Purpose This article is the second part of a series of articles presenting the results of research on the implementation of lifecycle management tools in small-and medium-sized companies in Poland. This work is part of a project financed by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PAED), which began in February 2011. It was carried out by the Wielkopolska Quality Institute, a business environment institution associated with the Polish Centre for life cycle assessment (PCLCA). The main practical objective of the project was to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in their business development, e.g. by expanding their horizons beyond the sphere of their operation and identifying new areas for the improvement and promotion of the products and services they offer. The specific objective of the analysis on the environmental impact was an attempt to answer the question of whether environmental LCA is a good management tool for this type of business. Part 2 describes results of the evaluation of the implementation of LCA in SMEs conducted in 46 companies involved in the project. Methods In order to assess the effectiveness of the project and the effectiveness of the implementation of LCA and life cycle costing (LCC), a survey was conducted of small and medium businesses where the implementation work had been fully completed. In total, 46 organisations agreed to participate in the LCA survey, which was almost 66 % of all the companies where the LCA and LCC studies had been carried out within the project. The survey was conducted using individual indepth interviews. Questions to the representatives of the companies referred both to aspects of their functioning in the market (characteristics of a company, its market share, management systems, environmental policy, suppliers and clients) and the operation of their environmental service (assessment of its effectiveness, motivation and difficulties in its implementation), as well as opinions on the potential applications of LCA in their current operations. Results and discussion The experience and observations of LCA experts resulting from their cooperation with the organisations analysed are largely supported by the results of the survey. The overall impression gained from the project is that the small-and medium-sized enterprises analysed have a problem with accepting and understanding the life cycle perspective and show limited interest in taking liability for environmental aspects beyond the mandatory legal standards and boundaries of their business operations. The survey shows that the companies rarely analyse environmental aspects appearing on many different stages of the life cycle of their products. Most of them focus on their current operations while trying to meet the mandatory legal requirements relating to environmental protection. It should be noted, however, that SMEs taking part in the studies appreciate the opportunities offered by LCA, their usefulness in business practice, recognise the potential for using life cycle techniques in the fu...
The article presents a two-dimensional comparison of the alternative manufacturing processes of laminates used in food industry packaging. The main aim of the presented study was an assessment of potential environmental impacts occurring during the production of two-layer laminates containing a patented polypropylene film Metallyte™ 28UBW-ES and the hitherto used pap/LDPE/Al/LDPE multilayer laminates. The environmental assessment was supplemented by a cost calculation with special regard to the investment required for the production of the two-layer laminates. In the research both the life cycle assessment and the life cycle cost methods were applied. Based upon the obtained environmental impact indicator and the discounted costs the eco-efficiency indicator was determined. The results of the comparative analysis are shown on a two-dimensional eco-efficiency diagram. Based on the conducted study it was found that replacement of traditional packaging materials by laminates containing the Metallyte™ 28UBW-ES structure is justified. This is illustrated by a higher eco-efficiency indicator. The difference in the costs between the manufacturing processes under analysis is relatively small. However, when it comes to the environmental impact, there is a clear disproportion in favor of the two-layer laminates.
The efficient and timely removal of organic matter and nutrients from water used in normal municipal functions is considered to be the main task of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Therefore, these facilities are considered to be essential units that are required to avoid pollution of the water environment and decrease the possibility of triggering eutrophication. Even though these benefits are undeniable, they remain at odds with the high energy demand of wastewater treatment and sludge processes. As a consequence, WWTPs have various environmental impacts, which can be estimated and categorized using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis. In this study, a municipal WWTP based in Poznań, Poland, was examined using the method defined in ISO 14040. ReCiPe Endpoint and Midpoint (v1.11), in a hierarchical approach, were used to evaluate the environmental impacts regarding 18 different categories. All calculations were conducted using a detailed database from 2019, which describes each chosen facility. It was found that the energy component, related to the wastewater treatment process demand and electricity production, is the main determinant of the sum of the environmental impact indicators in light of the modelled energy mix. Therefore, it determines the entire process as an environmentally friendly activity.
The Polish Centre for life cycle assessment (LCA) is a non-profit organization founded in 2009 following the initiative of people involved in Polish scientific and R&D centers dealing with LCA. The role, mission as well structure and organization of PCLCA have been presented. Moreover, the current state of LCA implementation in Poland has been mentioned. However, LCA has been mainly used for scientific research less by industry and business.
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