priority products and materials - iswa.org · priority products and materials iswa, 23 may 201...

Priority Products and MaterialsISWA, 23 May 201

Guido Sonnemann

Sonia ValdiviaSonia Valdivia

SCP Branch

DTIE

UNEPUNEP

UNEP Thematic PrioritiesThematic Priorities

Climate Change

H f l Harmful Substances & Hazardous

Waste

Environmental Governance

Ecosystem Management

Disasters & Conflicts

Resource Efficiency & SCP

**SCP = Sustainable

C ti &Consumption & Production

UNEP – SCPUNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative

Authoritativeassessments of

Identification of priority areas &

articulation of assessments of env’l impact and resource stress using life cycle approach

articulation of programs based on

the guiding principles of life

cycle methodologiesmethodologies

Life cycle indicators(carbon, water footprints

etc.) to evaluate cost-b fit f i t t d

http://www.unep.fr/scp/sc/

benefit of investment and clean tech applications

4

Assessing the environmental impactsAssessing the environmental impacts of consumption and production:

PriorityPriority ProductsProducts andKey Messagesand materials

y g

1 June 2010International Panel on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources

Summary: findings at a glance The Panel reviewed how economic activities drive

l d h f llnatural resource use and the generation of pollution Studies and perspectives converge on the dominance of:p p g

Agriculture and food consumption Activities (mobility, housing and energy using products) using Activities (mobility, housing and energy using products) using

fossil fuelsas main contributors for environmental impactsas main contributors for environmental impacts

Other findings:I t i ith i Impacts rise with income

Pollution embodied in trade is relevant

• Outlook: New patterns of consumption and production needed. Harmonized data gathering and better trend analyses will help

improved decision making

The Working group used a five step approach:g g p p pp

1. Relevant Impacts - Which key environmental and resource pressures need to be considered?P d i i Wh h h hi h 2. Production perspective – What sectors have the highest impacts?C ti ti Wh t ti l t 3. Consumption perspective – What consumption clusters drive most life cycle impacts?

4 Material use perspective What materials have the 4. Material use perspective – What materials have the highest impacts?

5 Outlook and conclusions – What are common 5. Outlook and conclusions – What are common denominators?

International Panel on the Sustainable Resource ManagementAssessing the Environmental Impacts of Production and Consumption: Priority Products and Materials

LCIA Midpoint-Damage Framework of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle InitiativeUNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative

Methodological Frameworkg8

International Panel on the Sustainable Use of Natural ResourcesAssessing the Environmental Impacts of Production and Consumption: Priority Products and Materials

Step 1: Most relevant pressures and impactsp p p

B d M l Based on

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

WHO Burden of Disease study

Most relevant

Human and ecosystem health: Climate change WHO Burden of Disease study

Life cycle impact studies

Climate change Habitat change (land + water use) Eutrophication (overfertilisation by

i d h h )nitrogen and phosphorus) Urban and regional air pollution Indoor air pollution Other toxic emissions

Resource depletionF l f l d l Fossil fuels and some metals

Unsustainable fish harvest


Step 2: Production perspective (macro)p p p ( )

Production perspective:

looks at direct emissions and primary resource use

Most critical sectors:

Processes involving fossil fuel combustion (Climate change, p a y esou ce use

Informs policy and producers where clean technologies are

d d

co bus o (C a e c a ge, air pollution, eutrophication)

Agricultural activities using bi (W l d most needed

Sources used

For global warming: IPCC

biomass (Water, land, eutrophication, toxicity)

Fisheries (Biotic resource For global warming: IPCC

For other problems: US database as example

(depletion)

(insufficient global data)


Step 3: Consumption perspective (macro)p p p p ( )

C ti ti Consumption perspective: Looks at life cycle impacts of final consumption

Informs policy and consumers on areas of desirable shifts to Informs policy and consumers on areas of desirable shifts to low impact products sustainable life stylesy

Food, mobility, housing (including energy using products) drive > 70% of impacts

Pollution embodied in trade increasingly relevant

Sources used: Example: EIPRO study


Step 4: Material use perspective (mezzo)p p p ( )

M t i l ti Material use perspective: Use of materials and their life-cycle impact

Informs policy and producers how shifts in material base can Informs policy and producers how shifts in material base can contribute to lower impacts

Two approaches:pp Counting mass (MFA)

Calculating impacts (EMC)


Material use, CO2 and total impacts

~16%

>50%

20%~20%

Environmentally weighted material consumption (EMC)

Step 5: Outlook and conclusionsp

The production, consumption and materials perspective point to: A i lt d f d ti Agriculture and food consumption

Processes engaging fossil fuels Mobility, y, Housing and energy using products

New patterns of consumption and production needed: impacts rise with income

Trade relevant for decoupling:pollution embodied in trade becomes more relevant

Better harmonized data across countries will improve monitoring and decision making


THANKS!

Offi f th S t i tOffice of the Secretariat SCP Branch, UNEP DTIE, Parishttp://lcinitiative.unep.fr/p [email protected] [email protected]

priority products and materials - iswa.org · priority products and materials iswa, 23 may 201...

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