Sustainability advantage of life cycle of biobased goods and services. A selection of EC support activities

Transcription

1 Sustainability advantage of life cycle of biobased goods and services A selection of EC support activities ENSURE Action Leader: David W. Pennington lca@jrc.ec.europa.eu 1 Overview Life cycle thinking and assessment concepts Policy rationale Example life cycle support activities Concluding remarks 2 1

2 Life Cyle Thinking -comprehensive consideration of supply chains, burdens of use, as well as end-of-life waste management Manufacturing, Processing Retail, Use RESOURCES EMISSIONS Resource Extraction, Farming, Processing Re-use, Recycling, Energy Recovery, Disposal 3 Life Cycle Thinking and Assessment: Pressures & Threats on Resources, Health, Environment,... Energy Climate Change Material Criticality Eutrophication Land & Water Use Toxic Pressures 4 2

3 Business and Policy Rationale Examples Improved economic performance Lower environmental burdens, and fewer trade offs Increased producer end-of-life responsibility Reduced supply chain and end-of-life risks Reduced security of supply risk from resource bottlenecks and design reliance on critical substances Fair basis for comparison of goods and services Greater product supply chain knowledge Hotspot identification, targeted innovation& research Knowledge-based indicators and targets Market advantage Fairer playing field for products produced in environmental/social friendly manner 5 Needs of Business and Policy Methodological guidelines - general, sectors, product groups Life cycle inventory data for resource consumption, emissions, Impact assessment data(resources, health, environment, ) Quality assurance and verification of data and assessments Comparability/reproducibility Practicality product group benchmarks and tools 6 3

4 Key Policy Response Examples Integrated Product Policy Communication (IPP), 2003: A resource-efficient Europe Flagship initiative of the Europe 2020 Strategy, 2011: The raw materials initiative meeting our critical needs for growth and jobs in Europe, 2008 Innovating for Sustainable Growth: A Bioeconomy for Europe, Responding to methodology needs No Guidance - adhoc ISO Standard ILCD: International Reference Life Cycle Data System Sectorial Guides: e.g. EnviFood Protocol PEFCR: Product Environmental Footprint Category Rule OEFSR: Organisation Environmental Footprint Sector Rule (Roadmap) (ILCD Handbook) Environmental Footprint Guide PEFCR/ OEFSR Tools Increasing reproducibility consistency practicality 8 4

5 Making it happen Responding to the data challenges: The European Platform on Life Cycle Assessment International Reference Life Cycle Data Network public launch early 2014 European Reference Life Cycle Database (ELCD) Version III in 2012 Roadmap of European Platform on Life Cycle Assessment Support Footprints, Sustainability Assessments, and EU-27 Indicators 9 Systematic resource efficiency consideration in design and innovation - Biotic/Abiotic Resources, Critical Raw Materials - Land Use Change (biodiversity, climate change) -Water Use - Resource efficiency and waste management criteria in product policies Reusability/Recyclability/Recoverability; Recycled content; Use of priority resources Durability 10 5

6 Concluding Remarks European Commission responding efficiently to Member State and Community needs through policy, methodological, and knowledge base support Commission s JRC has proven capabilities Emphasis on sectors and product-groups in support of biobased goods and services: - Compatible life cycle guidelines and data Assessments to demonstrate advantages - Indicators, targets, and opportunities lca@jrc.ec.europa.eu