Energy Burdens of Conventional Wholesale and Retail Portions of Product Life Cycles

E-commerce is often cited as offering the potential to reduce wholesale and retail burdens within product life cycles; however its potential impacts upon transport may be positive or negative. But the relative environmental importance of wholesale and retail trade and their intervening transportation links within product life cycles has not been generally characterized. The objective of this research was to assess the upstream (preusage) life-cycle energy burden shares associated with retail trade and wholesale trade using input-output life-cycle assessment (IO LCA) with a special focus on the electronic computers sector.
According to our results, the physical transfers of products within the distribution phase play a minor role in terms of energy consumption compared with wholesaling and retailing. On the other hand, the supply chains of the wholesale and retail trade sectors can lead to energy consumption that is a significant share of the total preconsumer energy consumption for many products. Thus, where e-commerce circumvents wholesale and/or retail trade, it can have a major impact on total preconsumer energy consumption.
As an example, for the electronic computers sector, retailing and wholesaling as a portion of distribution are responsible for 38% of the total energy consumption from production until purchase (cradle to gate), whereas transportation within the distribution phase corresponds to only 9%. Our analysis of more than 400 commodities in the United States showed that for the large majority of them, retailing and wholesaling account for appreciable shares of the total preconsumer energy burdens. Wholesaling and retailing should be included in LCA, and IO LCA is an effective tool for doing so.     

可持续消费的内涵及研究进展——产业生态学视角

生产和消费是产生诸多环境问题的根本原因,而可持续生产和消费则是实现可持续发展的根本途径。基于产业生态学视角,界定了可持续消费的定义及内涵,认为可持续消费首先须符合代内公平、代际公平和资源能源永续合理利用等可持续理念;其次辨识了可持续消费研究依次经历关注消费者行为直接环境影响、关注产品和服务生命周期环境影响到关注消费者责任3个阶段;最后结合我国城市化、工业化背景,提出我国可持续消费研究应该以城市居民为重点、加强生命周期数据库建设和内注重可持续生产等建议。     

中国居民消费隐含的碳排放量变化的驱动因素

应用基于投入产出技术的生命周期评价(EIO-LCA)核算了1997、2000、2002、2005和2007年5a的中国居民消费隐含的二氧化碳排放量,发现其呈现增加趋势。2007年达到18.53亿t,相当于1997年的1.61倍,年平均增长4.89%. 其次采用结构分解分析(SDA)分析了碳排放效率变化、经济内在结构变迁、消费结构转变、人均消费水平变化、城市化进程和人口总量变化等六项因素对碳排放总量变化的驱动作用。研究发现碳排放效率因素和人均消费水平变化是驱动碳排放变化的两大主要力量,并且作用相反。碳排放效率的持续提高,很大程度上缓解了居民消费的隐含碳排放急剧增加的趋势,是减缓碳排放量的主要因素;而人均消费水平的迅速提高成为推动碳排放增加的主要力量,是推动碳排放增加的主要因素。     

综合生命周期分析在可持续消费研究中的应用

1992年联合国提出可持续消费的概念,经过10几年的发展,生命周期分析已经成为可持续消费的主要研究方法。由于传统生命周期分析方法需要大量基础数据支持,因此目前综合生命周期分析方法被广泛应用于可持续消费研究中。以1997年中国投入产出表为基础,建立了包括CO2排放量的投入产出表延长表。并对居民终端消费产生的CO2排放总量及其与产业部门的关系进行了分析。结果表明,1997年城市居民终端消费人均CO2排放量为1576．62kg,是农村居民CO2排放量的24．96倍,城市居民每个单位货币消费量所产生的CO2的排放量也远远高于农村居民,电力生产部门对居民消费环境影响的贡献率最大。对该方法中存在的一些问题进行了讨论,这些问题主要产生在价值量与物理量转换过程及分配过程中。     

Life cycle assessment of electrical and thermal energy systems for commercial buildings

Background, Aim and Scope The objective of this life cycle assessment (LCA) study is to develop LCA models for energy systems in order to assess the potential environmental impacts that might result from meeting energy demands in buildings. The scope of the study includes LCA models of the average electricity generation mix in the USA, a natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plant, a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cogeneration system; a microturbine (MT) cogeneration system; an internal combustion engine (ICE) cogeneration system; and a gas boiler. Methods LCA is used to model energy systems and obtain the life cycle environmental indicators that might result when these systems are used to generate a unit energy output. The intended use of the LCA analysis is to investigate the operational characteristics of these systems while considering their potential environmental impacts to improve building design using a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) optimization model. Results The environmental impact categories chosen to assess the performance of the energy systems are global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), tropospheric ozone precursor potential (TOPP), and primary energy consumption (PE). These factors are obtained for the average electricity generation mix, the NGCC, the gas boiler, as well as for the cogeneration systems at different part load operation. The contribution of the major emissions to the emission factors is discussed. Discussion The analysis of the life cycle impact categories indicates that the electrical to thermal energy production ratio has a direct influence on the value of the life cycle PE consumption factors. Energy systems with high electrical to thermal ratios (such as the SOFC cogeneration systems and the NGCC power plant) have low PE consumption factors, whereas those with low electrical to thermal ratios (such as the MT cogeneration system) have high PE consumption factors. In the case of GWP, the values of the life cycle GWP obtained from the energy systems do not only depend on the efficiencies of the systems but also on the origins of emissions contributing to GWP. When evaluating the life cycle AP and TOPP, the types of fuel as well as the combustion characteristics of the energy systems are the main factors that influence the values of AP and TOPP. Conclusions An LCA study is performed to eraluate the life cycle emission factors of energy systems that can be used to meet the energy demand of buildings. Cogeneration systems produce utilizable thermal energy when used to meet a certain electrical demand which can make them an attractive alternative to conventional systems. The life cycle GWP, AP, TOPP and PE consumption factors are obtained for utility systems as well as cogeneration systems at different part load operation levels for the production of one kWh of energy output. Recommendations and Perspectives Although the emission factors vary for the different energy systems, they are not the only factors that influence the selection of the optimal system for building operations. The total efficiencies of the system play a significant part in the selection of the desirable technology. Other factors, such as the demand characteristics of a particular building, influence the selection of energy systems. The emission factors obtained from this LCA study are used as coefficients of decision variables in the formulation of an MILP to optimize the selection of energy systems based on environmental criteria by taking into consideration the system efficiencies, emission characteristics, part load operation, and building energy demands. Therefore, the emission factors should not be regarded as the only criteria for choosing the technology that could result in lower environmental impacts, but rather one of several factors that determine the selection of the optimum energy system. ESS-Submission Editor: Arpad Horvath (horvath@ce.berkeley.edu)     

Energy Use in Sales and Distribution via E-Commerce and Conventional Retail: A Case Study of the Japanese Book Sector

Energy use associated with sales and distribution via business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce versus conventional retail is analyzed for the Japanese book sector. Results indicate that e-commerce uses considerably more energy per book than conventional retail in dense urban areas, because of additional packaging. In suburban and rural areas, the energy consumption of the two systems is nearly equal because the relative efficiency of courier services compared to personal automobile transport balances out the impact of additional packaging. The main reason e-commerce does not save energy, even in rural areas, is because of the multipurpose use of automobiles; e-commerce does consume less energy in the case of single-purpose shopping trips by automobile. Overall consumption at the national level is nearly the same: 5.6 mega-joules (MJ) per book for e-commerce and 5.2 MJ per book for traditional retail. Although this difference is smaller than the uncertainty in the result, the structure of energy use for the two systems is quite distinct, which suggests reprioritization of energy-efficiency strategies. Important factors influencing the energy efficiency of B2C e-commerce include packaging, loading factors of courier trucks, number of trips per delivery, and residential energy consumption.     

The Environmental Impact of Getting the News

The environmental impact associated with reading an on-line and a printed newspaper is analyzed and compared with respective parts of a television (TV) broadcast. Two reference units were chosen for comparison to account for differences between media in presentation and consumption (reading or watching a news item) and consumption of the daily news as a whole. The environmental impact is assessed using life-cycle assessment (LCA).
Key drivers of the environmental impact for both electronic delivery systems are energy consumption and power generation. Not only do the manufacturing of the products and their use have an environmental impact, but so does the use of the necessary infrastructure, that is, energy consumption of the telephone network or data transfer via Internet. Printing of on-line information also turned out to be important.
In the case of the printed newspapers, energy consumption is again important, here for the manufacturing of pulp and paper. Complete printed newspapers (the form in which they are typically purchased) have a very high environmental burden relative to watching the TV news or reading on-line news, even if the propensity to extend TV viewing is taken into consideration.     

A Structured Approach to LCA Improvement Analysis

The third stage of life-cycle assessment, interpretation analysis (and improvement analysis, one of its components), has received relatively modest attention from LCA developers, especially as regards approaches for effecting improvements. However, this latter step is crucial if the LCA is to produce environmental benefits. A structured approach to improvement analysis is proposed, in which it is recognized that decisions regarding the recommendations that flow from the first two LCA stages are based not only on the environmental aspects of the recommended actions but also on such factors as technical feasibility, economic benefit, implications for product management, and effects on customer perception. A prioritization technique based on these factors is developed, as are two prioritization diagrams, one segmented by action agent and one segmented by life stage.     

基于生命周期方法的生活垃圾资源化利用系统生态效率分析

我国生活垃圾产量大但处理能力不足,产生多种环境危害,对其资源化利用能够缓解环境压力并回收资源。为探讨生活垃圾资源化利用策略,综合生命周期评价与生命周期成本分析方法,建立生态效率模型。以天津市为例,分析和比较焚烧发电、卫生填埋-填埋气发电、与堆肥+卫生填埋3种典型生活垃圾资源化利用情景的生态效率。结果表明,堆肥+卫生填埋情景具有潜在最优生态效率;全球变暖对总环境影响贡献最大,而投资成本对经济影响贡献最大。考虑天津市生活垃圾管理现状,建议鼓励发展生活垃圾干湿组分分离及厨余垃圾堆肥的资源化利用策略。     

Computation of Operational and Environmental Benchmarks Within Selected Galician Fishing Fleets

Increasing the eco‐efficiency of fishing fleets is currently a major target issue in the seafood sector. This objective has been influenced in recent years by soaring fuel prices, a fact particularly relevant to a sector whose vessels present high energy consumption rates. Efforts to minimize fuel consumption in fishing fleets result in economic benefits and also in important reductions regarding environmental impacts. In this article, we combine life cycle assessment (LCA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to jointly discuss the operational and environmental performances of a set of multiple, similar entities. We applied the “five‐step LCA + DEA method” to a wide range of vessels for selected Galician fisheries, including deep‐sea, offshore, and coastal fleets. The environmental consequences of operational inefficiencies were quantified and target performance values benchmarked for inefficient vessels. We assessed the potential environmental performance of target vessels to verify eco‐efficiency criteria (lower input consumption levels, lower environmental impacts). Results revealed the strong dependence of environmental impacts on one major operational input: fuel consumption. The most intensive fuel‐consuming fleets, such as deep sea trawling, were found to entail the diesel consumption levels nearest to the efficiency values. Despite the reduced environmental contributions linked to other operational inputs, such as hull material, antifouling paint, or nets, these may contribute to substantial economic savings when minimized. Finally, given that Galicia is a major fishing region, many of the conclusions and perspectives obtained in this study may be extrapolated to other fishing fleets at the international level.     

Full Mode and Attribution Mode in Environmental Analysis

Several tools exist for the analysis of the environmental impacts of chains or networks of processes. These relatively simple tools include materials flow accounting (MFA), substance flow analysis (SFA), life-cycle assessment (LCA), energy analysis, and environmentally extended input-output analysis (IOA), all based on fixed input-output relations. They are characterized by the nature of their flow objects, such as products, materials, energy, substances, or money flows, and by their spatial and temporal characteristics. These characteristics are insufficient for their methodological characterization, and sometimes lead to inappropriate use. More clarity is desirable, both for clearer guidance of applications and for a more consistent methodology development. In addition to the nature of the flow object and to spatial and temporal characteristics, another key feature concerns the way in which processes are included in a system to be analyzed.
The inclusion of processes can be done in two fundamentally different ways: according to a full mode of analysis, with the inclusion of all flows and related processes to their full extent as present in a region in a specific period of time; and according to an attribution mode, taking processes into account insofar as these are required for a given social demand, function, or activity, in principle whenever and wherever these processes take place. This distinction, which cuts across families of tools that traditionally belong together, appears to have significant methodological and practical implications. Thus the distinction between the two modes of analysis, however crucial it may be, strengthens the idea of one coherent family of tools for environmental systems analysis.     

Digital versus Print: Energy Performance in the Selection and Use of Scholarly Journals

Advances in digital technology and the growth of information networks are revolutionizing human activity. The Internet has been championed as a new tool for environmental improvement. A life-cycle energy analysis of digital libraries, a growing application of information technology, was conducted to test this premise.
Life-cycle models were compared for journal collections in digital and traditional formats. The basis for analysis was the amount of information in a typical scientific journal article (∼12 pages), which is equivalent to 0.97 hr of on-screen reading time. Digital system elements such as servers, routers, laser printers, and computer workstations were modeled. Journal production, delivery, storage, binding, interlibrary loan, and photocopying were examined for the traditional system. Building-related infrastructure, office paper, and personal transportation of the library patron were analyzed for both cases. In all, the study incorporated nearly 30 model elements, 90 input variables, and numerous fixed parameters.
Five primary scenarios were constructed to consider increasing levels of complexity. Scenario 1 assumes only one reading per article (unit of analysis). Additional scenarios assume 1,000 readings and vary the following: laser printing, photocopying, and personal transportation. Energy consumed by the digital collection ranged between 4.10 and 216 MJ. The traditional system realized burdens from 0.55 to 525 MJ. Four significant effects were uncovered: (1) Energy consumption per unit was highly influenced by the number of readings per article. (2) Networking infrastructure by itself had a relatively small effect on total energy consumed by the digital system. (3) When personal transportation was considered, its effects tended to dominate. (4) The impact of making personal copies varied. Photocopying always increased energy consumption, whereas laser printing actually saved energy when it substituted for on-screen reading.     

Life Cycle Assessment of the Mobile Communication System UMTS: Towards Eco-efficient Systems (12 pp)

Goal, Scope and Background Goal of this study is an evaluation of the environmental sustainability of the UMTS mobile communication system in Switzerland by means of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). A baseline environmental impact profile across the full life cycle of the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) and its predecessor, the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) is presented. The baseline assessment was a necessary first step to evaluate the environmental impacts of the mobile communication systems use and growth, thus permitting the evaluation of its environmental sustainability. Main Features Two functional units are defined: a data set of 1 Gbit (1.000.000 kbit), and the yearly mobile communication of an average customer. In the UMTS, both data packages and calls can be conveyed. In order to be able to standardize the results, an equivalence between these two kinds of transmission is formed. Two different options are defined, which represent different ways of transferring the data: mobile phone to mobile phone, and mobile phone to fixed network. All components of the UMTS network like the mobile phones, base stations, antennae, switching systems and the components of the landline like cable system and switching centers, are assessed. The environmental impacts are assessed taking into account all major life cycle phases like raw material extraction, manufacturing, use, disassembly and disposal of the product and the needed infrastructure. Electronic components like printed wiring boards and integrated circuits are assessed using a simple model based on the size (for IC) or number of layers (for PWB), respectively. Mining of precious metals (gold, silver) is included. The study was carried out by ESU-services, Motorola, Swisscom and Deutsche Telekom. Thanks to the industrial partners it can rely on primary data for the production of mobile phone and base station, and for the operation of the networks. As the UMTS network is still being built, no actual data of network operation is available. Data from the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) were used in case of data gaps. Results and Conclusions About 25 kg CO2 are emitted and 800 MJ-eq (non-renewable) primary energy are required for the transfer of 1 Gbit information from mobile phone to mobile phone in the UMTS network. For a transfer from mobile to fixed network, these values are 20 kg CO2 and 640 MJ-eq, respectively. On the other hand, the fixed network requires more resources like copper (0.07 kg for the mobile to mobile option vs. 0.12 kg for mobile to fixed network). From an environmental point of view, the mobile telephone is the most important element of the mobile communication network (UMTS and GSM). The short service life of the mobile phone plays a substantial role. Increasing the utilization period of the mobile phone (e.g. by leasing, re-use, extension of the innovation cycles, etc.) could thus represent a large potential for its improvement. The second most important components are the base stations. In the assessment mainly the use phase proved to be important. The lower environmental impact (per Gbit data transfer) as compared to the mobile phone can be explained by the longer service life (around factor 8). Main impacts are caused by the electricity consumption, in particular the energy needed for cooling the base stations. By choosing an environmentally benign electricity mix and/or by increasing the portion of renewable sources of energy, the network operators have a substantial potential of lower the environmental impacts (in particular the greenhouse gas emissions) of mobile telecommunication. Furthermore, the manufacturing of electronic components, the life time of the appliances and energy consumption are key parameters influencing the environmental profile of the networks most. Given its larger data transfer rate, the UMTS is ecologically more favorable in terms of data transfer rate than its predecessor, the GSM system. The higher energy consumption and the more complex production of the devices in the UMTS system are compensated by the faster data transmission rate. Per customer, the result is inverse, however, since the higher efficiency is compensated by the higher data communication per user in the UMTS system. The UMTS network in its state of 2004 according to the 2001 planning and with the accordingly calculated number of customers and data transfer causes 2.1 times more CO2 emissions and requires 2.4 times more (non-renewable) primary energy per customer than for the GSM system in its current state. It must be noted, however, that the UMTS technology supports other services than the GSM system. The development of the UMTS is accompanied with an increased consumption of resources and emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases regarding the entire system for mobile telephone communication. The GSM system is a mature technology, while the UMTS is still at the beginning of its learning curve. Thus, it can be safely assumed that large improvement potentials are still present for the UMTS network components concerning expenditures and emissions both at production and by the use of the devices. This study provides the necessary information where such improvements are most effective in environmental terms.     

Effects of E-Commerce on Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Case Study of Grocery Home Delivery in Finland

In this article, we present a literature review of the general and environmental effects of e-commerce in various parts of the demand-supply chain. These are further translated into effects on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the food production and consumption system. The literature study revealed many opportunities for e-commerce to reduce GHG emissions in the food production and consumption system. Some possibly negative effects were also identified. Electronic grocery shopping (e-grocery) home delivery service was chosen as the subject of a case study because of its direct and indirect potential for reducing the GHG emissions in the food production and consumption system.
GHG emission reduction potential through the implementation of various e-grocery home delivery strategies was quantified. Depending on the home delivery model used, it is possible to reduce the GHG emissions generated by grocery shopping by 18% to 87% compared with the situation in which household members go to the store themselves. We estimate that the maximum theoretical potential of e-grocery home delivery service for reducing the GHG emissions of Finland is roughly 0.3% to 1.3%; however, the current and estimated future market potential is much smaller, because the estimated market share of e-grocery services is only 10% by 2005. Narrowing the gap between the theoretical and the actual potential requires a model that would simultaneously provide additional value to the consumer and be profitable to companies. To be able to achieve significant reductions in GHG emissions, system-level innovations and changes are required. Further research is needed before conclusions can be reached as to whether e-commerce and e-grocery are useful tools in that respect.     

Product Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment Using Input-Output Techniques

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) facilitates a systems view in environmental evaluation of products, materials, and processes. Life-cycle assessment attempts to quantify environmental burdens over the entire life-cycle of a product from raw material extraction, manufacturing, and use to ultimate disposal. However, current methods for LCA suffer from problems of subjective boundary definition, inflexibility, high cost, data confidentiality, and aggregation.
This paper proposes alternative models to conduct quick, cost effective, and yet comprehensive life-cycle assessments. The core of the analytical model consists of the 498 sector economic input-output tables for the U.S. economy augmented with various sector-level environmental impact vectors. The environmental impacts covered include global warming, acidification, energy use, non-renewable ores consumption, eutrophication, conventional pollutant emissions and toxic releases to the environment. Alternative models are proposed for environmental assessment of individual products, processes, and life-cycle stages by selective disaggregation of aggregate input-output data or by creation of hypothetical new commodity sectors. To demonstrate the method, a case study comparing the life-cycle environmental performance of steel and plastic automobile fuel tank systems is presented.     

A Comparative Study of Environmental Impacts of Two Delivery Systems in the Business‐to‐Customer Book Retail Sector

China has the highest carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the world. In China, logistics accounts for a significant portion of the total energy use and CO₂ emissions in business‐to‐customer (B2C) retailing. This study focuses on the environmental impacts of B2C delivery in China, focusing on the book retail industry. Mathematical models are proposed based on the practical operations of the “e‐commerce networked delivery” (END) system and the “sustainable networked delivery” (SND) system. The energy consumption and CO₂ emissions per book are then determined and compared for the two systems. Furthermore, we contrast the findings with those of similar studies conducted for other countries and provide explanations for the differences. The results show that (1) in general, in China, the SND system is better than the END system in terms of environmental impacts; (2) the END system in China generates fewer environmental impacts than those in the United States and the United Kingdom, while the SND system in China has greater environmental impacts than that in the United States; and (3) the wide use of vehicles such as electric bicycles that have low energy consumption rates contributes to the reduction of environmental impacts per book in both the END and SND systems in China. The limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are also discussed.     

A Hybrid Approach for Assessing the Multi‐Scale Impacts of Urban Resource Use: Transportation in Phoenix,Arizona

Life cycle assessment (LCA) and urban metabolism (UM) are popular approaches for urban system environmental assessment. However, both approaches have challenges when used across spatial scales. LCA tends to decompose systemic information into micro‐level functional units that mask complexity and purpose, whereas UM typically equates aggregated material and energy flows with impacts and is not ideal for revealing the mechanisms or alternatives available to reduce systemic environmental risks. This study explores the value of integrating UM with LCA, using vehicle transportation in the Phoenix metropolitan area as an illustrative case study. Where other studies have focused on the use of LCA providing upstream supply‐chain impacts for UM, we assert that the broader value of the integrated approach is in (1) the ability to cross scales (from micro to macro) in environmental assessment and (2) establishing an analysis that captures function and complexity in urban systems. The results for Phoenix show the complexity in resource supply chains and critical infrastructure services, how impacts accrue well beyond geopolitical boundaries where activities occur, and potential system vulnerabilities.     

Multi-criteria Analysis for Technique Assessment:Case Study from Industrial Coating

Environmental policy is oriented toward integrated pollution prevention, taking into consideration all environmental media (air, water, land) and energy consumption. Therefore, methods for assessing environmentally relevant installations are needed which take economic, technical, and especially ecological criteria into account simultaneously. Mass and energy flow models are used for the representation of production processes and form the basis for the inventory phase in life-cycle assessment (LCA). For the interpretation of LCA results and the weighting of the aggregated impact assessment indicators, approaches of multicriterion analysis (MCA) have been proposed. These can analyze ecological aspects as well as economic and technical criteria. Recent developments in LCA focus on decision support for policy makers or decision boards. Appropriate support for investment decisions on environmentally relevant installations, however, is rare.
Based on a case study of the sector called surface coating, an MCA of environmentally relevant installations is described. With the help of a mass and energy flow management system, alternative scenarios, depicting the use of solvent-reduced materials and environmentally friendly techniques, are modeled for the job coater processes in case studies of coating of mobile phones and coating of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) parts destined for the automobile industry. The modeled scenarios are further analyzed by using a multicriterion decision support module. The application of the outranking approach PROMETHEE is illustrated. A further investigation of the derived ranking can be obtained through sensitivity analyses. Moreover, the results derived by PROMETHEE are compared with the outcomes of the multicriterion approaches multiattribute utility theory and analytical hierarchy process.     

Environmental impacts of the rental business model compared to the conventional business model: a Korean case of water purifier for home use

Purpose

This paper compares environmental impacts of the rental business model with the conventional model of manufacturing and selling. The case study examines a home use-water purifier by defining scenarios for operation and maintenance of the conventional and rental business models. Another purpose is to explore the potential improvement for the environmental performance of the rental business model in terms of the resource consumption and climate change.

Methods

The functional unit was supplying hot/cold drinking water for 15 years between 1998 and 2013. Primary data were from a Korean company that manufactures and servicizes water purifier; secondary data were from the Korean national LCI database, literatures, and interviews. Scenarios associated with all life cycle stages of a water purifier including operation and maintenance were based on current sales and rental market. Impact assessments were conducted according to the International Organization for Standardization’s 14044, and impact categories considered were global warming and abiotic resource depletion. The key issues and improvement potential of the rental business model were determined with the impact categories of global warming and abiotic resource depletion.

Results and discussion

This study indicates that the rental business model is more environmentally friendly than the conventional model in the impact on global warming while the conventional model shows lower abiotic resource depletion. Product operation was the most significant contributor to the selected environmental impacts for both conventional and rental models. Product maintenance was the second major contributor for the rental business model in terms of abiotic resource depletion. For the conventional model, however, production was a more significant contributor to the selected environmental impacts. The rental model showed approximately 32~37% improvements in the selected environmental impacts by focusing on the environmental education or information to consumers.

Conclusions

This quantitative life cycle assessment can be a tool for service business providers to understand the life cycle environmental impacts of Korean water purifier and explore potential improvement opportunities for sustainability. The lower life cycle impacts of the water purifier-rental business model can be attributed to the following: the preparation of instruction or environmental education regarding the consumer’s turning off behavior when the product is not in use, thus lower energy consumption during the use stage and shorter distance traveled for maintenance.

     

LCA study of unconsumed food and the influence of consumer behavior

Purpose

In the light of anthropogenic resource depletion and the resulting influences on the greenhouse effect as well as globally occurring famine, food waste has garnered increased public interest in recent years. The aim of this study is to analyze the environmental impacts of food waste and to determine to what extent consumers’ behavior influences the environmental burden of food consumption in households.

Methods

A life cycle assessment (LCA) study of three food products is conducted, following the ISO 14040/44 life cycle assessment guidelines. This study addresses the impact categories climate change (GWP100), eutrophication (EP), and acidification (AP). Primary energy demand (PED) is also calculated. For adequate representation of consumer behavior, scenarios based on various consumer types are generated in the customer stage. The customer stage includes the food-related activities: shopping, storage, preparation, and disposal of food products as well as the disposal of the sales packaging.

Results and discussion

If the consumer acts careless towards the environment, the customer stage appears as the main hotspot in the LCA of food products. The environmental impact of food products can be reduced in the customer stage by an environmentally conscious consumer. Shopping has the highest effect on the evaluated impact categories and the PED. Additionally, consumers can reduce the resulting emissions by decreasing the electric energy demand, particularly concerning food storage or preparation. Moreover, results show that the avoidance of wasting unconsumed food can reduce the environmental impact significantly.

Conclusions

Results of this study show that the influence of consumer behavior on the LCA results is important. The customer stage of food products should not be overlooked in LCA studies. To enable comparison among results of other LCA studies, the LCA community needs to develop a common methodology for modeling consumer behavior.