Abstract: With two regulations, 244/2009 and 245/2009, the European Commission recently put into practice the EuP
Directive in the area of lighting devices, aiming to improve energy efficiency in the domestic lighting sector.
This article presents a comprehensive life cycle assessment comparison of four different lighting technologies:
the tungsten lamp, the halogen lamp, the conventional fluorescent lamp and the compact fluorescent lamp.
Taking advantage of the most up-to-date life cycle inventory database available (ecoinvent data version 2.01),
all life cycle phases were assessed and the sensitivity of the results for varying assumptions analysed: different
qualities of compact fluorescent lamps (production phase), different electricity mixes (use phase), and endof-
life scenarios for WEEE recycling versus municipal solid waste incineration (disposal phase). A functional
unit of âone hour of lightingâ was defined and the environmental burdens for the whole life cycle for all four
lamp types were calculated, showing a clearly lower impact for the two gas-discharge lamps, i.e. the
fluorescent and the compact fluorescent lamp. Differences in the product quality of the compact fluorescent
lamps reveal to have only a very small effect on the overall environmental performance of this lamp type; a
decline of the actual life time of this lamp type doesn't result in a change of the rank order of the results of the
here examined four lamp types. It was also shown that the environmental break-even point of the gasdischarge
lamps is reached long before the end of their expected life-span. All in all, it can be concluded that a
change from today's tungsten lamp technology to a low-energy-consuming technology such as the compact
fluorescent lamp results in a substantial environmental benefit.
Abstract: The unique properties of nanomaterials and structures and also production technologies on the nanometer scale are associated with presumably revolutionary contributions to sustainable development in terms of resource efficiency or health care. The obvious benefits and potentials are currently neither substantiated by an assessment of ecological and human health risks nor by a holistic assessment of all aspects along the life cycle of nano based products and services. Little work has been done, so far, to compare, e.g., the efforts of material production and recycling with the benefits in the use phase beyond economic considerations. In order to ease the application of life cycle thinking in the nanotechnology domain functions, materials and impacts have to be described adequately. Due to the lack of relevant data and the heterogeneity of current life cycle based studies it is recommended to carefully adjust environmental prospects to the system under study. Regarding the life cycle performance of the materials used the efforts in realizing nano functionalities, properties and recycling gain decisive importance to counterbalance obvious advantages in the use phase. The assessment of potential risks for the environment and human health due to intended and also accidental releases are still not possible in LCA, but should nevertheless be supported by a thorough description of potential releases. All these observations are discussed by means of two case studies, one on PVD coating and one on a CNT-based FED screen in order to substantiate and illustrate the need for a framework to harmonise existing, ongoing and future LCA applications in this field. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Abstract: Replacing glass fibers with natural fibers in the automobile industry can yield economic, environmental and social benefits. This article evaluates the prospective environmental impacts of automobile applications of curaua fiber (Ananas erectifolius), which nearly equates the physical properties of glass fibers. The study identified economic and social advantages of applying curaua fiber composites in car parts. Besides costing 50% less than fiber glass, the use of curaua fibers can promote regional development in the Amazon region. In order to realize significant environmental benefits, however, the curaui-based composites would have to be lighter than their glass fiber-based counterparts. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Abstract: Goal, Scope and Background. The disposal phase of a product's life cycle in LCA is often neglected or based on coarse indicators like 'kilogram waste'. The goal of report No. 13 of the ecoinvent project (Doka 2003) is to create detailed Life Cycle Inventories of waste disposal processes. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the models behind the waste disposal inventories in ecoinvent, to present exemplary results and to discuss the assessment of long-term emissions. This paper does not present a particular LCA study. Inventories are compiled for many different materials and various disposal technologies. Considered disposal technologies are municipal incineration and different landfill types, including sanitary landfills, hazardous waste incineration, waste deposits in deep salt mines, surface spreading of sludges, municipal wastewater treatment, and building dismantling. The inventoried technologies are largely based on Swiss plants. Inventories can be used for assessment of the disposal of common, generic waste materials like paper, plastics, packaging etc. Inventories are also used within the ecoinvent database itself to inventory the disposal of specific wastes generated during the production phase. Inventories relate as far as possible to the specific chemical composition of the waste material (waste-specific burdens). Certain expenditures are not related to the waste composition and are inventoried with average values (process-specific burdens). Methods. The disposal models are based on previous work, partly used in earlier versions of ecoinvent/ETH LCI data. Important improvements were the extension of the number of considered chemical elements to 41 throughout all disposal models and new landfill models based on field data. New inventories are compiled for waste deposits in deep salt mines and building material disposal. Along with the ecoinvent data and the reports, also Excel-based software tools were created, which allow ecoinvent members to calculate waste disposal inventories from arbitrary waste compositions. The modelling of long-term emissions from landfills is a crucial part in any waste disposal process. In ecoinvent long-term emissions are defined as emissions occurring 100 years after present. They are reported in separate emission categories. The landfill inventories include long-term emissions with a time horizon of 60'000 years after present. Results and Discussion. As in earlier studies, the landfills prove to be generally relevant disposal processes, as also incineration and wastewater treatment processes produce landfilled wastes. Heavy metals tend to concentrate in landfills and are washed out to a varying degree over time. Long-term emissions usually represent an important burden from landfills. Comparisons between burdens from production of materials and the burdens from their disposal show that disposal has a certain relevance. Conclusion. The disposal phase should by default be included in LCA studies. The use of a material not only necessitates its production, but also requires its disposal. The created inventories and user tools facilitate heeding the disposal phase with a similar level of detail as production processes. The risk of LCA-based decisions shifting burdens from the production or use phase to the disposal phase because of data gaps can therefore be diminished. Recommendation and Perspective. Future improvements should include the modelling of metal ore refining waste (tailings) which is currently neglected in ecoinvent, but is likely to be relevant for metals production. The disposal technologies considered here are those of developed Western countries. Disposal in other parts of the World can differ distinctly, for logistic, climatic and economic reasons. The cross-examination of landfill models to LCIA soil fate models could be advantageous. Currently only chemical elements, like copper, zinc, nitrogen etc. are heeded by the disposal models. A possible extension could be the modelling of the behaviour of chemical compounds, like dioxins or other hydrocarbons.
Abstract: Goal, Scope and Background. In contrast to inventory data of energy and transport processes, public inventory data of chemicals are rather scarce. Chemicals are important to consider in LCA, because they are used in the production of many, if not all, products. Moreover, they may cause considerable environmental impacts. For these reasons, it was one goal of the new ecoinvent database to provide LCI data on chemicals. In this paper, the methods and procedures used for establishing LCIs of chemicals in ecoinvent are presented. Methods. Three different approaches are suggested for situations of differing data availability. First, in the case of good data availability, the general quality guidelines of ecoinvent can be followed. Second, a procedure is proposed for the translation of aggregated inventory data (cumulative LCI results) from industry into the ecoinvent format. This approach was used, if adequate unit process data was not available. Third, a procedure is put forward for estimating inventory data using stoichiometric equations from technical literature as a main information source. This latter method was used if no other information was available. The application of each of the three procedures is illustrated with the help of a case study. Results and Conclusion. When sufficient information is available to follow the general guidelines of ecoinvent, the resulting dataset is characterized by a high degree of detail, and it is thus of high quality. For chemicals, however, the application of the standard procedure is possible in only a few cases. When using industrial data, the main drawback is the fact that those data are often available only as aggregated data, thus being out of tune with the quality guidelines of ecoinvent and its main aim, the harmonization of LCI data. As a third approach, the use of the stoichiometric reaction equation is used for the compilation of LCI datasets of chemicals. This approach represents an alternative to neglecting chemicals completely, but it contains a high risk to not consider important aspects of the life cycle of the respective substance. Outlook. Further work in the area of chemicals should focus on an improvement of datasets, so far established by either of the two estimation procedures (APME method; estimation based on technical literature) described. Besides the improvement of already established inventories, the compilation of further harmonized inventories of specific types of chemicals (e.g. solvents) or of chemicals for new industrial sectors (e.g. electronics industry) are in discussion.
Abstract: The production of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. At the same time this also means that the amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) will continue to increase in the coming decades. As it is crucial to obtain more knowledge about the environmental consequences of the different WEEE treatment options, a study examining the two Swiss take-back and recycling systems of SWICO (for computers, consumer electronics and telecommunication equipment) and S.EN.S (household appliances) has been conducted. The two systems, which are based on an advanced recycling fee, are well established within Switzerland. With a combined approach of material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA), the environmental impacts of these two systems have been estimated, including all further treatment steps, which transform the fractions either into secondary materials or into waste for final disposal. As a baseline, we have used a scenario assuming that no WEEE is recycled and hence only primary production for the similar amount of raw materials. The impact assessment is based on characterization factors according to the Dutch CML methodology. The results show that throughout the complete recycling chain the sorting and dismantling activities of companies are of minor interest; instead the main impact occurs during the treatment applied further downstream to turn the waste into secondary raw materials. Within the two systems in Switzerland, the collection of WEEE seems much more relevant than the sorting and dismantling activities. When comparing the environmental impact of WEEE recycling with that derived from the baseline scenario (incineration of all WEEE and primary production of the raw materials), WEEE recycling proves to be clearly advantageous from an environmental perspective. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Abstract: Introduction. This paper provides an overview on the content of the ecoinvent database and of selected metholodogical issues applied on the life cycle inventories implemented in the ecoinvent database. Goal, Scope and Background. In the year 2000, several Swiss Federal Offices and research institutes of the ETH domain agreed to a joint effort to harmonise and update life cycle inventory (LCI) data for its use in life cycle assessment (LCA). With the ecoinvent database and its actual data v1.1, a consistent set of more than 2'500 product and service LCIs is now available. Method. Nearly all process datasets are transparently documented on the level of unit process inputs and outputs. Methodological approaches have been applied consistently throughout the entire database content and thus guarantee for a coherent set of LCI data. This is particularly true for market and trade modelling (see, for example, electricity modelling), for the treatment of multioutput and of recycling processes, but also for the recording and reporting of elementary flows. The differentiation of diameter size for particulate matter emissions, for instance, allows for a more comprehensive impact assessment of human health effects. Data quality is quantitatively reported in terms of standard deviations of the amounts of input and output flows. In many cases qualitative indicators are reported additionally on the level of each individual input and output. The information sources used vary from extensive statistical works to individual (point) measurements or assumptions derived from process descriptions. However, all datasets passed the same quality control procedure and all information relevant and necessary to judge the suitability of a dataset in a certain context are provided in the database. Data documentation and exchange is based on the EcoSpold data format, which complies with the technical specification ISO/TS 14048. Free access to process information via the Internet helps the user to judge the appropriateness of a dataset. Concluding Remarks. The existence of the ecoinvent database proves that it is possible and feasible to build up a large interlinked system of LCI unit processes. The project work proved to be demanding in terms of co-ordination efforts required and consent identification. One main characteristic of the database is its transparency in reporting to enable individual assessment of data appropriateness and to support the plurality in methodological approaches. Outlook. Further work on the ecoinvent database may comprise work on the database content (new or more detailed datasets covering existing or new economic sectors), LCI (modelling) methodology, the structure and features of the database system (e.g. extension of Monte Carlo simulation to the impact assessment phase) or improvements in ecoinvent data supply and data query. Furthermore, the deepening and building up of international co-operations in LCI data collection and supply is in the focus of future activities.
Abstract: Goal, Scope and Background. This paper gives an overview on how the wood and packaging material production is inventoried in ecoinvent. Packaging materials have been a very important topic in the area of Life Cycle Assessment for more than twenty years. Wood is the most important renewable material and regenerative fuel used worldwide, and an important raw material for paper / board. Several methodological problems arising when inventorying wood for material and energetic uses in a generic database are discussed in more detail. Within the ecoinvent project, the Swiss data base for life cycle inventory data, two reports are dedicated to these two important topics - report No. 9 for wood and report No. 11 for packaging materials. Methods. The whole wood chain has been modeled in a consistent way. This allows one to use this data for LCAs of building materials, bioenergy or paper production. The data represent average technologies used in Central Europe in the year 2000. A revenue-based co-product allocation approach is used for the different outputs. Correction factors are introduced for the consistent modeling of mass-based, material inherent wood properties such as solar energy, carbon uptake and land use. For packaging materials, the datasets represent European average data for the most often used materials as well as specific datasets for the production of actual packaging boxes and containers. Results and Discussion. For wood, revenue-based allocation and the use of the correction factors for mass-related wood properties are shown and explained. For packaging materials, the importance of the raw material wood to the total load is shown. Furthermore trends in the data inventories for board packaging materials over the last two decades are discussed: mainly due to the increased comprehensiveness of the data, higher cumulative emissions can be observed. Conclusion. For wood, the database ecoinvent provides consistent datasets for the entire chain from forestry to intermediate products such as timber, different types of wood-based boards, chips, pellets, etc. For packaging materials, the number of datasets of basic materials has been extended. A modular concept for actual packaging container datasets allows the user an easy modeling of various types of packaging containers/boxes. In the area of paper and board, a comprehensive database for the production of various types of pulp, paper and board is provided, which is representative for the average European production situation. Outlook. Since wood is only limited and representative data for Europe is therefore not included, an update in the near future would be reasonable. Possible further extensions in the future could include various, final wooden products. For the data on paper/board, different levels of quality are observed, requiring a selective up-date of these data. Future extensions could include datasets for the import of pulp from overseas - especially from South America and Canada.
Abstract: Within the last couple of years, several initiatives for the creation of national Life-Cycle Inventory (LCI) databases have been taken - in Europe e.g. in Germany, in Denmark, in Sweden and in Switzerland. This presentation describes the content of such national LCI databases from the viewpoint of the electronics industry and shows its crucial importance in the framework of the application of the integrated product policy (IPP) to this sector.
Abstract: To monitor compliance with standards of the Swiss Foundation for Waste Management (S.EN.S) for Recycling of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment a rating approach based on annual Environmental Performance Indicators (EPI) was established. The rating system and the EPI are presented and explained. The recyclers have to, attain a minimum rating to get the S.EN.S licence and hence a refund from the advance recycling fee fund. A distribution analysis of the EPI's of all licensed recyclers as well as a trend analysis over the last couple of years is used to show how improvements are being achieved. The rating system can be easily adapted and extended to optimize the environmental benefit.
Abstract: This paper presents a comparison of two formats for data documentation and exchange - EcoSpold and Sirii SPINE. In the beginning of September 2003 ecoinvent, the Swiss national Life-Cycle Inventory database, was published on the internet. Besides about 2'700 unit processes included in this database, EcoSpold - the data(exchange)format - based on the former SPOLD format, is one of the cornerstones of the whole project. In Sweden, the Sirii SPINE Environmental Data Network is online since the summer 2002. The cornerstones of the Sirii ED Network are the commonly accessible application for data documentation and exchange, the internet-based data base network and the concept of On the Way to EPD. The main characteristics of each respective format where considered in the comparison. The aim was to assess the possibility of a future exchange of datasets between the two formats. The results show similarities as well as differences. Some differences may fairly easily be over won to make future data exchange possible. It is our hope that the findings of this comparison may form the basis for the needed, further work in the direction of compatible data documentation and exchange formats between European LCI data bases.
Abstract: In the last years many companies and industrial organisations have published life cycle inventory data for their products. On the one hand side this development is welcomed by LCA practitioners on the other side major problems for data quality can arise if cumulative data from different origin are combined in one study or if the data do not cover all aspects of an inventory. Quite often only cumulative data are published, e.g. the total amount of CO2 emitted in the life cycle, but no information on the specific energy consumption in different stages. Many companies and associations do not support specific LCA studies with more detailed information. This presentation focuses as an example on the use of LCI data provided by the European plastics industry (APME) and its integration in the database ecoinvent. The cumulative data do not cover important aspects like land occupation or radioactive waste, they handle certain aspects like waste in a way not compatible with the database and the background data are different from the ones in the database. Thus it is necessary to find a good way how to harmonize data sets from different origin. Two approaches how to integrate these data (1:1 integration or disaggregation) are compared. Major advantages and disadvantages are summarized. The example shows that it will never be possible to achieve the same level of accuracy as it is possible with information provided on a unit process level.
Abstract: Aim and Background. Electronic media are spreading rapidly and some of the services they offer are similar to traditional media. Frequently, credit is given to electronic media for causing less environmental impact, however, looking at it more closely little is known about the comparability of the environmental impact of both kinds of media. Main reasons for this lack of knowledge are difficulties in defining an adequate functional unit for a comparison of usually multifunctional media, as well as problems in gathering large amounts of inventory data for complex electronic goods. Objective. Here an LCA case study was conducted for reading or watching the daily news in an online and a printed newspaper as well as on TV. Aim of this study was to find an adequate functional unit as well as to quantify the environmental impact of each of the media, including recommendations for the reduction of their impact. In order to account for the multifunctionality of the investigated media as well as for ISO 14040ff. guidelines for the definition of the functional unit, several functional units were chosen. The selected functional units cover a spectrum of close functional equivalence to an altogether different approach in comparing entire activities. Results. Compared on the basis of an average news item, the internet newspaper causes far more environmental impact than a TV news cast, which, in turn, causes more impact than a cutting of a newspaper. Major contributions to the high environmental impact of the internet newspaper are the manufacturing of the computer as well as operation of the necessary infrastructure for running the internet, in particular operation of the telephone network. Comparing media on the basis of consuming the daily news as a whole leads to less environmental impact for both of the electronic media in relation to a printed newspaper, even if shared amongst several readers. The comparative environmental advantage of the electronic media depends on a set of conditions: 1. No online information is printed. 2. Internet surfing is directed towards specific goals and therefore limited in time. 3. Power consumption is based to a large extent on renewable energy sources. This still holds true for the underlying national electricity mix of Switzerland with a high share of hydropower. A comparison of the average per capita time of watching TV with surfing in the internet and average paper consumption of free and bought print products also shows that most of the environmental impact results from print products. Interpretation. Summarising the previously shown results, different perspectives on media and, with it, different functional units lead - not surprisingly - to different results. Relations between the environmental impact of the three media change between approaches. A final conclusion on a qualitative level is drawn. The first functional unit stands for close functional equivalence, however, itdoes not resemble options of the consumer in real life. The cuttings of a newspaper cannot be bought as such and the consumer is normally not interested in a single news item. The second functional unit is more of a representation of real life choices and is a typical example of a consumer's choice that frequently has to decide between options which are not exactly functionally equivalent. Finally, the last approach, based on entire activities, supports the result of the previous approach. Perspective. The case study has shown that a comparison of multifunctional products or services excludes relevant environmental aspects, if functional equivalence is chosen as the unique reference unit. Thus, it is recommended to apply several approaches in order to do justice to the multifunctionality of the investigated products or services. ISO/TR 14049, with its concept of user acceptance, offers such a possibility to compare products or services which are still considered equivalent by the user.
Abstract: Data availability and data quality are still critical factors for successful LCA work. The SETAC-Europe LCA Working Group 'Data Availability and Data Quality' has therefore focused on ongoing developments toward a common data exchange format, public databases and accepted quality measures to find science-based solutions than can be widely accepted. A necessary prerequisite for the free flow and exchange of life cycle inventory (LCI) data and the comparability of LCIs is the consistent definition, nomenclature, and use of inventory parameters. This is the main subject of the subgroup 'Recommended List of Exchanges' that presents its results and findings here: Rigid parameter lists for LCIs are not practical; especially, compulsory lists of measurements for all inventories are counterproductive. Instead, practitioners should be obliged to give the rationale for their scientific choice of selected and omitted parameters. The standardized (not: mandatory!) parameter list established by the subgroup can help to facilitate this. The standardized nomenclature of LCI parameters and the standardized list of measurement bases (units) for these parameters need not be applied internally (e.g. in LCA software), but should be adhered to in external communications (data for publication and exchange). Deviations need to be clearly stated. Sum parameters may or may not overlap - misinterpretations in either direction introduce a bias of unknown significance in the subsequent life cycle impact assessments (LCIA). The only person who can discriminate unambiguously is the practitioner who measures or calculates such values. Therefore, a clear statement of independence or overlap is necessary for every sum parameter reported. Sum parameters should be only used when the group of emissions as such is measured. Individually measured emission parameters should not be hidden in group or sum parameters. Problematic substances (such as carcinogens, ozone depleting agents and the like) may never be obscured in group emissions (together with less harmful substances or with substances of different environmental impact), but must be determined and reported individually, as mentioned in paragraph 3.3 of this article. Mass and energy balances should be carried out on a unit process level. Mass balances should be done on the level of the entire mass flow in a process as well as on the level of individual chemical elements. Whenever possible, practitioners should try to fill data gaps with their knowledge of analogous processes, environmental expert judgements, mass balance calculations, worst case assumptions or similar estimation procedures.
Abstract: Informatics can make a relevant contribution to sustainable development, if the effects of ICT applications are systematically assessed from a life-cycle perspective and the results of life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies are taken into account by decision makers. The basic scheme of a product life cycle includes the three phases production, use and end of life. In the production phase, raw materials are transformed into the product. In the use phase, the product delivers the service it has been intended for. After the service life of the product ends, parts of the product may be reused or recycled. The rest leaves the system for final disposal or to be recycled in other product systems. Only if life-cycle thinking is applied both to ICT products and to products influenced by ICT applications, is it possible to decide whether a potential ICT application will have a positive or negative environmental impact on the bottom line. With life-cycle thinking, it will be possible to make substantial steps toward sustainable development. Informatics, and in particular environmental informatics as a specialized sub-discipline of it, can contribute to life-cycle thinking by supporting the modelling and data collection process in LCA studies. In addition, dynamic simulation models are useful in prospective technology assessment where LCA methodology reaches its limits.
Abstract: Vor dem Hintergrund der rasant zunehmenden Verbreitung von Anwendungen der Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) untersucht das Forschungsprojekt mögliche zukünftige Auswirkungen eines massenhaften Einsatzes von RFID-Tags im Konsumgüterbereich auf die Umwelt und die Abfallentsorgung. Der gegenwärtige Einsatz von RFID-Tags stellt die derzeitigen Entsorgungssysteme für Siedlungsabfall zwar vor keine nennenswerten Herausforderungen. Die dynamische Entwicklung der RFID-Märkte kann aber die Entsorgungssysteme in Zukunft vor Probleme stellen, wenn nicht vorsorgend gehandelt wird. Neben der Ermittlung der aktuellen und zukünftig zu erwartenden Mengen eingesetzter RFID-Tags, der Beschreibung derzeitiger Entsorgungswege für RFID-Tags im Siedlungsabfall sowie der Erstellung und Quantifizierung von Zukunftsszenarien zielt das Projekt darauf, Handlungsempfehlungen für einen umweltverträglich optimierten Einsatz von RFID-Tags in Deutschland abzuleiten. Mit diesem Bericht liegt erstmalig eine systematische quantitative Darstellung des zukünftigen Einflusses von RFID-Tags auf die Abfallentsorgung unter enger Einbeziehung der betroffenen Akteure vor. Der Untersuchungsrahmen erstreckt sich auf die Entsorgungssysteme für Siedlungsabfall in Deutschland mit einem Zeithorizont bis 2022. Das Vorhaben fokussiert auf den Eintrag passiver RFID-Tags in den Siedlungsabfall, die insbesondere auf Konsumgüter und deren Verpackungen angebracht sind. Die Eintragspfade Glas-, Papier/Pappe/Karton- und Leichtverpackungs-Getrenntsammlung sowie die Restabfallbehandlung, einschlieÃlich des Eintrags von RFID-Tags in Ersatzbrennstoffe (EBS) und Sekundärbaustoffe werden umfassend analysiert. Bioabfall wird im Rahmen eines Exkurses diskutiert. Das Forschungsprojekt adressiert potenzielle Risiken von RFID-Tags in der Siedlungsabfallentsorgung. Mögliche Chancen zur Verbesserung des Recyclings durch den Einsatz von RFID-Tags, z.B. bei elektrischen und elektronischen Geräten, werden nicht behandelt.
Notes: Umweltforschungsplan des Bundesministeriums für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit; UFOPLAN-Nr. 3707 33 302
Abstract: Vor dem Hintergrund der rasant zunehmenden Verbreitung von Anwendungen der Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) untersucht das Forschungsprojekt mögliche zukünftige Auswirkungen eines massenhaften Einsatzes von RFID-Tags im Konsumgüterbereich auf die Umwelt und die Abfallentsorgung. Der gegenwärtige Einsatz von RFID-Tags stellt die derzeitigen Entsorgungssysteme für Siedlungsabfall zwar vor keine nennenswerten Herausforderungen. Die dynamische Entwicklung der RFID-Märkte kann aber die Entsorgungssysteme in Zukunft vor Probleme stellen, wenn nicht vorsorgend gehandelt wird. Neben der Ermittlung der aktuellen und zukünftig zu erwartenden Mengen eingesetzter RFID-Tags, der Beschreibung derzeitiger Entsorgungswege für RFID-Tags im Siedlungsabfall sowie der Erstellung und Quantifizierung von Zukunftsszenarien zielt das Projekt darauf, Handlungsempfehlungen für einen umweltverträglich optimierten Einsatz von RFID-Tags in Deutschland abzuleiten. Mit diesem Bericht liegt erstmalig eine systematische quantitative Darstellung des zukünftigen Einflusses von RFID-Tags auf die Abfallentsorgung unter enger Einbeziehung der betroffenen Akteure vor. Der Untersuchungsrahmen erstreckt sich auf die Entsorgungssysteme für Siedlungsabfall in Deutschland mit einem Zeithorizont bis 2022. Das Vorhaben fokussiert auf den Eintrag passiver RFID-Tags in den Siedlungsabfall, die insbesondere auf Konsumgüter und deren Verpackungen angebracht sind. Die Eintragspfade Glas-, Papier/Pappe/Karton- und Leichtverpackungs-Getrenntsammlung sowie die Restabfallbehandlung, einschlieÃlich des Eintrags von RFID-Tags in Ersatzbrennstoffe (EBS) und Sekundärbaustoffe werden umfassend analysiert. Bioabfall wird im Rahmen eines Exkurses diskutiert. Das Forschungsprojekt adressiert potenzielle Risiken von RFID-Tags in der Siedlungsabfallentsorgung. Mögliche Chancen zur Verbesserung des Recyclings durch den Einsatz von RFID-Tags, z.B. bei elektrischen und elektronischen Geräten, werden nicht behandelt.
Notes: Umweltforschungsplan des Bundesministeriums für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit; UFOPLAN-Nr. 3707 33 302
Abstract: The objectives of Task 4 âRefinement and Quantificationâ of the study on the future impact of ICT on environmental sustainability are as follows: (i) to refine and quantify the scenarios developed in Task 3 by creating a simulation model of the impact of ICT on environmental sustainability, (ii) to estimate the model parameters based on the data collected in Task 2, on additional literature reviews and expert consultation, (iii) to provide input into Task 5 âEvaluation and Recommendationsâ by identifying the factors that have most influence on the environmental indicators.
