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The use of nanostructured materials has been recently proposed in the field of environmental nanoremediation. This approach consists in using nanomaterials not directly, but as building blocks for the design of nano‐porous micro‐dimensional systems, overcoming the eco‐ and health‐toxicology risks generally associated with the use of nano‐sized technologies. Herein we report the use of life cycle assessment (LCA) as an eco‐design tool for optimizing the production of cellulose nanosponges (CNS), nanostructured materials recently developed for water remediation purposes. LCA was applied from the acquisition of raw materials to the synthesis of CNS (from cradle‐to‐gate), considering three production systems, from the lab‐level to a modeled scale‐up system. The lab‐scale LCA identified the main environmental hotspots, namely the energy‐consuming steps and the final purification of the material (washing step). In a second lab‐scale production, an improvement action could be implemented, switching the washing solvent from methanol to water and decreasing the washing temperature. A second LCA showed a reduced contribution to the impacts from the materials, while the global impacts remained within the same order of magnitude. A simulated scale‐up of the process allowed to optimize the energy‐consuming steps and the water consumption, through internal recycling. A third LCA assessed the resulting benefits and a decrease in the global impacts by two orders of magnitude. Our study contributes to the discussion of LCA community, providing a focus on the importance of scaling‐up of emerging technologies, namely nanostructured porous materials, highlighting the benefits of a LCA based approach since the very beginning of product design (eco‐design). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the interest in environmental issues has increased, along with the idea that consumer choices can actually improve the performance of the production system. A large number of eco-labelling schemes have been introduced, both at private and public levels. In this study, we apply a life-cycle methodology to assess the environmental impacts associated with extra-virgin olive oil production. The results of LCA were used to set the environmental requirements of a local product qualification scheme defined according to the National Protocol (QUAM – Qualità Ambientale), signed by two Italian Ministries and four Regional Governments, on the environmental qualification of cluster products. Using the three performance indicators taken from the LCA study and two input indicators, we defined a set of entry level requirements which each local producer must comply with in order to achieve the qualification. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT The paradigm of the green economy has contributed to raising the attention paid to developing sustainability-oriented strategies for supply chain (SC) management. The responsibility of producers to extend and reverse SCs is a critical and timely topic that captures increasing concerns over the way firms can adapt their business models to interlinking technical, socio-economic and environmental frameworks. This is particularly true when producers are not also reuse/recycle actors. By performing a critical review of the scientific literature on this field, this article develops nine elemental factors that can be considered for assessing the impacts of collaborative strategies as a means to implement extended producer responsibility (EPR) in open-loop SCs. The resulting conceptual framework provides EPR implementation guidance under different market conditions. Inter-organizational relationships are found to present both opportunities and threats that can be profitably managed under a systemic perspective. Implications for management and needs for further research are discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle assessment has been used to compare a rubberized asphalt road prototype with a conventional asphalt road, designed within the EU LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance Project ROADTIRE "Integration of end-of-life tires in the life cycle of road construction", to be constructed in Lamia, Greece. The analysis covers the construction of the road bituminous layer, base and subbase, including production of materials and components, energy consumption, materials transportation and maintenance of the road. The disposal of the road is not included within the analyzed system. The assessment shows that, in both cases (conventional and rubberized asphalt layer), the main contribution to the environmental impacts is due to bitumen production and fuel consumption in the top asphalt layer construction. However, although the addition of end-of-life tires crumb rubber to the bitumen in the road construction yields increased burdens on some impact categories, rubberized asphalt shows overall reduced environmental impacts with respect to conventional asphalt, mainly due to its better performance over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]