Nicoline Wrisberg

Analytical tools for environmental design and management in a systems perspective

Preface. Foreword. Part I: Demand and supply of environmental information. 1. Introduction. 2. Demands for environmental information. 3. Supply of environmental information for decision support. 4. Analytical tools. 5. Linking supply and demand concerning environmental information. 6. Concluding remarks. References. Part II: Cases and Appendices. A. Case Study: The supply, use and waste management chain of electronic consumer goods. B. Case Study: Towards reduced environmental burden of mobility: improving the automobile life cycle. C. Case Study: The supply, use and waste management of domestic clothes washing. D. Full description of tools. E. Inquiry on user preferences concerning analytical tools for environmental evaluation. F. List of definitions. G. Acronyms and abbreviations.

Supply of environmental information for decision support

The decision processes described in Chapter 2 can be supported by different types of information related to a chain perspective, as shown in Figure 3.1. The decision process is an interactive process where the results from one type of analysis can lead to the demand for more information. The shown framework makes a distinction between concepts and tools as suggested by the LCANET working group on Positioning and Application of LCA (Cowell et al., 1997; Wrisberg and Gameson, 1998). Concepts are defined as an idea on how to achieve sustainability, such as life cycle thinking, design for the environment, and cleaner technology. Tools, on the other hand, are operational methods supporting the concepts. They are structured vehicles for reasoning, analysis and communication. Analytical tools, provide technical information as to the consequences of a choice, while procedural tools focus on procedures to guide the way to reach a decision. All types of tools are supported by technical elements, such as mass balance models, evaluation models and quality assessment. The technical elements may also stand alone to be used to support the decision process. The technical elements are supported by data.

Linking supply and demand concerning environmental information

One of the main purposes of this book is to make a link between the supply and demand of analytical tools concerning environmental information. The reason is that it is not clear for which problems a specific tool is most appropriate, or whether more than one tool should be applied, especially in determining the net overall effects of any given decision. Furthermore, it is a reaction to the fact that we often find a gap and a lack of communication between the developers of such tools — typically stemming from academic research — and the users of tools from industry and government. Such lack of co-ordination can lead to situations where tool developers dedicate a huge amount of resources to create highly sophisticated tools that find little practical application, and at the same time industry is lacking instruments to meet the steadily increasing demand for environmental evaluation.

Demands for environmental information

From the point of view of the owners, the firm must generate a return on capital which is at least satisfactory, in both the short and the long term. From the point of view of employees, their work in the firm should lead to income and status which is at least acceptable and ideally is attractive, also in the long term. Therefore, the question is how environmental concerns can become a part of these long term goals, ensuring the sustainability of the firm through helping to create sales and reduce costs, and ensuring that the firm’s operations remain publicly accepted. The direct effect firms have on the environment will usually be too small to influence their behaviour, as environmental quality is mainly a collective good. It is thus social and economic pressures, which provide the drivers to actively direct the firm’s operations also towards environmental goals.