Tecchio Paolo, McAlister Catriona, Mathieux Fabrice, Ardente Fulvio
European Commission - Joint Research Centre, Directorate D - Sustainable Resources, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra, Italy.
Sea Green Tree S.L., C/General Palafox 49, 4-3 Castelldefels, 08860 Barcelona, Spain.
J Clean Prod. 2017 Dec 1;168:1533-1546. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.05.198.
The aspiration of a circular economy is to shift material flows toward a zero waste and pollution production system. The process of shifting to a circular economy has been initiated by the European Commission in their action plan for the circular economy. The EU Ecodesign Directive is a key policy in this transition. However, to date the focus of access to market requirements on products has primarily been upon energy efficiency. The absence of adequate metrics and standards has been a key barrier to the inclusion of resource efficiency requirements. This paper proposes a framework to boost sustainable engineering and resource use by systematically identifying standardization needs and features. Standards can then support the setting of appropriate material efficiency requirements in EU product policy. Three high-level policy goals concerning material efficiency of products were identified: embodied impact reduction, lifetime extension and residual waste reduction. Through a lifecycle perspective, a matrix of interactions among material efficiency topics (recycled content, re-used content, relevant material content, durability, upgradability, reparability, re-manufacturability, reusability, recyclability, recoverability, relevant material separability) and policy goals was created. The framework was tested on case studies for electronic displays and washing machines. For potential material efficiency requirements, specific standardization needs were identified, such as adequate metrics for performance measurements, reliable and repeatable tests, and calculation procedures. The proposed novel framework aims to provide a method by which to identify key material efficiency considerations within the policy context, and to map out the generic and product-specific standardisation needs to support ecodesign. Via such an approach, many different stakeholders (industry, academics, policy makers, non-governmental organizations etc.) can be involved in material efficiency standards and regulations. Requirements and standards concerning material efficiency would compel product manufacturers, but also help designers and interested parties in addressing the sustainable resource use issue.
循环经济的目标是使物质流转向零浪费和无污染的生产系统。向循环经济转型的进程已由欧盟委员会在其循环经济行动计划中启动。欧盟生态设计指令是这一转型中的一项关键政策。然而，迄今为止，产品市场准入要求的重点主要放在了能源效率上。缺乏适当的指标和标准一直是纳入资源效率要求的关键障碍。本文提出了一个框架，通过系统地识别标准化需求和特征来促进可持续工程和资源利用。然后，标准可以支持在欧盟产品政策中设定适当的材料效率要求。确定了关于产品材料效率的三个高层次政策目标：减少隐含影响、延长使用寿命和减少残余废物。通过生命周期视角，创建了一个材料效率主题（回收含量、再利用含量、相关材料含量、耐久性、可升级性、可修复性、再制造性、可重复使用性、可回收性、可回收能力、相关材料可分离性）与政策目标之间相互作用的矩阵。该框架在电子显示器和洗衣机的案例研究中进行了测试。对于潜在的材料效率要求，确定了具体的标准化需求，如性能测量的适当指标、可靠且可重复的测试以及计算程序。所提出的新颖框架旨在提供一种方法，用以在政策背景下识别关键的材料效率考量因素，并规划出支持生态设计的通用和特定产品的标准化需求。通过这种方法，许多不同的利益相关者（行业、学术界、政策制定者、非政府组织等）可以参与到材料效率标准和法规的制定中。有关材料效率的要求和标准将促使产品制造商，但也有助于设计师和相关方解决可持续资源利用问题。
