The Photovoltaic Industry is at a crossroads for change. Improving the sustainability of this complex system requires a thorough understanding of the entire life cycle of the solar module production. The product life cycle is thereby divided into the value added steps of raw material extraction, outsourced production, in-house production, operation, and recycling. Furthermore, the following report distinguishes between social, ecological, and economic sustainability. The report offers a compacted matrix with all parts of sustainability and each life cycle stage in order toshow companies of the photovoltaic industry the sensible areas. This should be a first step for improving the sustainability in the whole life cycle of a solar module.

La planète se trouve dans un état de dégradation des écosystèmes, d’épuisement des ressources, de tension démographique et d’urgence climatique particulièrement préoccupant. Le découplage de la consommation de matières premières avec l’activité économique est indispensable. En réduisant la pression sur la raréfaction des matières premières, l’économie circulaire peut participer à la lutte contre le dérèglement climatique. Bien que le recyclage ne puisse solutionner seul l’épuisement des ressources, il est indispensable de mettre en œuvre des solutions pour régénérer les matières présentes dans nos déchets. Or l’organisation actuelle de la filière de fin de vie ne semble pas répondre aux besoins de l’économie-monde.Le premier challenge pour déployer des solutions de recyclage en économie circulaire repose sur l’évaluation de la performance des scénarios de recyclage. La méthodologie proposée repose sur plusieurs outils d’analyse : analyse de flux de matières (MFA), Analyse de Cycle de Vie (ACV) et Analyse de coûts (LCC) dans un cadre technique de référence basé sur l’évaluation des écotechnologies (ETV). Ce travail s’applique en partenariat avec la société MTB. Trois axes de performances ont été retenus : technique, économique et environnemental.Cette évaluation multicritères, intégrés dans la démarche de conception de MTB, permet une communication sous la forme d’indicateurs clés de performances (KPI). Ces indicateurs supplémentaires permettent de quantifier rapidement l’éco-efficience d’un scénario, pour accompagner la prise de décisions des concepteurs lors de la construction de l'offre et du développement des solutions scénarios de recyclage. / The planet is in a particularly worrying state of degradation of ecosystems, depletion of resources, demographic tension and a climate emergency. The decoupling of the consumption of raw materials with economic activity is a relevant action lever. By reducing the pressure on the scarcity of raw materials, the circular economy can participate in the fight against climate change. Although recycling alone cannot solve resource depletion, it is essential to implement solutions to regenerate the materials present in our waste. However, the current organization of the end-of-life sector does not seem to meet the needs of the world economy.The first challenge in deploying recycling solutions in the circular economy is based on evaluating the performance of recycling scenarios. The proposed methodology is based on several analytical tools: Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cost Costing (LCC) in a technical reference framework based on the evaluation of environmental technologies (ETV). This work applies in partnership with the company MTB. Three performance axes were chosen: technical, economic and environmental.This multi-criterion assessment, integrated into the MTB design process, allows communication in the form of key performance indicators (KPI). By providing additional performance indicators it is possible to quickly quantify the eco-efficiency, to support decision-making by designers during the development of the recycling pathway.

Human food consumption has changed from the late 19th century to the turn of the millennium, and so has the need for resources to sustain this consumption. For the city of Linköping, situated in southeastern Sweden, the environmental imprint of an average inhabitant’s food consumption is studied from the year 1870 to the year 2000. The average consumer is the driving factor in this study, since changes in food consumption have a direct influence on the environmental imprint. This thesis analyses the environmental imprint of human food consumption from a historical perspective, by applying two different methods. An analysis of the average Swedish food consumption creates the basis for a material flow analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as a study of the spatial imprint. Emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus into the hydrosphere have decreased over this period for the system of food consumption and production for an average consumer, while the input via chemical fertilizer has increased significantly. The efficiency of this system could be increased if for instance more phosphorus in human excreta would be reused within the system instead of large deposition and losses into the hydrosphere. The spatial imprint of human food consumption shows, given the changing local preconditions, that less space would be needed for regional production of the consumed food. However, the share of today’s import and thus globally produced food doubles this spatial imprint. The results of this study show not only a strong influence of the consumption of meat and other animal products on the environmental imprint, but also great potential in the regional production of food. In the context of an increasing urban population, and thus additional billions of people who will live at an increasing distance from the agricultural production land, concern for the direct effects of our human food consumption can be of decisive importance for future sustainable food supply.

Les conséquences de nos modes de production et de consommation sur l’environnement mondial sont reconnues et analysées depuis plusieurs décennies : changement climatique, effondrement de la biodiversité, tensions sur de nombreuses ressources stratégiques etc.Notre travail s’inscrit dans un courant de pensée visant à développer d’autres indicateurs de richesse. Dans une perspective de durabilité forte, nous nous concentrons sur une comptabilité biophysique (non monétaire), apte à pointer les externalités environnementales. Si une part importante des recherches dans ce domaine a été dédiée aux échelons nationaux, nous nous intéressons ici aux échelles locales, et en particulier aux régions françaises. Après avoir étudié les caractéristiques d’outils existants mobilisés dans les domaines de l’économie écologique et de l’écologie industrielle, comme l’Empreinte Ecologique, l’Analyse de Flux de Matières (AFM), l’Analyse de Cycle de Vie ou l’Analyse Entrée-Sortie, nous nous focalisons sur les filières de production que nous analysons à partir des quantités de matières qu’elles mobilisent au cours des étapes de production, transformation, transport et consommation. La méthode développée, AFM Filière, permet de produire des schémas de flux cohérents au niveau national, dans chaque région, et quand les données le permettent, à des niveaux infra-régionaux. Ceux-ci sont basés sur un processus systématique de réconciliation des données disponibles. Nous évaluons la précision de ces données d’entrée, ce qui permet de fournir des intervalles de confiance sur les résultats, pouvant à leur tour pointer vers des manques de connaissance. En particulier, nous fournissons une évaluation détaillée de la précision de l’enquête permanente sur le transport routier de marchandises (TRM), une pièce maîtresse de l’AFM Filière. Nous montrons au passage que réaliser le bilan matières sur une période de plusieurs années permet non seulement de s’affranchir du problème des stocks, mais aussi de réduire significativement l’incertitude sur les échanges entre régions. Nous adaptons par la suite la méthode des chaînes de Markov absorbantes pour tracer les flux jusqu’à leur destination finale et allouer les pressions sur l’environnement produites tout au long de la filière. Les flux de matières peuvent également être couplés à des modèles économiques afin de prévoir leur évolution en réponse à certaines politiques. En collaboration avec le Laboratoire d’Economie Forestière (LEF), nous fournissons ainsi la première tentative de représentation des flux sur la filière forêt-bois française, et analysons l’impact de différentes politiques de réduction des exports de bois brut sur l’économie et sur les flux physiques. Enfin, nous montrons comment il serait possible d’articuler ces analyses de filières avec les méthodes d’analyse qualitative déployées dans le domaine de l’écologie territoriale, et en particulier, l’analyse des jeux d’acteurs dans la filière. Nous situons notre travail dans le cadre normatif de la démocratie délibérative. A ce titre, nous réfléchissons aux apports de la comptabilité biophysique aux processus de décisions publiques incluant diverses parties prenantes. Nous dressons un panorama des modes de décision, des étapes clé d’un processus d’aide à la décision, des méthodes multicritères mais également des différentes formes que peut prendre la participation des citoyens. Nous proposons finalement une méthode d’aide à la délibération fondée sur l’élicitation de la satisfaction et du regret éprouvé par chaque partie prenante face à un futur donné. Celle-ci vise à organiser la discussion sur le mode du consensus apparent, qui facilite par nature le respect des minorités. Enfin, en partant des principales critiques adressées à la quantification, nous proposons en conclusion une réflexion sur les conditions qui permettraient de mettre la comptabilité écologique au service de l’émancipation démocratique. / The consequences of our modes of production and consumptions on the global environment have been recognized and analyzed for many decades: climate change, biodiversity collapse, tensions on numerous strategic resources etc. Our work follows a line of thought aiming at developing other indicators of wealth, alternative to the Growth Domestic Product. In particular, in a perspective of strong sustainability, we focus on biophysical (non-monetary) accounting, with the objective of pinpointing environmental externalities. A large part of existing research in this domain being targeted towards national levels, we rather focus on subnational scales, with on strong emphasis on French regions. With decentralization policies, these territories are indeed given increasing jurisdiction and also benefit from greater margins of action than national or international levels to implement a transition to sustainability. After studying the characteristic of existing tools used in the fields of ecological economics and industrial ecology, such as the Ecological Footprint, Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Life Cycle Assessment or Input-Output Analysis, we focus on supply chains that we analyze through the quantities of materials they mobilize during the production, transformation, transport and consumption steps. The method developed, the Supply-Chain MFA, provides coherent flow diagrams at the national scale, but also in every region and, when data allow it, at infra-regional levels. These diagrams are based on a systematic reconciliation process of available data. We assess the precision of input data, which allows to provide confidence interval on results, and in turn, to put the light on lacks of knowledge. In particular, we provide a detailed uncertainty assessment of the French domestic road freight survey (TRM), a crucial piece of the Supply-Chain MFA. By doing so, we show that undertaking the study on a period of several years not only solves the issue of stocks but also significantly reduces uncertainties on trade flows between regions. We then adapt the Absorbing Markov Chains framework to trace flows to their final destination and to allocate environmental pressures occurring all along the supply chain. For instance, in the case of cereals, we study energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, the blue water footprint, land use and the use of pesticides. Material flows can also be coupled with economic modeling in order to forecast how they will likely respond to certain policies. In collaboration with the laboratory of forest economics (LEF), we thusly provide the first attempt of representing the whole French forest-wood supply-chain, and we analyze the impact of a set of policies on both the economy and physical flows. Finally, we show the opportunities of linking these supply-chain results with qualitative methods unfold in the domain of territorial ecology, stakeholder analysis in particular. We situate our work in the normative framework of deliberative democracy and are therefore interested in the contributions of biophysical accounting to public decision processes that include diverse stakeholders. We propose an overview of decision modes, key steps of decision-aiding, multicriteria methods, but also of the various forms taken by citizen participation. We eventually design a deliberation-aiding method, based on elicitation of each stakeholder’s satisfaction and regret regarding a given future. It aims at organizing the discussion on an apparent consensus mode, which by nature facilitates the respect of minorities. Finally, based on the main criticisms addressed to quantification, we propose in conclusion thoughts on the conditions that could put biophysical accounting at the service of democratic emancipation.

L'amélioration de la gestion des ressources naturelles est nécessaire pour répondre aux nombreux enjeux liés à leur exploitation. Ce travail propose une méthodologie d'optimisation de leur gestion, appliquée au cas du cuivre en France. Quatre critères permettant de juger les stratégies de gestion ont été retenus : le coût, les impacts environnementaux, la consommation énergétique et les pertes de ressources. La première étape de cette méthodologie est l'analyse de la situation actuelle, grâce à une modélisation du cycle français du cuivre de 2000 à 2009. Cet examen a montré que la France importe la quasi-totalité de ses besoins sous forme de cuivre raffiné, et a une industrie de recyclage peu développée. Suite à ces premiers résultats, la problématique du traitement des déchets de cuivre, et notamment de leur recyclage, a été étudiée. Une stratégie de modélisation des flux recyclés, basée sur la construction de flowsheets, a été développée. La formulation mathématique générale du problème a ensuite été définie : il s'agit d'un problème mixte, non-linéaire et a priori multiobjectif, qui a une contrainte égalité forte (la conservation de la masse). Une étude des méthodes d'optimisation a conduit à choisir un algorithme génétique (AG). Une alternative a également été envisagée pour résoudre le problème multiobjectif par programmation linéaire en le linéarisant "sous contrainte". Ce travail a mis en évidence la nécessité de développer une filière de recyclage efficace des déchets électriques et électroniques en France. Il a de plus montré que le cuivre contenu dans les déchets ne permet pas de couvrir la demande et qu'il est nécessaire d'importer du cuivre, de préférence sous forme de débris. / Improving the natural resources management is necessary to address the many issues related to their exploitation. This work proposes an optimization methodology for their management, applied to the case of copper in France. Four criteria are identified to assess management strategies: cost, environmental impacts, energy consumption and resource losses. The first step of this methodology is the analysis of the current situation, by modelling the French copper cycle from 2000 to 2009. This analysis showed that France imports almost all of its needs as refined copper, and has an underdeveloped recycling industry. Following these initial results, the problematic of copper wastes, including recycling, has been investigated. A recycled flow modelling strategy has been developed, based on the construction of flowsheets. The general mathematical formulation of the problem is then defined. It is a non-linear, mixed and a priori multiobjective problem, with a strong equality constraint (mass conservation). A review of optimization methods has led to choose a genetic algorithm (GA). An alternative was also proposed to solve the multiobjective problem with linear programming, by linearizing it under constraint. This work has highlighted the necessity of developing an effective recycling field of wastes from electric and electronic equipment in France. It also showed that the copper contained in wastes does not meet the demand, so that France needs to import copper, preferably as scraps.

The aim of this study is to assess the current situation of energy and carbon flows through the waste sector in Jämtland. An energy flow analysis is performed by balancing the inflows and outflows of the lower heating value and embodied energy. A carbon flow analysis was made on the same principles although with the carbon content and embodied CO2eq.  The results are showing that over a period of one year, 75 000 tons of waste flows through the waste sector in Jämtland. Approximately 60 % of all the waste is incinerated. The energy analysis shows that 970TJ flows through the waste sector every year. Household waste is the category with most energy consumption and emissions in total. However, other materials like metal and electronics have higher energy and carbon content per ton than the household category. The results of the analyses can further be implemented in the Sustainable Jämtland model and it can then be used as a base when making strategies for a sustainable waste treatment.

The Photovoltaic Industry is at a crossroads for change. Improving the sustainability of this complex system requires a thorough understanding of the entire life cycle of the solar module production. The product life cycle is thereby divided into the value added steps of raw material extraction, outsourced production, in-house production, operation, and recycling. Furthermore, the following report distinguishes between social, ecological, and economic sustainability. The report offers a compacted matrix with all parts of sustainability and each life cycle stage in order toshow companies of the photovoltaic industry the sensible areas. This should be a first step for improving the sustainability in the whole life cycle of a solar module.

<p>Cilj ove disertacije je razvoj modela zasnovanog na analizi tokova<br />materijala (MFA) i analizi tokova supstanci (SFA) sistema<br />upravljanja biorazgradivim otpadom sa naglaskom na upravljanje<br />fosforom kao resursom. U zemljama u tranziciji kao što je Srbija<br />upravljanje biorazgradivim otpadom predstavlja poseban problem jer<br />se dovodi u direktnu vezu sa emisijama gasova sa efektom staklene<br />bašte i generisanjem procednih voda. Kako bi se razvila strategija<br />upravljanja biorazgradivim otpadom u skladu sa zahtevima EU<br />direktiva, razvijeni model je primenjen na sistem upravljanja<br />biorazgradivim otpadom u Srbiji, i dva alternativna scenarija. Na<br />osnovu rezultata primenjenog modela, sva tri razvijena scenarija<br />upravljanja biorazgradivim otpadom su evaluirana i izvršeno je<br />njihovo poređenje.</p> / <p>The aim of this dissertation is biodegradable waste management system model development based on material flow analysis (MFA) and substance flow analysis (SFA) with an emphasis on phosphorus management as a resource. In transition countries like Serbia, biodegradable waste management is a particular problem due to direct linkage with greenhouse gas emissions and leachate generation. In order to develop a biodegradable waste management strategy in accordance with the requirements of EU directives, developed model was applied to the biodegradable waste management system in Serbia, and two alternative scenarios. Based on the results of the applied model, evaluation and comparison of all three developed scenarios of biodegradable waste management is performed.</p>

Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for all life on our planet. During the past century anthropogenic consumption of P has reached critically unsustainable levels, the mining of finite phosphate rock and the dispersion of this resource could lead to resource scarcity in the future. The need to increase knowledge and understanding for the P system is an essential part of sustainable decision making. In this thesis the P balance of Sweden is characterised and quantified using material flow analysis methodology. Furthermore, the study provides a solid foundation of knowledge and understanding of the current state of P balance in Sweden. Major challenges are highlighted and further improvement potential is established for the Swedish flows of P. The major identified contributors to the Swedish P balance are the consumption of mineral fertilizers, the consumption patterns in society and the waste management. Moreover, there is a need to reduce the emissions of P to the environment in order to preserve natural state. The most effective ways of reducing the emissions are to reduce inputs to the system and improve the system efficiency through technical solutions, political tools and financial incentives. It is important to reduce emissions without shifting of burdens onto others. The anthropogenic activities in Sweden have a significant impact on the environment, this is due to Sweden importing P fertilizer that is added to the system. Nevertheless, there is a large potential for improvement of P resource management, where recycling and reuse of P is highlighted. Furthermore, Sweden has historically proven that political action and financial incentives are effective in reducing emissions. / Fosfor (P) är ett väsentligt element för allt liv på vår planet. Under det senaste århundradet har den antropogena förbrukningen av P uppnått kritiskt ohållbara nivåer, brytning av begränsade mängder fosfatmalm som finns och spridningen av denna resurs kan leda till resursbrist i framtiden. Behovet av att öka kunskapen och förståelsen för P systemet är en väsentlig del av hållbart beslutsfattande. I denna avhandling karakteriseras och kvantifieras P balansen i Sverige med hjälp av metoder för materialflödesanalys. Dessutom ger studien en stadig grund för kunskap och förståelse för det nuvarande tillståndet för fosforbalansen i Sverige. Viktiga utmaningar lyfts upp och ytterligare förbättringspotentialer fastställs för de svenska flödena av P. De viktigaste identifierade påverkningsfaktorerna till den svenska P-balansen är konsumtion av mineralgödsel, konsumtionsmönstren i samhället och avfallshanteringen. Utöver detta, finns det ett behov av att minska utsläppen av P till miljön för att bevara ett naturligt tillstånd. De mest effektiva sätten att minska utsläppen är att minska tillförseln av P till systemet och förbättra systemeffektiviteten genom tekniska lösningar, politiska verktyg och ekonomiska incitament. Det är viktigt att minska utsläppen utan att förskjuta bördorna på andra. Den antropogena verksamheten i Sverige har en betydande påverkan på miljön, detta beror på att Sverige importerar P gödsel som läggs till systemet. Ändå finns det en stor potential för förbättring av P resurshanteringen, där återvinning och återanvändning av P framlyfts. Dessutom har Sverige historiskt bevisat att politiska åtgärder och ekonomiska incitament är effektiva för att minska utsläppen.

<p>    </p> <p>Electronic waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams, spurred by their rising market and demand. However, these devices contain an array of metals that is recyclable for economic and environmental benefit through secondary manufacturing. As the turnaround rate for newer models quickens, consumers are motivated to purchase novel devices, leaving their current ones behind. Focusing on how United States (U.S.) households manage their electronics, a top-down approach stock and flow STELLA model was created to model the lifecycle of eight common electronics. Input data for the model came from a public online survey directed to U.S. household owning adults. From the model, a metallic stock and flow analysis was conducted to quantify the trends, environmental footprint, and economic value of stored devices in U.S. households and how it compares to devices being used, disposed, and recycled. The number of stored devices in the U.S. was found to be increasing annually with a stored amount of over 757 million stored individual electronic devices, nearly half of which originate from cell phones, carrying an economic value of 32.6 billion US dollars (USD) and carbon emissions of 7.6 billion kilograms (kg) from their metallic components alone for the year 2020. Most of the pollution and economic value stems from precious metals (PMs) and in a circular economy, these stored metals can have a significant impact to the environment and economy through recycled. Also, with advancing capabilities of smartphones, the metallic composition for device components of Samsung galaxy smartphones was quantified to assess their evolving metallic content. With the growing market of electronic devices, knowing the value and importance of devices currently in U.S. households is critical. This underlies the influence of sustainable design through a circular economy to push initiatives to manufacture recyclable friendly devices, expand the metal recycling industry, and motivate citizens to properly handle their stored devices. </p>