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This paper presents the results of life cycle inventory (LCI) analyses that were carried out to determine the environmental impacts (emissions, resource extractions and land use) of different newspaper waste [...]

Byline: Laura Sokka, Matti Melanen, Ari Nissinen In the scientific literature, there are (so far) few studies quantifying the environmental benefits or sustainability of Industrial Symbiosis (IS) networks although, at the same time, the potential tools for these kinds of assessments have been developed rapidly both in number and capacity. In this article, we first review the existing studies on the environmental performance of IS systems. We draw a conclusion that these studies usually only concentrate on one or a limited number of factors and also use a narrow approach to system boundaries considering just the impacts taking place within the symbiosis. Finally, we suggest that The Natural Step (TNS) System Conditions could constitute a basis which – through a set of sustainability criteria and a series of questions derived from them – would essentially steer the analyses made about the environmental performance and overall sustainability of the IS network at hand.

Summary In view of recent studies of the historical development and current status of industrial symbiosis (IS), life cycle assessment (LCA) is proposed as a general framework for quantifying the environmental performance of by-product exchange. Recent guidelines for LCA (International Reference Life Cycle Data System [ILCD] guidelines) are applied to answer the main research questions in the IS literature reviewed. A typology of five main research questions is proposed: (1) analysis, (2) improvement, and (3) expansion of existing systems; (4) design of new eco-industrial parks, and (5) restructuring of circular economies. The LCA guidelines were found useful in framing the question and choosing an appropriate reference case for comparison. The selection of a correct reference case reduces the risk of overestimating the benefits of by-product exchange. In the analysis of existing systems, environmentally extended input-output analysis (EEIOA) can be used to streamline the analysis and provide an industry average baseline for comparison. However, when large-scale changes are applied to the system, more sophisticated tools are necessary for assessment of the consequences, from market analysis to general equilibrium modeling and future scenario work. Such a rigorous application of systems analysis was not found in the current IS literature, but would benefit the field substantially, especially when the environmental impact of large-scale economic changes is analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of industrial symbiosis (IS) focus on the physical flows of materials and energy in local industrial systems. In an ideal IS, waste material and energy are shared or exchanged among the actors of the system, thereby reducing the consumption of virgin material and energy inputs, and likewise the generation of waste and emissions. In this study, the environmental impacts of an industrial ecosystem centered around a pulp and paper mill and operating as an IS are analyzed using life cycle assessment (LCA). The system is compared with two hypothetical reference systems in which the actors would operate in isolation. Moreover, the system is analyzed further in order to identify possibilities for additional links between the actors. The results show that of the total life cycle impacts of the system, upstream processes made the greatest overall contribution to the results. Comparison with stand-alone production shows that in the case studied, the industrial symbiosis results in modest improvements, 5% to 20% in most impact categories, in the overall environmental impacts of the system. Most of the benefits occur upstream through heat and electricity production for the local town. All in all it is recommended that when the environmental impacts of industrial symbiosis are assessed, the impacts occurring upstream should also be studied, not only the impacts within the ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a process of developing socio-cultural indicators to support local and regional decision-making for eco-efficiency. Although eco-efficiency is calculated using environmental and economic variables, decisions on local and regional levels cannot ignore the socio-cultural impacts. The indicators were developed by a participatory process that was based on involvement and empowerment of local actors. The process ensured policy relevance and meaningful indicators and advanced their future use in the decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of eco-efficiency is commonly referred to as a business link to sustainable development. In this article, eco-efficiency is examined at a regional level as an approach to promoting the competitiveness of economic activities in the Finnish Kymenlaakso region and mitigating their harmful impacts on the environment. The aim is to develop appropriate indicators for monitoring changes in the eco-efficiency of the region. A starting point is to produce indicators for the environmental and economic dimensions of regional development and use them for measuring regional eco-efficiency. The environmental impact indicators are based on a life-cycle assessment method, producing different types of environmental impact indicators: pressure indicators (e.g., emissions of CO2), impact category indicators (e.g., CO2 equivalents in the case of climate change), and a total impact indicator (aggregating different impact category indicator results into a single value). Environmental impact indicators based on direct material input, total material input, and total material requirement of the Kymenlaakso region are also assessed. The economic indicators used are the gross domestic product, the value added, and the output of the main economic sectors of Kymenlaakso. In the eco-efficiency assessment, the economic and environmental impact indicators are monitored in the same graph. In a few cases eco-efficiency ratios can also be calculated (the economic indicators are divided by the environmental indicators). Output (= value added + intermediate consumption) is used as an economic indicator related to the environmental impact indicators, which also cover the upstream processes of the region's activities. In the article, we also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using the different environmental impact indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this multiple-case study the BAT-associated techniques and relative emission levels presented in the EU's best available techniques (BAT) reference document for the pulp and paper industry (PP-BREF) are compared with the techniques applied and the relative emission levels achieved in the Finnish pulp and paper industry. Information on the emissions of 24 Finnish pulp and paper plants was compiled from the national databases maintained by the Finnish Environment Institute. Moreover, a supportive study was conducted on the use of the PP-BREF in the environmental permitting process. The techniques applied in the studied plants represented the BAT as defined in the PP-BREF to a high degree, but the emission levels showed a larger variation. Possible reasons for this variation were discussed. A BAT emission index (BEI) was designed to trace the degree to which the BAT-associated emission levels were achieved as a whole. The BEI appeared to be a useful indicator for assessing the BAT-related environmental performance of the plants. An important area for improvement, identified from the point of view of the applicability of the PP-BREF in the permit process, was the information on waste management issues. Moreover, a consistent cross-media assessment in the PP-BREF was called for. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ECOREG project, which is funded by the Life-Environment programme, aims to demonstrate the concept and implementation of eco-efficiency, using the Finnish Kymenlaakso region as a case study. Indicators for regional eco-efficiency, combining the ecological, economic, social and cultural aspects of development, will be designed and quantified for the year 2000. A long term (2005, 2010,...) mechanism will also be prepared for evaluating progress made in regional eco-efficiency in Kymenlaakso and for prioritizing actions needed for further improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first Finnish National Waste Plan follows the waste policy of the European Union by setting high recovery rate targets, i.e., 50%wt by the end of 2000 and 70%wt by 2005, for municipal solid waste management (MSWM). A computer model, TASAR (Tool for Analysing Separation Actions and Recovery), was developed to study recovery levels reached by different separation strategies in Finland. The model includes a special method which was developed for the analysis of interdependence between the on-site obligation limits and the coverage of on-site collection systems. In the study TASAR proved to be a useful tool in calculating the recovery rates attained with various separation strategies. The recovery rate targets set in the National Waste Plan cannot be reached by source separation alone. This conclusion holds true regardless of the source separation strategy used. Even when the source separation activity of waste producers was increased by 15 to 30% the 70%wt target required an all-inclusive on site collection for all recoverable waste components and all waste producers. Consequently, central separation of mixed waste must be added to the MSWM strategies pursued in order to improve the efficiency of source separation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is undergoing major changes due mainly to high recovery rate targets being set by the European Union and national Governments. These higher rates have been set as one measure to achieve the sus- tamable development required by Agenda 21 of United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992. Increasing the recovery rates for munici pal solid waste affects waste management systems, particularly the composition of waste streams, costs and emissions from treatment and disposal activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Management of forest resources and related industries has a significant effect on the Finnish environment. Therefore there was an obviousneed for a study to assess environmental impacts and to identify needs and options for environmental improvements in the forest sector. It was against this background that the Finnish Environment Institute carried out a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the Finnish forest industry. This application included methodological innovations compared with the traditional product-related LCA because it was a study of the whole production system of the mechanical and chemical forest industry. Areas for improvement of environmental protection in the forest sector for the year 2005 were identified on the basis of the inventory (emissions, wastes, etc.), environmental impact assessment and other available data. During the study a new impact assessment procedure was developed in order to assess more actual impacts of country-specific systems. Although the prioritized factors found were not strongly ranked against each other it can be concluded that maintaining biodiversity in the context of forestry practices and increasing the efficiency of energy use are the key issues in the environmental protection of the forest sector. Before detailed ranking of emissions and other stressors can be produced there is a need for more reliable stressor data, better understanding of stressor/effect relationships and more consensus on the importance of different environmental problems. Despite the limitations and needs for further development, the presented LCA approach can be regarded as a useful tool for providing a deeper understanding of the key issues in the environmental protection of a whole production system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of life cycle inventory (LCI) analyses that were carried out to determine the environmental impacts (emissions, resource extractions and land use) of different newspaper waste management options for the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (HMA). LCI analyses were performed for five product systems, in which discarded newspapers were divided into two streams: separately collected newspapers and newspapers in mixed waste. In all the options, the manufacturing and printing processes of newspaper were kept unchanged. The waste management alternatives included combinations of material recycling, energy recovery and landfilling. These product systems were modelled using the current collection rate of newspaper and four additional collection rates. The LCIs of the product systems showed that the life cycle phase causing the most environmental impacts was the paper mill. When comparing the different waste management systems, the energy recovery options were in general superior to landfilling. The ecological implications of the increased energy recovery and decreased material recycling of newspaper were, however, not yet considered in the study. These aspects were assessed in the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA), which was performed after the LCI phase.