Eco-efficiency analysis by basf: the method (original) (raw)
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Economic Impact Analysis (Encyclopedia of Environmental Health)
Human health is one of the most important factors influencing economic development in any economy. Most important and immediate consequences of environmental degradation in the world take the form of damage to human health. Economic analysis of health impacts assumes importance in the context of market failures or distortions. This is mainly due to public good nature of the resources and the externalities associated with the resource. Environmental economics provides appropriate methods and methodologies to overcome most of these issues. Health impacts due to environmental changes are considered very important and have become integral to the assessment of development projects. Economic analysis of environmental health impacts has become critical for social cost–benefit analysis as well. Economic analysis of these impacts would provide avenues for investments for mitigating the adverse impacts. Cost–benefit analysis of projects that mitigate adverse impacts can be worked out for poli...
Assessment of toxicological risks for life cycle assessment and eco-efficiency analysis
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2002
As one of the first global chemical companies, BASF has developed a quantitative tool to support strategic and operative decisions assessing the sustainability of products and processes. Up to now, more than 100 studies in all areas of production and products have been carried out. The ecoefficiency analysis determines the economical and the ecological impact of products/processes from the perspective of the end user and compares different possibilities to satisfy the customer's demands.
Comparison of environmental impact and external cost assessment methods
International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2009
Background, aim, and scope Impact assessment can be completed with the help of Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) as a part of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and External Cost Assessment methods. These methods help, for project and product classifications, to protect human health and the environment. Comparison of different impact assessment methods along parallel evaluations of real air pollution case studies helps to detect similarities and dependencies between them. The comparison helps and supports the work in both areas by mutually exploiting the merits of both methods. On the other hand, the detected similarities and dependencies also support the accuracy of the assessment work. Materials and methods Two impact assessment methods are compared to detect the dependencies between them. These are: the damage-oriented Life Cycle Impact Assessment method Eco-indicator 99 (EI99) and the Cost-Benefit Analysis (CAFE CBA) carried out within the framework of the Clean Air for Europe Programme of the European Union. Arithmetic comparison of the two methods’ impact indicators is carried out in order to show how differently they assess and evaluate the environmental impacts of the same pollutants. Moreover, air pollution inventories of five industrialized cities in Poland are evaluated in parallel with the two impact assessment methods. The uncertainties of the two methods are also considered and Monte Carlo simulations are completed to obtain probability intervals of impact indicators and overall mean values of the generated populations. Results and discussion The arithmetic comparison of the impact indicators shows a strict correlation between the two impact assessment methods. This correlation is confirmed by results of the parallel evaluation of the real case studies. The comparison of the overall mean values obtained by the Monte Carlo simulations also shows a clear dependency between the results of the two impact assessment methods. After detecting the dependencies between the two methods, the best guess values of the EI99 indicator are selected and applied to make a ranking of the air pollutants and their emission sources for an industrialized Polish city. Conclusions It can be concluded that the detected correlation between the two methods (EI99 and CAFE CBA) supports and helps the accuracy of the impact assessment. If the uncertainties of the methods are also considered, it is proved for the examples of real case studies that they correlate in their results. On the other hand, the best guess of the EI99 indicators can be used to rank emissions according to their relative damage to human health and the ecosystem, and to locate emission sources. These results help decision-makers to conclude an efficient environmental conscious policy.
Environmental impact assessment as part of the feasibility study of projects, 2021
The tasks of environmental assessment of projects are to determine quantitative criteria for decision-making on the admissibility or inadmissibility of the project, to ensure the choice of options and types of planned economic activities with the lowest environmental and social costs, to obtain quantitative criteria for assessing the effectiveness of environmental measures. project implementation. Environmental assessment accompanies all stages of the project-investment cycle. One of the main principles of evaluating the effectiveness of projects is the inclusion of environmental results and costs in the cash flows that are taken into account in the analysis of the project. According to the traditional cost-benefit economic analysis, a project is considered effective and feasible if the benefits outweigh the costs. The paper presents modified methods of expert and environmental assessment that accompany all stages of the project-investment cycle of the project. The authors propose harmonization of approaches to environmental impact assessment, which are used in national and world practice. The methodology is shown, which is aimed at generalizing the Ukrainian and international experience in EIA and specifying the evaluation criteria. Developed and proposed methodological aspects of environmental impact assessment can be used to develop a final EIA. The study describes a comprehensive impact assessment for any components of the environment. The proposed criteria allow us to draw specific conclusions on the assessment of the impact on each environment, which is a priority in the environmental assessment.
International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2018
Purpose This 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 Blife 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. Methods The 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 discussion The 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. Conclusions The 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.
Cost-benefit analysis as a tool for decision making in environmental projects
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2004
Background, Aim and Scope. The Damage-Function method is an efficient tool recently used in decision-making processes concerning environmental management. [t is based on finding the relation between the origin of an environmental charge, and its impact on human health and the environment. The aim of the present investigation was to assess the positive impacts, also called benefits, of changes in environmental quality, and the economic viability of an industrial project on reduction of PCDD/F emissions. It has been developed with monetary criteria of two worldwide ambits: USA and European-Union countries. Methods. The current study is a continuation of a previous investigation in which Substance Flow Analysis and Control Analysis Techniques were used to identify and to analyze all main flow values of PCDD/Fs inside the system of Tarragona Province (Spain). In the present study, Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) has been employed, The benefits derived from a minimization in the incidence of cancer due to a reduction in the emission of PCDD/Fs have been evaluated considering the value of a statistically saved life (VSL). Statistical analysis about uncertainty has also been incorporated. Here, the Monte Carlo simulation technique has been used. Results. It is shown that CBS results depend firstly on the kind of VSL used. In fact, the differences between the decisions as a result of applying monetary criteria in USA and EU can be explained by differences between VSL values. Conclusion and Recommendation. It is concluded that, for prices estimated in Euros, the emission cleaning project in the industrial plant is not feasible under any circumstance. However, although CBA seems to be a good analytical method, the final decision corresponds to the managers, who must weigh up not only the monetary criteria, but factors such as social questions.