Measuring sustainability is an important prerequisite for making strategic decisions in the chemical industry. Chemistry and sustainability are a perfect match. The chemical industry provides innovative solutions that make an important contribution to supporting the sustainable transformation of society. To leverage digital technologies and improve sustainability, information and data exchange is key to create additional value added. Embedding sustainability even more deeply into the steering of the businesses in the sector will make the contributions of the chemical sector to a more sustainable society transparent and tangible. As a solution provider, the chemical industry is an enabler of improved sustainability across value chains. Clean drinking water, medicines, materials for transportation, food ingredients, construction materials, and many other things around us need modern chemistry with sustainable solutions. To get true market pull for more sustainable products and to realize the World Business Council for Sustainable Development's Vision 2050 - that is, 9 billion people living well within the limits of the planet - there is a need to provide and communicate information on the sustainability performance of products that customers and stakeholders can trust and compare, to enable them to make informed sustainable choices.

Das Leitbild einer zukunftsverträglichen, nachhaltigen Entwicklung stellt eine der großen Herausforderungen in der heutigen Zeit dar. Die Bewertung von Nachhaltigkeitsaspekten spielt dabei eine zentrale Rolle. Verschiedene Werkzeuge wurden dafür in den letzten Jahren und Jahrzehnten entwickelt. Die Ökobilanz ist dabei ein prominentes Beispiel, aber auch die Ökoeffizienz-Analyse und weitere Bewertungsmodelle für unterschiedlichen Entscheidungsprozesse. Um Ergebnisse, die mit diesen Methoden erarbeitet werden, in einem harmonisierten Ansatz anwenden zu können, Ergebnisse vergleichbar zu machen und eine Weiterverbreitung der methodischen Ansätze zu ermöglichen, sind Standards und Normen unverzichtbar. Gerade die Erarbeitung von Standards und Normen in diesem Bereich verhalf der Nachhaltigkeitsbewertung zu einem Durchbruch als allgemein anerkannter Ansatz.

The reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is of high importance to society. Companies therefore have an increasing interest in understanding and reducing the GHG emissions of their supply chains and to generate data to track and prove this, for example by calculating product carbon footprints (PCFs). Besides serious gaps in PCF data within companies and in LCA databases, there is still missing experience and knowledge on how to consistently prepare and exchange these data. Based on our experience as LCA practitioners in the industry, we discuss the key challenges and requirements such as data formats, data quality, confidentiality concerns and comparability issues of PCF data. Aiming to contribute practical recommendations to ongoing initiatives working to enable PCF-exchange along value chains, we scope approaches that match industry requirements.

The narrative sustainable building is core message of European politics. Strategies discussed in this regard concern above all material minimization by using new more efficient manufacturing technologies, new form finding approaches for load-bearing structures or new high-performance materials. The goal of the research project V2.10, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, refers to the latter by assessing the sustainability potential of building components made of innovative textile reinforced concrete. We conceptualized a life cycle sustainability assessment framework and applied it to variants of sandwich wall systems made of carbon concrete composites and steel-reinforced concrete. Results indicate hotspots in technology and material choices that could be addressed by circular strategies, for example, refuse, reduce or recycling. Overall, one design variant made of carbon concrete composites is the best performing with respect to all dimensions of sustainability.

Purpose Plastic pollution in marine environments is a severe problem in the world due to misuse and mismanagement of the materials. Microplastics are a specific form of pollutants in this context and its handling is very difficult due to its very small size of particulates. Currently, the impacts of marine plastic debris are not considered. However, this type of particulates can be assessed like other emissions with the systematic and quantifiable approach in life cycle assessment (LCA). It was our goal to find and test first methodological approaches for including impacts of marine litter of microplastics to LCA. Methods The Medellin Declaration on Marine Litter in Life Cycle Assessment and Management raised this issue in 2017 and called for LCA to address the challenges of marine litter. The present research paper focuses on how to integrate plastic debris impacts with focus on microplastics into LCA and gives a suggestion for an assessment approach. Based on a literature review, we considered various impacts to the marine environment of microplastics linked with their kinetics of the fragmentation and degradation. Subsequently, we developed a characterization LCA model for microplastics in the marine environment. We addressed therein the fate of microplastics and their specific eco-toxic effects to different organisms. We compared the impacts of different types of polymers as well and showed how these can be integrated in an assessment using the new characterization model. Results and discussion The assessment of marine litter impacts in LCA was strongly dependent on the number of microplastic particles produced from the original litter over time. These impacts were derived from measurements of the number of microparticles, their densities in the marine environment and their impacts to different organisms. The new characterization model includes the relationship between fragmentation and degradation and can be used for impact assessments within LCA. Conclusion The question where we did not find a finally satisfying solution is the issue of the length of the time horizon of the assessment or the discounting. Those are regarded as subjective and are encountered with sensitivity or scenario analysis. Results from different time horizons can be aggregated to one figure or can be compared separately. Further investigations should be taken for a better understanding of this issue and for concrete solutions because their influence on the results of life cycle assessments is often fundamental.

For successful implementation of sustainability in industry robust assessments of products and processes are necessary that quantify environmental aspects under consideration of costs. The sustainability needs of companies vary greatly according to region, sector and stakeholder. BASF has developed a toolbox for eco-efficiency assessments that addresses the broad range of in-house and external needs, allowing flexibility while ensuring that relevant and sufficient environmental impact is covered to support decision-making based on quantified sustainability assessments. The toolbox is based on standard practices for life cycle assessment to support strategic decisions, product development and marketing. Environmental impact assessment follows ISO 14040 and 14044. Impacts are aggregated to an overall environmental impact. Life cycle costs are similarly determined and may be combined with environmental impact to an overall Eco-Efficiency Portfolio and Eco-Efficiency Index. The relevance check ensures inclusion of main impact categories and coverage of sufficient environmental impacts. A peer-reviewed case study on the treatment of flowback from fracturing operations demonstrates the applicability of the Eco-Efficiency Analysis. Deposition of flowback in existing hydrocarbon-containing reservoirs was compared with treatment in preparation for disposal to a municipal waste water treatment plant. The Reservoir option is more eco-efficient both at low and high flowback volumes. Disadvantages of the waste water treatment option include the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the high energy needed for the removal of dissolved solids from the flowback. The relevance check shows that climate change is the dominant environmental impact, but photochemical ozone formation, acidification, freshwater eutrophication, human toxicity and resource depletion (mineral & fossil) are significant as well. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Purpose: The aim is to conduct a life cycle assessment of the analgesic Eudorlin Extra to identify environmental hotspots along its life cycle, i.e. the manufacturing of the active pharmaceutical ingredient, the galenic formulation, packaging, distribution, use and end-of-life. This publication is one of only few LCA studies that consider all life cycle stages of a pharmaceutical. Methods: The functional unit is the treatment of an adult in Germany with the purpose of pain relief for 4 days, the reference flow is one package Eudorlin Extra (10 tablets with 400 mg ibuprofen per tablet). Primary data is provided by the manufacturing companies for the production stage. The impact assessment is conducted for impact categories that have been identified as germane for the sector. A contribution analysis is performed and relevant processes are evaluated by sensitivity analyses. Results and discussion: The environmental profile is dominated by the production stage whereas the use and end-of-life are negligible. This seems to be plausible due to the high material usage during manufacturing, as opposed to the use stage where no additional inputs are required. However, methodological issues are identified which potentially affect the results such as the lack of characterization factors for the metabolites. conclusion and outlook: The results are in alignment with existing studies which emphasize the environmental relevance of the production stage. Future research should focus on improving existing impact assessment methods, developing characterization factors for metabolites and publishing inventory data on substances that are frequently used in the pharmaceutical life cycle.

Biotechnology is applied in many industrial areas and uses microorganisms, enzymes, or precursors replacing chemicals to produce goods, including chemicals, plastics, food, agricultural and pharmaceutical products, and energy carriers from renewable raw materials and increasingly also from waste from agriculture and forestry (BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH, Facts and Figures. Biotechnologie.de. https://www.biooekonomie-bw.de/en/articles/dossiers/industrial-biotechnology-biological-resources-for-industrial-processes/ , 2013). In comparison with conventional processes, industrial biotechnology processes often run under relatively mild reaction conditions, moderate temperatures, and the use of aqueous media. They might reduce in general the energy requirements and the number of by-products. Since product concentration and formation rate are often very low, the resulting products need to be purified and recovered in marketable quantities in a process that is referred to as downstream processing. Product quantity can also be increased by optimizing the manufacturing processes or biocatalysts used (OECD, the application of biotechnology to industrial sustainability. www.oecd.org/sti/biotechnology , 2001).In this context, developing a sustainable bio-based economy that uses eco-efficient processes is one of the key strategic challenges for the twenty-first century. Decisions in the technology development are often supported by sustainability assessment results using different types of sustainability assessment methods. In the last decades, we developed different types of sustainability assessment methods evaluating aspects of economy, ecology, and society to support decision-making processes. We show in this chapter how different types of questions can be answered, how more sustainable solutions can be identified, and how this information can be used for marketing and research activities.

Measuring sustainability is an important prerequisite for making strategic decisions. BASF has developed several instruments to evaluate sustainability whereby the utilization of each method depends on the concrete purpose or issue in question. The new Social Analysis will contribute to this setup by assessing social impacts along the value chain. The Social Analysis is implemented in the SEEbalance® calculating results with the Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) and with a specific Social Hot Spot Assessment. Both approaches generate, calculate and interpret the social impacts from different perspectives. Different levels and approaches of data generation and calculation are used for drawing conclusions on the social performance of product alternatives fulfilling the same functional unit. The close link to the environmental life cycle assessment enables practitioners a holistic view on sustainability aspects which in turn support decision-making processes. For the assessments, processes and decision trees to harmonize the generation of coherent results were developed and will support the data generation process. Different levels of interpretation of findings leading to overall results support and harmonize the interpretation of the findings significantly.

PurposeThis article proposes an approach describing relative potential toxicological performances of products and allows for comparisons with other products with identical functions. The scores derived at the substance level may be aggregated to the product level for each of the life cycle stages of the product. This approach is intended to become a tool for performance assessment of products. It provides complementary information in addition to results from LCA for environmental product declarations (EPD). This article focuses on describing the impact on human health from exposure to construction products and to their ingredients, compatible with life cycle thinking. Ingredient substances can be part of the intended composition or can be relevant residues like monomers in plastics or defined contaminants. The proposed approach can also describe the toxicological impact for other than construction products.MethodsThe method describes a dimensionless score suitable for ranking with three characteristics: (1) By a hazard score, it describes chemical products for different applications, e.g. for construction, with regard to the inherent toxicity for humans of their ingredients. (2) It considers exposure potentials to the product's ingredients by a generic adjustment factor, which may modify potential health impacts. (3) It addresses not only the use stage of a product and its ingredients (e.g. as construction material in a building), but it also includes other life cycle stages of the product's ingredients.Results and discussionThe specific method is described which is still under testing. Therefore, no results of any application can be published so far. Since the method provides a scalable, dimensionless score of potential toxicological impacts, independent of time and location, these scores can in principle be aggregated to the building level, comparable to the life cycle assessment (LCA)-based information in an EPD. The different factors make use of the extensive toxicological and exposure data generated under REACH regulation but are not limited to these. Interpretation of such data differs from REACH.ConclusionsThe method can be further developed into a tool for product and building assessment and be provided as (voluntary) additional information in an EPD. It is recommended that the basic concept be adapted to the needs of the users of the information generated with this method (e.g. architects, building assessment) and the providers of information (manufacturers). An intense consultation process with other stakeholders should be organised to establish a final method into a guidance document for unambiguous application.

The main goal of this paper is to present the feasibility of the quantitative method presented in the Product Social Impact Assessment (PSIA) handbook throughout a case study. The case study was developed to assess the social impacts of a tire throughout its entire life cycle. We carried out this case study in the context of the Roundtable for the Product Social Metrics project in which 13 companies develop two methodologies, a qualitative and a quantitative one, for assessing the social impact of product life cycle.

For successful implementation of sustainability in industry, robust assessments of products and processes are necessary that quantify environmental aspects while also considering a product or processes' total cost of ownership. Challenges exist as sustainability needs vary greatly according to region, market sector, customer-specific requirements, and stakeholder demands. BASF has developed a toolbox for Eco-Efficiency assessments that addresses the broad range of in-house and external needs, allowing flexibility while ensuring that relevant and sufficient environmental impact and costs are covered. The toolbox is based on standard practice for life cycle assessment but goes further to better support strategic decisions, product development, and marketing. Environmental impact assessment follows ISO 14040 and 14044. The underlying Eco-Efficiency methodology is based primarily on standard assessment models as implemented in the product environmental footprint methodology of the European Union (EU PEF). Impacts are aggregated to an overall environmental impact expressed in terms of person time. Life cycle costs are similarly determined and may be combined with environmental impact to an overall Eco-Efficiency Portfolio and Eco-Efficiency Index. The automated relevance check ensures coverage of main impact categories and environmental impact. Normalization with meaningful figures is applied as well as a weighting scheme that was developed together with the external partner TNS infratest by using a panel weighting approach. Weighting factors are updated on a regular basis and are applicable for all regions of the world. Eco-Efficiency results support strategic business decision-making and customer and external stakeholder engagement based on quantified, credible sustainability assessments.

Purpose Assessment of the social aspects of sustainability of products is a topic of significant interest to companies, and several methodologies have been proposed in the recent years. The significant environmental health and safety concerns about nano-enabled products calls for the early establishment of a clear benefit-risk framework in order to decide which novel products should be developed further. This paper proposes a method to assess the social impacts of nano-enabled products through the life cycle that is (a) quantitative, (b) integrates performance and attitudinal dimensions of social impacts and (c) considers the overall and stakeholder balance of benefits and costs. Social life cycle assessment (s-LCA) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) are integrated to address this need, and the method is illustrated on a case study of a nano-enabled product. Methods The s-LCA framework comprises 15 indicators to characterize the social context of the product manufacture placed within the classification structure of benefit/cost and worker/community. The methodology includes four steps: (a) normalization of company level data on the social indicator to country level data for the year, (b) nested weighting at stakeholder and indicator level and its integration with normalized scores to create social indicator scores, (c) aggregation of social indicator scores into benefit score, cost score and net benefit scores as per the s-LCA framework and (d) classification of social indicator scores and aggregated scores as low/medium/high based on benchmarks created using employment and value-added proxies. Results and discussion A prospective production scenario involving novel product, a nano-copper oxide (n-CuO)-based paint with biocidal functionality, is assessed with respect to its social impacts. The method was applied to 12 indicators at the company level. Classification of social indicator scores and aggregated scores showed that the n-CuO paint has high net benefits. Conclusions The framework and method offer a flexible structure that can be revised and extended as more knowledge and data on social impacts of nano-enabled products becomes available. The proposed method is being implemented in the social impact assessment sub-module of the SUN Decision Support (SUNDS) software system. Companies seeking to improve the social footprint of their products can also use the proposed method to consider relevant social impacts to achieve this goal.

For successful implementation of sustainability in industry, robust assessments of products and processes are necessary that quantify environmental aspects under consideration of costs. Challenges exist as sustainability needs vary greatly according to region, sector and experience level.

Quantifying the sustainability benefits of materials, products like chemicals or consumer goods represent an important aspect for the further development of more sustainable solutions in the future. Generating a realistic and validated estimate of innovative potentials by using a quantitative method is essential for the development of new products and processes. The Eco-efficiency Assessment is therefore a key element in industrial sectors to make progress in planning new products, processes, or applications by taking sustainability aspects as an important element in their decision-making processes. Different tools have been developed based on holistic life cycle management approaches to assess the entire product life cycle, from concept development, to design and implementation, further to marketing, finally, to end-of-life issues. The Eco-efficiency Assessment often incorporates both economic and environmental aspects. Promising products can be identified at an early stage, thus facilitating decision-making about the prime thrust of the development. Major R&D projects are to be accompanied by eco-efficiency analyses during the following development phases: mini-plant, pilot plant, and basic design of a production facility, and the projects are evaluated at each milestone. So Eco-efficiency Assessments are powerful and supporting tools for shifting product developments, optimization of products along the whole supply chain, and the definition of new opportunities in a direction, where significant improvements of sustainability can be achieved. This chapter introduces different ways of conducting Eco-efficiency Assessments and using the results in different situations, mainly product development, improvement, and marketing.

Literature on the risk governance of nanotechnology places significant emphasis on the potential social impacts of nano-enabled products. However, there is limited information on which social impacts are relevant for nano-enabled products, and a methodology to monitor them to support risk governance is lacking. This chapter proposes a quantitative methodology based on Social Life Cycle Assessment (s-LCA) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to assess the social impacts of nano-enabled products through their life cycle. The s-LCA conceptual scheme (i.e. impacts and indicators for different stakeholders) is developed through an appraisal of literature on social impacts of products and Ethical, Legal and Social Impacts (ELSI) of nanotechnology, which is used to select suitable indicators in statistical databases. Five indicators associated with impacts of nano-enabled products, with two impacts in Worker category (professional training and non-fatal accidents) and three impacts in Community category (education, employment, research and development expenditure), were identified as relevant to compare nano-enabled products with similar functionality or nano-enabled product with their conventional counterpart. The indicators are organized within a conceptual scheme comprising benefits (education, employment and professional training) and costs (research and development expenditure and non-fatal accidents). A quantitative MCDA methodology is proposed and applied to a case study according to benefit-cost conceptual scheme. The gaps to be addressed to expand the future development of methodologies to assess social impacts of nano-enabled products are discussed.