Proposal for an integrated approach for the assessment of cross-media aspects relevant for the determination of “best available techniques” bat in the european union

The EC Directive concerning integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC Directive 96/61/EC) obliges all Member States to make an integrated assessment of the impacts on the environment “as a whole”, as regards granting permission for and the operation of environmentally relevant industrial installations. The determination of “Best Available Techniques” BAT plays an essential role in the material transformation of the IPPC-Directive. An integrated approach for the assessment of cross-media aspects of techniques for the determination of BAT is outlined in this paper, which is grounded on the basic concept of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), emphasising the need for decision support. The proposed assessment approach is applied to a case study sinter production in an integrated iron and steel works, which forms the base for several recommendations concerning further research.     

A methodological approach for the economic assessment of best available techniques demonstrated for a case study from the steel industry

The determination and the assessment of Best Available Techniques (BAT) is one of the key issues in the realisation of the IPPC-Directive. While research has already focused on environmental benefits and technical practicability of techniques within LCA, little work has been carried out assessing economic feasibility. A methodology for the economic assessment of BAT in the framework of the IPPC-Directive on a plant level has to comprise all costs that accrue by measures to prevent, to reduce, to utilise or to remove emissions into water, air and soil caused by industrial production processes. The applied cost concept provides a systematic accounting and allocation of decision relevant costs and possibly revenues, that are pertinent to the economic assessment of BAT. The application of the methodology to a case study from the steel industry shows the practical use of the approach.     

A Dutch Approach to the European Directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control: Using Life-Cycle Assessment for the Integrated Assessment of Technologies

In light of the European Directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC Directive), traditional environmental regulation can be improved using the framework of industrial ecology. The objective of the IPPC Directive is to achieve a high level of protection of the environment as a whole (Article 1) by applying the best available techniques (BAT). In essence, the IPPC Directive obliges member states of the European Union to include considerations such as resources, energy, waste, and multimedia emissions when permitting industrial installations. This is a marked contrast to traditional environmental regulation that focuses on individual media of an individual site. In order to take all considerations into account, an integrated assessment of technologies is needed, for which a standard method is currently lacking.
In this article, a systematic approach is introduced for the integrated assessment of IPPC technologies using life-cycle assessment (LCA), a form of environmental assessment that can be broadened to an overall assessment of environmental, economic, and social aspects. This systematic approach has proven to be successful for the environmental assessment of the described cases. It is suggested here that weighting can be omitted for the evaluation of IPPC technologies. Leaving the weighting step to competent authorities of member states and allowing them to consider local issues provides maximum opportunity for the subsidiarity and flexibility principles of the IPPC Directive.