Resource efficiency

This study proposes a voxel-based design approach based on the subtractive mechanism of shading envelopes and attributes information of point cloud data in tropical climates. In particular, the proposed method evaluates a volumetric sample of new buildings based on predefined shading performance criteria. With the support of geometric and radiometric information stored in point cloud, such as position (XYZ), color (RGB), and reflection intensity (I), an integrated computational workflow between passive design strategy and 3D scanning technology is developed. It aims not only to compensate for some pertinent aspects of the current 3D site modeling, such as vegetation and surrounding buildings, but also to investigate surface characteristics of existing contexts, such as visible sun vectors and material properties. These aspects are relevant for conducting a comprehensively environmental simulation, while averting negative microclimatic impacts when locating the new building into the existing context. Ultimately, this study may support architects for taking decision-making in conceptual design stage based on the real contextual conditions.

При рассмотрении вопроса об эффективности того или иного вида деятельности, общепринятым содержанием этого понятия является соответствие достигнутых в процессе его осуществления результатов намеченным целям, степень приближения результата к цели с учетом затрат трудовых, материальных и финансовых ресурсов.
  (When considering the effectiveness of any activity, the generally accepted content of the notion is compliance achieved in the process of implementation of the outcomes of the goals, the degree of approximation of result to the objectives based on cost of labor, material and financial resources.)

Circular Economy is a means to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns. However, it is still at an embryonic stage of implementation in manufacturing companies. Given its potential, the household appliance industry is a promising arena for the adoption of Circular Economy. Thus, this study aims to investigate and systematize how Circular Economy has been adopted in the household appliance industry, through a multiple case study research. Twenty cases are analyzed following a Research Framework, to map: (i) the Circular Economy 4R strategies of reduce, reuse, remanufacture and recycle; (ii) the Circular Economy levers, i.e., whether circular product design practices, servitized business models or supply chain management actions are undertaken; (iii) the role of digital 4.0 technologies as enablers; (iv) the benefits achieved. The analysis showed that servitized business models and supply chain management actions are widely used levers, while little attention is devoted...

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) play a vital role in the Indian economy. There are more than 5000 foundries in India and 80% of them are small-scale industries. The erratic global economic slow-down, has threatened the sustainability of MSME foundries. The paper emphasizes on the importance of resource efficiency parameters for sustainability of a ferrous foundry. Key Performance Indicators (KPI), which drive the resource efficiency of a foundry, are identified as: process yield, production efficiency, capacity utilization, energy consumption, fresh sand consumption, fresh water consumption and labour productivity. This paper mainly focuses on improvement of energy efficiency and process yield in ferrous MSME foundries. In this paper we have presented research result of the long term experiences in Kolhapur MSME foundry cluster. A comparison was drawn between resource efficiency parameters of Kolhapur MSME foundries and European foundries. Such a research may be expected to provide valuable insights into the effects of resource efficiency on sustainable development of foundries.

The economic and environmental reasons for recycling and reusing materials are vital to be able to effectively and efficiently meet the 21st  century’s population demands. Aluminium is the third most abundant element on the earth’s crust. Today the use of aluminium is widely spread in countless industries. As complex a life cycle assessment could be, this paper describes the material cycle of the aluminium content of a car, which is estimated at around 70kg, from the early stages of extraction until the re-melting or recycling of the material.

Whole System Design is increasingly being seen as one of the most cost effective ways to both increase the productivity and reduce the negative environmental impacts of an engineered system.

A focus on design is critical, as the output from this stage of the project locks-in most of the economic and environmental performance of the designed system throughout its life, which can span from a few years to many decades. Indeed, it is now widely acknowledged that all designers – particularly engineers, architects and industrial designers – need to be able to understand and implement a whole system design approach.

This book provides a clear design methodology, based on leading efforts in the field, and is supported by worked examples that demonstrate how advances in energy, materials and water productivity can be achieved through applying an integrated approach to sustainable engineering.

Chapters 1–5 outline the approach and explain how it can be implemented to enhance the established Systems Engineering framework.

Chapters 6–10 demonstrate, through detailed worked examples, the application of the approach to industrial pumping systems, passenger vehicles, electronics and computer systems, temperature control of buildings, and domestic water systems.

The book is also available through google books and for educational purposes, the book's chapters are available from http://www.naturaledgeproject.net/Whole_System_Design.aspx

Conventional building methods are continuing to stress the supply of available resources, including water, energy and materials, causing harm to the environment. In order to tackle these problems the building industry needs to embrace sustainable development methods and policies. One of the main approaches used to define and give solutions to these problems is adopting the relatively newly founded buildings and communities certification systems. As these certification systems are tremendously growing, it is important to continually examine their effectiveness, development path and results.
The objective of the proposition is to better understand the impacts, opportunities and challenges of the use of any certification system, by showcasing “Estidama”, Abu Dhabi’s certification system, addressing the local environment, social, economic and culture aspects. This is assisted by a local case study “Masdar City”, presenting two levels of study, the building and community scales. The research methods include examining available literature, as well as on site Interviews with clients, designers, engineering consultants, environmental consultants, project managers, contractors, facility managers, building information modeling experts, municipal officials, credits assessors, policy writers and government representatives, in an attempt to represent the collaborative effort from all parties involved in any project.
The interview results, as well as specific credits analyzed helped accomplishing the aim of sensitizing stakeholders and regulatory bodies about the benefits and deficiencies of rating systems. Furthermore a development of recommendations formulated in form of strategies and an action plan are presented, to aid enhancing new and existing certification procedures.

Keywords:
Architecture Sustainable Transportation Sustainable Development Environmental Planning and Design Urban Planning Sustainable Building Design Sustainable Urban Environments Sustainable Water Resources Management Sustainable Energy Green architecture Environmental Sustainability Sustainable Architecture Sustainable Design Green Building LEED Certification Thesis Master's Thesis Abu Dhabi Resource efficiency Building Energy Certificates BREEAM Zero-energy buildings Masdar City Green Building Certification Estidama Abu Dhabi Education Council Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council Urban Planning Council

The emergence of advanced manufacturing technologies, coupled with consumer demands for more customised products and services, are causing shifts in the scale and distribution of manufacturing. In this paper, consideration is given to the role of one such advanced manufacturing process technology: additive manufacturing. The consequences of adopting this novel production technology on industrial sustainability are not well understood and this exploratory study draws on publically available data to provide insights into the impacts of additive manufacturing on sustainability. Benefits are found to exist across the product and material life cycles through product and process redesign, improvements to material input processing, make-to-order component and product manufacturing, and closing the loop. As an immature technology, there are substantial challenges to these benefits being realised at each stage of the life cycle. This paper summarises these advantages and challenges, and discusses the implications of additive manufacturing on sustainability in terms of the sources of innovation, business models, and the configuration of value chains.

The urban growth of Cairo over the last few decades has resulted in a deteriorated and defective
urban fabric. Cairo has experienced a tremendous urbanization in the form of informal settlements in
the past 5 decades. A recent study showed that more than half of Cairo’s built up area is unplanned
construction . Complemented by a massive population growth, informal settlements is one of the
most environmentally degraded urban areas in Cairo. Those areas have expanded over a huge
portion of agriculture land resulting in the loss of valuable production opportunities. Additionally,
this unplanned transformation that follows the agricultural basin subdivision resulted in a compact
construction pattern that lack open or green spaces.
Urban agriculture is increasingly spreading in towns and cities. Cities has shifted the use of existing
parks, vacant lots and building rooftops to urban agriculture practices, in an attempt to serve the
enormous demands of urban food supply. Urban Agriculture has been presented in many literature as
a resilient strategy that provides multidimensional benefits for urban dwellers. UA has proved to impact
food security in urban areas, stimulate local economies through generating jobs, and positively impact
the environment through introduced green spaces.
This thesis investigates the urban morphology of one of Cairo’s densely populated informal settlement,
presenting an attempt to utilize urban agriculture concept as a tool to redefine open spaces, generate
income and provide healthy food for the locals through rooftop farming practices. However, the
dissemination of rooftop farming in informal areas would require further research due to the lack of
strategic guidelines and instruments that could manage and formalize rooftop food production on a
district scale.

Household sector in Pakistan consumes more than half of the energy. Quetta is the capital and the largest city of Balochistan province, Pakistan. The city is facing problems due to increasing population, and shortage of energy. The existing houses are not providing optimum thermal comfort to the residents and the residents are using mechanical methods for achieving comfort in their houses which increase the usage and the demand of energy. There is strong need to develop and adopt the climate responsive strategies to achieve thermal comfort by using minimum energy and reducing the environmental impact. The aim of this PhD is to develop climate responsive design strategies for the improvement of indoor thermal comfort of free running houses at Quetta by providing cost effective, low-tech, energy efficient and locally acceptable solutions. A housing survey was conducted to characterize the existing houses in Quetta and identify the common housing types. The most common housing typology i.e. houses with reinforced cement concrete (R.C.C) structure were selected for the further analysis. Indoor climate of 10 houses was monitored and structured interview was conducted to get insights about the thermal comfort level and perception of the residents. It was found that houses mainly face daily 4-8h electricity outage hours both in summer and in winter season. Residents are less satisfied with the cost of energy compared to the consumption. However, they seem relatively more satisfied with the prices of natural gas than electricity. The houses are very warm in summer and cold in winter. The situation leads to more use of mechanical systems to obtain thermal comfort. The monitored climate data shows that indoor temperature is high is summer and low in winter while the humidity level is generally low in both seasons. The increase in temperature decreases the humidity level making indoor environment more uncomfortable.

This report identifies the broad range of policy measures required by national or federal governments to promote and facilitate the greening of industries. It has been prepared as part of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Green Industry initiative, which focuses on ways that developing countries can green their industries and accelerate growth in their environmental goods and services sector. One of the key objectives of the initiative is assessing the effectiveness of governments in developing countries in supporting the greening of their industries through national strategies, policies and integrated governance structures.

The report focuses on Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector. However, the issues raised are equally relevant for other industry sub-sectors (e.g. services and extraction sectors). Emphasis is placed on policies which impact sustainable production rather than consumption, although it is acknowledged the two concepts are inextricably linked. The policies and initiatives identified in this report cover a broad spectrum of issues, involving multiple government and non-government stakeholders, underscoring the need for strong institutional integration, and a comprehensive mix of supporting policy initiatives.

Sub-Saharan African (SSA) cities are growing at the fastest rates in the world, and are characterised by an emerging (but precarious) middle class, and a substantial youth bulge. These factors have elevated the Importance of SSA cities and the emerging African middle class in the global discourse on emerging markets. Yet the viability of sustainable growth in SSA, and the stability of the emerging middle class, is contingent on current resource pressures and projected future resource efficiency requirements. This review paper hence accounts for; (1) the urban growth trends and pressures in SSA cities, as well as (2) the state of resource efficiency in SSA cities in terms of demand pressures, efficiency of resource use and the state of infrastructures and governance. Due to the paucity of data on the subject, a mixture of quantitative and qualitative analyses are provided for a range of key resource sectors (i.e. water, energy, solid waste, food (and soil), construction materials and land), as well as a set of recommendations for how resource efficiency improvements can be made in each key resource sector. It proposes that a decoupling based framework for improving resource efficiency in SSA cities, which is positioned within a holistic inclusive development framework, holds the key to ensuring the sustainable growth of SSA cities and its emerging middle class.

This study provides a comparative assessment of material consumption and material productivity in 30 selected countries covering Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Newly Independent States (NIS) in the Caucasus and Central Asia between 1995 and 2008. It was also commissioned by UNIDO. To facilitate comparison, the region was divided into three geographical groups: New EU Member States (NMS), South East Europe (SEE) and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA).

The results of the study reflect the extremely diverse development of the 30 countries. Many of them have gone through processes of economic transition and market liberalisation, with diverging effects on their use of natural resources. To varying degrees, the collapse of Communism and the transition towards market economies was initially (between 1989 and 1995) accompanied by high rates of inflation, a marked decline in output (on average by 40%), a stagnation in material extraction and a decline in resource consumption until the year 2000. During the first half of the 1990s, this development was exacerbated by conflicts in SEE and the Caucasus and extended in some parts of EECCA by the Russian currency crisis in 1997/98. These initial years of economic decline were swiftly followed by a period of strong economic growth, which was also reflected in a rise of resource use and resource efficiency.

While the economies of the new EU-members recovered faster and earlier, the process took longer and the falls were even deeper in most of the South East European and EECCA countries. The average per capita consumption of the 30 countries increased by 25% between 1995 and 2008, from 9.8 to 12.2 tonnes. This is above the global average of 10.4 tonnes but still below EU-15 average of 18.6 tonnes per capita in 2008.

Material consumption decoupled relatively from economic growth during the whole period under consideration in the 30 countries. Thus, material productivity rose continuously by an average 42% between 1995 and 2008. This general improvement in resource efficiency across the region partly reflects the economic restructuring that has taken place since the early 1990s and is partly due to increased production efficiency in some sectors.

The circular economy (CE) concept is gaining traction as a sustainable strategy for reducing waste and enhancing resource efficiency. This concept has been adopted in some countries such as Denmark, Netherlands, Scotland, Sweden, Japan, China, and Germany while it is being considered by others including England, Austria, and Finland. The CE has been employed in the manufacturing, agricultural, textile, and steel industries but its implementation varies. It is against this backdrop
that this study seeks to identify CE implementation in three pioneering countries (China, Japan, and Germany). A critical review and analysis of the literature was conducted. The results revealed enabling and core policies/laws for the development of the CE concept. It also identified the implementation structure of the CE in China, Germany, and Japan. In conclusion, the findings of this study are expected to serve as a guide for developing and implementing the CE concept in various sectors of the economy.

The circular economy proposition is not a novel concept. However, it has recently stimulated sustainable consumption and production ideas on re-manufacturing, refurbishing and recycling of materials. A thorough literature review suggests that the circular economy’s regenerative systems are intended to minimise industrial waste, emissions, and energy leakages through the creation of long-lasting designs that improve resource efficiencies. In this light, this research critically analyses the circular economy’s closed loop systems. The findings suggest that this sustainable development model could unleash a new wave of operational improvements and enhanced productivity levels through waste management and the responsible use and reuse of materials in business and industry. In conclusion, this research implies that closed loop and product service systems could result in significant efficiencies in sustainable consumption and production of resources

A circular economy offers solutions for global sustainability challenges through the transition from the linear take-make-use-dispose economy to a better organisation of resources. However, realising a circular economy has ran into various biophysical constraints. Circular economy implementation is shaped by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's butterfly diagram that depicts ‘biological’ and ‘technical’ flows as separate cycles, subsequently interpreted as organic materials circulating in open loop systems via the environment and inorganic materials circulating in closed loop systems within society. Conversely, in our view, resource flows often contain tightly bound combinations of organic and inorganic materials either due to their natural composition or due to their technical design. Building on this observation, a new diagram is proposed that broadens the scope of the circular economy to cover extractive sectors and the return of materials from anthropogenic use to natural reserves, thereby reshaping the conceptual space within which solutions such as effective zero-waste-residue technologies, business models, and policies can be developed for the optimal management of integrated resources from a whole-system perspective. The diagram offers a realistic outlook on the biophysical limitations of circularity and endeavours to inspire discussion that supports the transition towards a sustainable circular economy.

The circular economy is a model of production and consumption to address the relentless depletion of resources and the accumulation of waste. In the circular economy literature, there are sparse suggestions that Product-Service Systems (PSSs) have the potential to produce closed-loop resource flows. This study explored this potential using a systematic literature review focused on the use phase and obsolescence. We identified twenty-one PSS elements that contribute to closed loops and categorised them by six architectural levels, i.e. services, resources, stakeholders, contract, value delivery, and systems and tools. We then structured the PSS elements and their contributions to closed loops under four subfunctions and consolidated them in a novel framework. Intercepting and transitioning obsolete resources are subfunctions demanded by a PSS to achieve an operational solution. Stating and governing resource lifetime are subfunctions wanted by a PSS to improve the solution. The results call for a functional approach to PSS design and consideration of obsolescence of products, components and materials. The implications of the results are that PSS elements contribute to achieving circularity by satisfying specific subfunctions and the data in the framework provide a basis for selecting suitable PSS elements.

Massive material and energy are consumed in the integrated iron and steel industry, which results in substantial emissions. Many technologies and policies have been employed in the industry to achieve sustainable steelmaking. The potential of these technologies and policies is generally assessed at the facility/process level. The sitewide potential is usually overestimated or underestimated due to double-counting and missing items. To tackle this problem, a matrix model of the sitewide material-energy-emission nexus is developed in terms of the interconnection and interdependency of multiple flows. Based on the nexus model, the effects of operational actions on material, energy and emission intensities are investigated. In addition, the contribution of various operational parameters to the change in each flow is determined. Coke purchase, cast iron export, scrap steel utilization and metallic yield improvement are examined as a case study. The results showed that energy deficits or over-standard emissions may occur in certain cases influenced by the material-energy-emission nexus, and it is suggested to consider the whole-site energy balance and emission structure when making decisions. Finally, policy implications for reducing material consumption, energy consumption and emissions are provided.

Main findings and key messages:

Eco-innovation goes beyond eco-industries to encompass innovation in the way resources are sourced and products are designed, produced, used, re-used and recycled across all sectors. This includes technological and non-technological changes that benefit both the economy and environment.

Many European companies implement eco-innovation, but the majority either still do not eco-innovate or the material savings achieved due to innovation are low. Strong eco-innovation performance in terms of company investments and activities are not automatically linked to strong environmental outcomes on the macro-scale.

The potential for eco-innovation and the capacity to benefit from eco-innovation are different across EU regions and sectors. Eco-innovation may not only present the opportunity for emerging regions to ‘leap-frog’ toward ‘green economies’, but may also offer them the opportunity to develop new lead markets.

Achieving the goal of a resource-efficient Europe represents a challenge for all EU countries. Meeting Factor 2 to Factor 5 material consumption targets will require an intensification of public policies and private investments towards both resourceefficiency and absolute dematerialization.

This report shows that the potential for instigating meaningful change through eco-innovation exists. While it focuses on the resource-saving efforts of European companies (achieving more with less), more radical innovations both in companies and across economies are needed (we must do better with less). Visions reveal that a combination of all types of innovation may contribute to creating a prosperous and resource-efficient Europe in yet unforeseen ways.

Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs) are products that are purchased and consumed frequently to satisfy continuous consumer demand. In a linear economy, FMCGs are typically offered as single-use and disposable products. Limitations in product design, insufficient collection systems, and inefficient recovery processes prevent high recycling rates. As a result, FMCGs often end up in landfill or the environment, contributing to waste accumulation, and pollution. Whilst recycling is the most common waste prevention strategy practiced by the industry, the process is limited to addressing only the final stage of the product life cycle, omitting the overproduction and consumption
of materials typical of FMCGs. Instead, reuse is a strategy that is capable of extending the value of resources by slowing material flows. Novel reuse models that require the consumer to interact with
durable primary packaging and products are emerging in the FMCG industry. However, the constituent elements and operation principles of such reuse models are not fully understood. The aim of this
research is to develop a comprehensive characterisation of reuse models and to evaluate their potential to deliver environmental value. Method: Ninety-two reuse offerings were selected and analysed to
identify their reuse system elements. The analysis led to the identification of a framework including five reuse models, which were also evaluated to establish their capability to deliver environmental value
when compared to conventional single-use and disposable FMCGs. Results: Currently in the FMCG sector, reusable products are mostly durable packaging, such as bottles and containers for beverages,
foods, personal and home care goods, and are infrequently durable products, such as personal and baby care goods, including razors and nappies. Three reuse models involve exclusive reuse, a behaviour by
which a reusable product is used and kept by a single user throughout the product lifetime. In exclusive reuse models, users are provided with either a reusable product (model 1), a reusable product with
preparation for reuse infrastructure (model 2), or access to preparation for reuse infrastructure (model 3). Two reuse models involve sequential reuse, a behaviour by which a reusable product is used by multiple
users throughout the product lifetime and returned after each use to a provider. In sequential reuse models, users are provided with either a reusable product with preparation for reuse infrastructure and
provider-operated recovery services (model 4), or a reusable product and provider-operated services for recovery and preparation for reuse (model 5). Whilst the five reuse models can operate standalone, some offerings were found to embed a multi-model approach. Both exclusive and sequential reuse models are capable of delivering environmental value by reducing the use of natural resources and retaining their value in the economy. In particular, sequential reuse models were found to have a greater capability to increase the share of recyclable resources by offering access to infrastructure for the closure of material
loops. Conclusions: Consumers can currently access five reuse models and choose between exclusive and sequential reuse behaviours. When adopted in conjunction with recycling, reuse models can enable
a more efficient consumption of FMCGs. Providing the infrastructure necessary to enable reuse and recycling is key to the successful and sustainable deployment of the reuse models.

Resource efficiency is a key component of sustainable policies and practices, particularly in industries with high energy demands. Using empirical data, this paper evaluates the long-term performance (1960-2009) of the United Kingdom steel sector through the exergy-based metrics of "resource efficiency" and "useful exergy ef-ficiency". The analysis is broken down into two production pathways: the basic oxygen furnace and the electric arc furnace. The scope includes electricity generation and steel refining. It incorporates energy and material inputs, as well as by-products as useful outputs. The exergy-based indicators demonstrate the benefit of measuring both the quality and quantity of resources. The results are contextualised to gain insights into the long-term impact of political and socioeconomic transitions on resource consumption trends. Over the period, the sector's overall resource efficiency went from 19% to 32%. Between 2% and 4% of this improvement results from the reincorporation of by-products into production processes. The basic oxygen furnace route's resource efficiency increased by 9% whilst the electric arc furnace route rose by 20%. These improvements occurred via the promotion of successful energy saving policies rather than the diversion of large amounts of scrap inputs into the furnaces. This paper shows that both the resource efficiency and useful exergy efficiency indicators are a valuable complement to the benchmark metrics (energy intensity and material efficiency). This is because they can quantify the interactions and trade-offs between energy and material flows.

This 2011 publication starts with reflections on the Green Economy Report and follows with the discussion of industry-specific opportunities and challenges in strengthening the role of business in the transition to a low carbon, resource efficient and Green Economy. The publication proceeds to further define the future global framework for strengthening the role of business in the lead up to Rio+20.
Authors: Jamie Attard (UNEP), Garrett Clark (UNEP), Andrea Bacher (ICCWBO), Sonia Uribe (UNEP)

This paper provides the first comparative and quantitative assessment of material consumption and resource productivity of emerging economies between 1985 and 2005.
16 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America were selected for the analysis. To facilitate comparison, the emerging economies are divided into three different groups according to their dominant strategy of economic development since 1985: resource-based, industry-based and service-based economies.

The study draws on the methodological framework of material flow accounting and analysis (MFA), as established by the OECD and EUROSTAT, and focuses on direct trade and consumption of materials applying the indicators Domestic Material Consumption (DMC) and Physical Trade Balance (PTB).

The results show that nowhere in the world is resource consumption growing faster than in the emerging economies in terms of absolute terms. However, due to high population growth, per capita consumption increased only slowly from
4.4 tonnes in 1985 to 6.7 tonnes in 2005 and remains below the global average of around 8.5 tonnes. Today, this group of 16 countries, which is home to about half the world’s population, consumes about the same absolute amount of materials as the OECD countries which host 14% of the world’s population. Resource efficiency in emerging economies increased faster than the global average trend, albeit from a much lower absolute level.

With regard to the dominant strategy of economic development in the different countries, the study shows that resource-based emerging economies tend to have higher per capita resource consumption, lower resource efficiency and are less dynamic in improvements of resource efficiency than industry- or service-based economies. These results change significantly when indirect material flows of extraction and trade are considered.

Decoupling of resources use from economic growth is one of the central challenges of pathways towards a sustainable future. In this context, industrial symbiosis holds huge potential. While increased resource efficiency is one of its central aspects, industrial symbiosis links to broader agendas in the fields of green economy, innovation, material and energy security, climate change, as well as local, regional and national welfare.

Circularity of concrete requires not only advanced recycling technologies but also the simultaneous action of other factors such as fast quality control and monitoring, investment incentives, business models.
The Resources & Recycling group (TUDelft) in collaboration with its industrial partners (C2CA Technologies, GBN B.V.) are currently engaged in achiving this ambitious objective.

The concept of 'cradle to cradle', whereby durable products circulate in a closed loop rather than going to waste, has overtaken the notion of 'cradle to grave'. It emerged from industrial ecology and has been applied to durables such as carpets, cars, and computers. This paper begins to examine how this concept may be applied to the management of the wider building stock and cities. The origins of the concept are explored, namely natural processes where there is no waste, and how these have been applied in industry. Particular attention is given to the use of recyclable products in product stewardship schemes, whereby products are leased to customers and later returned to manufacturers for refurbishment and recycling. The ultimate aim is to ensure that no product waste goes to landfill. In proposing a new conceptual model for more effective and sustainable management of the building stock within cities, the authors seek to apply lessons learned from industrial ecology. These indicate that continual addition of resource intensive new buildings using virgin raw materials, whilst allowing existing stock to deteriorate and go to waste, is neither a smart nor a sustainable strategy. On the contrary, it is proposed that durable building resources should be kept in circulation within a closed loop, so that buildings undergo not one but many useful lives, with reusable components being added or dismantled. However, the most innovative idea is that the concept of product stewardship should be extended from carpets and the like to the complete range of building products. This would involve wider implementation of prefabricated and modular components, leased to those requiring facilities and with the manufacturer retaining ownership. Whilst it is acknowledged that there are a number of supply-chain and other barriers, the authors believe the application of the concepts and model may represent a major step forward in achieving a smart and sustainable built environment. They propose further research to develop the ideas and examine how barriers may be overcome.

The extent and pattern of our material use strongly affects the planet’s water resources. This report provides the first combined overview of the links between different aspects of material use and their effects on the planet’s water resources. As water-related challenges, such as water shortages and pollution, increase worldwide, the need for us to understand and address these links is becoming increasingly important.

Water is necessary for almost every step of the material flow, from the extraction of raw materials to their processing and recycling or disposal. This report highlights the role of water in these steps, often illustrating this with case studies and examples, and shows how the availability of water determines what and how much we can produce and how production and consumption influence the quality and quantity of our freshwater resources.

In the context of globalisation and ever more complex supply chains, water also plays an important role in trade. As water is usually required for the production of export goods, local problems of water depletion and pollution are closely linked to the local economies’ ties to the global market. This report explores virtual water flows, which can help assess the real water situation in different countries.

The findings come with a warning that Europe is neglecting the catastrophic consequences that water stress and scarcity will have in Europe and in the rest of the world, and with a call to governments to start measuring Europe’s overall water and material use.

The increasing population density in urban areas simultaneously impacts the trend of energy consumption in building sectors and the urban heat island (UHI) effects of urban infrastructure. Accordingly, passive design strategies to create sustainable buildings play a major role in addressing these issues, while solar envelopes prove to be a relevant concept that specifically considers the environmental performance aspects of a proposed building given their local contexts. As significant advances have been made over the past decades regarding the development and implementation of computational solar envelopes, this study presents a comprehensive review of solar envelopes while specifically taking into account design parameters, digital tools, and the implementation of case studies in various contextual settings. This extensive review is conducted in several stages. First, an investigation of the scope and procedural steps of the review is conducted to frame the boundary of the topic to be analyzed within the conceptual framework of solar envelopes. Second, comparative analyses between categorized design methods in parallel with a database of design parameters are conducted, followed by an in-depth discussion of the criteria for the digital tools and case studies extracted from the selected references. Third, knowledge gaps are identified, and the future development of solar envelopes is discussed to complete the review. This study ultimately provides an inclusive understanding for designers and architects regarding the progressive methods of the development of solar envelopes during the conceptual design stage.

The main objective of this paper is a theoretical-methodological grounding and analysis of the resource-efficiency objectives and policies required for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy in the EU and Romania, as well as for the transition to a resource efficient, greener and circular economy. We first outline some of the most important conceptual and theoretical issues by considering resource-efficiency as a paradigm behind the green (and circular) economy. The concept of resource efficiency expressed by the resource productivity (RP) indicator has a clear environmental and economic dimension, so it is considered an appropriate indicator of sustainable development. The objectives are shown to be strategical also in the European Union and in Romania, since the principal objective of the Roadmap to a Resource-efficient Europe (COM/2011/0571 final) is improving economic performance while reducing pressure on natural resources by boosting resource-efficient prod...

A comparative analysis is performed of the variations in one of the resource-saving indicators, namely, the concentration of metal ions (Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, Sn, Cd, Pb, and Fe) in the compositions of solutions proposed and used in different years for electroplating. A quantitative concentration criterion is determined for classifying the compositions of solutions used for metal electroplating into resource-saving (c ≤ 0.71 mol/L) and resource-intensive (c ≥ 0.96 mol/L) compositions. In addition to scientific interest, this material can be useful for developing studies aimed at reducing the negative environmental impact of electroplating shops or sections. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2012.

The main objective of this paper is a theoretical-methodological grounding and analysis of the resource-efficiency objectives and policies required for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy in the EU and Romania, as well as for the transition to a resource efficient, greener and circular economy. We first outline some of the most important conceptual and theoretical issues by considering resource-efficiency as a paradigm behind the green (and circular) economy. The concept of resource efficiency expressed by the resource productivity (RP) indicator has a clear environmental and economic dimension, so it is considered an appropriate indicator of sustainable development. The objectives are shown to be strategical also in the European Union and in Romania, since the principal objective of the Roadmap to a Resource-efficient Europe (COM/2011/0571 final) is improving economic performance while reducing pressure on natural resources by boosting resource-efficient prod...