A company-oriented model for the assessment of raw material supply risks, environmental impact and social implications

Kolotzek, Christoph; Helbig, Christoph; Thorenz, Andrea; Reller, Armin; Tuma, Axel

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.12.162

Cited by 83 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The concept of criticality is often framed in terms of “risk” of supply disruption (or “supply risk”) along with some measure of potential (socioeconomic) impacts of supply disruption—often termed “vulnerability to supply disruption” (Erdmann & Graedel, ; Graedel & Reck, ). Some criticality assessments include other dimensions such as environmental implications of primary resource extraction and raw material processing (Bach et al., ; Graedel et al., ; Kolotzek, Helbig, Thorenz, Reller, & Tuma, ; Schneider, ), thermodynamic constraints on resource accessibility (Calvo, Valero, & Valero, ), or social aspects of raw material use (Bach et al., ; Kolotzek et al., ; Schneider, ). In this article, however, we focus on “supply risk” and “vulnerability,” as these are the most common notions of “criticality,” and the main ones operationalized in the GeoPolRisk, ESP, and ESSENZ methods.…”

Section: Description Of Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raw material criticality assessment as a complement to environmental life cycle assessment: Examining methods for product‐level supply risk assessment

Cimprich

Bach

Helbig

et al. 2019

J of Industrial Ecology

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Summary The diversity of raw materials used in modern products, compounded by the risk of supply disruptions—due to uneven geological distribution of resources, along with socioeconomic factors like production concentration and political (in)stability of raw material producing countries—has drawn attention to the subject of raw material “criticality.” In this article, we review the state of the art regarding the integration of criticality assessment, herein termed “product‐level supply risk assessment,” as a complement to environmental life cycle assessment. We describe and compare three methods explicitly developed for this purpose—Geopolitical Supply Risk (GeoPolRisk), Economic Scarcity Potential (ESP), and the Integrated Method to Assess Resource Efficiency (ESSENZ)—based on a set of criteria including considerations of data sources, uncertainties, and other contentious methodological aspects. We test the methods on a case study of a European‐manufactured electric vehicle, and conclude with guidance for appropriate application and interpretation, along with opportunities for further methodological development. Although the GeoPolRisk, ESP, and ESSENZ methods have several limitations, they can be useful for preliminary assessments of the potential impacts of raw material supply risks on a product system (i.e., “outside‐in” impacts) alongside the impacts of a product system on the environment (i.e., “inside‐out” impacts). Care is needed to not overlook critical raw materials used in small amounts but nonetheless important to product functionality. Further methodological development could address regional and firm‐level supply risks, multiple supply‐chain stages, and material recycling, while improving coverage of supply risk characterization factors.

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Section: Description Of Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raw material criticality assessment as a complement to environmental life cycle assessment: Examining methods for product‐level supply risk assessment

Cimprich

Bach

Helbig

et al. 2019

J of Industrial Ecology

Self Cite

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“…While the environmental impacts of FM&D are of high importance, the sustainable supply chain management of materials and components is becoming more prevalent with regard to the triple‐bottom line; economy, society, and environment …”

Section: Sustainability Of Functional Ceramics and Related Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, the same product may be manufactured in multiple companies, leading to differing social impacts . Further research in the area of social impacts will enable future research into material and component analysis …”

Section: Sustainability Of Functional Ceramics and Related Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While this methodology goes one step further in the attempt to quantify sustainability, one overall “sustainability” measure is not provided but three individual scores, leaving the decision maker to make a final assessment on which of the three measures is of overriding importance. Furthermore, while the triple bottom line is cited within the paper as the economy, society, and environment, the economy is not addressed within the model presented . Moving forward, the “holy grail” of sustainability measurements must be an efficient, reliable tool that assesses the triple‐bottom line, preferably in a single simple metric.…”

Section: Sustainability Of Functional Ceramics and Related Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…109 Further research in the area of social impacts will enable future research into material and component analysis. 105 The LCC is a tool used to determine the cost and/or benefit impacts during the life cycle of an investment, importantly, as in LCA, the "hot spots" within a system can be identified that is those influences which have the largest effect on the whole life cycle. Overall, the methodology provides important economic information for decision makers.…”

Section: Functional Ceramics and Related Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life cycle assessment of functional materials and devices: Opportunities, challenges, and current and future trends

et al. 2019

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Functional ceramics such as piezoelectrics, thermoelectrics, magnetic materials, ionic conductors, and semiconductors are opening new frontiers that underpin numerous aspects of modern life. This widespread usage comes with a responsibility to understand what impact their mass production has on the environment. Life‐cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool employed for the identification of sustainable materials pathways through the consideration of environmental burdens of materials both during fabrication and as a final product. Although the LCA technique has been widely used for the evaluation of environmental impacts in numerous product supply chains, its application for environmental profiling of functional ceramics is now gaining attention. This paper presents a review of current developments in LCA, including existing and emerging applications with emphasis on the development and fabrication of functional materials and devices (FM&D). Selected published works on LCA of functional ceramics are discussed, highlighting the importance of adopting LCA at the design stage and/or at laboratory stage before expensive investments and resources are committed. Drawing from the extant literature, we show that the integration of environmental and sustainability principles into the overall process of FM&D manufacturing, in a way that anticipates foreseeable harmful consequences while identifying opportunities for improvement, can aid the timely communications of key findings to functional materials developers. This guides the orientation of research, development and deployment, and provides insights toward the prioritization of research activities while potentially averting unintended consequences. It is intended that the review presented will encourage the materials science community to engage with LCA to address important materials design, substitution, and optimization needs.

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Critical materials for water electrolysers at the example of the energy transition in Germany

Kiemel

Smolinka

Lehner³

et al. 2021

Int J Energy Res

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Summary The present work aims to identify critical materials in water electrolysers with potential future supply constraints. The expected rise in demand for green hydrogen as well as the respective implications on material availability are assessed by conducting a case study for Germany. Furthermore, the recycling of end‐of‐life (EoL) electrolysers is evaluated concerning its potential in ensuring the sustainable supply of the considered materials. As critical materials bear the risk of raising production costs of electrolysers substantially, this article examines the readiness of this technology for industrialisation from a material perspective. Except for titanium, the indicators for each assessed material are scored with a moderate to high (platinum) or mostly high (iridium, scandium and yttrium) supply risk. Hence, the availability of these materials bears the risk of hampering the scale‐up of electrolysis capacity. Although conventional recycling pathways for platinum, iridium and titanium already exist, secondary material from EoL electrolysers will not reduce the dependence on primary resources significantly within the period under consideration—from 2020 until 2050. Notably, the materials identified as critical are used in PEM and high temperature electrolysis, whereas materials in alkaline electrolysis are not exposed to significant supply risks.

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A company-oriented model for the assessment of raw material supply risks, environmental impact and social implications

Cited by 83 publications

References 62 publications

Raw material criticality assessment as a complement to environmental life cycle assessment: Examining methods for product‐level supply risk assessment

Raw material criticality assessment as a complement to environmental life cycle assessment: Examining methods for product‐level supply risk assessment

Life cycle assessment of functional materials and devices: Opportunities, challenges, and current and future trends

Critical materials for water electrolysers at the example of the energy transition in Germany

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