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Summary Report
The 7th International Summer School on Life Cycle Approaches to Sustainable Regional Development
Theme: “Life cycle tool box for bio-economy initiatives� 25 - 28 August 2018 - Leipzig, Germany
Organized by
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Preface This report summarises the outcome of the 7th Life Cycle Summer School, held in Leipzig, Germany, on 25-28 August 2018. Previous editions of the Summer School were held in, Italy, France and Luxembourg. The summer schools explore different aspects of the use of life cycle methodologies for sustainable development at regional level. The rationale is that while current life cycle based methodologies focus heavily on environmental performance of industrial products and materials, their application at regional level is less well documented. And yet their value at this level is indisputable. Life cycle thinking can streamline many regional policy and administrative actions, and help achieve sustainability objectives more quickly and more effectively than when taking a linear, single-issue approach. The summer schools are a meeting place for recognised experts, young professionals and regional officials to expand their experience in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), with an interest to step outside established boundaries of application. Beyond their immediate objective of reaching out to individuals, the summer schools have also stimulated a wider interest. An international reference book on the subject was published in 2017. This book pointed out the need to make life cycle tools better known to a new clientele (regions), but also to further evolve the methodological basis to allow more widespread application at macro level. The theme of the 2018 summer school reflected the emergence of bio-economy as a fastgrowing regional issue in the on-going sustainability dialogue. A wider application of life cycle tools allows a more holistic treatment of the bio-economy’s contribution to sustainability, with emphasis on biomass conversion for food, energy, chemicals or other purposes. The organisers would like to express their thanks to all contributing organisations and individuals without whom the event would not have taken place. Particular thanks go to UFZ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research and the University of Leipzig for logistic support and making facilities available.
Published by Forum for Sustainability through Life Cycle Innovation e.V. Registered: VR 33946 B Charlottenstraße 2 10969 Berlin Germany Copyright © Forum for Sustainability through Life Cycle Innovation e.V., 2018 This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for holder, provided acknowledgment of the source is made. FSLCI e.V. would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or for any other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission in writing from the FSLCI e.V.
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Contents of this Report Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4 Programme .................................................................................................................................... 5 Thematic Synthesis of the Summer School ................................................................................... 6 Participation ................................................................................................................................... 7 Budget ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Evaluation ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................... 8 Previous Iterations of LCSS ............................................................................................................ 9 Useful Resources ........................................................................................................................... 9 Annex 1 - Programme .................................................................................................................. 10 Annex 2 - Participants and Faculty .............................................................................................. 12 Annex 3 - Certificate of Participation .......................................................................................... 13 Annex 4 - Summer School Announcement ................................................................................. 14 Annex 5 - Impressions ................................................................................................................. 15 Annex 6 - Feedback Summary ..................................................................................................... 16
Introduction The seventh edition of the summer school entitled «Life cycle tool box for bio-economy initiatives » was held in Leipzig, Germany, as a collaborative activity between FSLCI, the UFZ Helmholtz Zentrum für Umweltforschung, and the University of Bordeaux. The University of Leipzig kindly provided the meeting facilities at Villa Tillman. This seventh summer school was focused on bio-economy. Bio-economy is a multi-faceted concept that is as yet not defined in a standard way. Its objectives, scope and content vary according to the perspective of concerned stakeholders at regional, national and global levels. Many regions are, directly or indirectly, already looking to increase the use of local biomass as a component of their development ambitions. Life cycle methodologies assist in formulating enhanced bio-economy policy and implementation by revealing the full sustainability dimension of this concept. The summer school linked the issues of region, bio-economy, and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) into an interlocking relationship in the frame of a larger sustainability agenda, and especially of the SDGs. The programme covered standard LCA methods but also ‘expanded’ life cycle assessment techniques such as materials flows, technology assessment, social impact assessment, regional and territorial LCA, biodiversity and land-use change. Each of these assessment tools addresses a specific part of the overall sustainability agenda; for a complete picture they should ideally be used in combination. Used like this they provide a holistic view of a bio-economy that reveals the best path forward. A significant part of the summer school programme dealt also with (life cycle) management procedures that convert the assessment data into policy, administration, and development action. The management mechanisms discussed include life cycle management (LCM), sustainable supply chain management and procurement (SSCM and SPP respectively), policy, regulations, and regional administration. A number of examples of such management approaches were given, with workshop exercises further simulating real-life situations. For example, insight was provided into the way LCA underpins international conventions such as the Framework Convention on Climate Change. As well as leading to policy and management interventions, various life cycle assessments also inform R&D priorities in government and in companies, an important feature for a number of researchers who enrolled in the programme. The summer school explored the above ‘tool box‘ subjects and their underlying issues through an interactive format that combined lectures, discussion, working exercises and Q&A sessions. Students were fully engaged in an interactive relationship with tutors and lecturers, and contributed through special sessions to share their professional activities. Many students had a personal research focus, a few also came from an administrative background in their region. The focus of the summer school was on personal development; beyond a certificate of participation no diploma or formal qualification is awarded. The LCSS is funded by individual 4 of 16
subscription, augmented by logistic support from the host institution where the event is held. The event in Leipzig attracted 11 applicants at graduate and postgraduate level. Twelve lecturers/tutors provided thematic guidance and study material during the four days of the summer school and associated events.
Programme The four-day programme covered a range of subjects relevant to regional application of life cycle tools to bio-economy development. As well as traditional LCA there was emphasis on land-use and landscape assessment, biodiversity, and social issues. An important recurrent theme in bio-economy debate is the use of biomass for energy and as a way to reduce the emission of GHG. There is also a growing movement towards the production of industrial chemicals from biomass rather than from fossil resources. Several lectures focussed on biobased technologies that can address the above issues. More information on the full programme is available in Annex 1. Topics explored in lecture format included: • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Introduction to the Summer School and overview of sustainability concepts (Fritz Balkau) Sustainable development and bio-economy (Daniela Thrän) Life cycle tools and applications for SDGs (Guido Sonnemann) Experience with the bio-economy cluster programme (Joachim Schulze) Early stage sustainability assessment of bio-process development (Norbert Kohlheb) Innovation and technology assessment in regional bio-economy development (Alberto Bezama) LCA and Life Cycle Costing (LCC) for sustainable public procurement in a bio-economy (Fritz Balkau) Tracking flow of bio-materials with LCA and Material Flow Analysis (MFA) (Kathleen Meisel) Spatially distributed LCA and social LCA for regional bio-based systems (Sinéad O’Keefe) Life cycle calculations of GHG under the FCCC (Panna Siyag) LCM principles and applications for a regional bio-economy (Naeem Adibi) What is biotechnology? (Bruno Bühler) Politics, society and science for sustainability (Falk Schmidt)
Thematic discussion sessions: A number of bio-economy issues were explored during short discussion sessions, including energy, bio-fuels, chemical production, forestry, and food processing. The sustainability backdrop to these included resource efficiency, GHG, biodiversity and SDGs. Participants were invited to undertake a number of pre-event work exercises before arriving in Leipzig, such as calculating a simple GHG budget from use of wood as an energy source, 5 of 16
and exploring stakeholder viewpoints in forestry concerning wood as a renewable energy source. Workshops: A number of lectures were followed by interactive workshops where students worked in small groups on key issues under consideration. The exercises were in part based on a regional case study scenario developed specifically for the summer school. The workshop results were shared through plenary presentation by the groups. Student presentations: In order to enhance the professional interaction between participants, students were invited to present short outlines of their professional work. These were integrated in the main programme as shown in Annex 1. Extensive references and information links were provided to students, and a Bio-economy Primer was prepared to highlight the key issues that need consideration in LCA studies. Webinars: Two webinars linked with the programme introduced key issues in LCA and bioeconomy respectively. A third webinar covered the associated theme of Circular Economy. All lecture material and presentations were made available on the FSLCI website and through Podio to the students.
Thematic Synthesis of the Summer School A number of LCA tools are relevant to a closer study of regional bio-economy in the context of the SDGs. Some core learning points of the summer school are shown below. “Bio-economy� is seen in widely different ways by different stakeholders, with policy approaches varying from one country and region to another. It can be a driver for regional development, but needs to be managed within a wider system framework rather than as a set of unrelated single-issues, highlighting the need for a comprehensive life cycle assessment processes. Biomass (use) is a resource management issue which has environmental, land-use and social impacts that need to be assessed. Much focus is on bio-based fuels and direct combustion. There is now a trend to use biomass also for other applications so as to have resources and materials for other use. Biomass for chemical conversion is growing, with research into improving the economics. There is much emphasis on the role of bio-technology. Many alternative processes and products based on biomass have been developed, but much of the focus is still on substitution rather than new products. Adoption by mainstream markets is slow and further innovation and R&D is still needed. LCA is an important tool for further development of technologies for biomass conversion. A wide range of sustainability factors is relevant to the development of a bio-economy. Many impacts occur throughout the biomass life chains including pollution impacts (especially GHG, but also chemicals), biodiversity, land-use and land degradation, social impacts. The 17 SDGs remain the global reference set. Different priorities and emphasis may be given to SDGs at the regional level, with important implications for midpoints and 6 of 16
endpoints in LCA. Dealing with only single issues leads to incomplete evaluation of regional sustainability. LCA techniques such as LCA, LCC and MFA can address many aspects of a bio-economy, even if some techniques are more mature than others. Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) methods for a complete evaluation of environmental (including biodiversity and land use and land-use changes - LULUC) and social and economic consequences are intrinsically complex due to widely varying situations and boundaries, and the difficulty in assembling data sets. Life Cycle Costing for bio-economy projects needs to consider a wider group of external stakeholders along the value chain than has traditionally been the case. Life cycle management (LCM) is mainly a management concept for sustainable products that can be applied in multiple sectors also for regions with the aim of improving specific goods and services and enhancing the overall sustainability performance and the related value chains in general. It makes life cycle thinking and product sustainability operational to reduce environmental and socio-economic burden, while maximizing economic and social value. It uses life cycle information (data) to develop a rational plan of action. This can take various forms depending on the nature of the stakeholders – Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM), Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP), policy and regulations, R&D priorities etc. Developing sustainable bio-economy programmes through LCM and its derivatives depends on effective stakeholder relations along the bio-economy value chain. The crafting of stakeholder relations requires a different set of skills to the assessment phase. Social LCA is an effective lead-in to understanding stakeholder issues. The position of a region needs to be seen in the context of an overall bio-economy policy, with both contributions to, and drawing benefits from, a holistic approach. There are many possible policy components and actions a region can take towards a bio-economy approach. Adequate use of life cycle approaches is essential if regions are to achieve their sustainability goals. For the LCA practitioners, an improved understanding of how regions function administratively and politically would speed up the regional implementation of the multitude of LCA assessments now under way.
Participation Participants came from 6 countries in 4 continents, see Annex 2. Many students already had a good knowledge of LCA procedures (but not applied to bio-economy), while others came from a policy background. This combination led to some very productive discussions in the working groups. Aspirations ranged from technical to contextual understanding. While no formal qualification is awarded by the LCSS, a certificate of participation is transmitted to each student to attest to their full participation in the event.
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Resource persons were recognised experts in their field with extensive teaching and training experience (see Annex 2). A number of lecturers had a background in managing industrial enterprises thus linking the practical side with the methodological. Enrolment to the Summer School was through the FSLCI website https://fslci.org. An internal communication mechanism for participants was created on the Podio platform. This site also holds the lecture presentations, workshop and background documents, and allows for an on-going exchange of views and transmission of further technical information.
Budget The Summer School was financed entirely by registration fees (350 – 380€). This included all expenses related to the programme including lunch and the official dinner and administration, however students covered their own transport and accommodation costs. It is worth highlighting the significant in-kind resources provided by the co-organizers of the Summer School as well as by the guest lecturers, without which the event could not have been organized. We especially thank UFZ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research and the University of Leipzig for their assistance during the Summer School.
Evaluation At the closing session students completed a questionnaire to evaluate the quality of the event and their level of satisfaction. The evaluation was structured around a set of multiple choice questions based on the conduct of the school and the content of the academic programme. Students judged the event as mostly ‘very good’ to ‘excellent’ on all criteria (see Annex 6), with also some suggestions for future events, such as the need for more time dedicated to work exercises. There was a universal wish to remain in touch. An independent evaluation by the organisers was that the programme worked well given the constraints, although the dense programme sometimes meant that the timetable slipped somewhat with a subsequent need to readjust the schedule. Students were at a high level of maturity, allowing effective discussion of the complex issues underlying LCA and bioeconomy.
Conclusions The 7th Summer School was a successful event, benefiting from the joint location in UFZ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research and the University of Leipzig. The dense 4-day format necessitated a certain emphasis on a lecture style format to enable a coverage of subjects and methodologies not explored in previous summer schools. In particular, it allowed examination of how LCA tools can be used in the evaluation of bio-economy options at regional level, with a subsequent construction of concrete responses. Through policy 8 of 16
development and operational actions on the ground. Some time was allocated for workshop sessions on additional topics related to the bio-economy theme (as for example the explanation of FCCC assessment procedures, and an exploration of biodiversity issues), as well as exchange of experience among the students individually. In view of the good response by students to such interactive sessions, it is suggested to increase the proportion of time devoted to these in future events. All participants expressed a desire to remain in touch.
Previous Iterations of LCSS • • • • • •
1st edition: Lecce, Italy, August 2012, 2nd edition: S. Maria di Leuca (Lecce), Italy, July 2013, 3rd edition: S. Maria di Leuca (Lecce), Italy, July 2014, 4th edition: Bordeaux , France, August 2015 5th edition: S. Maria di Leuca (Lecce), Italy, July 2016 (did not take place due to budget issues) 6th edition: LIST, Luxembourg, August 2017
Approximately 100 professionals, mainly PhD students, young researchers, and masters degree students in a variety of research fields have attended the previous editions of the summer school. Participants were from both European and non-European countries including Italy, Poland, Greece, Germany, Austria, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Albania, Belgium, Latvia, Turkey, Canada, Nigeria, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Chile, Mauritius, Japan, Portugal, Indonesia, Brazil. More information on www.lcss.unisalento.it and https://fslci.org
Useful Resources Student notes, background reading and references related to the bio-economy and LCA subjects are online. In addition to the specific references compiled for the summer school, there is much useful general resource material available on LCA/LCM, as for example: https://www.setac.org/ www.unep.org/dtie www.lifecycleinitiative.org https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-94-017-7221-1 (Open access book on LCM) http://LCM2017.org (and earlier editions) https://fslci.org www.avnir.org https://www.routledge.com/Life-Cycle-Approaches-to-Sustainable-RegionalDevelopment/Massari-Sonnemann-Balkau/p/book/9781138940604 9 of 16
Annex 1 - Programme 7th International Summer School Life Cycle Approaches to Sustainable Regional Development “Life cycle tool box for bio-economy initiatives” Tuesday 21 August 2018 - Preparatory webinars 14:00 Basics and update on bio-economy – Alberto Bezama 16:00 Basics and update on LCA and LCM – Guido Sonnemann A follow-up webinar on Circular Economy is proposed for 14:30 Friday 14th September DAY 1 - Saturday, 25 August 2018 - Thematic life cycle overview 08:00 Arrival, welcome of students and faculty, coffee 09:00 Introduction to summer school objectives and programme – Fritz Balkau & Alberto Bezama 10:00 Keynote lecture on “Sustainable development and bio-economy” – Daniela Thrän, UFZ 11:00 Technical overview on “Life cycle tools and applications for SDGs” – Guido Sonnemann 13:00 Lunch 14:00 Presentation “Experience with the Bio-economy cluster programme” – Joachim Schulze 15:00 Workshop 1. “Life cycle tools in relation to bio-economy development” – Guido Sonnemann 17:00 Thematic Discussion topic A – “Biofuels and GHG” - Alberto Bezama 17:30 Selected student presentations. Feedback from Workshop1. 18:00 Welcome cocktail DAY 2 - Sunday, 26 August 2018 - Bio-materials and life cycle tools 09:00 Lecture on “Early stage sustainability assessment of bio-process development” – Norbert Kohlheb 09:30 Workshop 2. “Parametrised LCA for assessing important process steps and developing scenarios”- 11:30 Lecture on “Innovation and technology assessment in regional development” – Alberto Bezama 13:00 Lunch
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14:00 Lecture on “LCA and LCC for sustainable public procurement in a bio-economy” – Fritz Balkau 14:30 Workshop 3. on SPP - Fritz Balkau and Guido Sonnemann 16:30 Thematic Discussion topic B – “Biodiversity issues in bio-economy” - Guido Sonnemann 17:00 Student presentations. Feedback from Workshops 2. and 3. 18:30 Dinner DAY 3 - Monday, 27 August 2018 - Transforming assessment into action 09:00 Lecture on “Tracking flow of bio-materials with LCA and MFA” – Kathleen Meisel 10:00 Lecture “Spatially distributed and social LCAs for regional bio-based systems” – Sinéad O’Keefe 10:30 Workshop 4. on social LCA - Sinéad O’Keefe and Alberto Bezama 12:00 Keynote lecture by FCCC on “Life cycle calculations of GHG under the FCCC” – Panna Siyag 13:00 Lunch 14:00 Lecture on “LCM principles; application to regional bio-economy” – Naeem Adibi 15:00 Workshop 5. on “LCM for bio-economy” - Naeem Adibi and Guido Sonnemann 16:30 Thematic Discussion topic C “Life cycle issues and SDGs in bioeconomy” - Fritz Balkau 17:00 Student presentations. 17:30 Feedback from Workshop 4 18:00 Briefing for the field visit - Alberto Bezama 18:30 Working groups to finalize their results DAY 4 - Tuesday, 28 August 2018 - Technology innovation 08:30 Lecture and field visit to technology innovation institution (bio-refinery) in Leipzig – Bruno Buehler 10:30 Public lecture on climate change factors by Dr. Falk Schmidt, Director, IASS Potsdam 12:30 Lunch in UFZ 13:30 Thematic synthesis and summing up 14:00 Student feedback, SS evaluation, assessment. Certificate of participation 15:30 Closure and farewell
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Annex 2 - Participants and Faculty Participants • • • • • • • • • • •
Airi Kaneko, Japan Ana Quintais, Portugal Eric Billig, Germany Esra Aleisa, Kuwait Eva Wendenberg, Germany Francesca Marchi, Italy Glaucia Buchmann, Brazil Lars Wietschel, Germany Raphael Zimmermann, Germany Rio Aryapratama, Indonesia Walther Zeug, Germany
Faculty • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Prof. Guido Sonnemann University of Bordeaux, France Dr. Alberto Bezama Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Germany Prof. Silvia Barbero Politecnico di Turino, Turin, Italy Dr. Fritz Balkau Sustainable Solutions, France Prof. Dr.-Ing. Daniela Thrän Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Germany Dr. Joachim Schulze Managing Dir. EW Biotech GmbH, Manager Cluster Bioeconomy eV, Germany Dr. Norbert Kohlheb Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Germany Dr. Kathleen Meisel Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum GmbH (DBFZ), Germany Dr. Sinéad O’Keefe Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Germany Mr. Panna Siyag UN Framework Convention for Climate Change, Bonn, Germany Dr. Naeem Adibi weLOOP, France Prof. Dr. Bruno Bühler Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Germany Dr. Falk Schmidt Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Germany Mr. Philip Strothmann FSLCI, Berlin, Germany
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Annex 3 - Certificate of Participation
C E RT I F I C AT E This is to confirm that
has successfully participated in the
7th International Summer School on Life Cycle Approaches for Sustainable Regional Development
DIRECTOR OF THE SCHOOL PROF. GUIDO SONNEMANN
ORGANIZED BY THE HELMHOLTZ CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH, UFZ AND THE FORUM FOR SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH LIFE CYCLE INNOVATION E.V.
28. August 2018 DATE
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Annex 4 - Summer School Announcement
The 7th International Summer School on Life Cycle Approaches to Sustainable Regional Development 25 - 28 August 2018 Leipzig, Germany
More Info https://fslci.org/lcss2018/
Theme: “Life cycle tool box for bio-economy initiatives”
Call Us +49 30 60 98 77 99
Write Us lcss2018@fslci.org
This Summer School is an opportunity for students, professionals and regional managers to learn how to extend evolving life cycle management tools into new application areas in sustainable development – in this instance in the fast-changing field of circular bioeconomies. The objective is to encourage use of promising LCM tools by social partners who have not so far employed these techniques extensively. This includes regional institutions, research teams and industrial associations that wish to enhance the effectiveness of their sustainability initiatives. It is also aimed at life cycle professionals and academics interested in broadening their client base by offering new applications. This Summer School – the 7th in the current series – addresses the growing interest in bio-economy policies as a means of promoting circular economies at regional level. In particular, it examines the influential role of life cycle methodologies in promoting a bio-economy in a holistic fashion, without producing unwanted side-effects on other societal goals such as social fabric, environment, biodiversity, industry and energy, for example. The summer school draws inspiration from a recent book "Life cycle approaches to sustainable regional development (Routledge, 2017)". A number of the Summer School faculty are authors of important chapters in this publication.
Organized by
The 2018 edition of the summer school will explore topics such as materials flow analysis (MFA) and other LCA procedures that improve the planning and implementation of regional bio-economy initiatives. These include eco-footprinting, life cycle costing, social LCA, technology assessment, use of LCA in procurement of bio-matrials, and building a life cycle management toolbox for SMEs. These instruments will be examined in the context of the current vision of circular economy and the building of a bio-based industry, using appropriate mixes of innovative policy instruments, R&D, and financial incentives. The Summer School uses an interactive programme of lectures, workshops, cases studies and role-plays to explore these key issues. Key experts will provide keynote lectures. A preliminary 1-day refresher course in Webinar format on life cycle assessment and bio-economy will also be offered ahead of the Summer School on the 21st of August. Apply now and join us in Leizig for an interesting and unique Summer School!
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Annex 5 - Impressions
The message The group The location
The facts
The sharing
The inputs
The results
The outputs
The certificate
The context
The trophy 15 of 16
Annex 6 – Feedback Summary
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