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LIFE and resource efficiency Decoupling growth from resource use
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
European Commission
Environment Directorate-General
LIFE (“The Financial Instrument for the Environment”) is a programme launched by the European Commission and co-ordinated by
the Environment Directorate-General (LIFE Units - E.3. and E.4.).
The contents of the publication “LIFE and Resource Efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use” do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of the institutions of the European Union.
Authors: Gabriella Camarsa (Environment expert), Justin Toland, Eamon O’Hara, Tim Hudson, Wendy Jones, Ed Thorpe, Christophe
Thévignot (AEIDL, Communications Team Coordinator). Managing Editor: Hervé Martin, European Commission, Environment DG,
LIFE E.4 – BU-9, 02/1, 200 rue de la Loi, B-1049 Brussels. LIFE Focus series coordination: Simon Goss (LIFE Communications
Coordinator), Evelyne Jussiant (DG Environment Communications Coordinator). Technical assistance: Audrey Thénard, Nicolas
Tavitian, Agnese Roccato (Astrale GEIE). The following people also worked on this issue: Alban De Villepin, Federico Nogara,
Simona Bacchereti, Santiago Urquijo-Zamora, Sylvie Ludain (Environment DG, LIFE Environment and Eco-innovation Unit), Carina
Vopel, Jonathan Murphy (Environment DG, Communication Unit), Robin Miege (Environment DG, Green Week Task Force).
Production: Monique Braem (AEIDL). Graphic design: Daniel Renders, Anita Cortés (AEIDL). Photos database: Sophie Brynart.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to all LIFE project beneficiaries who contributed comments, photos and other useful material for this
report. Photos: Unless otherwise specified; photos are from the respective projects.
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Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2011
ISBN 978-92-79-19764-2
ISSN 1725-5619
doi:10.2779/74370
© European Union, 2011
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
Printed in Belgium
Printed on recycled paper awarded the EU Ecolabel
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
FOREWORD
R esource efficiency is a cross-cutting issue that affects our daily lives and economy. We rely
on natural resources to provide us with shelter, food, employment, quality of life and a host of
other services. In order to protect the long-term availability of these resources, we need to take care
to use them wisely in sustainable ways. For this to happen, new approaches are required, approaches
that need to involve long-term considerations aimed at achieving a better balance between economic,
environmental and social interests.
Hervé Martin
The LIFE Programme has been at the forefront of such moves to promote more resource efficient
Head of Unit – LIFE Environment
and Eco-innovation solutions for today’s environmental challenges, and a large portfolio of good practices in this area has
Directorate-General for
been gathered by LIFE since its launch in 1992. A sample of some of these approaches is highlighted
the Environment,
European Commission in the following LIFE Focus brochure, which presents some of the practical actions being implemented
throughout the EU.
Topics featured in the brochure span the full sustainable development spectrum and aim to illustrate
how LIFE’s broad remit is able to assist a multitude of different environmental activities in a variety of
different contexts. Public, private and voluntary sector organisations throughout Europe have all used
LIFE co-finance for good effect and the results of their efforts are explained in the following articles.
Over 120 LIFE projects are featured, which demonstrates the critical mass of knowledge that is held
by the Programme in key fields such as waste management techniques, water conservation methods,
energy efficiency options, and lower impact transport. Between them, the LIFE projects that are spot-
lighted in this brochure offer many opportunities for readers to build their own capacity for helping to
shape and safeguard a more resource efficient future for Europe.
R esource efficiency has a central part to play in Europe’s 2020 strategy for growth and jobs, and
accordingly the European Commission is launching a number of far-reaching new initiatives
in this area. But for many of Europe’s front-runners, greening our society is already a reality: not only
governments and large companies, but local actors and small innovative companies too are commit-
ted to the idea, whose strength often comes from the grassroots level. Businesses and organisations
have understood that improving efficiency and innovative products, processes and business models
Robin Miège affords valuable opportunities for increased productivity and growth.
Green Week Task Force
Directorate-General for While individual companies and organisations can often achieve simple gains in efficiency without
the Environment
massive investment, making sure that good innovative ideas actually reach the market can require
European Commission
substantial funds. The LIFE+ programme can play a key role here, helping ensure that a shift to a
resource efficient Europe becomes a reality, and acting to relieve or prevent future scarcities of essential
resources such as energy and water. I am pleased to be able to say that by providing real-life solutions
to real-world problems, the best LIFE practices featured in this brochure are an important inspiration
for policymakers, and that moreover, these examples reflect areas where we are considering future
policy action.
A solution to a problem is merely anecdotal, unless the message can be shared. But when best prac-
tices become better known, major changes can result. That’s why communication has always had a key
role to play in LIFE – and why publications such as this are so important for policymakers and actors
on the ground. This LIFE Focus publication is only one part of LIFE outreach – check out the 2011
Green Week conference and exhibition, and the LIFE and Green Week websites for more examples of
good practices being shared.
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
CONTENTS
Introduction......................... 3 Water efficiency................. 29 Food and beverage
resource efficiency............. 51
Building a resource Water - an essential
efficient Europe.....................3 component of LIFE............. 29 LIFE turns food for
thought into action..............51
Production processes........... 5 Sustainable transport......... 33
Agriculture and ecosystem
LIFE producing resource A cleaner and more
services.............................. 55
efficient industrial growth......5 efficient transport system....33
LIFE aids agriculture to pre-
MEIGLASS brings
Energy efficient buildings... 37 serve resources ..................55
new LIFE to waste glass ....10
LIFE helps boosts the Conservation agriculture
energy efficiency of EU reduces soil erosion in
Eco-products and
building stock......................37 Andalusian wetlands...........59
eco-design......................... 13
Taking the risk out of
LIFE conserving resources in
resource efficiency Green Public Procurement
product design, production,
investments.........................41 and Green Skills................. 62
use and disposal.................13
LIFE shows the
LIFE helps drive greener Fish and marine environmental benefits
tyre making..........................18 resources............................ 43 of GPP.................................62
Protecting Europe’s fisheries
Lifecycle thinking............... 21 Project list.......................... 64
and marine resources . .......43
Lifecycle thinking - a key
No discards, zero waste......46
thought of LIFE....................21
Available LIFE Environment
ACADEMY: managing Land use and planning....... 49 publications....................... 69
the lifecycle of complex
Planning for a more resource
products..............................26
efficient European
landscape............................49
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
Building a resource
INTRODUCTION
efficient Europe
The concept of resource efficiency emphasises a need to use the Earth’s limited
resources in a sustainable manner. For Europe to have a vibrant economy and a high
quality of life, we need a sustainable base of raw materials and resources. However,
our economic growth patterns continue to exert increasing pressures on EU resource
bases. As such it is becoming more and more important that we improve our ability to
live, produce and consume within the limits of our ecosystem.
T he EU’s Europe 2020 Strategy for
growth sets the priority of moving
to a more resource efficient, green and
affects all aspects of our daily lives.
Hence, coordination is needed at EU
level as well as in Member States at
tainable resource use habits. Resource
efficiency is as relevant for Europe’s
urban areas as it is to rural communities
competitive economy. Under the Europe national, regional and local levels. Prac- and the wider countryside. Everyone is
2020 strategy, the Flagship Initiative for a tical action at Member State level will be affected by the environmental challenges
resource efficient Europe has been intro- particularly important and the subsidiarity that we face and everyone can make
duced to help the EU achieve sustainable principle remains essential to ensure that their own positive contributions to help
growth by ‘decoupling’ economic growth appropriate solutions are put in place at achieve the Flagship’s goals.
from increasing resource use. appropriate times, in appropriate ways,
in appropriate places. Uptake of these resource efficient
The Flagship Initiative sets out a vision approaches can be assisted by raising
for a more resource-efficient economy by Empowering the participation of private awareness of the long-term benefits that
2050. It proposes new policy initiatives sector stakeholders, citizens, consumers are possible from adopting sustainable
that will stimulate greater innovation for and NGOs is also fundamental for turn- approaches. There are many examples
short-term and long-term economic and ing around Europe’s increasingly unsus- of how the wise use of environmental
environmental benefits. It also allows
for the development of a set of tools
The LIFE programme has a long track record of innovative approaches for building
for policymakers to drive and monitor a resource efficient Europe
progress.
The Flagship recognises that resource
efficiency is a cross-cutting issue that
COM (2010) 2020 Communication from the
Commissions Europe 2020 – A strategy for
smart, sustainable and inclusive growth
COM (2011) 21 final A resource-efficient
Europe – Flagship Initiative under the Europe
2020 strategy
The proposals that have been adopted
are: Energy 2020: A strategy for competitive,
sustainable and secure energy, Energy infra-
structure priorities for 2020 and beyond – A
Blueprint for an integrated European energy
network and Tackling the challenges in com-
modity markets and on raw materials
The Flagship Initiative for a resource effi-
cient Europe provides a long-term framework
for actions in many policy areas, supporting
policy agendas for climate change, energy,
transport, industry, raw materials, agriculture,
fisheries, biodiversity and regional develop-
ment. Links to the key proposals can be
found at http://ec.europa.eu/resource-effi-
cient-europe/
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
assets can strengthen the resilience of This will require a mix of instruments that energy, transport, industry and agricul-
INTRODUCTION
our economies and secure growth and act together in complementary ways to ture are all also needed to facilitate the
jobs by boosting competitiveness. At help increase the stability and security resource efficiency Flagship objectives.
the same time, resource efficiency has of energy supplies whilst halting energy Eco-innovations not only come from
been shown to help drive down costs, production systems that impact most technological advances, but by apply-
improve productivity, stimulate innova- negatively on the environment. Waste ing new business models and novel
tion, and support employment, espe- minimisation is also seen as central to ways of thinking.
cially in growth areas such as the ‘green the EU’s resource efficiency agenda. By
technology’ sector. increasing recycling rates the pressure Incentives can further assist a speedy
on primary raw materials will reduce. uptake of these multi-level structural
Timing for wider adoption of resource Furthermore, improved waste manage- changes in consumer behaviour and pro-
efficient principles is important as pres- ment systems can ensure that valuable duction patterns. Incentives can come in
sures on our resources rise in line with materials are reused, thereby reduc- different forms and more policy empha-
increases in wealth and population ing energy consumption and green- sis on measures that ensure commodity
growth in an ever industrialising world. house gas emissions from extraction prices reflect the “full cost of resource
This is one of the core global challenges and processing. use to society” will help market forces
that must be faced now. If we do not act promote resource efficiency.
assertively in the present the problems Other pieces of the resource efficiency
will be exacerbated and tackling them jigsaw relate to industry and consumers. Resource efficient LIFE
will become even more difficult in the These primary stakeholders need to be projects
future. mobilised to make them less dependant
on the availability of certain resources The LIFE programme has a long track
Action on all levels and so less vulnerable to supply con- record of pioneering effective approaches
straints and volatile market prices. Attrac- for building a resource efficient Europe.
Recognising the multi-level complex- tive alternatives are required to convert LIFE has generated a vast portfolio of
ity of resource efficiency, the Flagship’s this rhetoric into reality and stakeholders know-how in resource efficiency meth-
mandate stretches across a far reaching need to possess the capacity to make ods for a diverse range of beneficiaries.
remit of material resources, including the necessary changes.
metals, minerals, food and feed, air, soil, LCA approaches, skills transfers and
water, biomass and ecosystems. Lifecycle analysis (LCA) can help make eco-innovations feature prominently in
products and services more ‘material LIFE’s wide-ranging portfolio, which con-
Some of the main objectives refer to efficient’ by reducing energy demands tinues to find new ways of lightening and
enhanced energy efficiency. Here the and lowering raw material inputs. Tech- lessening our environmental footprints
Flagship aims to achieve a transition to nological improvements, via eco-inno- in order to achieve a more resource effi-
a resource and carbon efficient society. vations, in high impact sectors such as cient Europe.
LIFE projects have developed techniques that increase recycling rates, thereby reducing pressure on primary raw materials Photo: Justin Toland and LIFE06 ENV/IT/000332
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
LIFE producing resource
efficient industrial
growth
Policy on resources needs to take account of the value chain and the full lifecycle of
resource use. How products are produced is a key part of this. The LIFE programme
has been at the forefront of efforts to implement resource efficient and innovative pro-
duction processes at all stages of the lifecycle, from extraction to end-of-life.
O ver the past 10 years resource
productivity has improved 2.2%
per year. This is largely due to efficiency
include actions to address resource
efficiency.
Water efficient
manufacturing
improvements in production, as well as Effective planning of production proc- For instance, tightening water supply,
the increasing role of services in the esses can ensure that a range of caused by competition for water, could
economy. However, market rewards for resources are used more effectively. mean disruption of production processes
production changes and further impetus Resource efficient production is not or higher input costs, with severe eco-
to resource efficient and eco-innova- merely desirable, however: it is becom- nomic damage. This highlights the vital
tive production processes are needed ing increasingly essential. importance of water efficiency in produc-
to reduce dependency on raw materials tion processes, something that the LIFE
and to encourage optimal resource use LIFE funding has helped resource efficiency
programme has helped implement across
and recycling. in production processes across a wide a wide range of industrial sectors.
range of industrial sectors
The European Commission proposes a The ‘wet process’ stages of textiles pro-
Photo: LIFE99 ENV/IT/000034
fresh approach to industrial policy that duction are extremely water intensive
puts competitiveness and sustainabil- (typically requiring 4 litres/kg of fabric
ity centre stage. “The whole value and produced) and generating large volumes
supply chain must be considered, from of discharged wastewater. Treatment and
access to energy and raw materials to reuse of this water would not only reduce
after-sale services and the recycling stress on water resources for industry,
of materials.” The upcoming review it could also increase the availability of
of the Sustainable Consumption and drinking water in some areas. Since most
Production and Sustainable Industry textiles producers are small and medium-
Policy Action Plan foreseen in 2012 will sized enterprises, they often lack the
COM(2008) 397 final on the Sustainable Water Conservation in Textile Industry,
Consumption and Production and Sustainable Muhammad Ayaz Shaikh, Assistant Profes-
Industrial Policy Action Plan sor, College of Textile Engineering, SFDAC
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
resources to implement state-of-the-art
PRODUCTION PROCESSES
environmental procedures. However,
several LIFE projects have shown how
this can be achieved.
In Italy, the PROWATER project (LIFE04
ENV/IT/000583) developed prototypes
for effluent treatment and reuse in pilot
sites at four textiles plants. Wastewa-
ter was treated using physical-chemi-
cal processes (coagulation and lamel-
lar sedimentation or flotation) and
innovative membrane technologies.
These techniques exceeded targets for
removal of surfactants (62%, against a
target of 50%) and colour (98%, against
a target of 85%), whilst also meeting
targets for the removal of other pollut-
Photo: LIFE05 ENV/E/000285
ants, such as chemical oxygen demand
(COD) and total suspended solids
(TSS). The treated wastewater was then
reused in production processes includ-
ing fabrics softening, reducing overall
water consumption by 40%. If imple- The LIFE RESITEX project demonstrated how water savings can be achieved in the
mented across Europe on an industrial textile sector
scale, the PROWATER team calculates
potential water savings of 44 million A subsequent Italian textiles sec- ried out to ascertain which effluents were
m3/yr. The technology can also reduce tor project, BATTLE (LIFE05 ENV/ potentially reusable and which were not.
costs and has a payback time of five IT/000846), attempted to design and Based on this analysis, the most cost-
years. Enhanced cost effectiveness will demonstrate a new best available tech- efficient technology for water reclamation
help generate new employment oppor- nique (BAT) for efficient wastewater was selected and different water reuse
tunities for European industries and reuse in the textile industry. An analysis schemes were designed for cost/benefit
also improve competitiveness against of production processes at Stamperia comparisons. A pilot plant was then con-
low-wage textile producing countries di Martinengo, a medium-sized textile structed to demonstrate the applicability
and enhance green credentials. finishing factory in Lombardy, was car- of the technologies in practice. This plant
treated some 500 m3/day of process efflu-
ents, producing 374 m3/day of recovered
The HAGAR project reduced consumption of high-quality water for the marble extraction
water on average. Most significantly, the
industry in Hebron
project’s findings also fed into the proc-
Photo: LIFE05 TCY/GA/000115
ess for developing new BREF reference
guidelines for the textiles sector, helping
improve water efficiency across the EU.
Efficient water use was just one aspect of
LIFE RESITEX (LIFE05 ENV/E/000285),
a Spanish textiles industry project that
developed and tested best available
techniques (BAT) for waste management
that could be applied to all textiles sub-
sectors. The key output of the project
was a guidebook: “Procedure for Waste
Management in the Textile Sector”, which
provided advice on good management
practices (e.g. how water savings can be
made by moving from light to dark colours
during a production cycle); selection and
substitution of chemicals; equipment and
new technologies; and ways of minimis-
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
PRODUCTION PROCESSES
Photo: LIFE04 ENV/IT/000414
Significant reductions in the use of chemicals, water and energy were achieved in the tanning sector thanks to the N.E.S.S project
ing resources and making use of recycling The plant now discharges 8 000 m3/day aims to demonstrate the effectiveness
opportunities (including guidance on how of wastewater that can be recycled and of replacing polluting and potentially
to recover and reuse printing pastes or used in agriculture and industry. carcinogenic chrome tannage with an
rinsing water and how to use biological environmentally friendly ‘oxazolidine’
sludge on agricultural land). The N.E.S.S. project (LIFE04 ENV/ tanning agent combined with other veg-
IT/000414) implemented process etable or synthetic agents. The project
The guidebook developed by the RESI- improvements at a factory in Italy spe- will promote its ‘chrome-free’ leathers to
TEX project will help Europe’s textiles cialising in the skin finishing stage of the tanning, footwear and upholstery com-
SMEs reduce their waste, and keep tanning production cycle, drawing on the panies in Spain, Italy and Slovenia.
costs down while complying with envi- BAT developed by the earlier LIFE GIADA
ronmental legislation, something that will project (LIFE00 ENV/IT/000184). The Resource efficiency from
be increasingly important as the sector redesigned finishing line achieved signifi- beginning to end-of-life
faces greater competition from low-wage cant reductions in the use of chemicals
producers in China and India. (95% - and consequently a 28% reduc- There is a window of opportunity for
tion in emissions of volatile organic com- the EU to influence production and
Helping leather look pounds), water (up to 75%) and electric- resource standards in developing coun-
better ity (up to 95%), as well as in the amount tries through EU market compliance
of waste sludge generated (up to 98%). standards. This obliges countries aim-
The same could also be said of the Working conditions were also improved ing to enter the EU market to comply
leather/tanneries industry which, with thanks to noise abatement measures with these standards. LIFE, through its
LIFE’s assistance, has begun taking (cutting acoustic pollution by 85%) and Third Countries strand, has provided an
steps to decouple its resource use from the introduction of water-based, rather impetus towards this goal. For instance,
its economic growth. Improving water than solvent-based colours. Finally, the the HAGAR project in Gaza (LIFE05
efficiency was again the goal of a LIFE process improvements also reduced TCY/GA/000115) worked closely with
project in Lorca, Murcia (LIFE02 ENV/ operating costs and the time required the Italian marble industry to estab-
E/000216), where some 40% of Spanish for skin finishing. lish new environmental procedures in
leather production takes place. LIFE sup- Hebron municipality and address prob-
port enabled the construction of a bio- A current LIFE Environment project in lems associated with the treatment of
logical water treatment plant that used Spain (LIFE08 ENV/E/000140) is simi- debris, sludge and water from marble
ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis tech- larly implementing process improve- extraction. Measures such as the con-
niques to bring tannery effluent within ments that should make more efficient struction of a prototype plant for recy-
legal limits and enable its safe disposal. use of resources. The OXATAN project cling industrial wastewater and separat-
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
PRODUCTION PROCESSES
Photo: LIFE02 ENV/UK/000140
The INWATCO project developed innovative techniques and a Good Practice Guide for integrated management of groundwater, which
are important tools for implementing the EU Water Framework Directive
ing calcium carbonate have contributed regions of Europe where coalfield drain- gains at the initial phase of production
to a reduction in the consumption of age is a major consideration and has (extraction). Yet, equally LIFE is playing
high-quality water, as well as limiting attracted widespread interest. its part in the development of a resource
pollution in soil and underground reser- efficient economy based around recy-
voirs from the stone sludge. Poor materials management leads to cling and reuse of end-of-life products.
significant wastage in the economy, The OXATAN project is one good exam-
Another LIFE project that tackled the with great economic cost. Improving ple of this; another is ELVES (LIFE05
environmental impacts of extraction material efficiency requires lifecycle ENV/E/000317), a Spanish project
industries was INWATCO in the UK and value chain perspectives. We have that developed a system for separat-
(LIFE02 ENV/UK/000140), which dem- already seen how the LIFE programme ing metal alloys from end-of-life vehi-
onstrated and evaluated innovative is helping to realise resource efficiency cle (ELV) engines and reusing them in
techniques and procedures for inte-
grated management of groundwater INWATCO demonstrated that groundwater systems that interact with mine workings can
resources in former coal mining areas. be managed to ensure good water quality
A river basin catchment-scale demon-
Photo: LIFE02 ENV/UK/000140
stration project took place in Wake-
field (UK), with supporting activities in
Romania, to assess the applicability of
the project methodology to all major
European coal mining regions. Data
from INWATCO’s comprehensive water
sampling and analysis programme were
used to evaluate potential minewater
management options and the relation-
ship between minewater systems and
the wider surface water and groundwa-
ter content. This information fed into
a Good Practice Guide on integrated
water resource management in former
coal mining regions. The guide is an
important tool for implementing the EU
Water Framework Directive in the many
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
kcal/tonne of product, a massive con-
PRODUCTION PROCESSES
tribution to resource efficiency.
LIFE continues to work to improve the
energy efficiency of other areas of the
metals industry and elsewhere, for
instance, by helping companies develop
new, energy and resource efficient prod-
ucts that could lead to widespread proc-
ess improvements. The LIFE Green Bear-
ings project (LIFE06 ENV/NL/000176)
is just one example. An estimated 50
billion bearings are installed in machin-
Photo: LIFE08 ENV/E/000140
ery worldwide. This means that even
small frictional power savings per bear-
ing amount to enormous global - and
European - power savings. LIFE Green
Bearings introduced thin film lubrication,
lightweight polymers and improved seal
‘Chrome-free’ leathers for tanning, footwear and upholstery companies in Spain, Italy and technologies (e.g. hard seal coating) to
Slovenia will be produced by the OXATAN project deliver energy reductions of 30-70%,
depending on the bearing and load.
new auto parts and engines. A facility an innovative cold-drawing system for Project beneficiary SKF calculates that
capable of treating 33 000 tonnes/yr of the production of steel wire rod that has a 50% implementation of its Energy
ELV engines with 99% efficiency was drastically cut energy consumption and Efficient Bearings among existing cus-
built, kickstarting a new market in the the production of dangerous chemical tomers would reduce energy consump-
process. The LIFE co-funded factory is wastes. If the techniques developed by tion by 4 000 GWh/yr and disposal of
able to recover more than 5 100 tonnes this LIFE Environment “Best of the Best” waste lubricants by 4 million tonnes/yr in
of aluminium per year, decreasing EU project 2008-2009 were implemented Europe. The substantial energy savings,
dependence on foreign raw material throughout Italy, a country that proc- reduction of lubricant use and increase
imports as a result. esses 1.7 million tonnes/yr of steel wire of product longevity are also calculated
rod, it would lead to environmental sav- to bring economic benefits to customers
The benefits of energy ings of 72 000 tonnes/yr of water con- in less than five years.
efficiency sumption; 6 400 tonnes/yr of sulphuric
acid and 1 900 tonnes/yr of hydrochlo-
A part of a machine designed to reduce
Improving the energy efficiency of pro- ric acid production, and a reduction in friction between moving parts or to support
duction processes has been one of the energy consumption of some 430 000 moving loads.
success stories of the LIFE programme,
particularly for the most energy-inten- Energy Efficient Bearings could reduce energy consumption by 4 000 GWh/yr and disposal
sive sectors such as the metals indus- of waste lubricants by 4 million tonnes/yr in Europe
try. For instance INCOCAST (LIFE05
Photo: LIFE06 ENV/NL/000176
ENV/D/000185), a “Best” LIFE Envi-
ronment project for 2007-2008, sought
to demonstrate the effectiveness of
an alternative process to the cold-box
technique used by most foundries for
casting aluminium. The project signifi-
cantly reduced energy consumption,
emissions, deposits and wastewater
through its ‘inorganic warm box’ cast-
ing technique and laid the foundations
for the future use of this method in the
mass production of more resource effi-
cient aluminium engine blocks and cyl-
inder heads.
The Italian New ESD project (LIFE04
ENV/IT/000598) developed and tested10
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
PRODUCTION PROCESSES
MEIGLASS brings new LIFE
to waste glass
This groundbreaking Italian LIFE project has established the first factory in Europe tur-
ning the unwanted waste fraction of recycled glass bottles into raw materials for the
glass container, ceramics and bricks industries.
R ecycling of glass bottles is now
a long-established practice in
Europe. Yet the average citizen is prob-
centage is likely to increase as the hollow
glass industry demands oven-ready cullet
that will enable it to produce containers
ence processing mined minerals, in 2003
the Italian company SASIL SpA began
trials of a new process that promised to
ably unaware that recycled glass produc- with even greater resistance to thermal revolutionise the raw material use of the
ers also generate significant waste. Some shock and mechanical stresses. “If the glass container industry, with significant
23-25% of glass from public collection glass industry wants better quality cullet it resource efficiencies all round.
points is rejected by the glass container has to reject more,” says Dr. Piero Ercole,
industry and sent to landfill because of scientific and technical director of the As project manager Paolo Bertuzzi
impurities in the cullet (the technical name MEIGLASS project and president of ATIV, explains, SASIL’s aim was to clean the
for crushed waste glass that is ready to be the Italian technical association of glass reject cullet and then grind and sieve it
remelted into new bottles etc). This per- producers. Drawing on its long experi- into pieces of 70-800 microns (0.07-0.8
mm) – so called ‘glassy sand’ – which
Project manager Paolo Bertuzzi explains more about LIFE MEIGLASS could be melted without problems during
glass container manufacturing.
Photo: Justin Toland
With the support of LIFE, SASIL was
able to invest in upgrades to its facility in
Brusnengo, Piedmont, that would allow
it to implement its new process on an
industrial scale. LIFE co-funding was to
be invested in three areas: a wastewater
treatment plant; a pyrolysis plant gener-
ating heat and power from waste plastic
separated from the dirty cullet during
glassy sand manufacturing; and in prod-
uct development and testing.
SASIL’s new water purification plant
offers significant resource efficiencies,11
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
Less resources, more
PRODUCTION PROCESSES
quality
LIFE MEIGLASS has generated sig-
nificant environmental benefits. These
include a reduction in the amount of
cullet going to landfill of some 20 truck
loads per day (from 25% to 2%). The
180 000 tonnes/yr of waste cullet now
reused by SASIL means that 300 000
Photo: Justin Toland
tonnes/yr less material needs to be
mined for the glass container industry, a
significant raw material saving. Further-
more, every tonne of glassy sand used
Washing is one part of the process of turning reject cullet into glassy sand
in the furnace saves 300 kg of CO2. This
means in 2008, SASIL helped the con-
as it allows the company to recycle 90% another example of the resource effi- tainer industry avoid generating 43 500
of its process water, greatly reducing ciency of the MEIGLASS process, since tonnes of CO2, equivalent to taking 26
the need for fresh water during glassy it is made up of pieces of less than 70 000 cars with a Euro 4 engine off the
sand manufacturing (just 10% of the microns which would float on the surface road for a year.
process water - lost through evapora- and reflect heat if melted in a furnace for
tion - must be replaced). glassmaking. Instead, these fine gran- Other benefits of using glassy sand
ules are separated by an air stream and include the fact that it has a chemical
Following teething problems with the mixed with feldspar for sale to the ceram- oxygen demand (COD) 10 times lower
initial design, SASIL plans to start up its ics industry, where they are used as an than standard furnace-ready cullet (a
pyrolysis plant in 2011. The oil and the gas alkali carrier. A further 5% of production, a COD of 100 mg/l as opposed to 1 000
generated by the low temperature plant water suspension of very fine sand mixed mg/l) and 25 times lower than that of the
(450-500° C ) will feed a turbine that will with clay, is sold to the brick industry. cullet rejects.
generate 2 MW of heat for SASIL’s drying
processes and 1 MW of electric power. The process is very flexible, allowing Increasing the quantity of glassy sand
SASIL to change the ratios of glassy and has also been found to reduce the energy
Most significantly though, LIFE support ceramic sand in line with market needs. consumption in the furnace per kilo of
has been used to optimise the technical The company is also building on the LIFE glass produced by some 5%. “The melt-
quality not only of glassy sand, but also MEIGLASS project by investigating the ing furnace’s specific energy consump-
of two other products generated by the possibility of mixing the fine particles tion is reduced by about 0.67% for each
process of cleaning and grinding of dirty (under 70 microns) with larger granules percentage of glassy sand used instead
cullet - ‘ceramic sand’ and ‘brick sand’. to allow even more cullet to be returned of natural raw materials,” notes Dr. Ercole.
Ceramic sand, which accounts for some to the glass industry. The first test results Furthermore, as Mr. Bertuzzi indicates,
25% of the output of SASIL’s plant, is are “very promising” says Dr. Ercole. “decreasing the amount of ceramic
stones is a big challenge for glass fac-
Project beneficiary SASIL SpA is capable of producing up to 200 000 tonnes/yr of glassy tories - with glassy sand they obtain this
sand for the glass bottle industry effect.” Trials show that with 3% glassy
sand and 47% furnace-ready cullet,
Photo: Justin Toland
there were an average of 0.24 ceramic
stones/tonne of glass pulled; when the
mix was changed to 18% glassy sand
and 32% furnace-ready cullet, the ratio
of stones dropped to 0.09/tonne of glass
pulled.
Significantly, tests have shown that
glassy sand can also improve the quality
of glass containers. Results from the field
indicate that when 25% glassy sand is
used in the batch, the internal pressure
resistance of bottles is 9% higher under
the same thermal and forming condi-
tions. “Glassy sand also enables better12
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
let to improve its properties and allow
PRODUCTION PROCESSES
colour separation of glass (which does
not happen at source in Italy). In addi-
tion, one of SASIL’s existing customers
is now aiming to recover civil demolition
waste glass and car windscreens and
use glassy sand to produce flat glass.
“This is a very important development,”
says Dr Ercole. “Very little flat glass is
recycled today.”
SASIL is looking to develop other, new,
Photo: Justin Toland
resource efficient products and proc-
esses from waste glass. Now, with
further support from LIFE, the NOVEDI
project (LIFE07 ENV/IT/000361) sees
With LIFE support, SASIL SpA has established the first plant in Europe capable of the company in the process of devel-
generating new raw materials from waste cullet oping a lightweight insulation material
made from art and mosaic glass, light
control of oxy-reduction reactions and at events in Croatia, Finland and even bulbs, cathode ray tubes and compu-
consequent higher consistency both in Vietnam (by project partner Joanneum ter screens, all forms of glass that can-
colour and in infrared light absorption,” Research), as well as in Italy. “Other not be used to make glass containers
explains Dr. Ercole. The result, he says, is firms can learn from how SASIL per- because of their high lead and fluorine
that “there is more consistent behaviour suaded the glass industry of the benefits content.
of the glass in forming processes thanks of glassy sand,” believes Dr. Ercole.
to the improved chemical and thermal With the VALIRE project to recycle
homogeneity.” As a sign of its success, sales of glassy incinerator residues into high-value
sand have increased from 6 235 tonnes building materials (LIFE08 ENV/
Spreading the message in 2003 to 144 337 tonnes in 2008, and IT/000421) also in the pipeline, SASIL
SASIL’s factory is today capable of pro- is showing just how far it is possible to
Results of the MEIGLASS project have ducing 200 000 tonnes/yr. The company take resource efficiency in manufactur-
been widely disseminated, with sev- is also looking to extend its resource ing. As CEO Lodovico Ramon is keen
eral articles in technical journals and efficient process into new areas, includ- to stress: “Waste is the raw material of
local newspapers, and presentations ing the washing of furnace-ready cul- the future.”
After MEIGLASS, NOVEDI: Paolo Bertuzzi shows off a display about SASIL’s latest LIFE
project
Photo: Justin Toland
ITALY
Project number: LIFE06 ENV/IT/000332
Title: Minimising the Environmental Impact
of GLASS recycling and glass container
production
Beneficiary: SASIL SpA
Contact: Paolo Bertuzzi
Email: cbertuzzi@sasil-life.com
Website: http://www.sasil-life.com/
Period: Dec-2005 to Dec-2009
Total budget: e6 065 000
LIFE contribution: e1 144 00013
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
LIFE conserving resources
in product design,
production, use and
disposal
Current patterns of consumption and production have significant environmental
impacts, including the emission of greenhouse gases, pollution and the depletion of
natural resources. Much can be done to make consumption and production in Europe
more resource efficient. LIFE has an important role to play in supporting EU actions
and proposals to improve the environmental performance of products and to stimulate
demand for more sustainable goods and production technologies.
I t is estimated that over 80% of
all product-related environmen-
tal impacts are determined during the
Plan (July 2008) provides a framework to
improve the energy and environmental
performance of products and to help
As many of the following LIFE project
examples show, the efficient use of
resources (whether for production, use
design phase of a product. Against this consumers make better choices. Build- or disposal) can be good for business
background, eco-design aims to reduce ing on earlier EU policies and initiatives, as well as for the environment, particu-
the environmental impacts of products, it includes extensions to the scope of the larly as the global market for environ-
including energy consumption, through- Eco-design and Labelling directives and mental industries is expected to grow
out their entire lifecycle. Ecolabel Regulation, as well as significant to €200 billion by 2020.
revisions to the voluntary eco-manage-
Apart from changing the user’s behaviour, ment and audit scheme (EMAS II). Saving energy … and
there are two ways of reducing the energy valuable resources
consumed in products: labelling to raise A European Commission review of the
consumer awareness of the real energy Action Plan is expected in 2012, includ- LIFE has provided financial support to
use in order to influence buying decisions, ing assessment of the new Eco-design enterprises across Europe seeking to
such as labelling schemes for domestic Directive (2009/125/EC), which has been explore more energy and resource efficient
appliances; and energy-efficiency require- extended so that it covers not only energy- production methods and processes.
ments imposed on products from the using products (EuPs) on the EU market,
early stage of the design phase. such as computers, televisions, boilers,
and industrial fans; but also energy-related
EU action products (adding products that don’t con-
sume energy during use, but have an indi- 1 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleases
Action.do?reference=MEMO/08/
The EU’s Sustainable Consumption and rect impact on energy consumption, such 507&format=HTML&aged=0&language=
Production / Sustainable Industries Action as taps and window frames). EN&guiLanguage=en14
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
strated that small quantities (1-10%) of
ECO PRODUCTS AND ECO DESIGN
sludge from wastewater treatment plants
could be mixed with the clay material
traditionally used to produce bricks.
According to the project beneficiary, the
concept, which replaces conventional
gas-fired boilers with biomass heaters,
could result in 6% potential net energy
savings for the ceramics sector.
Two other ongoing projects targeting,
respectively, the greening of window-
making and the cleaning sector, are
Photo: LIFE04 ENV/IT/000589
also looking to substantially reduce
their use of natural resources. The Slov-
enian UNISASH project (LIFE07 ENV/
SLO/000710) is aiming to develop a new
type of environmentally friendly manu-
An Italian LIFE project, EWG, developed a technology to decorate ceramic tiles that facturing process suitable for PVC, wood
reduces wasted glaze and energy consumption and aluminium windows. It is aiming to
reduce consumption of raw materials by
20-35% per unit. This should equate to
The ceramics sector, where the finish- ceramic tiles that cut energy consumption energy savings of 20-40% per unit. Cost
ing process in particular is associated in half, eliminated the need for water and savings from these environmental ben-
with significant environmental damage, reduced to zero any resultant pollution. efits are also expected through reduced
has been the focus of several successful production costs.
LIFE projects. The Italian EWG project, Energy efficiencies were also shown by
(LIFE04 ENV/IT/000589) demonstrated Eco-Ceramics, (LIFE05 ENV/E/000301), The French CISDP project (LIFE08 ENV/
a new clean technology for the decora- as part of its innovative waste manage- F/000481) is promoting the implementa-
tion of ceramics on flat and textured sur- ment concept targeting the re-use of tion of a sustainable development pro-
faces using a soft roll that is able to adapt sludge as a raw material for the structural gramme for the country’s cleaning com-
itself to the surface’s shape. A pilot plant ceramics industry. The project demon- panies. The programme contains more
reduced wasted glazes by 98% and
waste caused by printing faults by 8%. A manufacturing process for PVC, wood and aluminium windows that reduces raw materials
Its implementation generated a reduction consumption is currently being demonstrated by the Slovenian UNISASH project
in energy consumption of up to 76%.
Photo: LIFE07 ENV/SLO/007100
Another cleantech project in this sector,
Microfinishing (LIFE02 ENV/IT/000052)
developed a new, dry finishing process for
2 A Best LIFE Environment Project winner
2006-0715
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
than 50 concrete actions targeting the
ECO PRODUCTS AND ECO DESIGN
conservation of natural resources and
preservation of the environment through
reduced water consumption and pollu-
tion, less waste and improved recycling.
Furthermore, 50% of all employees will
receive training thus creating green skills
in this sector.
Energy-efficiencies
In refrigeration
Domestic fridges and freezers have
increased in energy efficiency by more
than 40% in the past decade or so,
thanks in part to the introduction of the
Energy Label Directive (92/75/EEC).
Photo: LIFE05 ENV/DK/000156
However, the commercial world has been
slow to make the same advances.
The Austrian PROCOOL project, (LIFE03
ENV/A/000002) organised a Europe-
wide competition among manufacturers
to promote innovation and show that
With CO2REF, energy consumption of refrigeration units is 4% lower than with an HFC
hydrofluorocarbons (HFC)-free, energy-
system
efficient and cost-effective commercial
appliances can be successfully pro-
duced. Entrants were set strict criteria, which included recycling potential and Reducing waste
repair-orientated designs. and emissions
3 A Best LIFE Environment project winner
2007-08 Eight leading manufacturers, repre- As well as demonstrating resource and
senting 30% of the European market, energy efficiencies, many innovative LIFE
entered the competition. Seven prod- projects have also shown important reduc-
ucts finally met the competition’s tough tions in emissions and waste. A number
stipulations. The winning entries incor- have also reported significant economic
porated enterprising solutions that benefits from the more efficient manage-
Photo: LIFE03 ENV/A/000002
found immediate markets for their ment of resources previously wasted.
new designs. All showed an energy
saving of up to 50% compared with A particular focus has been the metal
standard products, and also avoided industries, traditionally associated with
harmful refrigerants and insulation very high environmental impacts. For
materials, while comfortably meeting example, the Italian Clean-Deco project
standards on noise levels. (LIFE00 ENV/IT/000213) developed a
cleantech solution for the replacement of
Meanwhile, the Danish CO 2 REF the highly polluting process of galvanising
project, (LIFE05 ENV/DK/000156) metals using physical vapour deposition
investigated the use of CO2 as a (PVD) technology. This has resulted in the
greener refrigerant alternative to elimination of chromium wastes and a sub-
HFCs and then successfully intro- stantial reduction in the use of dangerous
duced it in a pilot supermarket sys- chemicals: chromium trioxide (CrO3) by
tem. Initial results showed reduced 100%; hydrogen chloride (HCl) by 30%;
energy consumption of around 4%, and sulphuric acid (H2SO4) by 90%.
as well as service cost savings of
15%. Significantly, the system has Europe’s aeronautics sector was the
proved to be a commercial, as well focus of a high-profile French project,
as a technical success, with 26 units
in operation and a further seven on 4 A Best LIFE Environment project winner
order (2008). 2005-0616
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
that all vehicles must contain the high-
ECO PRODUCTS AND ECO DESIGN
est-possible proportion of recyclable
materials.
An earlier LIFE project in Italy, Use
and… re-use (LIFE99 ENV/IT/000034)
developed an innovative system to
avoid the substantial amounts of waste
generated in the packaging of fruit
and vegetables. The project designed
recyclable plastic boxes, which can be
folded and re-used up to 30 times. The
scheme included a processing centre
Photo: LIFE03 ENV/E/000106
to handle the cleaning, re-use and
recycling of the boxes, and computer
software to track their journeys. At the
beginning of the LIFE project in 1999,
the beneficiary (CPR system) was a
Packaging producers have made better use of raw materials by recycling plastic from small cooperative with 900 000 boxes,
vehicle factory waste 47 members and a handful of staff.
By the end of the project, the coop-
(LIFE05 ENV/F/000062), targeting the ENV/E/000106) successfully recycled erative had 355 members, between
development of a less polluting tech- plastic from vehicle factory waste to them using over 5 million boxes, sav-
nology for aircraft panel manufactur- produce pallets. The recovered mate- ing not only 50 000 tonnes/yr of pack-
ing. Implemented by Dufieux Indus- rial is a highly transferable process, aging waste but also €6.5 million/yr in
tries, a new Green Advanced Panels which has enabled the beneficiary, a waste disposal costs. Importantly, the
(GAP) mechanical milling process was manufacturer of linings for car interiors, scheme has continued to grow. Today
designed to replace the chemical milling to turn its waste (previously all sent to it has over 950 members and 12 mil-
processes conventionally used for the landfill) into a 100% recoverable, re- lion boxes that are used a total of 110
machining of complex-shaped panels, usable and recyclable high-quality million times/yr. This saves more than
a process that produces large volumes plastic. The success of the scheme 100 000 tonnes/yr of waste, 100 Mwh/
of toxic sludge. Independent analysis also has particular relevance within the yr of energy and €13 million/yr in waste
suggests this project could generate motor industry, where EU directives disposal costs. The company is now
significant water and chemicals sav- concerning end-of-life vehicles require present in all Italian regions and tens of
ings, a 57% decrease in electricity jobs have been created. Yet the project
consumption, and cuts in emissions of 6 A Best LIFE Environment project winner cost only €1.5 million (with €600 000 of
greenhouse gases (6 200 tonnes/yr of 2007-08 EU co-financing).
CO 2) and volatile organic compounds
(850 tonnes/yr). Together with a 16 The results of the RECIPLAS project will help the motor industry comply with
000-tonne/yr reduction in the amount EU directives on end-of-life vehicles
of waste produced, the project makes
Photo: LIFE03 ENV/E/000106
an important contribution towards the
implementation of the integrated pol-
lution prevention and control (IPPC)
Directive (91/61/EC).
Packaging, wood and
paper solutions
Two LIFE projects have focused
their activities on helping packaging
producers make better use of their
resources and raw materials. The
RECIPLAS project in Spain (LIFE03
5 A Best LIFE Environment project winner
2007-0817
LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use
ance with environmental legislation, the
ECO PRODUCTS AND ECO DESIGN
overall goal is to help manufacturers in
this sector reduce their environmen-
tal footprint through awareness of the
legal requirements they need to meet.
An alert system will be set up to inform
companies of relevant environmental
Photo: LIFE09 ENV/ES/000454
legislation.
A lifecycle approach
Finally, the Integrated Product Policy
(IPP) approach has contributed signifi-
Construction materials will be produced from household waste wood products, such as cantly to the development of environ-
furniture, doors and floors with the WOODRUB project mental policies in Europe in the areas of
product design, use of natural resources
Another innovative project aiming to bel scheme in its early days. When the and management of waste.
show significant resource savings is project was launched in 2003, only a
the ongoing WOODRUB project in handful of Hellenic textile firms had Reflecting this lifecycle approach is
Spain (LIFE09 ENV/ES/000454), which been awarded an Ecolabel in recog- the Luxembourg LIFE+ ECO2 Tyre Tech
is looking to develop construction nition of the good environmental per- project (LIFE09 ENV/LU/000390) just
materials from household waste wood formance of their product or service. underway, led by European and world-
products (furniture, doors, windows, The project was particularly successful wide tyre producer, Goodyear (see
floors, etc) and used tyres. This re-use in promoting the benefits of the Eco- pages 18-20). Another important IPP
initiative will provide wood/tyre pro- label to an audience that was largely project targeting the automobile indus-
ducers with a new ‘end-of-life’ route, sceptical (mainly due to a lack of infor- try was the French EDIT project (LIFE00
and offer public and private construc- mation and knowledge on how to par- ENV/F/000593). The project success-
tion firms with a more environmentally ticipate). It produced a best practice fully developed lifecycle assessment
friendly product option. Moreover, the guide, established an eco-consultancy (LCA) methodologies and support
planned new products will operate as and successfully guided four textiles software tools for the management of
carbon sinks – increasing the carbon companies through the process. Its vehicle components. The approach
storage in buildings using the products main achievement, however, was to involved key stakeholders: carmakers,
and replacing other, less green, building show how the Ecolabel with its guar- parts’ manufacturers, and raw material
materials. antee of greener credentials, can pro- suppliers; and covered all stages of the
vide a competitive edge to Greek, and product lifecycle, including end-of-life
The manufacture of paper has a sig- other European textile manufacturers, issues.
nificant environmental footprint both who are increasingly under pressure
upstream (where raw materials are from lower-cost garments imported 90% of European footwear companies
acquired and processed) and down- from China, and cheaper raw materials will be involved in the SHOELAW project
to improve their environmental perform-
stream (waste-disposal impacts). Recy- from countries such as Turkey.
ance and compliance with environmental
cling obviously reduces this impact.
legislation
One of the earliest LIFE projects to tar- Another voluntary initiative is currently
get this sector (LIFE95 ENV/IT/000393) being investigated by a Spanish-led
was implemented by Italian specialist project to encourage more environ-
paper manufacturer, Favini. The com- mentally friendly practices among
pany tested the use of various bio- Europe’s footwear manufacturers.
waste materials (e.g. pomace, algae, SHOELAW (LIFE08 ENV/E/000147) is
Photo: LIFE08 ENV/E/000147
apple peel) to develop 100% recycla- seeking to develop an e-platform for
ble paper of the same high quality as environmental self-diagnosis among
its other products. Results included a 50 companies in five European
10% saving in trees and a 12% saving countries: Spain, Italy, Portu-
in energy consumption. gal, Greece and Slovenia.
These countries jointly
Voluntary actions represent 90% of Euro-
pean footwear companies.
A Greek LIFE project, ECO-TEXTILE Focusing on improvements
(LIFE03 ENV/GR/000204) helped in environmental standards
spread awareness of the EU’s Ecola- and the promotion of compli-You can also read
