| 1. |
- Harris, Steve, et al.
(författare)
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Circularity for circularity's sake? : Scoping review of assessment methods for environmental performance in the circular economy.
- 2021
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Ingår i: Sustainable Production and Consumption. - : Elsevier B.V.. - 2352-5509. ; 26, s. 172-186
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Circular Economy (CE) concept is receiving increasing global attention and has captivated many disciplines, from sustainability through to business and economics. There is currently a strong drive by companies, academics and governments alike to implement the CE. Numerous “circularity indicators” have emerged that measure material flow or recirculated value of a system (e.g. product or nation). However, if its implementation is to improve environmental performance of society, the action must be based on scientific evidence and quantification or it may risk driving “circularity for circularity's sake”. This paper, therefore, aims to review the recent circular economy literature that focuses on assessing the environmental implications of circularity of products and services. To do this we divide the system levels into micro (product level), meso (industrial estate/symbiosis) and macro (national or city level). A scoping literature review explores the assessment methods and indicators at each level. The results suggest that few studies compare circularity indicators with environmental performance or link the circularity indicators between society levels (e.g. the micro and macro-levels). However, adequate tools exist at each level (e.g. life cycle assessment (LCA) at the micro-level and multi-regional input-output (MRIO) analysis at the macro-level) to provide the ability to adequately assess and track the CE performance if placed within a suitable framework. The challenge to connect the micro and macro-levels remains. This would help understand the link between changes at the micro-level at the macro-level, and the environmental consequences. At the meso-level, industrial symbiosis continues to grow in potential, but there is a need for further research on the assessment of its contribution to environmental improvement. In addition, there is limited understanding of the use phase. For example, national monitoring programmes do not have indicators on stocks of materials or the extent of the circular economy processes (such as the reuse economy, maintenance and spare parts) which already contribute to the CE. The societal needs/functions framework offers a promising meso-level link to bridge the micro and macro-levels for assessment, monitoring and setting thresholds. © 2020 The Authors
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| 2. |
- Mathern, Alexandre, 1986, et al.
(författare)
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Concrete Support Structures for Offshore Wind Turbines: Current Status, Challenges, and Future Trends
- 2021
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Ingår i: Energies. - : MDPI AG. - 1996-1073 .- 1996-1073. ; 14:7
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Today’s offshore wind turbine support structures market is largely dominated by steel structures, since steel monopiles account for the vast majority of installations in the last decade and new types of multi-leg steel structures have been developed in recent years. However, as wind turbines become bigger, and potential sites for offshore wind farms are located in ever deeper waters and ever further from the shore, the conditions for the design, transport, and installation of support structures are changing. In light of these facts, this paper identifies and categorizes the challenges and future trends related to the use of concrete for support structures of future offshore wind projects. To do so, recent advances and technologies still under development for both bottom-fixed and floating concrete support structures have been reviewed. It was found that these new developments meet the challenges associated with the use of concrete support structures, as they will allow the production costs to be lowered and transport and installation to be facilitated. New technologies for concrete support structures used at medium and great water depths are also being developed and are expected to become more common in future offshore wind installations. Therefore, the new developments identified in this paper show the likelihood of an increase in the use of concrete support structures in future offshore wind farms. These developments also indicate that the complexity of future support structures will increase due to the development of hybrid structures combining steel and concrete. These evolutions call for new knowledge and technical know-how in order to allow reliable structures to be built and risk-free offshore installation to be executed.
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| 3. |
- Bjorn, A., et al.
(författare)
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Review of life-cycle based methods for absolute environmental sustainability assessment and their applications
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing Ltd. - 1748-9326 .- 1748-9318. ; 15:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In many regions and at the planetary scale, human pressures on the environment exceed levels that natural systems can sustain. These pressures are caused by networks of human activities, which often extend across countries and continents due to global trade. This has led to an increasing requirement for methods that enable absolute environmental sustainability assessment (AESA) of anthropogenic systems and which have a basis in life cycle assessment (LCA). Such methods enable the comparison of environmental impacts of products, companies, nations, etc, with an assigned share of environmental carrying capacity for various impact categories. This study is the first systematic review of LCA-based AESA methods and their applications. After developing a framework for LCA-based AESA methods, we identified 45 relevant studies through an initial survey, database searches and citation analysis. We characterized these studies according to their intended application, impact categories, basis of carrying capacity estimates, spatial differentiation of environmental model and principles for assigning carrying capacity. We then characterized all method applications and synthesized their results. Based on this assessment, we present recommendations to practitioners on the selection and use of existing LCA-based AESA methods, as well as ways to perform assessments and communicate results to decision-makers. Furthermore, we identify future research priorities intended to extend coverage of all components of the proposed method framework, improve modeling and increase the applicability of methods. © 2020 The Author(s).
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| 4. |
- Lee, Christina, 1992
(författare)
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A Life Cycle Approach to Environmental Sustainability in Aggregate Production Systems
- 2024
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Rock materials, such as sand, gravel, and crushed rock, serve as the foundation of our society. Known collectively as aggregates, these materials are essential for building foundations, concrete, and roads, making them the second most extracted material globally after water. Since these materials are often extracted directly from nature, responsible production is crucial to ensure long-term environmental sustainability. Meeting sustainability objectives requires comprehensive environmental reporting to fulfil Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) demands. In response to this need, Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) have gained prominence in the construction sector. However, EPDs, based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), do not fully capture all relevant environmental aspects for aggregate extraction and production facilities, often referred to as quarries. This highlights the need for a holistic perspective when it comes to environmental management. EPDs can also cause challenges for producers who may face resource constraints, data collection difficulties, and limitations in environmental knowledge during the process of producing an EPD. Moreover, regarding EPDs solely as communication tools overlooks a value creation opportunity to identify environmental improvements in production systems. Therefore, integrating LCA with production simulations can enhance environmental management, necessitating the development of tools that simplify and support producers in this endeavour. This thesis proposes a tool structure based on the development work of an industry-specific EPD software tool, and explores its integration into environmental management practices for quarries, with the aim of improving environmental performance. By identifying potential industry-specific environmental impacts, the thesis highlights knowledge gaps and delineates the limitations of LCA tools when combined with production simulations aiming towards a more holistic perspective of environmental performance. Additionally, it offers recommendations for best practices in combining LCA tools into quarry environmental management to overcome limitations, and identifies key areas where industry improvements can be achieved.
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| 5. |
- Petersson, Jesper, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Defend, Retreat and Attack: Urban Waters and Valuation Practices
- 2022
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Ingår i: Water Alternatives. - : Water Alternatives Association. - 1965-0175. ; 15:1, s. 175-192
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper explores the river landscapes and concomitant values resulting from tensions between flood management and visions of a River City. The aim is to contribute to an understanding of the management of urban waters as valuation practices. We regard valuation practices as co-constitutive of current and future river landscapes. Sweden’s second-largest city, Gothenburg, is located next to the sea, and the Göta River, Sweden’s largest water system, runs through it. Our empirical focus is on how this city approaches increasing risks of flooding. We explore three approaches that have been formulated in relation to flood management: defend, retreat and attack. We ask how these approaches are applied in the management of Göta River flooding and in the city’s vision of a future Gothenburg that embraces the river as a genuinely positive aspect of urban life. We present the case as a journey that takes us upstream from the river’s sea inlet port and through Gothenburg. During our kilometre by kilometre journey, the river’s appearance shifts. The varied river landscape mirrors the diversity in how its waters are valuated, both historically and in present times. The perception of urban waters is shaped by practices of valuation. These valuations are generative. They connect the value of water to other entities, actors, plans, activities and buildings, and they are thus key to the river landscapes that will eventually be realised. By way of conclusion, we identify a number of governance challenges that are particularly relevant to urban rivers.
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| 6. |
- Despeisse, Mélanie, 1985, et al.
(författare)
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A systematic review of empirical studies on green manufacturing: eight propositions and a research framework for digitalized sustainable manufacturing
- 2022
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Ingår i: Production and Manufacturing Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2169-3277. ; 10:1, s. 727-759
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Manufacturers are facing increasing pressures to adapt their operations to meet sustainability goals. Research and developments on industrial digitalization (aka Industry 4.0) present new opportunities to create and capture value in ever-more complex and connected industrial systems. However, digitalization does not always align with sustainability, and case studies combining these two topics are still scarce. To address these gaps, we adopted a bottom-up approach to (1) identify existing environmental solutions and their implementation challenges by reviewing 208 empirical studies, and (2) formulate eight propositions to guide further work so that digitalization supports environmental improvements more systematically. Finally, a framework for Digitalized Sustainable Manufacturing consisting of four research themes is proposed, pointing to future research needed to align industrial development with sustainable development goals. The propositions and framework aim to structure and focus future research by targeting specifically the challenges encountered when implementing environmental solutions in manufacturing.
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| 7. |
- Chen, Xiaoxia, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Enabling the twin transitions : Digital technologies support environmental sustainability through lean principles
- 2023
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Ingår i: Sustainable Production and Consumption. - : Elsevier B.V.. - 2352-5509. ; 38, s. 13-27
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Manufacturing companies seek innovative approaches to achieve successful Green and Digital transitions, where adopting lean production is one alternative. However, further investigation is required to formulate the strategy with practical inputs and identify what digital technologies could be applied with which lean principles for environmental benefits. Therefore, this study first conducted a case study in three companies to collect practice-based data. A complementary literature review was then carried out, investigating the existing frameworks and complementing practices of digitalized lean implementations and the resulting environmental impact. Consequently, the Internet of Things and related connection-level technologies were identified as the key facilitators in lean implementations, specifically in visualization, communication, and poka-yoke, leading to environmental benefits. Furthermore, a framework of DIgitalization Supports Environmental sustainability through Lean principles (DISEL) was proposed to help manufacturing companies identify the opportunities of digitalizing lean principles for Environmental sustainability, thus enabling the twin transitions and being resilient. © 2023 The Authors
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| 8. |
- Liu, Yu, et al.
(författare)
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Linking Simulation-Based LCA to Manufacturing Decision Support : An Iron Foundry Case Study
- 2022
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Ingår i: Advances in Manufacturing Technology XXXV. - : IOS Press. - 9781643683300 - 9781643683317 - 9781614994398 ; , s. 325-333
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent years, an increasing number of legislations have mandated environmental impact evaluations of products from a life cycle perspective. This study applies a discrete-event simulation-based life cycle assessment to study the environmental consequences that respond to system configuration changes in production processes. The proposed method allows capturing the dynamic links in production processes, which is lacking in conventional static LCA modelling. This approach is demonstrated via a real-world case study of a Swedish foundry production line, where its environmental impacts’ hotspots are identified. These environmental consequences are further analyzed to link to the respective production decision domains for providing suggestions on potential improvements. This study demonstrates the value of combining DES and LCA for revealing the hidden environmental consequences of production processes that are difficult to uncover with traditional LCA studies. Moreover, the strengths and difficulties of the proposed method are also discussed.
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| 9. |
- Lee, Christina, 1992, et al.
(författare)
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The environmental impact of extraction: A holistic review of the quarry lifecycle
- 2024
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Ingår i: Cleaner Environmental Systems. - 2666-7894. ; 13
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- As more companies start disclosing environmental, social, & governance (ESG) information, a holistic understanding of environmental impact is needed to provide transparency on the different concerns of stakeholders from different backgrounds. The extraction industries are poised to play a pivotal role in providing key environmental information to downstream organizations. However, these industries face unique environmental challenges, making it difficult to identify what is significant to disclose. This article explores significant environmental impacts within the quarrying sector, from a lifecycle perspective. Quarries, where mechanical extraction and processing for rock products (including aggregates and ornamental stone) occur, are integral for infrastructure projects worldwide. To identify significant environmental aspects that should be considered in comprehensive environmental assessment for quarry stakeholders, a systematic literature review is conducted with in-depth content analysis. This reveals potential significant environmental impacts, trends, and crucial knowledge gaps. Nine relevant environmental aspects are found across six lifecycle stages for quarries. Notably, differences in environmental concepts are observed. To help overcome some conceptual barriers and improve understanding at a holistic level, environmental aspects are mapped to endpoint impacts where notable damages can occur. The findings suggest more harmonization of significance assessment for environmental impacts is needed to facilitate cross-disciplinary discourse. Waste management and transport emerge as key areas that demand increased attention. Additionally, future research efforts should focus on exploring ways to reduce environmental impact in quarries.
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| 10. |
- Lindhe, Andreas, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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Dynamic Water Balance Modelling for Risk Assessment and Decision Support on MAR Potential in Botswana
- 2020
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Ingår i: Water (Switzerland). - : MDPI AG. - 2073-4441 .- 2073-4441. ; 12:3, s. 721-13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Botswana experiences a water stressed situation due to the climate and a continuously increasing water demand. Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is considered, among other measures, to improve the situation. To evaluate the possibility for increased water supply security, a probabilistic and dynamic water supply security model was developed. Statistically generated time series of source water availability are used in combination with the dynamic storages in dams and aquifers, and the possible supply is compared with the demand to simulate the magnitude and probability of water supply shortages. The model simulates the system and possible mitigation measures from 2013 to 2035 (23 years), using one-month time steps. The original system is not able to meet the demand, and the estimated volumetric supply reliability in the year 2035 is 0.51. An additional surface water dam (now implemented) will increase the reliability to 0.88 but there will still be a significant water shortage problem. Implementing large-scale MAR can further improve the reliability to at least 0.95. System properties limiting the effect of MAR are identified using the model and show how to further improve the effect of MAR. The case study results illustrate the importance and benefit of using an integrated approach, including time-dependence and future scenarios, when evaluating the need and potential of MAR.
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