A methodology for assessment of the carbon neutrality of products

摘要

Environmental concerns are at the forefront of much of industry's thinking. This can take the form of simply responding to ever increasing environmental legislation, energy management to meet the requirements under Climate Change Levy agreements, waste management to reduce the impact of landfill taxes, through to the full implementation of an environmental management system such as ISO 14001 or EMAS. The primary aim of all these is to improve the environmental efficiency of the companies concerned. Much of regional development in Europe now involves the sustainable growth opportunities of environmental products and services. Whilst these two strategic developments may not seem to be linked, it is obvious that to meet the objectives of the former it is likely that the products of the latter may be used. This paper argues that for the full environmental benefits of these strategic developments to be achieved a local manufacturing industry and market for environmental products and services must be created simultaneously. This argument is illustrated by a number of case studies involving combined heat and power plants, solar panels, photovoltaic cells and wind turbines. These case studies assess the life cycle of these products and their environmental footprints.