Correction: On the environmental competitiveness of sodium-ion batteries under a full life cycle perspective – a cell-chemistry specific modelling approach

Correction for ‘On the environmental competitiveness of sodium-ion batteries under a full life cycle perspective – a cell-chemistry specific modelling approach’ by Jens F. Peters et al., Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2021, 5, 6414–6429, DOI: 10.1039/D1SE01292D.

Sustainability improvement in complex systems composed of products and services

Purpose A wide number of research efforts have been carried out over the last decades to assess and improve system sustainability. Different methods and tools are increasingly implemented in product systems; nevertheless its application to services and other systems, in which products and services are combined, is rather limited. In this work, an approach to improve the sustainability of systems composed of products and services (P + S systems) is proposed and implemented in two case studies. Methods The sustainability improvement of P + S systems is addressed integrating different methods and approaches. The flows between system approach is used to identify links between all systems involved. The life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) method is applied to simultaneously evaluate environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainability with a life cycle perspective. In addition, sustainable design principles are taken into account to propose effective improvement strategies. The systematic development of four phases is required to carry out the integration of these approaches: (i) identification of links between involved systems; (ii) sustainability assessment of the P + S system; (iii) application of sustainability strategies; and (iv) sustainability results comparison. Results and discussion Two different P + S systems are analysed. First, sustainability improvements in the service provided by a clothing boutique are proposed, taking into account that the store where the service is developed and the clothes acquired by the service provider are product systems involved in the service operation. Next, the sustainability of an itinerary exhibition is investigated. Products required for the exhibition space layout as well as the service used to transport all materials between different locations are taken into account. In each case, sustainability indicators obtained in both initial and alternative systems are compared, and variations detected due to strategies applied are analysed. Conclusions Sustainability of P + S systems is evaluated using a set of quantitative indicators, the relative incidence of each system is determined and more sustainable alternatives are projected. Thus, this research supposes an advance towards the sustainable design of complex systems composed of products and services, since effects due to the interconnection between systems are studied and criteria to carry out sustainability-oriented decision making are provided.

Active Ageing: The Need to Address Sub-National Diversity. An Evidence-Based Approach for Italy

While active ageing has emerged as a main strategy to address the challenges of population ageing in Europe, recent research has stressed the need to increase knowledge on within-country differences to promote active ageing through appropriate policy responses. This article draws on the Active Ageing Index (AAI) to capture recent trends in active ageing in Italy with a focus on sub-national diversity. To this end, we compute AAI breakdowns by region separately for men and women for four different years: 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2018. Then, we use linear regression to describe the geographical and sex-specific patterns of change in the AAI over the considered period. The results demonstrate the diversity of regional outcomes and trends in the active ageing of Italian men and women, indicating that the widening geographic gap deserves further consideration by national and regional authorities in designing and implementing active ageing policies. By showing the persistence of disparities in the value of the indicator to the disadvantage of women, results also suggest the need to further integrate both the gender dimension and the life-cycle perspective into active ageing strategies. This article provides an example of how the AAI can be used as a practical tool by policy makers to monitor active ageing trends and outcomes at the sub-national level, and to identify target areas that require further action.

Analysis of the Cultured Meat Production System in Function of Its Environmental Footprint: Current Status, Gaps and Recommendations

Cultured meat has been presented as an environmentally friendlier option to conventional meat, but due to the limited data, the studies related to its performance are scarce and based on hypothetical production processes. This work provides a short literature review of the published environmental assessments of cultured meat. The main findings of this critical analysis showed that the lack of real data related to cultured meat decreased the level of accuracy of each study. The missing environmental profile of the process itself, including the proliferation and differentiation phases in bioreactors, along with key ingredients such as growth factors and other recombinant proteins, increase the difficulty of achieving reliable conclusions. In order to bridge the highlighted gaps, a complete production system is modelled and analysed from an engineering and life-cycle perspective. Furthermore, an overview of the supply chains of different products used in the process is provided, together with recommendations on how they should be considered in future life-cycle assessments. In essence, this work provides a structured pathway for upcoming consistent environmental assessments in this field, with the objective of setting the basis to understand the potential of cultured meat.

Sustainability in the Opera Sector: Main Drivers and Limitations to Improve the Environmental Performance of Scenography

Private and public organizations are becoming increasingly involved in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This includes organizations within the cultural sector, with a central role in the progress of society. This study presents a state-of-the-art analysis of actions towards sustainability of the opera sector with a life cycle perspective and focusing on the impact of opera sets’ scenery. Our research is based on a review of literature and experiences, the results of interviews, a survey, and an experts’ forum to analyze the related systems, standards, and practices. The study contributes with novel research that provides an understanding of the factors that determine the environmental performance which are synthesized with a sustainability SWOT analysis. Findings are relevant for academic researchers analyzing the potential conflicts among organizational strategic goals and sustainability and for scenic arts’ practitioners and managers who aim to develop a roadmap towards improving the sustainability of their sector.

Targeting Energy Efficiency through Air Conditioning Operational Modes for Residential Buildings in Tropical Climates, Assisted by Solar Energy and Thermal Energy Storage. Case Study Brazil

Economy and parsimony in the consumption of energy resources are becoming a part of common sense in practically all countries, although the effective implementation of energy efficiency policies still has a long way to go. The energy demand for residential buildings is one of the most significant energy sinks. We focus our analysis on one of the most energy-consuming systems of residential buildings located in regions of tropical climate, which are cooling systems. We evaluate to which degree the integration of thermal energy storage (TES) and photovoltaic (PV) systems helps to approach an annual net zero energy building (NZEB) configuration, aiming to find a feasible solution in the direction of energy efficiency in buildings. To conduct the simulations, an Energy Efficiency Analysis Framework (EEAF) is proposed. A literature review unveiled a potential knowledge gap about the optimization of the ASHRAE operational modes (full storage load, load leveled, and demand limiting) for air conditioning/TES sets using PV connected to the grid. A hypothetical building was configured with detailed loads and occupation profiles to simulate different configurations of air conditioning associated with TES and a PV array. Using TRNSYS software, a set of scenarios was simulated, and their outputs are analyzed in a life cycle perspective using life cycle costing (LCC). The modeling and simulation of different scenarios allowed for identifying the most economic configurations from a life cycle perspective, within a safe range of operability considering the energy efficiency and consequently the sustainability aspects of the buildings. The EEAF also supports other profiles, such as those in which the occupancy of residential buildings during the day is increased due to significant changes in people’s habits, when working and studying in home office mode, for example. These changes in habits should bring a growing interest in the adoption of solar energy for real-time use in residential buildings. The results can be used as premises for the initial design or planning retrofits of buildings, aiming at the annual net zero energy balance.