Analytical Tools for Environmental Design and Management in a Systems Perspective: The Combined Use of Analytical Tools

278 Pages·2002·8.31 MB·English

by  Nicoline Wrisberg

ANALYTICAL TOOLS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
AND MANAGEMENT IN A SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE
ECQ-EFFICIENCY IN INDUSTRY AND SCIENCE
VOLUME 10
Series Editor: Arnold Tukker, TNO-STB, Delft, The Netherlands
Editorial Advisory Board:
Martin Charter, Centre for Sustainable Design, The Surrey Institute ofA rt & Design, Farnham.
United Kingdom
John Ehrenfeld, International Society for Industrial Ecology, New Haven, U.S.A.
Gjalt Huppes, Centre of Environmental Science, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
Reid Lifset, Yale University School ofF orestry and Environmental Studies, New Haven, U.S.A.
Theo de Bruijn, Center for Clean Technology and Environmental Policy (CSTM), University of
Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-94-010-3902-4 ISBN 978-94-010-0456-5 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-010-0456-5
Printed an acid-free paper
Ali Rights Reserved
© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 2002
Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover Ist edition 2002
No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form Of by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording
or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception
of any material supplied specifically for the purpose ofbeing entered
and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.
Analytical Tools for Environmental
Design and Management
in a Systems Perspective
The Combined Use of Analytical Tools
Edited by
Nicoline Wrisberg
Centre ofE nvironmental Science,
Leiden University (CML), Leiden, The Netherlands
HeliasA. Udo de Haes
Centre ofE nvironmental Science,
Leiden University (CML), Leiden, The Netherlands
Ursula Triebswetter
Joint Research Centre of the European Commission,
Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, Seville, Spain
PeterEder
Joint Research Centre oft he European Commission,
Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, Seville, Spain
and
Roland Clift
Centre for Environmental Strategy,
University of Surrey, U.K.
SPRINGER -SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
Table of contents
Table of contents
Preface .......................................................................................................................... ix
Foreword. ...................................................................................................................... xi
Part I: Demand and supply of environmental information
Chapter 1. Introduction. ............................................................................................... 3
1.1 Towards sustainability ........................................................................................... 3
1.2 Chain analysis ........................................................................................................ 6
1.3 The book .............................................................................................................. 11
1.3.1 Part I ...................................................................................................... 11
1.3.2 Part II ..................................................................................................... 12
Chapter 2. Demands for environmental information .............................................. 14
2.1 Drivers for considering environmental aspects in business decision-making ..... 14
2.2 Response by industry ........................................................................................... 16
2.3 Decision framework with its characteristics ........................................................ 17
2.3.1 the decision framework ......................................................................... 17
2.3.2 obj ect of analysis ................................................................................... 19
2.3.3 spatial and temporal characteristics ....................................................... 19
2.3.4 question types ........................................................................................ 19
2.3.5 level of improvement. ............................................................................ 20
2.3.6 importance of subsystem and complexity of system change ................ 22
2.3.7 aspiration of decision-maker ................................................................. 22
2.3.8 level of chain control ............................................................................. 23
2.3.9 decision types ........................................................................................ 23
2.3.10 decision steps ......................................................................................... 23
2.3 .11 cultural context ...................................................................................... 23
2.4 Question types and examples .............................................................................. 29
2.4.1 strategic planning .................................................................................. 31
2.4.2 capital investments ................................................................................ 31
2.4.3 design and development ........................................................................ 32
2.4.4 communication and marketing .............................................................. 33
2.4.5 operational management. ....................................................................... 33
2.5 Concluding remarks ............................................................................................. 34
Chapter 3. Supply of environmental information for decision support ................ 35
3.1 Framework ........................................................................................................... 35
3.2 Concepts .............................................................................................................. 35
3.3 Tools .................................................................................................................... 38
3.4 Technical elements .............................................................................................. 42
3.5 Data about technical and environmental processes ............................................. 44
Chapter 4. Analytical tools ......................................................................................... 45
4.1 Description of tools ............................................................................................. 45
4.1.1 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) ............................................................. .45
v
Table of contents
4.1.2 Material Input per Unit of Service (MIPS) .......................................... .47
4.1.3 Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) .............................................. .48
4.1.4 Material Flow Accounting (MFA) ....................................................... .49
4.1.5 Cumulative Energy Requirements Analysis (CERA) ........................... 51
4.1.6 Environmental Input-Output Analysis (env. IDA) ................................ 51
4.1.7 analytical tools for eco-design ............................................................... 52
4.1.8 Life Cycle Costing (LCC) ..................................................................... 54
4.1.9 Total cost accounting (TCA) ................................................................. 54
4.1.10 Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) ................................................................ 55
4.2 Comparison of tools ............................................................................................ 55
4.2.1 goal and scope ....................................................................................... 57
4.2.2 types of application ............................................................................... 57
4.2.3 object of analysis ................................................................................... 59
4.2.4 system definition ................................................................................... 59
4.2.5 modes of analysis .................................................................................. 60
4.2.6 spatial characteristics ............................................................................. 60
4.2.7 temporal characteristics ......................................................................... 60
4.2.8 methodological steps ............................................................................. 60
4.2.9 types of environmental interventions .................................................... 61
4.2.10 position in cause-effect chain ................................................................ 61
4.2.11 evaluation .............................................................................................. 62
4.2.12 level of detail and type of data .............................................................. 62
4.2.13 safeguard subjects .................................................................................. 62
4.2.14 formal recognition ................................................................................. 63
4.2.15 concluding remarks ............................................................................... 63
4.3 Strengths and weaknesses of the tools ................................................................. 63
4.4 Combination of tools ........................................................................................... 67
4.5 Concluding remarks ............................................................................................. 73
Chapter 5. Linking supply and demand concerning environmental information 74
5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 74
5.2 Demand and supply in relation to decision object and spatial and temporal
characteristics ...................................................................................................... 75
5.3 Demand and supply in relation to the different question types ........................... 78
5.3.1 strategic plarming .................................................................................. 78
5.3.2 capital investrnenL ................................................................................ 80
5.3.3 design and development ........................................................................ 82
5.3.4 communication and marketing .............................................................. 87
5.3.5 operational management. ....................................................................... 88
5.4 Demand and supply in relation to the context characteristics ............................. 89
5.5 Incorporating environmental information in business decision-making ............. 93
5.6 Customisation of tools ......................................................................................... 95
5.7 Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 97
Chapter 6. Concluding remarks ................................................................................ 98
References .................................................................................................................. 100
vi
Table of contents
Part II: Cases and Appendices
A. Case Study: The supply, use and waste management chain of
electronic consumer goods .............................................................................. 111
Al Aims of the electronic consumer goods case study ........................................... 113
A2 Description of the subject: electronic consumer goods ..................................... 114
A3 Demand side ...................................................................................................... 126
A4 Supply side ........................................................................................................ 134
A5 Linking demand and supply .............................................................................. 136
A6 Recommendations ............................................................................................. 142
References ................................................................................................................... 146
B. Case Study: Towards reduced environmental burden of mobility:
improving the automobile life cycle ............................................................... 149
B1 Aims of the automobile case study .................................................................... 151
B2 Description of the subject: the automobile sector ............................................. 154
B3 Demand side ...................................................................................................... 172
B4 Supply side ........................................................................................................ 180
B5 Linking demand and supply .............................................................................. 185
B6 Recommendations ............................................................................................. 190
B7 Additional information ...................................................................................... 196
References ................................................................................................................... 202
C. Case Study:The supply, use and waste management of domestic
clothes washing ................................................................................................ 205
Cl Aims of the domestic clothes washing case study ............................................. 207
C2 Description of the subject: provision of clean garments ................................... 208
C3 Demand side ...................................................................................................... 220
C4 Supply side ........................................................................................................ 227
C5 Linking demand and supply .............................................................................. 229
C6 Recommendations ............................................................................................. 229
References ................................................................................................................... 230
D: Full description of tools ................................................................................... 231
Dl Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) ........................................................................... 231
D2 Material Input Per unit of Service (MIPS) ........................................................ 234
D3 Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) ........................................................... 237
D4 Material Flow Accounting (MFA) .................................................................... 241
D5 Cumulative Energy Requirement Analysis (CERA) ......................................... 245
D6 Environmental Input-Output Analysis (env. lOA) ............................................ 245
D7 Analytical tools for eco-design (matrices and checklists) ................................. 248
D8 Life Cycle Costing (LCC) ................................................................................. 253
D9 Total Cost Accounting (TCA) ........................................................................... 256
DI0 Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) ............................................................................ 258
Dli Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) .................................................................... 261
Dl2 Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) ......................................................................... 261
E: Inquiry on user preferences concerning analytical tools for
environmental evaluations .............................................................................. 265
El Introduction ....................................................................................................... 265
vii
Table of contents
E2 Response ............................................................................................................ 265
E3 Characteristics of the overall response population ............................................ 265
E4 Preferences of the overall response population ................................................. 266
E5 Relationships between type of decision situation (question type) and
preferences for certain tool characteristics ........................................................ 267
E6 Relationship between occupational position and question type ........................ 268
E7 Relationship between occupational position and preferences for certain tool
characteristics .................................................................................................... 268
E8 Some more findings ........................................................................................... 269
F: List of definitions ............................................................................................. 271
G: Acronyms and abbreviations .......................................................................... 275
V111
Preface
Preface
This book is the result of the Concerted Action, CHAINET, commissioned by the EU
Environment and Climate programme (ENV 4-CT97-0477) during the period December
1997 to December 1999. The aim of this Concerted Action was to set up a network
linking environmental stakeholders in three fields of human activity (referred to as
'cases'), with experts on different environmental analytical tools, and to interactively
write a book on the use of these different tools. The book provides a toolbox for chain
analysis or, put in other terms, for "life cycle management", and links demand for
environmental information with supply of relevant data. In addition the book gives
information on the application of the toolbox in three different cases, indicating
specific directions for design and development. The three cases concern the supply,
use and waste management chain for automobiles, for electronic consumer goods, and
for domestic clothes washing.
The CHAlNET tasks have been achieved through the organisation of meetings
(preparatory meetings, network meetings and workshops), the establishment of a
homepage on the internet and the production of reports in collaboration with CHAINET
members. The contact with the EU took place in the person of Dr JUrgen Busing. The
Editorial Board has been responsible for the planning and guidance ofthe whole process.
The Programme has been co-ordinated by the Centre of Environmental Science
(CML), Leiden University, with Dr Nicoline Wrisberg as the main person responsible.
The programme was chaired by Prof Helias A. Udo de Haes, also from CML. The
working groups were chaired by Dr Bernd Bilitewski together with Michael Kundt
(automobiles), Rene Kleijn together with Marieke Gorree (electronic consumer goods),
and Roland Clift (domestic clothes washing) who have had the responsibility for the
case-related workshop programme and the case reports.
After an inaugural meeting, held in Windsor, Great Britain, on 26 May 1998,
preparatory groups, one for each of the cases, provided initial proposals for the
structuring of the cases and a list of relevant "public domain" information. Working
groups were set up for each of the cases to discuss the demand for environmental
information and the use of tools in the cases of two workshops. The first workshop
was held in Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands, October 28-30, 1998, with the
objective to specify the need for environmental information in the three cases; starting
with identifying stakeholders and their information needs. The second workshop was
held in Seville, Spain, March 25-26, 1999, with the objective to specify the
appropriate tools and combination of tools for the cases and to discuss, in a more
general way, interaction of analytical tools and the decision procedures in which they
can be applied. A concluding review meeting was held in Dresden, October 14-15,
1999, where the final draft report was discussed.
This book is based on the outcome ofthese meetings and workshops. Furthermore, the
working groups have been consulted to contribute, discuss and provide feedback to
the draft case reports. Moreover, CHAINET members have contributed with
CHAINEWEB papers on the use of analytical tools. These papers have been put on to
the homepage and have as far as possible been incorporated into the book.
Nicoline Wrisberg, Helias A. Udo de Haes,
Ursula Triebswetter, Peter Eder, Roland Clift
ix
Editorial board
Editorial board
• Prof. Bernd Bilitewski, Fakultat fUr Forst-, Geo-und Hydrowissenschaften, Institut
fUr Abfallwirtschaft und Altlasten, Technische Universitat Dresden, Germany
• Dr Stefan Bringezu, Wuppertal Institut fUr Klima, Umwelt und Energie, Abt.
Stoffs trome und Strukturwandel, Germany
• Prof. Finn Bro-Rasmussen, Technical University of Denmark, Environmental
Science and Ecology, Denmark
• Prof. Roland Clift, University of Surrey, Director of Centre for Environmental
Strategy, United Kingdom
• Dr Rolf Frischknecht, ESU Services, Switzerland
• Prof. Paul Ekins, Keele University, Department of Environmental Social Sciences,
United Kingdom
• Dr Per Sorup, Joint Research Centre ofthe European Commission, Institute for
Prospective Technological Studies
• Prof. Helias A. Udo de Haes, Leiden University, Centre of Environmental Science,
The Netherlands (chairman)
x