Chitosan, one of the significant marine polysaccharides, has attracted widespread attention due to its excellent biocompatibility and broad application prospects. This study proposes a novel green extraction method based on Brønsted acid-base deep eutectic solvents (DESs) for the efficient production of chitosan from the exoskeleton of blue crabs, achieving a green alternative to traditional inorganic acid-base chemical processes. Unlike conventional processes, this study innovatively replaces inorganic acids with acidic DESs and sodium hydroxide with alkaline DES, establishing an environmentally friendly deacetylation route. The effects of four different acidic DESs on chitosan purity were systematically compared. The produced chitosan was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR). Characteristic NMR peaks at 4.6 and 4.8 ppm confirm the formation of glucosamine structures, indicating that the purity of the resulting chitosan is comparable to that of commercial one. Furthermore, this study established a process technology roadmap and life cycle assessment (LCA) model to identify environmental impact hotspots during the extraction process. The results showed that electricity consumption during the manufacturing phase was the primary source of environmental burden, providing clear guidance for subsequent energy optimization and industrial scale-up.

Agriculture and food production can cause a variety of adverse environmental impacts. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the only standardised method so far that provides a comprehensive assessment of the environmental burden of products. LCA results can be expressed as environmental impacts (midpoint level) or environmental damage (endpoint level). Communication on environmental impact is mostly carried out as a part of the Carbon Footprint (CF) or Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), while reporting on environmental damage is rarely used. Due to the growing interest of consumers in ‘healthy’ food, it is important that food producers address the environmental damage. Therefore, an overview of existing Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methods that provide insight into endpoint indicators describing damage to human health has been performed and presented in this paper. The application of the selected LCIA methods is demonstrated for the case of food products, highlighting the fact that the results obtained by different LCIA methods are not directly comparable due to a variety of methodological limitations, such as the existence of different environmental indicators and their structure. Finally, the usage of the LCA method for designing food products is presented, with the aim of enabling consumers to choose diets with lower environment and human health impacts.

The construction sector emphasises circular economy principles that prioritise eco-design strategies, particularly the usage of secondary raw materials. The growing interest in using industrial hemp as a sustainable building material in the construction sector is driven by its versatility. Industrial hemp has been preferential in comparison to other traditional building materials due to its lower global warming impact. Claims regarding the environmental benefits of hemp-containing construction materials based on the single impact category could be misleading; therefore, life cycle assessment (LCA) studies including multiple environmental indicators should be implemented. This study aims to compare two alternative wall designs regarding their environmental impacts. The comparative LCA study for hempcrete and prefabricated walls used in residential buildings was assessed using IPCC and ReCiPe life cycle impact assessment methods. The study highlighted a significant discrepancy depending on the number of environmental indicators considered, as well as between characterised and weighted LCA results. A hempcrete wall was recognised as a slightly (13.63%) better alternative when assessed by the single-issue IPCC method, while its total burden assessed by the ReCiPe method was recognised to be significantly (2.78 times) higher. Based on the results from this case study, regulators could re-evaluate the appropriateness of reporting LCA results solely on the midpoint level, particularly when limited to a single impact indicator, while producers in the construction sector should recognise the threat of greenwashing when reporting using a single impact indicator only.

Consumers are increasingly exposed to environmental claims on food products. These claims often lack scientific validation and there are different methodologies that can be used for grounding these claims, which can lead to misleading results. The European Union’s (EU) Environmental Footprint methodology excludes the aggregation of environmental impacts, including damage to human health. This fact reduces transparency and limits the consumers’ ability to make information-based sustainable choices. This study aims to address this issue by calculating aggregated impacts on human health via life cycle assessment (LCA) in the agriculture and food-production sectors. In the study the IMPACT World+ method was used, including trustworthy databases and proper functional unit definition. The assessment encompassed three types of vegetables, four types of fruit, and four types of ready meals. The study also attempts to assess the impact of different farming systems (organic and conventional) on human health. Two standardised functional units, i.e., the unit based on product weight and product energy value were considered for each group of products. Our findings showed significant differences in results when different functional units were used. Additionally, no conclusion could be drawn regarding which farming system is more sustainable. Therefore, it is essential that the regulator clearly defines the criteria for selecting the appropriate functional unit in LCA within the agriculture and food-production sectors. In the absence of these criteria, results should be presented for all alternatives. Although not required by EU regulation, the authors suggest that companies should nevertheless disclose information regarding the environmental impact of agriculture and food production on human health, as this is important for consumers.

Pri okoljskem upravljanju podjetij se menedžerji srečujejo z več izzivi, med drugim tudi z razvojem okolju primernejših proizvodov. Uporaba načel okoljskega oblikovanja oz. ekodizajna je lahko zahtevno opravilo in predstavlja velik korak k preprečevanju obremenitev okolja pri viru ter s tem prispeva k bolj trajnostni družbi. Za ekodizajniranje proizvodov je na voljo več orodij, ki so različno zahtevna in lahko osvetlijo različne vidike načrtovanja proizvodov. Najbolj celovita orodja ekodizajniranja upoštevajo okoljske obremenitve v vsaki fazi okoljskega življenjskega cikla proizvodov. Ta študija prikazuje primer sistematičnega pristopa k vpeljavi ekodizajna v gradbenem sektorju in je namenjena vsem, ki se ukvarjajo z razvojem izdelkov ali se za ekodizajn zanimajo. Zasnovana je tako, da za razumevanje koncepta ekodizajna ni potrebno predhodno znanje o splošnih postopkih oblikovanja in s tem povezanih tržnih vidikih. Prikazana je uporaba izbranih metod ekodizajniranja proizvodov v podjetju, ki je proizvajalec PVC stavbnega pohištva. Na primeru steklenih oken s PVC okvirjem je bralec voden skozi faze ekodizajniranja proizvoda na način, ki omogoča uporabo istih orodij za okoljsko optimizacijo tudi drugih proizvodov s področja gradbeništva.

The phase-out of asbestos in urban environments represents a complex challenge across European municipalities. Despite European Union targets to achieve asbestos-free cities, implementation remains uneven because municipalities face fragmented regulations, differing inspection and disclosure requirements, limited funding, technical constraints, and variable public awareness. The paper identifies key barriers, including regulatory heterogeneity, inadequate disposal infrastructure, financing gaps, and institutional coordination challenges, alongside enabling factors such as harmonized policies, innovative treatment technologies, capacity-building programs, community engagement, and transparent governance. Based on these insights, a typology of municipal transition pathways is developed, including compliance-driven, retrofit-integrated, innovation-led, community-driven, and market-based approaches. The findings underline equity considerations, emphasizing the need to prevent disadvantaged communities from remaining disproportionately exposed to asbestos hazards. By framing asbestos removal as a material legacy transition within broader urban sustainability transitions, the paper contributes to theoretical understanding of socio-technical and ecosystem dynamics while offering practical guidance for policymakers, urban planners, and other stakeholders seeking resilient, equitable, and sustainable asbestos-free municipalities across Europe. It also highlights the importance of integrated governance, long-term financing, systematic monitoring, knowledge sharing between municipalities, stakeholder collaboration, regulatory consistency, public communication, workforce training, and continuous policy learning to accelerate safe, effective, scalable implementation across diverse European regions sustainably.