Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and environmental impacts are a concern to Europe and its citizenship. That is why, from many sectors, the continent is looking for solutions to this problem from different perspectives. Nowadays, the continent’s industries in general produce about 51% of Europe’s GHG and also generate other environmental impacts. Transitioning to a bioeconomy or a bio-based low-carbon economy with circular material flows, then, is a high political priority at all levels, being part of the European Union Industrial Policy Strategy, the European Green Deal, the 2030 Climate Target Plan and the Bioeconomy strategy.
But assessing the environmental burden shifting produced in this transition is mandatory. With this in mind, the European Union developed a harmonized methodology to measure these impacts: the PEF (Product Environmental Footprint). The problem is that this method presents some important gaps for measurements among bio-based industries’ processes that CALIMERO project aims to fill. Factors like biodiversity and ecosystem services impacts assessment methodologies; relevant toxicity characterization factors; as well as dynamic systems to account GHG emissions or methods to include circularity, criticality and socio-economic indicators are not taken into account in the PEF methodology.
CALIMERO aims to create a common framework for all bio-based industries to evolve in terms of sustainability working with PEF indicators as well as with those proposed by CALIMERO. The presence of bio-based industries from five different sectors –construction, woodworking, textile, pulp & paper and biochemicals– in the consortium provides a valuable perspective of the industries’ needs towards sustainability. With them committed to this frame, it is possible to reduce environmental impacts by identifying the main sources of pollutants and analysing potential solutions, considering additionally economic and social dimensions. And, with more sustainable industries, Europe can become a greener and more resilient continent.
OBJECTIVES
01.
To identify main barriers and incentives to apply life cycle thinking sustainability approaches and source of impacts in the target bio-based sectors.
02.
To define reference case studies and identify levers to improve life cycle sustainability assessment methodologies and sustainability performances.
03.
To improve existing sustainability assessment methodologies and their implementation for the 5 bio-sectors within the scope:
– Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, will be improved, aligned with PEF through the consideration of regionalized impacts, circularity and criticality, temporal GHG emissions accounting, impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services;
– Integrate Life Cycle Costing (LCC) with Social-Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) considerations.
04.
To develop a MOO framework of industrial processes that integrates the improved LCSA methodologies based on PEF, for optimization of bio-based industrial processes with sustainability indicators.
05.
To provide feasible solutions with better sustainability performance than the current situation for the five studied bio-based industry sectors and the procedures to monitor their sustainability performance
06.
To maximize the impact of CALIMERO through tailored Exploitation, Dissemination and Communication activities aiming to pave the way to market of the sustainability assessment tool, build synergies with other R&D projects and transfer the project results to different target audiences.
