This special issue of the Frontiers Report focuses on the potential environmental, health, social and animal welfare implications of the uptake of novel meat and dairy alternatives, in particular... Show moreThis special issue of the Frontiers Report focuses on the potential environmental, health, social and animal welfare implications of the uptake of novel meat and dairy alternatives, in particular novel plant-based, fermentation-derived and cultivated products. A team of interdisciplinary experts has assessed the available evidence on the impacts of these alternatives in comparison with their conventional counterparts, identifying pertinent considerations for policymakers involved in regulating, investing in or providing other support for novel meat and dairy products and highlighting research gaps. Show less
Visser, M.D.; Zelfde, M. van 't; Hallmann, C.; Barmentlo, H. 2023
This report aims to provide a primer for CGE practitioners to understand the potential to link micro (i.e., Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Dynamic Material Flow Analysis (DMFA)) and CGE models to... Show moreThis report aims to provide a primer for CGE practitioners to understand the potential to link micro (i.e., Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Dynamic Material Flow Analysis (DMFA)) and CGE models to model circular economy strategies. The report offers an overview of the state-of-the-art of LCA/DMFA and CGE model linkages (including 8 archetypes), key lessons from LCA/DMFA studies to macro-modelling approaches, and an example of substituting internal combustion engine vehicles with electric vehicles, considering the circularity potential of Li-ion batteries to illustrate the application of micro- and macro-modelling linkages towards circular economy scenarios. Show less
An array of technologies is expected to contribute to the energy and circular transitions in multiple sectors, such as transport, energy, and electronics and telecommunications. These sectors are... Show moreAn array of technologies is expected to contribute to the energy and circular transitions in multiple sectors, such as transport, energy, and electronics and telecommunications. These sectors are considered key sectors for achieving climate targets due to their role on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The widespread use of technologies will require increased amounts raw materials and may strain the established supply chains for some of these. There is interest in critical raw materials (CRMs) that have major economic relevance and face comparatively high supply risks in specific economies. Identifying the future CRM demand in the key sectors is essential to implement strategies that can mitigate potential disruptions and helps to improve resilience in the relevant supply chains.This working paper provides an overview of the CRM demand of 11 key technologies that are expected to contribute to the development of transport, energy, electronics, and telecommunication sectors. Moreover, the working paper discusses the links between the selected sectors, and identifies further implications for the future CRM demand, such as overall CRM demand from other economic sectors and technologies, circularity potential, CRM demand from production and building infrastructure, future innovations, and supply/demand interactions. Show less
Oorschot, J. van; Voet, E. van der; Blok, M.; Schouten, N.; Witteveen, P.; Rijken, B.; Hoorn, A. van 2022
This report is the outcome of a consensus-building project to agree on best practices for environmental and nutritional Life Cycle Assessment (nLCA) methodology, and identify future research needs.... Show moreThis report is the outcome of a consensus-building project to agree on best practices for environmental and nutritional Life Cycle Assessment (nLCA) methodology, and identify future research needs. The project involved 30 nutritional and environmental LCA researchers from 18 countries. It focused on the assessment of food items (as opposed to meals or diets).Best practice recommendations were developed to address the intended purpose of an LCA study and related modeling approach, choice of an appropriate functional unit, assessment of nutritional value, and reporting nLCA results. An nLCA study should report the quantities of as many essential nutrients as possible and aim to provide information on the nutritional quality and/or health impacts in addition to nutrient quantities. Outstanding issues requiring further research attention include: defining a minimum number of nutrients to be considered in an nLCA study; treatment of nutrients to limit; use of nutrient indexes; further development of Impact Assessment methods; representation of nutritional changes that may occur during subsequent distribution and food preparation in cradle-to-gate nLCA studies; and communication of data uncertainty and variability. More data are required for different regions (particularly developing countries); for the processing, distribution, retail, and consumption life cycle stages; and for food loss and waste. Finally, there is a need to extend nLCA methodology for the assessment of meals and diets, to consider further how to account for the multi-functionality of food in a sustainability framework, and to set nLCA studies within the context of environmental limits.These results provide a robust basis for improving nLCA methodology and applying it to identify solutions that minimize the trade-offs between nourishing populations and safeguarding the environment. Show less
Weert, J. de; Buijs, S.; Tamis, W.L.M.; Zelfde, M. van 't 2019
De regionale waterbeheerders meten elk jaar de chemische kwaliteit, waaronder gewasbeschermingsmiddelen en biociden, van het oppervlaktewater. De meetgegevens van de bestrijdingsmiddelen worden... Show moreDe regionale waterbeheerders meten elk jaar de chemische kwaliteit, waaronder gewasbeschermingsmiddelen en biociden, van het oppervlaktewater. De meetgegevens van de bestrijdingsmiddelen worden gecontroleerd en verwerkt door het Centrum voor Milieuwetenschappen Universiteit Leiden (UL-CML) en gepubliceerd op een publieke website Bestrijdingsmiddelenatlas: www.bestrijdingsmiddelenatlas.nl. De rijksoverheid alsmede de betrokken sectoren in Nederland zijn gebaat bij een instrument dat gebaseerd is op een betrouwbaar en bestendig beheersysteem. Het huidige beheerssysteem (databasemanagementsysteem: DBMS) is ontwikkeld in Microsoft Access (MS Access) en vanaf 2003 in gebruik. Sindsdien is de hoeveelheid te verwerken data aanzienlijk toegenomen. Ook de ontwikkeling van een regionale versie van de Atlas betekent niet alleen meer data en producten, maar ook meer gelijktijdige gebruikers. In 2018 is een evaluatie van het huidige DBMS uitgevoerd en uiteindelijk is geadviseerd het DBMS om te zetten van Microsoft (MS) Access naar Microsoft SQL server Express (MSSQL-E). In het onderhavige rapport wordt de uiteindelijke migratie van MS Access naar MSSQL-E voor de BMA beschreven. In hoofdstuk 2 worden kort de beperkingen van MS Access beschreven, alsmede de nieuwe/betere functionaliteit van MSSQL-E. In Hoofdstuk 3 wordt de gegevensstroom beschreven van meetwaarden in het water opgeleverd door de bronhouders (waterschappen e.d.) tot aan de getoonde producten (kaarten, tabellen, grafieken) op de website. In deze gegevensstroom zijn vele partijen betrokken en worden vele formatten gebruikt. Aangegeven wordt waar in deze gegevensstroom de migratie van MS Access naar MSSQL-E plaatsvindt, dit is met name aan de websitekant zelf en bij de toelevering van databases aan de websitekant. In dit hoofdstuk wordt tenslotte ook aangegeven in welke fasen deze migratie heeft plaatsgevonden. In het laatste Hoofdstuk 4 wordt de uitwerking van de migratie kort beschreven. Show less
Knoben R., Schoffelen N., Tamis W.L.M., Zelde M. van 't 2019
