Research project HL/DD/22 (Research action HL)
The project aims to investigate the driving forces behind sustainable development in Belgian industry.
The project has four phases:
PHASE 1: Analysis of the environmental pressure produced by Belgian industry.
The study covers the most important sectors of Belgian industry. The following characteristics are described for each sector:
. position of the sector in the global production chain, from the extraction of raw materials (ores, renewable raw materials such as wood and plants) to offering the product on the market
. market structure and organisation of the sector
. strategies and trends (investments, product development, future evolutions)
. production processes
. estimated contribution of the sector to six important forms of environmental pressure:
1) energy consumption, 2) water consumption, 3) waste production, 4) waste water emissions, 5) atmospheric emissions, 6) generation of traffic flows
. Sticking points for sustainable development in Belgian industry: 1) know-how and design impediments, 2) technological impediments, 3) economic impediments, 4) market structure and organisational impediments.
PHASE 2: Selection of indicators for sustainable development in industry.
Pressure and response indicators will be developed that build on the conclusions from Phase 1. Situation indicators, which measure environmental quality, are not appropriate for this study.
By selecting pressure indicators, we are attempting to find sustainable criteria within each of the six forms of environmental pressure (cf. Phase 1) with the aim of measuring as accurately as possible the pressure exerted by industrial activities.
We examine the advisability of having global indicators for the whole of industrial activity and, where this is not the case, how the different indicators mutually relate to one another. In the case of response indicators, we will describe measures that are already being undertaken by the various sectors and which will be available commercially within the next five years. The measures will be clearly specified and arranged in accordance with Lansink’s ladder, sc.: 1) prevention, 2) re-use, 3) recovery, 4) processing/treatment (e.g. incineration) and 5) dumping (e.g. tips, flue emissions)
PHASE 3: Classification of businesses within an industrial sector into prevention phases.
Measuring the diffusion of prevention ideas and solutions is difficult. We are developing a method for doing this. Depending on their knowledge, behaviour and attitude in respect of waste and emission prevention, businesses may be classified into five prevention phases: 1) ‘uninformed’, 2) ‘non-interest/interest’, 3) ‘initiation’, 4) ‘implementation’ and 5) ‘being practised’.
Each phase demands a specific approach using the appropriate instruments. The classification is made on the basis of the results from earlier projects and contacts with federations. This method allows an insight to be obtained into industry advances towards sustainable development. The project will investigate whether a sophisticated business sector is possible based on data allowing no more than an initial, rough classification today.
PHASE 4: Case study - application of phases 1, 2 and 3 to a particular industrial sector.
Building on the selected pressure and response indicators, we investigate instruments that may be deployed in order to continue (or initiate) the sustainable development process for a particular industrial sector. In addition, the results of the accelerated introduction of sustainable development to the sector will be studied (impact on competitive strength, employment, technology developments).
Indicatoren voor duurzame ontwikkeling in de Belgische industrie: eindrapport
Deconinck, D. - Capon, L. - Clerinx, B. ... et al. Brussel: DWTC, 2001 (SP0803)
[To download]
[Exhausted]
Indicatoren voor duurzame ontwikkeling in de Belgische industrie: synthese
Deconinck, D. - Capon, L. - Clerinx, B. ... et al. Brussel: DWTC, 2001 (SP0804)
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Indicators for sustainable development in the Belgian industry: summary
Deconinck, D. - Capon, L. - Clerinx, B. ... et al. Brussels: OSTC, 2001 (SP0805)
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