The Role of Eco-efficiency for Industrial Companies in the Circular Economy

Transcription

1 ΔΙΕΘΝΗΣ ΗΜΕΡΙΔΑ ΕΕΔΣΑ «Συνέργειες Αποβλήτων και Πόρων προς την κατεύθυνση της Κυκλικής Οικονομίας στην Ελλάδα και στις Μεσογειακές Χώρες» Waste & Resources Synergies towards a Circular Economy in Greece & Mediterranean Countries Aθήνα, ΕΜΠ, Παρασκευή 12 Ιουνίου 2015 The Role of Eco-efficiency for Industrial Companies in the Circular Economy

2 WHAT IS THE NEED 2 Lisbon Strategy EU Action plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production (climate change, sustainability related goals and products) EU and National Strategies for Sustainable Development European energy related commitments (COM(2008) 30 final)

3 Sectors/Areas of Major Concern 3 Context of sustainable development and innovation, in line with the focus of EU sustainability and environmental policy: Building and construction Food Mobility, and/or Energy related products

4 Definitions of Eco-Efficiency (1) 4 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): Efficiency with which ecological resources are used to meet human needs; Efficiency = output : input Ratio of an output (value of products/services by a firm, sector, or economy as a whole), divided by the input (sum of environmental pressures by the firm, sector, or economy)

5 Definitions of Eco-Efficiency (2) 5 European Environmental Agency (EEA): Concept and strategy enabling sufficient delinking of the use of nature from economic activity; needed to meet human needs (wellfare) to allow it to remain within carrying capacities; and to permit equitable access and use of the environment by current and future generations more welfare from less nature

6 Eco-Efficiency or Resource Efficiency? 6 Eco-efficiency (World Business Council for Sustainable Development, WBCSD): The delivery of competitively priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and bring quality of life, while progressively reducing ecological impacts and resource intensity throughout the life-cycle, to a level at least in line with the Earth s estimated carrying capacity Resource-efficiency: Optimising the environmental and financial benefits from using a material or product that requires the least energy and materials over its life cycle

7 Kondratiev s Cycles, The Sixth Wave? 7

8 Eco-Efficiency Objectives (WBCSD) 8 1. Reduce the consuption of resources: The material and energy consumption should be reduced through enhancing recyclability. Producing products with higher quality and longer life times may also lead to improvements within the area. 2. Reduce the impact on the nature: Using renewable resources which are sustainably managed Minimizing emissions, waste disposal and toxic substances 3. Provide customers with higher quality products and services. The customer benefit can be improved by: user additional services (e.g. functionality or/and increased life time) without interfering with the two former objectives.

9 Identifying Key Elements of Eco-Efficiency 9 The WBCSD has defined four key elements of ecoefficiency: Re-engineer processes (to reduce the consumption of resources, reduce pollution and avoid risks, while at the same time saving costs) Revalorize by-products (zero-waste or 100 % product targets-waste from their processes can have value for another company) Redesign products (products designed to ecological design rules) Rethink markets (innovative companies find new ways of meeting customer needs)

10 Introduction 10 Challenges: climate change, extinction of fossil fuels, resource scarcity, biodiversity (species extinction), elimination of toxic substances, etc. Triple bottom line environmental, economic, social:

11 Introduction 11 Environmental issues: Sustainable development: definition Sustainable production: recycling, heat integration, process optimisation Economic issues: Green Economy Initiative, Investing in the transition, Green Public Procurement, etc. Social issues: Sustainable consumption: recycle, reuse, repair, consumer behaviour, better information on the environmental footprints of products (labelling, declarations), etc.

12 Motivation 12 Human needs and externalities (life cycle costs) Main GHGs contributing sectors: 20 % transport 18 % industry 17 % households, etc. Regulations (laws and directives, national and EU) European directives ISO and CEN standards Roadmap to resource efficiency Policy how to make the things happen

13 Energy: Renewables and Efficiency 13 Renewable energy sources, RES: hydro, solar, wind, geothermal, thermo-solar, photovoltaics, biomass (wood, lignocellulosis, and waste), etc. Energy efficiency, EE: Green buildings, innovation in lighting Heat and power (co-/poly-generation ), heat pumps Waste-to-energy (thermal treatment, incineration) Green technology, Process intensification Heat integration (Pinch Analysis) Mobility (public transportation, walking, cycling)

14 Energy: Modern Approach 14 Low-carbon technologies/society Passive and active (energy producing) buildings Product groups (lighting, air conditioning, etc.) System functions (overall optimization) Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) EU Bureau in Sevilla Best Available Techniques (BAT) Strategies on transportation and mobilities

15 Materials Efficiency 15 Water minimisation and purification Raw material recycle, recover, reuse, repair,... By-product utilisation (industrial ecology, industrial symbiosis) Higher quality products (quality assesment) Longer lifetimes (extended product duration) Minimising emissions, waste disposal, and toxic substances release Rare metals and minerals System function Lego principle in buildings

16 16 Decoupling Resource Use, Economic Growth, and Environmental Impact

17 Methods 17 LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), LCM, LCI, LCIA, EEA* Pollution Prevention Cleaner Production Zero waste RECP TVET Toolkits Eco-Innovation Design for the Environment (Eco-Design), Design for Sustainability Deming Cycle of continuous improvements Footprints (carbon, nitrogen, water, energy, social, etc.) *LC Inventory, LC Impact Assessment, EE Assessment

18 Management 18 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR, ISO 26000) Environmental Management System (EMS, EMAS) Eco-industrial parks Voluntary approaches, e.g. Responsible Care by chemical industry Ecological economics Environmental Accounting (EA) Environmental Reporting (Global Reporting Initative, GRI) Environmental law Environmental policy

19 Implementing Eco-efficiency 19 REDUCES: Reduce material intensity Energy intensity minimized Dispersion of toxic substances is reduced Undertake recycling Capitalize on use of renewable sources Extend product durability Service intensity to be increased

20 20 Optimism: Energy Use in EU Chemical Industry has been reduced by 17%

21 21 Source: CEFIC, Facts and Figures 2013

22 22

23 23 GHG Emissions were Decoupled from the Chemicals Production

24 Grand Challenges for Engineering 24 National Academy of Engineering, USA: Make solar energy economical Provide energy from fusion Develop carbon sequestration methods Manage the nitrogen cycle Provide access to clean water Engineer better medicines Advance personalized learning Engineer the tools of scientific discovery + Improve urban infrastructure, advance health informatics, engineer the brain, prevent nuclear terror, secure cyberspace, enhance virtual reality

25 Important Future Trends (1) 25 Resource efficiency (materials, energy, water, human, finances) Waste minimization, towards zero waste, waste to: materials, energy, or fuels LCA (Life Cycle Approaches) New raw material base for process industries (biomass, waste, photosynthesis from CO2 using algae or inorganic synthesis) Advanced energy systems (renewable sources, combined heat and power, poly-generation, carbon capture, storage and reuse) Novel combustion and gasification technologies Smart mobility: second generation bio-fuels, electrochemical cells and batteries Big Data

26 Important Future Trends (2) 26 Sustainable and intelligent product design Process intensification Product and process safety, risk reduction; public and occupational health, regulations and legislation Design for environment and efficiency - More efficient equipment and systems Integration and optimization of networks, supply chains, value chains, and logistics Smart cities and communities Education of future generations with visionary, strategic and responsible thinking