Henri Moll

Design and development of a measuring method for environmental sustainability in food production systems

Abstract These days, sustainability is a key issue for many private companies that address their sustainable corporate performance (SCP). The perspective is essential for their license to operate and forms the basis for business principles and practices. The lack of internationally accepted reporting standards on what, when and where to report makes it difficult to assess sustainability, however. Moreover, measuring tools providing information on SCP are only the first step towards sustainability. To prevent negative effects of operations being transferred from one company to another, the second step is the development of a system-based approach for all companies that contribute to an end product. This paper presents the findings of a study about the use of environmental indicators for food production and proposes a measuring method for environmental sustainability in food production systems. The study shows that environmental SCP often focuses on events at a local level. The enormous number of indicators found in the literature generates too much data that often provide no additional knowledge on the environmental sustainability of a system. Moreover, although environmental research has addressed many aspects of sustainability, it has often ignored interactions. Overall environmental implications of food production are therefore poorly understood. The proposed measuring method uses three indicators that address global environmental issues: the use of energy (from both fossil and renewable sources), land and water. The systemic approach can calculate trade-offs along supply chains that make up a production system. The use of the method implies an extension of environmental SCP towards the overall performance of a production system. The final outcome is expressed in three performance indicators: the total land, energy and water requirement per kilogram of available food. For companies, the data generated can be used to compare trends over time, to compare results with targets and to benchmark a company against others. For consumers, data can be used to compare the environmental effects of various foods. The method is also applicable to other business sectors. The study is part of a multidisciplinary project on the scientific modeling and measuring of SCP involving economic, social and environmental dimensions. Acceptance of the measuring methods developed may be a powerful contribution towards creating sustainable business practices.

Pursuing more sustainable consumption by analyzing household metabolism in European countries and cities

Bringing about more sustainable consumption patterns is an important challenge for society and science. In this article the concept of household metabolism is applied to analyzing consumption pat ...

Greenhouse gas emissions related to Dutch food consumption

The consumption of food products involves emissions of greenhouse gases. Emissions occur in the various stages of the life cycle of food products. In this paper we discuss the greenhouse gas emissions, CO2, CH4, and N2O, related to Dutch household food consumption. Combinations of greenhouse gas intensities (per Dfl) with annual household expenditures results in the greenhouse gas emissions from annual food consumption. An energy analysis methodology is elaborated with greenhouse gas emissions to calculate greenhouse gas intensities. The CO2 emission pattern resembles closely the household expenditure pattern. Emission patterns of CH4 and N2O differ strongly from the expenditure pattern. Food products from cattle farming determine the CH4 emissions, while food products from agriculture determine the N2O emissions. The non-CO2 greenhouse gases contribute 25% to the total emissions of CO2 equivalents from Dutch household food consumption, significantly above their share in the total Dutch emission of greenhouse gases. For food product life cycles it is very important to include the non-CO2 greenhouse gases. The analyses show differences in greenhouse gas intensities within food product categories and between food product categories. These differences offer possibilities for reduction options.

Total greenhouse gas emissions related to the Dutch crop production system

Abstract This article discusses the greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O) related to Dutch agricultural crop production. Emissions occur during agricultural processes (direct emissions) as well as in the life cycle of the required inputs (indirect emissions). An integrated approach assesses the total greenhouse gas emissions related to Dutch agricultural crop production. The results show differences in total greenhouse gas emissions among agricultural crops and in the contribution of separate greenhouse gases to the total emissions.

Environmental impact of scrapping old cars

Many countries introduced scrapping programs in the 90s, partly legitimated by environmental impact reductions. However, reducing the age of the current car fleet may result in an increase of life-cycle CO2 emissions. This will probably also be true for cars to be produced in future unless fuel eAciency of new cars improves much faster than the historical trend indicates. Reducing the age of petrol-fuelled cars without a catalytic converter will reduce both life-cycle NOx and VOC emissions but is less cost-eAective than fitting catalytic converters on these cars. In any case, the influence of a car’s lifetime on life-cycle NOx and VOC emissions will be reduced in the near future. ” 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental analyses of land transportation systems in The Netherlands

Abstract Environmental analyses of the impact of transportation systems on the environment from the cradle to the grave are rare. This article makes a comparison of various Dutch passenger transportation systems by studying their complete life-cycle energy use. Moreover, systems are compared according to their use of space, costs and travel time. Although the results indicate that no one transportation system out performs others in all of the characteristics, in a multi-criteria analysis of four aspects, the train and bicycle emerge as superior options. This holds regardless of the travel distance considered. Interestingly, the train and bicycle are complementary systems, that together operate within a comprehensive distance range.

Changing lifestyles in transition routes towards sustainable household consumption patterns

Recent decades have witnessed increasing consumption levels, and associated production levels, notably in the Western industrialised world. Past and future trends in household metabolic rates and the environmental impacts thereof are studied within the interdisciplinary research programme HOMES (Household Metabolism Effectively Sustainable). Drawing on empirical research largely from the Netherlands, it was concluded that Dutch trends follow the general Western patterns. Considering the driving forces underlying these developments, there appear no short-term signs of shifts towards sustainable household consumption patterns. In order to cut down the environmental impacts of household consumption, sustainable options that aim to reduce household metabolic rates have to be (re)designed, and ways to implement them need to be identified. Changes in lifestyles might significantly reduce or increase the environmental impacts of consumer activities. We present the results of a scenario-based study in which the environmental impacts of various lifestyles are compared with long-term sustainability objectives. Specific options for reducing the energy requirements of various consumer lifestyles are identified for different time frames: present day, short term (2005) and mid term (2015). The results presented can be summarised as follows: while present trends are towards unsustainability and environmental deterioration, a reversal of these trends is feasible if this reversal starts very soon and is continued for decades.

Environmental life cycle analysis of potato sprout inhibitors

Potato sprout inhibitors are generally applied to suppress sprouting during winter storage. This study presents the compared environmental profiles of the two sprout inhibitors available on the Dutch market: A traditional chemical product with isopropyl-3-chlorophenylcarbamate (CIPC) and isopropyl-phenylcarbamate (IPC) and a new agrification product with S-(+)-carvone derived from caraway seed (Carum carvi), examining the common idea that natural products are less harmful to the environment than chemical products. Nine environmental effect scores are evaluated based on emissions and energy use during the entire life cycle (life cycle analysis, LCA). A substantial difference is found in the environmental profiles of the two sprout inhibitors. In seven environmental effects (C)IPC scores better than carvone. Carvone only scores better with regard to human toxicity and ozone depletion. This study has also produced a clear insight into the relevant factors in the life cycles determining the environmental profiles. Regarding carvone, the essential factors are the use of fertilizer in the cultivation of caraway and the relatively high amount of carvone used per ton of potatoes as compared to (C)IPC. It is recommended that environmental LCAs be performed for other agrification products

The Nonlinear Relationship between Paper Recycling and Primary Pulp Requirements

Waste paper is suitable for recycling back into paper or for incineration for energy recovery. If waste paper is used for recycling, secondary pulp replaces virgin pulp. Fiber recycling is limited, however, because of physical constraints—particularly the breakage of fiber in the recycling process—and a permanent input of virgin fiber to the system is required. Therefore one can expect that the relationship between recycling rates and resource requirements is represented by a curved line rather than a straight one. In this article, we present a mathematical model which confirms that the relationship between recycling rates and primary pulp requirements can be described as nonlinear. Furthermore, we show that this nonlinear relationship leads to an optimal recycling rate with regard to energy consumption: 93% for paper produced from chemical pulp, and 81% for paper produced from mechanical pulp. Sensitivity testing additionally reveals that at low recycling rates increasing waste paper recycling is energy efficient, but it becomes less efficient at higher recycling rates. Close to the optimum recycling rates (within 10%), increasing or decreasing the rate affects the total energy requirement less than 0.3%.

Analyzing Potentials for Reducing the Energy Requirement of Households in The Netherlands

The energy requirement of households represents a useful concept in studying energy use in relation to production structures and consumption patterns. Reduction potentials of the energy requirement for households provide insight on the possibilities for reducing energy use in the whole economy. We determine reduction potentials by means of implementing energy conservation options in an input-output model for calculating the household energy requirement. The implementation of a set of technical energy conservation options results in a reduction in the energy requirement of Dutch households by 55%. The reduction potential based on a set of demand-side options is 9%. The combination of both sets of conservation options results in a reduction potential of 59%. Therefore, by combining (sets of) options, some effects are cancelled out.