykeln. Beroende på påverkanskategori är den bakomliggande orsaken antingen radardriften, på grund av sin stora mängd dieselförbrukning, eller utvinningen av de ämnen som behövs för utbytet av felaktiga komponenter vid underhåll. I enlighet med deras andel av hela den funktionella enhetens vikt står aluminium, koppar och järn för ungefär 77 % av de utvunna ämnenas miljöpåverkan. Noterbart är dock att guld placerar sig på topp tio-listan över bidragande ämnen med sin andel på 0.0001 % av den totala vikten, vilket innebär att det inte bara är stora mängder av ämnen som spelar roll utan också förhållandet mellan vikt och miljöpåverkan. Vad gäller de åtta driftsprofilerna och dess två ingående parametrar visade sig radardrift ha betydligt större påverkan inom alla tre miljö-påverkanskategorier än fordonsdrift. Anmärkningsvärt nog visade det sig att om radar och fordon skulle ha samma driftstider skulle fordonsdrift bidra med den större miljöpåverkan av de två. Ur miljösynpunkt skulle det därför vara viktigare att hålla fordonets driftstid nere, men eftersom driftstiden för radar i dagsläget är avsevärt högre skulle det göra större skillnad att reducera radarns dieselförbrukning. Slutligen, för att EDS ska kunna fortskrida sitt arbete med LCA, dras slutsatsen att en mer kvalificerad informationsbas måste byggas upp inom organisationen. Detta för att i så hög grad som möjligt kunna undvika antaganden, i syfte att uppnå mer tillförlitliga resultat.
9

Environmental Impact of an Electric Motor and Drive : Life Cycle Assessment and a study of a Circular Business Model

Westberg, Emma January 2020 (has links)
Electric motors are one of the biggest consumers of electricity in the world with a consumption of almost 45 % and it is predicted to increase. Since electric motors play an important role today and in the future, it is important that businesses take their responsibility to make them as sustainable as they can possibly be. Today’s product development models are often based on the idea that the customer buys the product and is responsible for the products use phase. This results in the manufacturer focusing on getting a competitive price for the customer by reducing the cost for manufacturing and delivery, which often is negative for the customer. The latter phases, use and end-of-life, are often the greatest contributors of costs and environmental impact. One way for businesses to take their responsibility is to have an environmental focus throughout their products life cycles, i.e., to apply a circular business model. This primarily means to focus on the main principles of circular economy: to reduce, reuse and recycle. ABB is a company in the electric motor and drive industry with ambitious commitments for 2030 which includes to have at least 80 % of their products and solutions covered by a circularity approach and achieve carbon neutrality across their own operations. This Master thesis studies the environmental impact of an ABB synchronous medium voltage motor and drive during their life cycle. This thesis also studies how a circular business model can affect the environmental impact the motor contribute with today. Assessing the environmental impact was done with a life cycle perspective in accordance to ISO 14044, using the world’s most used tool for these kinds of analyses, SimaPro. The results of the assessment showed that the total climate impact during the whole life cycle of the motor and drive is 4.38•106 kg CO2 eq. The use phase of the motor and drive was the biggest contributor, with almost 99 % of total climate impact. The electricity used in this phase and the long lifetime of these machines, in this case 20 years, contributes to the great impact. Important environmental impact categories identified from studying the motor and drive during their lifecycles are ionizing radiation, human toxicity (both non-cancer effects and cancer effects) and freshwater ecotoxicity. The results also showed that by only looking at the contribution of the components of the motor, the climate impact is 7.35•104 kg CO2 eq. A total of 43 % of the emissions comes from the stator and 30 % from the rotor. For the drive the total impact is in total 6.83•104 kg CO2 eq. The biggest contributor is the semiconductor, with 50 % of the total impact of the machine followed by the housing with 21 %. Answering research question two, regarding the circular business model, was done by interviewing key players at ABB and people with knowledge in the area as well by studying literature. Potential measures for a circular business model were for example increasing the efficiency of the motor, designing for refurbishment and recycling, partnerships and changing the motor application after use. Increased efficiency of the motor was identified as a very impactful measure since it can affect the use phase, which is the biggest contributor of climate impact. The identified measures impact the material and energy flows in different ways, most of them prevent extraction of new raw material. This study can be used for an indication of where the environmental hotspots are for a MV electric motor and drive. It can be concluded that a circular business model could bring benefits on material and energy flows such as reduced energy use in the use phase, decreased use of raw material in production and reduced use of fuel for transportation.
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Étude exploratoire de la phase d’usage des produits électroniques en vue de minimiser les impacts environnementaux : le cas du téléviseur

Déméné, Claudia 04 1900 (has links)
À cause de leur impact environnemental élevé, les déchets d’équipements électriques et électroniques (DEEE) sont un problème majeur pour les pays développés. La consommation importante de produits électroniques, dont la durée d’utilisation est de plus en plus courte, a entrainé une production croissante de DEEE. C’est dans ce contexte que l’Union européenne a instauré en 2003 la responsabilité élargie des producteurs (REP). Cet outil de politique environnementale a rendu légalement responsables les fabricants de la mise en oeuvre et du financement d’un programme d’intendance des DEEE. Alors que la REP vise principalement le traitement écologique des DEEE, cet instrument ne permet pas de réduire les quantités considérables qui sont produites par les consommateurs. Cette situation est d’autant plus inquiétante que les gains environnementaux obtenus, grâce à l’implantation de la REP, ont été annulés au regard de l’augmentation continue de la consommation de biens électroniques à l’échelle mondiale. En réponse à cette problématique, la présente thèse porte sur les pratiques de l’usager au cours de la phase de consommation des appareils électroniques (aussi appelée phase d’usage). Cette étape du cycle de vie regroupe l’achat, l’utilisation, la réparation et la mise au rebut des biens. Une approche qualitative de type exploratoire faisant appel à l’étude de cas a été utilisée. Le téléviseur, retenu comme cas d’étude, illustre des enjeux partagés par plusieurs équipements électroniques, tels que : la fréquente mise sur le marché de nouveaux modèles, le bas prix d’acquisition comparé au coût de la réparation et l’influence de la mode sur les choix effectués par le consommateur. Ces facteurs facilitent le remplacement des biens et, par conséquent, pourraient entrainer leur fin de vie prématurée qui se matérialise à travers différentes formes d’obsolescence. Dans le cadre de cette étude de cas, une trentaine d’entrevues semi-dirigées a été réalisée avec des usagers et réparateurs de produits électroniques en vue de documenter les différentes sous-étapes de la phase d’usage d’un téléviseur. Sur la base des informations recueillies, l’objectif de cette thèse est de formuler des recommandations, à destination des autorités politiques, qui pourront permettre une minimisation des impacts environnementaux liés à la phase d’usage des appareils électroniques. Les résultats ont permis de mettre en évidence, via le rôle et le statut singulier occupé par le téléviseur dans les foyers, les comportements de l’usager contribuant à augmenter l’empreinte écologique associée à la phase d’usage. L’acquisition de nombreux biens électroniques et non électroniques suite à l’achat du téléviseur, ses multiples fonctionnalités le rapprochant de celles de l’ordinateur et des tablettes, ainsi que la fin de vie prématurée de produits fonctionnels, mais obsolètes d’un point de vue technologique, font partie des résultats de cette recherche. En lien avec ces constats, cette étude propose des instruments de politique environnementale, dont l’affichage de la durée de vie des équipements électroniques, destinés à aider le consommateur à réaliser des choix plus éclairés au moment de l’achat. D’autres orientations, telles que la possibilité d’évoluer vers une réglementation horizontale, c’est-à-dire un cadre législatif qui ne se basera plus sur le produit individuel, mais sur l’ensemble des appareils ayant des fonctionnalités similaires, sont exposées. Par ailleurs, cette recherche explore certains leviers pouvant minimiser le phénomène de fin de vie prématurée des appareils électroniques, tels que l’envoi de biens obsolètes et fonctionnels des pays développés vers ceux en développement pour permettre leur réutilisation et la tendance du Do-It- Yourself dans la réparation des produits électroniques. / Given its high environmental impact, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) has become a major problem for developed countries. The growing consumption of electronic products, whose useful lifespan has decreased over the years, has led to an increasing production of WEEE. In response, the European Union has adopted in 2003 the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). This environmental policy tool holds legally responsible manufacturers for the implementation and financing of the e-waste stewardship program. While the ERP focuses mainly on the environmentally sound disposal of waste from electric and electronic equipment, this instrument does not prevent or even reduce the growing amounts of e-waste discarded by households. This situation is particularly worrying, since the environmental benefits achieved with the implementation of the ERP are no longer efficient considering the continuous increase of electronic goods’ consumption in the world. In light of this issue, the present thesis examines the practices of users during the consumption phase of electronic appliances (also referred to as the use phase). This stage of the products’ lifecycle includes purchase, use, repair and disposal of a good. To conduct this research, a qualitative approach by means of a case study was used. The selected case is the television, which illustrates many issues related to the use phase of electronic devices, such as frequent launch of new models in the market, low purchase price compared to the cost of repair and the influence of trends on the consumer’s choices. These factors may cause the premature replacement of electronic products and, therefore, lead to their premature end-of-life, which materialize into different types of obsolescence. In the context of this case study, around thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with users and repairers of electronic equipment in order to document the different sub-stages of the television’s use phase. Based on collected data, the main objective of this thesis is to provide recommendations to political authorities, which could enable the minimisation of environmental impacts related to the use phase of electronic appliances. The results highlight, via the role and singular status occupied by the television, the user’s behaviour which helps increase the environmental footprint of the use phase. The multiple purchases of electronic and non-electronic goods following the television’s acquisition, its many features that are similar to those of the computers or tablets, and the premature disposal of functional but technologically obsolete devices, are among the main findings of the study. In respect of these observations, this study proposes environmental policy instruments, like an environmental labelling of the electronic products’ lifespan, which aim at supporting a more informed consumer choice. Other orientations, such as the opportunity to adopt a horizontal policy, which is a legal framework that would no longer focus on the individual product, but rather on all appliances with similar functions, are exposed. In addition, this research explores some levers that could minimize the phenomenon of premature end-of-life of electronic devices, including the exportation of obsolete and functional goods from developed to developing countries to enable their reuse and the trend of Do-It-Yourself for their repair.

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