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Sustainable and responsible production and consumption are at the heart of sustainable development, explicitly mentioned as one of the sustainable development goals (SDG12). Life cycle assessment, with its integrated holistic approach, is considered a reference method for the assessment of the environmental impact of production and consumption. This paper presents a study on the environmental impacts of final consumption in Europe in five areas of consumption: food, mobility, housing, household goods, and appliances. Based on the selection of a set of representative products to meet food, mobility, housing, and other consumers’ needs, environmental impacts of products are assessed over their full life cycle: from raw material extraction to production, distribution, use, and end-of-life phase. Life cycle inventories of representative products are multiplied by consumption statistics to assess the impact of an average European citizen in 2010 and 2015. Impacts are assessed considering the sixteen impact categories of the Environmental Footprint method. Results reveal that food is the most relevant area of consumption driving environmental impacts. Use phase is the most important life cycle stage for many impact categories, especially for the areas of consumption housing, mobility, and appliances. For the areas of consumption food and household goods, the most important life cycle phase is related to upstream processes, which corresponds to agricultural activities for food and manufacturing of products components for household goods. Apart from the results, the paper includes a detailed discussion on further methodological improvements and research needs to make use of the Consumer Footprint as an indicator for monitoring SDG 12 and for supporting sustainable production and consumption policies.
Serenella Sala; Valentina Castellani. The consumer footprint: Monitoring sustainable development goal 12 with process-based life cycle assessment. Journal of Cleaner Production 2019, 240, 118050 .
AMA StyleSerenella Sala, Valentina Castellani. The consumer footprint: Monitoring sustainable development goal 12 with process-based life cycle assessment. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019; 240 ():118050.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSerenella Sala; Valentina Castellani. 2019. "The consumer footprint: Monitoring sustainable development goal 12 with process-based life cycle assessment." Journal of Cleaner Production 240, no. : 118050.
The environmental impacts generated by household consumption are generally calculated through footprints, allocating the supply-chain impacts to the final consumers. This study compares the result of the Consumer Footprint indicator, aimed at assessing the impacts of household consumption in Europe, calculated with the two standard approaches usually implemented for footprint calculations: (i) a bottom-up approach, based on process-Life cycle assessment of a set of products and services representing household consumption, and (ii) a top-down approach, based on environmentally extended input-output tables (EXIOBASE 3). Environmental impacts are calculated considering 14 environmental impact categories out of the 16 included in the EF2017 impact assessment method. Both footprints show similar total values regarding climate change, freshwater eutrophication and fossil resource use, but in the meantime very large differences (more than a factor 2) regarding particulate matter, photochemical ozone formation, land use and mineral resource use. The exclusion of services in the bottom-up approach can explain only to some extent these differences. However, the two approaches converge in identifying food as the main driver of impact in most of the impact categories considered (with a generally lower contribution in top-down compared to bottom-up). Housing and mobility are relevant as well for some impact categories (e.g. particulate matter and fossil resource depletion). Some substances are identified as hotspot by both approaches, e.g. the emission of NH3 to air (for acidification and terrestrial eutrophication), of NOx to air (for acidification, marine and terrestrial eutrophication, and, to some extent, photochemical ozone formation), of P to water and to soil (for freshwater eutrophication) and of fossil CO2 to air (for climate change). Significant differences at the inventory side are key drivers for the differences in total impacts. These include: (i) differences in the intensity of emissions, (ii) differences in the coverage of elementary flows, (iii) differences in the level of detail relative to elementary flows. Overall, the key converging results from both approaches (in particular regarding most contributing areas of consumption and substances) can be considered as a robust basis to support the definition of policies aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of household consumption in Europe.
Valentina Castellani; Antoine Beylot; Serenella Sala. Environmental impacts of household consumption in Europe: Comparing process-based LCA and environmentally extended input-output analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production 2019, 240, 117966 .
AMA StyleValentina Castellani, Antoine Beylot, Serenella Sala. Environmental impacts of household consumption in Europe: Comparing process-based LCA and environmentally extended input-output analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019; 240 ():117966.
Chicago/Turabian StyleValentina Castellani; Antoine Beylot; Serenella Sala. 2019. "Environmental impacts of household consumption in Europe: Comparing process-based LCA and environmentally extended input-output analysis." Journal of Cleaner Production 240, no. : 117966.
Energy consumption of buildings is one of the major drivers of environmental impacts. Life cycle assessment (LCA) may support the assessment of burdens and benefits associated to eco-innovations aiming at reducing these environmental impacts. Energy efficiency policies however typically focus on the meso- or macro-scale, while interventions are typically taken at the micro-scale. This paper presents an approach that bridges this gap by using the results of energy simulations and LCA studies at the building level to estimate the effect of micro-scale eco-innovations on the macro-scale, i.e. the housing stock in Europe. LCA and dynamic energy simulations are integrated to accurately assess the life cycle environmental burdens and benefits of eco-innovation measures at the building level. This allows quantitatively assessing the effectiveness of these measures to lower the energy use and environmental impact of buildings. The analysis at this micro-scale focuses on 24 representative residential buildings within the EU. For the upscaling to the EU housing stock, a hybrid approach is used. The results of the micro-scale analysis are upscaled to the EU housing stock scale by adopting the eco-innovation measures to (part of) the EU building stock (bottom–up approach) and extrapolating the relative impact reduction obtained for the reference buildings to the baseline stock model. The reference buildings in the baseline stock model have been developed by European Commission-Joint Research Centre based on a statistical analysis (top–down approach) of the European housing stock. The method is used to evaluate five scenarios covering various aspects: building components (building envelope insulation), technical installations (renewable energy), user behaviour (night setback of the setpoint temperature), and a combined scenario. Results show that the proposed combination of bottom–up and top–down approaches allow accurately assessing the impact of eco-innovation measures at the macro-scale. The results indicate that a combination of policy measures is necessary to lower the environmental impacts of the building stock to a significative extent. Interventions addressing energy efficiency at building level may lead to the need of a trade-off between resource efficiency and environmental impacts. LCA integrated with dynamic energy simulation may help unveiling the potential improvements and burdens associated to eco-innovations.
Karen Allacker; Valentina Castellani; Giorgio Baldinelli; Francesco Bianchi; Catia Baldassarri; Serenella Sala. Energy simulation and LCA for macro-scale analysis of eco-innovations in the housing stock. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2018, 24, 989 -1008.
AMA StyleKaren Allacker, Valentina Castellani, Giorgio Baldinelli, Francesco Bianchi, Catia Baldassarri, Serenella Sala. Energy simulation and LCA for macro-scale analysis of eco-innovations in the housing stock. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2018; 24 (6):989-1008.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKaren Allacker; Valentina Castellani; Giorgio Baldinelli; Francesco Bianchi; Catia Baldassarri; Serenella Sala. 2018. "Energy simulation and LCA for macro-scale analysis of eco-innovations in the housing stock." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 24, no. 6: 989-1008.
The study describes the results of a full LCA applied to 24 statistically-based dwelling archetypes, representative of the EU housing stock in 2010. The aim is to quantify the average environmental impacts related to housing in Europe and to define reference values (baseline scenario) for policies development. The average environmental impacts has been calculated accounting for the number of dwellings (clustered per typology, year of construction and climate zone) related to each representative model. System boundaries include production, construction, use (energy and water consumption), maintenance/replacement, and end-of-life phases of each dwelling. The environmental life cycle impact assessment is carried out using the ILCD method. EU average annual environmental impact per person, per dwelling and per m2 were calculated. Results show that the average life cycle greenhouse gases emissions related to housing per person per year are 2.62 t CO2eq and related to a representative dwelling per year are of 6.36 t CO2eq. The use phase (energy and water consumption) is the most relevant one, followed by the production of construction materials and by replacement operations. Single-family houses are responsible for the highest share of impacts from housing in Europe. The same type of building has different impacts in different climatic zones, especially because of differences in the need for space heating. In general, electricity use and space heating are the activities that contribute the most to the overall impacts. The overall results could be used as a baseline scenario for testing eco-innovation scenarios for impact reduction and for setting targets.
Monica Lavagna; Catia Baldassarri; Andrea Campioli; Serena Giorgi; Anna Dalla Valle; Valentina Castellani; Serenella Sala. Benchmarks for environmental impact of housing in Europe: Definition of archetypes and LCA of the residential building stock. Building and Environment 2018, 145, 260 -275.
AMA StyleMonica Lavagna, Catia Baldassarri, Andrea Campioli, Serena Giorgi, Anna Dalla Valle, Valentina Castellani, Serenella Sala. Benchmarks for environmental impact of housing in Europe: Definition of archetypes and LCA of the residential building stock. Building and Environment. 2018; 145 ():260-275.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMonica Lavagna; Catia Baldassarri; Andrea Campioli; Serena Giorgi; Anna Dalla Valle; Valentina Castellani; Serenella Sala. 2018. "Benchmarks for environmental impact of housing in Europe: Definition of archetypes and LCA of the residential building stock." Building and Environment 145, no. : 260-275.
Food waste has gained prominence in the European political debate thanks to the recent Circular Economy package. Currently the waste hierarchy, introduced by the Waste Framework Directive, has been the rule followed to prioritize food waste prevention and management measures according to the environmental criteria. But when considering other criteria along with the environmental one, such as the economic, other tools are needed for the prioritization and optimization. This paper addresses the situation in which a decision-maker has to design a food waste prevention programme considering the limited economic resources in order to achieve the highest environmental impact prevention along the whole food life cycle. A methodology using Life Cycle Assessment and mathematical programing is proposed and its capabilities are shown through a case study. Results show that the order established in the waste hierarchy is generally followed. The proposed methodology revealed to be especially helpful in identifying “quick wins” – measures that should be always prioritized since they avoid a high environmental impact at a low cost. Besides, in order to aggregate the environmental scores related to a variety of impact categories, different weighting sets were proposed. In general, results show that the relevance of the weighting set in the prioritization of the measures appears to be limited. Finally, the correlation between reducing food waste generation and reducing environmental impact along the Food Supply Chain has been studied. Results highlight that when planning food waste prevention strategies, it is important to set the targets at the level of environmental impact instead of setting the targets at the level of avoided food waste generation (in mass).
Jorge Cristóbal; Valentina Castellani; Simone Manfredi; Serenella Sala. Prioritizing and optimizing sustainable measures for food waste prevention and management. Waste Management 2017, 72, 3 -16.
AMA StyleJorge Cristóbal, Valentina Castellani, Simone Manfredi, Serenella Sala. Prioritizing and optimizing sustainable measures for food waste prevention and management. Waste Management. 2017; 72 ():3-16.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJorge Cristóbal; Valentina Castellani; Simone Manfredi; Serenella Sala. 2017. "Prioritizing and optimizing sustainable measures for food waste prevention and management." Waste Management 72, no. : 3-16.
Analysis of agricultural production with life cycle based methodologies is data demanding. To build comprehensive life cycle inventories, secondary datasets are commonly used when primary data are not available. However, different inventory data and modelling approaches are used to populate secondary datasets, leading to different results. The present study analyses the features of twelve secondary datasets to support datasets selection and proper interpretation of results. We assess twelve datasets for arable crop production in France, as modelled in three databases often used in the LCA field (Agri-footprint, ecoinvent and AGRIBALYSE). First, we compared system boundaries and general assumptions. Second, we focused on foreground systems comparing, inventory data, data sources and modelling approaches. Third, we performed a contribution analysis of impact assessment results to identify modelling choices that contribute most to differences in the results. Nine relevant elements were identified and assessed: definition of system boundaries and modelling of agricultural practices, characteristics of inventory data, agricultural operations, fertiliser application and fate, plant protection products application and fate, heavy metals inputs to the agricultural system and fate, irrigation assumptions, land use and transformation. The datasets differ greatly with respect to these elements. Hence, recommendations are drawn from the datasets comparison, supporting the selection of the datasets coherently with the goal and scope of a study and interpretation of results.
Sara Corrado; Valentina Castellani; Luca Zampori; Serenella Sala. Systematic analysis of secondary life cycle inventories when modelling agricultural production: A case study for arable crops. Journal of Cleaner Production 2017, 172, 3990 -4000.
AMA StyleSara Corrado, Valentina Castellani, Luca Zampori, Serenella Sala. Systematic analysis of secondary life cycle inventories when modelling agricultural production: A case study for arable crops. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2017; 172 ():3990-4000.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSara Corrado; Valentina Castellani; Luca Zampori; Serenella Sala. 2017. "Systematic analysis of secondary life cycle inventories when modelling agricultural production: A case study for arable crops." Journal of Cleaner Production 172, no. : 3990-4000.
Valentina Castellani; Serenella Sala; Lorenzo Benini. Hotspots analysis and critical interpretation of food life cycle assessment studies for selecting eco-innovation options and for policy support. Journal of Cleaner Production 2017, 140, 556 -568.
AMA StyleValentina Castellani, Serenella Sala, Lorenzo Benini. Hotspots analysis and critical interpretation of food life cycle assessment studies for selecting eco-innovation options and for policy support. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2017; 140 ():556-568.
Chicago/Turabian StyleValentina Castellani; Serenella Sala; Lorenzo Benini. 2017. "Hotspots analysis and critical interpretation of food life cycle assessment studies for selecting eco-innovation options and for policy support." Journal of Cleaner Production 140, no. : 556-568.
Enhancing and promoting eco-innovation solutions in cosmetic industry requires robust methods for assessing the environmental impacts and reducing burden shifting amongst life cycle stages and typology of impacts. This study aims at comparing the environmental profile of eco-innovation options for a cosmetic product by means of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. We present a case study in which synthetic ingredients are replaced by others derived from natural compounds, following green chemistry principles. A C16-18 triglycerides mixture (INCI name “palmitic/stearic triglycerides”) derived from olive oil industry by-products is used both as single ingredient (Innovation I) and as part of a preformulated one (Innovation II), replacing the starting formulation (Benchmark) caprylic/capric triglyceride. Options are compared through LCA applying ILCD impact assessment focusing the analysis to water and energy consumption, sources of raw materials and previous manufacturing stages thereof. In order to test the robustness of the results, we performed a set of sensitivity analyses: i) changing assumptions about transports and irrigation of olive trees; ii) comparing results of the application of two LCIA methods (CML and IMPACT 2002). The results show that the impacts derived from the selection of ingredients are more significant than those due to water and energy consumption. Applying different methods, results show significant differences, especially in toxicity-related impact categories. Overall, an alleged “eco-friendly” ingredient (such as a natural by-product derived one) could result in a less preferable environmental profile if assessed in a life cycle perspective. This supports the need of adopting life cycle based methods to ensure that green chemistry options respond to the need of reducing environmental in all life cycle stages.
Michela Secchi; Valentina Castellani; Elena Collina; Nadia Mirabella; Serenella Sala. Assessing eco-innovations in green chemistry: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a cosmetic product with a bio-based ingredient. Journal of Cleaner Production 2016, 129, 269 -281.
AMA StyleMichela Secchi, Valentina Castellani, Elena Collina, Nadia Mirabella, Serenella Sala. Assessing eco-innovations in green chemistry: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a cosmetic product with a bio-based ingredient. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2016; 129 ():269-281.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMichela Secchi; Valentina Castellani; Elena Collina; Nadia Mirabella; Serenella Sala. 2016. "Assessing eco-innovations in green chemistry: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a cosmetic product with a bio-based ingredient." Journal of Cleaner Production 129, no. : 269-281.
Food consumption is amongst the main drivers of environmental impacts. On one hand, there is the need to fulfil a fundamental human need for nutrition, and on the other hand this poses critical threats to the environment. In order to assess the environmental impact of food consumption, a lifecycle assessment (LCA)-based approach has been applied to a basket of products, selected as being representative of EU consumption. A basket of food products was identified as representative of the average food and beverage consumption in Europe, reflecting the relative importance of the products in terms of mass and economic value. The products in the basket are: pork, beef, poultry, milk, cheese, butter, bread, sugar, sunflower oil, olive oil, potatoes, oranges, apples, mineral water, roasted coffee, beer and pre-prepared meals. For each product in the basket, a highly disaggregated inventory model was developed based on a modular approach, and built using statistical data. The environmental impact of the average food consumption of European citizens was assessed using the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) methodology. The overall results indicate that, for most of the impact categories, the consumed foods with the highest environmental burden are meat products (beef, pork and poultry) and dairy products (cheese, milk and butter). The agricultural phase is the lifecycle stage that has the highest impact of all the foods in the basket, due to the contribution of agronomic and zootechnical activities. Food processing and logistics are the next most important phases in terms of environmental impacts, due to their energy intensity and the related emissions to the atmosphere that occur through the production of heat, steam and electricity and during transport. Regarding the end-of-life phase, human excretion and wastewater treatments pose environmental burdens related to eutrophying substances whose environmental impacts are greater than those of the agriculture, transports and processing phases. Moreover, food losses which occur throughout the whole lifecycle, in terms of agricultural/industrial and domestic food waste, have also to be taken into consideration, since they can amount to up to 60% of the initial weight of the food products. The results of the study go beyond the mere assessment of the potential impacts associated with food consumption, as the overall approach may serve as a baseline for testing eco-innovation scenarios for impact reduction as well as for setting targets.
Bruno Notarnicola; Giuseppe Tassielli; Pietro Alexander Renzulli; Valentina Castellani; S. Sala. Environmental impacts of food consumption in Europe. Journal of Cleaner Production 2016, 140, 753 -765.
AMA StyleBruno Notarnicola, Giuseppe Tassielli, Pietro Alexander Renzulli, Valentina Castellani, S. Sala. Environmental impacts of food consumption in Europe. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2016; 140 ():753-765.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBruno Notarnicola; Giuseppe Tassielli; Pietro Alexander Renzulli; Valentina Castellani; S. Sala. 2016. "Environmental impacts of food consumption in Europe." Journal of Cleaner Production 140, no. : 753-765.
Distance-to-target (DTT) methods are weighting methods aimed at assessing the distance of an existing situation from a desired state (the target). Weighting factors in DTT methods could be based on calculation which is performed on normalization factors (NFs) developed for life cycle assessment (LCA). At present, some DTT weighting sets have been developed. However, there is no DTT weighting set assessing the distance of EU domestic impacts from the desired state set by EU binding or non-binding policy targets (e.g., those related to the “Climate and Energy Package” and the “Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe”). In the present work, a methodology to derive target references from policy-based targets in 2020 (TRs2020), both binding (A) and non-binding (B), is presented. Resulting target factors and DTT weighting factors are then compared to the current normalisation factors (based on 2010 normalization references). The resulting weighting factor (WF) sets are presented and discussed in light of their use for decision support in policy and business contexts. We applied the WF sets to characterization results to an example (the EU energy mix process) aiming at illustrating key differences and effects on the results. The three reference sets (NRs2010, TRs2020A, and TRs2020B) show, in some impact categories, a relatively small difference. WFs referred to set A and set B result to be quite similar, with the only exception of water depletion impact category, for which a very relevant change is foreseen when considering the effect of the non-binding target of limiting the abstraction of water resource to 20 % of the available renewable water resources. This is mainly due to the higher difficulty in deriving quantitative targets from non-binding strategies and policies rather than from binding ones. The resulting weighting sets present strengths and limitations. The translation of policy targets into quantitative modifications to the baseline inventories appeared to be not a straightforward task, due to several reasons discussed in the paper (e.g., not all the policy targets are expressed in quantitative terms or can be translated into quantitative reductions and modifications of the elementary flows in the existing baseline inventories). Aiming at improving the effectiveness in supporting policies, further development of the methodology may be the integration with other DTT approaches such those based on carrying capacity, developed to integrate Earth’s carrying capacity concept and planetary boundaries.
Valentina Castellani; Lorenzo Benini; Serenella Sala; Rana Pant. A distance-to-target weighting method for Europe 2020. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2016, 21, 1159 -1169.
AMA StyleValentina Castellani, Lorenzo Benini, Serenella Sala, Rana Pant. A distance-to-target weighting method for Europe 2020. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2016; 21 (8):1159-1169.
Chicago/Turabian StyleValentina Castellani; Lorenzo Benini; Serenella Sala; Rana Pant. 2016. "A distance-to-target weighting method for Europe 2020." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 21, no. 8: 1159-1169.
Fresh-cut processed vegetables are defined as those subjected to some processing techniques of lesser magnitude than canning or freezing, which, nevertheless, add value to the product. The fresh-cut market represents about 18 % of the entire economic value of the fruit and vegetable market in Italy, and 2 % of the total food market. Over the past two decades, worldwide awareness regarding environmental issues has consistently increased: environmental aspect is now one of the variables taken into consideration by consumers during the purchasing process. The aim of this study is to evaluate the environmental burdens of one bag of fresh-cut salad in order to identify the most critical production phases and suggest possible improvements. Such evaluation is based on the ISO standards for life cycle assessment. The selected functional unit is an “average bag” containing 130 g of fresh-cut lamb’s lettuce. Data concerning field operations, processing phases, and transportation to the logistic platforms were obtained directly from the producer, while background and foreground data come from Ecoinvent (Frischknecht et al. 2007). Results show that both the agricultural and the processing phase are the major contributors to the environmental impact of fresh-cut salad. The production of the greenhouse at the agricultural level, the high consumptions of energy, and the use of water at the processing stage represent the main of hotspots of the product considered in this study. The possibility to install a filtration plant for the recovery of 40 % of the washing solution has been evaluated. The reduction of the environmental impact stemming from the introduction of the water filtering system is considerably relevant for some categories. Even though defined as minimally processed food, the environmental burden associated to fresh-cut salad is heavily influenced by the processing phase (washing and packing), which together with the agricultural phase represents the major contributor to overall impact of the product. The transportation stage instead appears to be negligible, probably due to the short distance covered for the product’s distribution in the case study considered.
Alessandra Fusi; Valentina Castellani; Jacopo Bacenetti; Giacomo Cocetta; Marco Fiala; Riccardo Guidetti. The environmental impact of the production of fresh cut salad: a case study in Italy. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2016, 21, 162 -175.
AMA StyleAlessandra Fusi, Valentina Castellani, Jacopo Bacenetti, Giacomo Cocetta, Marco Fiala, Riccardo Guidetti. The environmental impact of the production of fresh cut salad: a case study in Italy. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2016; 21 (2):162-175.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlessandra Fusi; Valentina Castellani; Jacopo Bacenetti; Giacomo Cocetta; Marco Fiala; Riccardo Guidetti. 2016. "The environmental impact of the production of fresh cut salad: a case study in Italy." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 21, no. 2: 162-175.
The development of distributed energy systems has important environmental, social and economic implications. Local decision-making processes must be guided by a careful evaluation of the sustainability of production chains and alternative choices. The aim of this study is to explore if and how an integrated assessment can quantify the extent to which bioenergy supply chain development contributes to rural development and energy policy objectives. We applied a Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) for local bioenergy development in the alpine area of Lake Como (Italy). We modeled the local bioenergy chain in 2008 and eleven scenarios considering different biomass utilizations, mechanization levels, combustion technologies, and subsidies schemes at 2020. We calculated economic, social and environmental indicators. We interpret and discuss the scenario analysis in order to support the bioenergy planning under the light of its implications for the different policy aims and concerns.
Salvatore Martire; Diana Tuomasjukka; Marcus Lindner; Joanne Fitzgerald; Valentina Castellani. Sustainability impact assessment for local energy supplies' development – The case of the alpine area of Lake Como, Italy. Biomass and Bioenergy 2015, 83, 60 -76.
AMA StyleSalvatore Martire, Diana Tuomasjukka, Marcus Lindner, Joanne Fitzgerald, Valentina Castellani. Sustainability impact assessment for local energy supplies' development – The case of the alpine area of Lake Como, Italy. Biomass and Bioenergy. 2015; 83 ():60-76.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSalvatore Martire; Diana Tuomasjukka; Marcus Lindner; Joanne Fitzgerald; Valentina Castellani. 2015. "Sustainability impact assessment for local energy supplies' development – The case of the alpine area of Lake Como, Italy." Biomass and Bioenergy 83, no. : 60-76.
In the context of circular economy, sustainable consumption is often seen as the antithesis of current consumption patterns, which have led to the definition of the so‐called “throwaway society”. Reuse may provide a preferred alternative to other waste management options, because it promotes resource efficiency and may significantly reduce environmental impacts. In order to appraise the environmental benefits related to reuse of goods, a methodology adopting life cycle assessment (LCA) has been developed. A standardized procedure has been developed, identifying reference products within product category subject to reuse, and collecting reliable inventory data as basis for calculating environmental impact through LCA. A case study on a second hand shop is presented and the avoided impacts quantified. Inventory data were taken both from literature, and directly from sales and survey submitted to customers. The results are presented highlighting: i) for each product category, the average avoided impacts for one unit of reused product considered and ii) for the overall activities of the second hand shop, the cumulative avoided impacts in one year. In the case study, the higher contribution to avoided impacts comes from the apparel sector, due to the high amount of items sold, and followed by the furniture sector, due to the high amount of environmental impacts avoided by the reuse of each single item. Editor's Note: This paper represents 1 of 10 papers in the special series “LCA Case Study Symposium 2013,” which was generated from the 19th SETAC LCA Case Study Symposium “LCA in market research and policy: Harmonisation beyond standardization,” held in November 2013, in Rome, Italy. This collection of invited papers reflect the purpose of the symposium and focus on how LCA can support the decision‐making process at all levels, i.e., industry and policy contexts, and how LCA results can be efficiently communicated and be used to support market strategies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Valentina Castellani; Serenella Sala; Nadia Mirabella. Beyond the throwaway society: A life cycle-based assessment of the environmental benefit of reuse. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 2015, 11, 373 -382.
AMA StyleValentina Castellani, Serenella Sala, Nadia Mirabella. Beyond the throwaway society: A life cycle-based assessment of the environmental benefit of reuse. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. 2015; 11 (3):373-382.
Chicago/Turabian StyleValentina Castellani; Serenella Sala; Nadia Mirabella. 2015. "Beyond the throwaway society: A life cycle-based assessment of the environmental benefit of reuse." Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 11, no. 3: 373-382.
Wood fuels are recognized as a crucial energy source whose sustainable use should be ensured. To ensuresustainability, the calculation of the annual available biomass is one of the bases of forest management.The novelty of our study stem from an extended evaluation of the carrying capacity for taking into accountdifferent site-specific – as well condition-specific – aspects usually neglected. In the case of natural mixedforests, local management plans define the criteria to be adopted in the land management identify themain functions of the forest plots. However, for ensure sustainable forest management, ecological andtechnical local constraints should be assessed in details in order to quantify wood potentially available. Asa standardized procedure for this comprehensive wood availability is missing, the present study proposea GIS-based decision support system (DSS) and methodology for calculating the biomass availabilitywhile supporting the local resource planning. In particular, we focus on the environmental sustainabilityof bio-energy production. In fact, applying the DSS, it is possible to calculate three indicators: operationalcarrying capacity (OCC), chip potential (CP) and technical potential (TP). Those indicators are related,respectively, to the availability of wood from forests according to local plans criteria, the potential of woodchips production, and the comparison of total available biomass with current uses. The DDS considersthe actual uses of the resource, supporting local planners in properly assess the forestry sector and itspossible developments. Two case studies on alpine mountain areas are presented and discussed in lightof contributing to face the challenge of energy planning at local scale. The DDS allow calculating thenumber of chip fueled boilers which could be installed in the areas, using local resource below theircarrying capacity. DSS application helps highlighting some challenges in resource planning and use atlocal scale.JRC.H.8-Sustainability Assessmen
Salvatore Martire; Valentina Castellani; Serenella Sala. Carrying capacity assessment of forest resources: Enhancing environmental sustainability in energy production at local scale. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 2015, 94, 11 -20.
AMA StyleSalvatore Martire, Valentina Castellani, Serenella Sala. Carrying capacity assessment of forest resources: Enhancing environmental sustainability in energy production at local scale. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 2015; 94 ():11-20.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSalvatore Martire; Valentina Castellani; Serenella Sala. 2015. "Carrying capacity assessment of forest resources: Enhancing environmental sustainability in energy production at local scale." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 94, no. : 11-20.
Biotic resources are considered a key element of bio-economy. In the present study we focus on the forest supply industry, assessing environmental sustainability through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. We explored and evaluated forestry operations in order to support decision-makers in choosing the best operational modes for site-specific conditions. Main aims of the study are: 1) a LCA-based systematic comparative analysis of different operational modes and technological options associated with wood extraction considering site-specific conditions; 2) the quantification of impacts associated with transport of wood material. A case study on the alpine region of Italy (Intelvi Valley) is presented and discussed. Different forestry activities were investigated, comparing the traditional operational method with a more mechanized one (advanced mechanization). All operations were included within the system boundaries, from felling to transport to sawmill. Regarding the traditional operational method, different options were evaluated, considering that: 1) the extraction could be performed by cable-yard or winch; and 2) the delimbing phase could be performed before or after extraction phase. Each activity was modeled using primary data, assuring that real forest conditions are taken into account and assessed. In spite of the expectations associated with advanced mechanization, the hypothesis to choose traditional mechanization was preferable for Intelvi Valley conditions. Fuel consumption and related emissions proved to be the main source of impacts. Sensitivity analyses highlighted that advanced mechanization could be the best method to perform forestry operations, if used in proper conditions (i.e. at the top productivity rate) and that the choice of a short supply chain drastically reduces the impacts induced by long distance transportation. The choice of the best technological options should be based on a site-specific and context- related assessment. It is very important to give priority to the operational mode which minimizes the hours necessary to perform each operation. It was also found that the technological option should be chosen according to the geomorphology and topography and the site-specific characteristics of the area investigated, and no one option can be considered as the most suitable for all conditions.Furthermore, current impact assessment methods are still lacking in the evaluation of potential impact to biodiversity in the specific context were the extraction takes place. Further investigations related to the environmental profile of a product will be object of a second study that will concern the design of green furniture pieces, starting from certified wood as raw material.
Nadia Mirabella; Valentina Castellani; Serenella Sala. Forestry operations in the alpine context. Life cycle assessment to support the integrated assessment of forest wood short supply chain. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2014, 19, 1524 -1535.
AMA StyleNadia Mirabella, Valentina Castellani, Serenella Sala. Forestry operations in the alpine context. Life cycle assessment to support the integrated assessment of forest wood short supply chain. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2014; 19 (8):1524-1535.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNadia Mirabella; Valentina Castellani; Serenella Sala. 2014. "Forestry operations in the alpine context. Life cycle assessment to support the integrated assessment of forest wood short supply chain." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 19, no. 8: 1524-1535.
Eco-innovation strategies are increasingly adopted to ensure the minimization of environmental impacts. Nonetheless, only a comprehensive integrated assessment along the life cycle stages of a product may ensure a robust analysis of the benefit of the innovation. The object of the present study is the environmental assessment of furniture prototypes produced using certified wood and integrating eco-design criteria in their conception. The aim of the study was twofold: firstly, to evaluate the environmental profile of the furniture, highlighting possible hot spots of impacts, and secondly, to evaluate the capability of life cycle assessment (LCA) to identify the environmental benefit associated to the adoption of eco-innovation strategies, such as the following: ensuring short supply chain from raw material to production; using wood coming from certified forests (according to PEFC scheme); and the implementation of eco-design principles, also associated with green public procurement requirements. LCA has been applied in a case study related to the wood furniture sector in the alpine region of Northern Italy. Every activity was modeled using primary data, related to the inputs and outputs of the processes, provided directly by the designers and by woodworking firms. Input data related to forestry activities and wood extraction were collected and processed in a previous phase of the study. The life cycle of a prototype school desk from the cradle-to-gate perspective was analyzed. A woodworking plant was examined in detail, dividing the whole manufacturing process into four phases: panels production, woodworking, painting and steel parts processing. The system boundaries included all the activities which take place inside the plant as well as energy inputs, transports and ancillary products used. The results highlighted that the working phases showing the greatest environmental burdens were the production of solid wood panels and the processing of iron parts. No concerns about chemicals, glues and paints were raised, due to the eco-design principles implemented in the production of the furniture. The choice of a short supply chain allowed for drastic reductions in the impacts associated to long-distance transports. Three sensitivity analyses were carried out to test the robustness of results concerning the following: (1) glue options, (2) drying phase and VOC emissions, and (3) transport options. This study proves to which extent eco-design criteria implemented in practice improve the environmental performance of products. All positive effects due to decisions taken in school desk design and conception were supported by evidence.
Nadia Mirabella; Valentina Castellani; Serenella Sala. LCA for assessing environmental benefit of eco-design strategies and forest wood short supply chain: a furniture case study. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2014, 19, 1536 -1550.
AMA StyleNadia Mirabella, Valentina Castellani, Serenella Sala. LCA for assessing environmental benefit of eco-design strategies and forest wood short supply chain: a furniture case study. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2014; 19 (8):1536-1550.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNadia Mirabella; Valentina Castellani; Serenella Sala. 2014. "LCA for assessing environmental benefit of eco-design strategies and forest wood short supply chain: a furniture case study." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 19, no. 8: 1536-1550.
Nadia Mirabella; Valentina Castellani; Serenella Sala. Current options for the valorization of food manufacturing waste: a review. Journal of Cleaner Production 2014, 65, 28 -41.
AMA StyleNadia Mirabella, Valentina Castellani, Serenella Sala. Current options for the valorization of food manufacturing waste: a review. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2014; 65 ():28-41.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNadia Mirabella; Valentina Castellani; Serenella Sala. 2014. "Current options for the valorization of food manufacturing waste: a review." Journal of Cleaner Production 65, no. : 28-41.
Energy policies from local to global scale are increasingly questioned in terms of sustainability. Evidence- and science-based decision making in this field needs a robust and transparent integrated assessment of policy options. Nevertheless, scientific findings do not lead straight to political conclusions, and the relationship between science and decision making is a debated issue. The article discusses the main barriers to effective interaction and communication between scientific enquiry and decision making and proposes some effective ways to overcome these barriers, starting from experiences in the biomass energy sector.
Valentina Castellani; Andrea Piazzalunga; Serenella Sala. Research findings and decision making: the case of renewable energy. Environmental Sciences Europe 2013, 25, 22 .
AMA StyleValentina Castellani, Andrea Piazzalunga, Serenella Sala. Research findings and decision making: the case of renewable energy. Environmental Sciences Europe. 2013; 25 (1):22.
Chicago/Turabian StyleValentina Castellani; Andrea Piazzalunga; Serenella Sala. 2013. "Research findings and decision making: the case of renewable energy." Environmental Sciences Europe 25, no. 1: 22.
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) practices in Europe have been traditionally applied to assess potential environmental impacts due to socio-economic drivers implying specific land use (viz. infrastructure, building and industrial development). However, other socioeconomic drivers related to citizen behavior, such as household consumption, may significantly contribute to the overall local impacts, but are usually neglected in SEA. Aiming at enlarging the traditional approaches adopted in SEA, the present study integrates two environmental sustainability indicators capturing different aspects of consumption patterns: ecological footprint and carbon balance. The two indicators are calculated in addition to a more traditional set of environmental indicators in order to: (i) understand if the level of consumption of the local community exceeds the limits of natural resources of the area (in a perspective of self-sustainment at the local scale); and (ii) identify the role of spatial planning choices in determining the environmental sustainability of the entire system. The two indicators are calculated and discussed in the context of the SEA of the urban master plans of four municipalities in northern Italy. The two indicators may represent a good proxy for lifestyle impacts, even if some strengths and weaknesses arose from the application to the case study.
Valentina Castellani; Serenella Sala. Sustainability Indicators Integrating Consumption Patterns in Strategic Environmental Assessment for Urban Planning. Sustainability 2013, 5, 3426 -3446.
AMA StyleValentina Castellani, Serenella Sala. Sustainability Indicators Integrating Consumption Patterns in Strategic Environmental Assessment for Urban Planning. Sustainability. 2013; 5 (8):3426-3446.
Chicago/Turabian StyleValentina Castellani; Serenella Sala. 2013. "Sustainability Indicators Integrating Consumption Patterns in Strategic Environmental Assessment for Urban Planning." Sustainability 5, no. 8: 3426-3446.
Biomass provides an attractive solution for residential heating systems based on renewable fuels, even though biomass-based domestic heating systems are recognized as significant particulate matter emitters; thus, a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach was used in the study to compare two different appliances: a wood stove and a pellet stove, both modeled according to the best available technologies definition. System boundaries of each scenario refer to a cradle-to-grave approach, including production, use and disposal of the heating appliance, as well as the preparation of biomass feedstock. The assessment of environmental impacts was performed assuming 1 MJ of thermal energy as the reference flow, considering the categories of particulate matter formation, human toxicity, climate change, and fossil fuel depletion, according to the ReCiPe 1.07 method. Finally, the comparison was extended to certain innovative heating systems in order to qualitatively evaluate potential improvements in residential heating performances. The results show that the wood stove reaches the highest scores in the categories of particulate matter formation and negative effects for human toxicity, as a consequence of the stove’s lower combustion efficiency, which would lead to a preference for the pellet stove. However, when climate change affecting human health and the ecosystem, and fossil depletion are considered, the choice appears more uncertain due to the energy consumption from the pelletizing step. Alternative technologies (e.g., solar panels in combination with a gas boiler) show better scores related to fine particles emission reduction, even if a worsening in other categories is observed. The results were validated by a sensitivity analysis. The study suggests that a LCA approach can support the choice of the best domestic heating system, helping to promote policy initiatives on a sound basis and to understand which are the main key levers to act for reducing the total environmental burdens of biomass-based heating appliances.
Daniele Cespi; Fabrizio Passarini; Luca Ciacci; Ivano Vassura; Valentina Castellani; Elena Maria Collina; Andrea Piazzalunga; Luciano Morselli. Heating systems LCA: comparison of biomass-based appliances. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2013, 19, 89 -99.
AMA StyleDaniele Cespi, Fabrizio Passarini, Luca Ciacci, Ivano Vassura, Valentina Castellani, Elena Maria Collina, Andrea Piazzalunga, Luciano Morselli. Heating systems LCA: comparison of biomass-based appliances. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2013; 19 (1):89-99.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniele Cespi; Fabrizio Passarini; Luca Ciacci; Ivano Vassura; Valentina Castellani; Elena Maria Collina; Andrea Piazzalunga; Luciano Morselli. 2013. "Heating systems LCA: comparison of biomass-based appliances." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 19, no. 1: 89-99.