A New Sustainability Assessment Method for Façade Cladding Panels: A Case Study of Fiber/Textile Reinforced Cement Sheets

2021 ◽  
pp. 809-819
Author(s):  
Payam Sadrolodabaee ◽  
S. M. Amin Hosseini ◽  
Monica Ardunay ◽  
Josep Claramunt ◽  
Albert de la Fuente
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Cladding Panels ◽  
Reinforced Cement ◽  
Cement Sheets

scholarly journals Application of Multi-criteria Approach for Sustainability Assessment of Manufacturing Processes

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 62-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aldona Kluczek
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Manufacturing Processes ◽  
Baseline Scenario ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Analytical Technique ◽  
Systematic Improvement ◽  
Hierarchy Process

Abstract The paper is to present a multi-criteria approach for sustainability assessment of manufacturing processes, which can be applied to carry out the sustainability assessment of manufacturing processes requiring less detailed data, time, and expert knowledge, but still providing a company-level analysis. The analytical hierarchy process method is used to determine ranking of simple and relevant activity areas for manufacturing processes in terms of sustainability objectives. Analytical technique is also employed to assess the degree of sustainability in manufacturing due to limited information which appear to be a characteristic of the case study presented. One goal of sustainability characterization methodology is to improve the manufacturing sustainability performance. Similar to the baseline scenario, sustainability reevaluation for sustainability improvement is also applied and discuses performance profile at the process level. This approach seems particularly useful when comparing different processes. It makes applicable for various industries and might be a challenge to derive priorities for systematic improvement. The applicability and usability of the proposed assessment method was verified by the case study in company producing heating devices.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Sustainability Performance Assessment Method for Comparison of Civil Engineering Works Design Concepts: Case Study of a Bridge

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (21) ◽  
pp. 7909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine Ek ◽  
Alexandre Mathern ◽  
Rasmus Rempling ◽  
Petra Brinkhoff ◽  
Mats Karlsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Performance Assessment ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Concrete Slab ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Design Concepts ◽  
Composite Bridge

Standardized and transparent life cycle sustainability performance assessment methods are essential for improving the sustainability of civil engineering works. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of using a life cycle sustainability assessment method in a road bridge case study. The method is in line with requirements of relevant standards, uses life cycle assessment, life cycle costs and incomes, and environmental externalities, and applies normalization and weighting of indicators. The case study involves a short-span bridge in a design-build infrastructure project, which was selected for its generality. Two bridge design concepts are assessed and compared: a concrete slab frame bridge and a soil-steel composite bridge. Data available in the contractor’s tender phase are used. The two primary aims of this study are (1) to analyse the practical application potential of the method in carrying out transparent sustainability assessments of design concepts in the early planning and design stages, and (2) to examine the results obtained in the case study to identify indicators in different life cycle stages and elements of the civil engineering works project with the largest impacts on sustainability. The results show that the method facilitates comparisons of the life cycle sustainability performance of design concepts at the indicator and construction element levels, enabling better-informed and more impartial design decisions to be made.

scholarly journals A Comprehensive and Integrated Stochastic-Fuzzy Method for Sustainability Assessment in the Malaysian Food Manufacturing Industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamraiz Ahmad ◽  
Kuan Wong ◽  
Babar Zaman
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Food Manufacturing ◽  
High Performing ◽  
Reliable Assessment ◽  
Integrated Sustainability ◽  
Food Manufacturing Industry

Manufacturing activities carry significant burdens for all three dimensions of sustainability, i.e., environment, economy and society. However, most of the available sustainability assessment methods for manufacturing are based on environmental concerns only. Moreover, it is hard to find a sustainability assessment method that considers both stochastic and fuzzy uncertainties concurrently and a comprehensive set of weighted and applicable indicators. Thus, the main purpose of this paper was to develop and test an integrated sustainability assessment method that included both stochastic and fuzzy uncertainties. Both quantitative and qualitative, and weighted sustainability indicators for the Malaysian food manufacturing industry needed to be considered, with reliable assessment results. In order to achieve the objective, the Monte Carlo simulation and fuzzy logic approaches were employed. An overall unit-less sustainability index was calculated to evaluate the current sustainability level. This method was demonstrated using a real-world case study of a Malaysian food manufacturing company. The results highlighted and traced the company-wide major low and high performing areas for all three dimensions of sustainability. The results unveiled that the case company could improve its sustainability performance more effectively by decreasing the amount of air emissions, polluted wastewater, etc., and improving the working conditions. This would enable the practitioners and decision-makers to allocate resources accordingly and more efficiently. Finally, the developed method was validated and the implications and conclusions of the research were presented.

scholarly journals SDG-Based Sustainability Assessment Methodology for Innovations in the Field of Urban Surfaces

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Henzler ◽  
Stephanie D. Maier ◽  
Michael Jäger ◽  
Rafael Horn
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Economic Dimension

The sustainability of urban surfaces can be enhanced by introducing innovations. An ex-ante assessment of the potential sustainability impacts of innovations in urban areas can provide decision-makers with valuable recommendations for their selection before implementation. This knowledge helps to make the innovation more future-proof. Although a first methodological approach for such an assessment is available, there is no readily applicable set of indicators. Hence, this article proposes a holistic sustainability impact assessment method tailored to the management of urban surfaces and their innovations. For the development of the method, a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-based, top-down approach is adopted. The proposed assessment method makes it possible to identify an innovation’s potential contribution to the achievement of the SDGs before its introduction. In this article, the assessment method is tested by evaluating the sustainability impacts of weed-suppressing joint filling sand on a walkway in a municipal cemetery in Southern Germany. The case study shows that a mixed impact of the innovation in the three dimensions of sustainability could be expected within the system boundary. It highlights the need for innovation optimization, mainly in the economic dimension. As a result, the introduced method can support the innovation process of urban surfaces for sustainable municipal development.

scholarly journals Testing and Verification of a New Corporate Sustainability Assessment Method for Manufacturing: A Multiple Case Research Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasiia Moldavska ◽  
Torgeir Welo
Keyword(s):  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Sustainable Manufacturing ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Dynamics Modeling ◽  
Study Results

This paper aims at answering the question of how to design a theoretically sound corporate sustainability assessment (CSA) method that can strengthen the ability of manufacturing companies to contribute to global sustainable development (SD). In our effort to answer this question, we conduct a case study to test a newly designed CSA method to develop assessment tools for each of four different case companies. The method combines criteria-based indicators development with qualitative system dynamics modeling based on mental models of decision-makers. This strategy ensures a holistic approach to what corporate sustainability and sustainable manufacturing are. The paper is intended to serve, first of all, as a practical guide to the development of CSA tools. The scientific value of the method is discussed in terms of how it assists in the development of a tool that provides the potential to overcome shortcomings of existing approaches to sustainability assessment and to embrace the complexity of the sustainability concept. From the case study results, we demonstrate the capability of the new method by showing how it satisfies scientific requirements to sustainability assessment and fulfills functions of CSA. We also show how it may overcome some of the observed limitations of existing CSA tools.

scholarly journals Optimizing the Environmental and Economic Sustainability of Remote Community Infrastructure

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie E. Filer ◽  
Justin D. Delorit ◽  
Andrew J. Hoisington ◽  
Steven J. Schuldt
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Remote Community ◽  
Rural Villages ◽  
Sustainable Technologies ◽  
Study Results

Remote communities such as rural villages, post-disaster housing camps, and military forward operating bases are often located in remote and hostile areas with limited or no access to established infrastructure grids. Operating these communities with conventional assets requires constant resupply, which yields a significant logistical burden, creates negative environmental impacts, and increases costs. For example, a 2000-member isolated village in northern Canada relying on diesel generators required 8.6 million USD of fuel per year and emitted 8500 tons of carbon dioxide. Remote community planners can mitigate these negative impacts by selecting sustainable technologies that minimize resource consumption and emissions. However, the alternatives often come at a higher procurement cost and mobilization requirement. To assist planners with this challenging task, this paper presents the development of a novel infrastructure sustainability assessment model capable of generating optimal tradeoffs between minimizing environmental impacts and minimizing life-cycle costs over the community’s anticipated lifespan. Model performance was evaluated using a case study of a hypothetical 500-person remote military base with 864 feasible infrastructure portfolios and 48 procedural portfolios. The case study results demonstrated the model’s novel capability to assist planners in identifying optimal combinations of infrastructure alternatives that minimize negative sustainability impacts, leading to remote communities that are more self-sufficient with reduced emissions and costs.

Storm surge risk assessment method for a coastal county in China: case study of Jinshan District, Shanghai

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 627-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shi Xianwu ◽  
Qiu Jufei ◽  
Chen Bingrui ◽  
Zhang Xiaojie ◽  
Guo Haoshuang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Storm Surge ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Risk Assessment Method ◽  
Coastal County

scholarly journals A Capabilities-Led Approach to Assessing Technological Solutions for a Rural Community

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1398
Author(s):  
Xinfang Wang ◽  
Rosie Day ◽  
Dan Murrant ◽  
Antonio Diego Marín ◽  
David Castrejón Botello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Community ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Energy Services ◽  
Grid Systems ◽  
Technological Interventions ◽  
Solution Design ◽  
Improve Access

To improve access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy in rural areas of the global south, off-grid systems using renewable generation and energy storage are often proposed. However, solution design is often technology-driven, with insufficient consideration of social and cultural contexts. This leads to a risk of unintended consequences and inappropriate systems that do not meet local needs. To address this problem, this paper describes the application of a capabilities-led approach to understanding a community’s multi-dimensional energy poverty and assessing their needs as they see them, in order to better design suitable technological interventions. Data were collected in Tlamacazapa, Mexico, through site visits and focus groups with men and women. These revealed the ways in which constrained energy services undermined essential capabilities, including relating to health, safety, relationships and earning a living, and highlighted the specific ways in which improved energy services, such as lighting, cooking and mechanical power could improve capabilities in the specific context of Tlamacazapa. Based on these findings, we propose some potential technological interventions to address these needs. The case study offers an illustration of an assessment method that could be deployed in a variety of contexts to inform the design of appropriate technological interventions.

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