Showing 81–100 of 234

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    The Green-Claims-Directive – What Companies Need to Know (PNG)

    Policy, Sustainability & Health

    1 Page
    533 Downloads

    2023-12

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    So far, companies can use terms such as “climate-neutral”, “recyclable”, “environmentally friendly” or self-created logos, which are intended to emphasise the environmental friendliness of a product, to advertise products and services without third-party verification. With the proposal for the Green Claims Directive, the EU wants to change this practice. The aim is to test and certify the green claims by an external testing authority. This would require a scientific verification. This graphic provides companies with an initial overview of what the new EU proposal could mean for them.

    Lean more about this topic and join our nova-Session “Sustainability Claims under New EU Legislation” (7 February, 13:00-15:00 CET, online): https://events.renewable-carbon.eu/event/green-claims-directive

  • the green claims directive what companies need to know (png) (copy)

    The Green-Claims-Directive – Was Unternehmen wissen sollten (PNG)

    Policy, Sustainability & Health

    1 Page
    181 Downloads

    2023-12

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    Bisher können Firmen Begriffe wie “klimaneutral, “recycelbar”, “umweltfreundlich” oder selbst kreierte Logos, welche die Umweltfreundlichkeit eines Produkts hervorheben sollen, ohne Prüfung durch Dritte für die Bewerbung von Produkten und Services nutzen. Mit dem Vorschlag zur Green Claims Richtlinie will die EU diese Praxis ändern. Ziel ist die Prüfung und Zertifizierung der sogenannten green claims (Umweltaussagen) durch eine externe Prüfstelle. Notwendig dafür wird dann ein wissenschaftlicher Nachweis. Mit dieser Grafik können sich Unternehmen einen ersten Überblick darüber verschaffen, was mit dem neuen Vorschlag der EU auf sie zukommen könnte.
    Erfahren Sie mehr über dieses Thema und besuchen Sie unsere nova-Session “Sustainability Claims under New EU Legislation” (7. Februar, 13:00-15:00 CET, online): https://events.renewable-carbon.eu/event/green-claims-directive
  • 23 06 13 cover food paper short version thumbnail

    RCI’s scientific background report: “The use of food and feed crops for bio-based materials and the related effects on food security – Promoting evidence-based debates and recognising potential benefits” (June 2023) Short Version

    Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health, Technology

    2 Pages
    988 Downloads

    2023-11

    FREE

     

    Promoting Evidence-based Debates and Recognising Potential Benefits

    This short version of the scientific paper highlights on two pages new insights into a hotly debated topic and urges for careful and evidence-based debates.

    The paper aims to show that the well-known biomass debate is flawed, subjective and not fully based on evidence. What is detrimental to food security are, according to the World Food Programme in 2023, climate change, conflict, extreme inequalities in wealth distribution, heavy dependence on food imports from industrial countries, overconsumption of meat, losses along the value chain and the impact of the COVID pandemic. Competition between biomass uses is not mentioned among the relevant causes.

    The use of biomass for industrial applications, does have the potential to replace fossil feedstocks and thus contribute to the urgently needed reduction of fossil carbon emissions into our atmosphere to mitigate climate change.

    While not denying the dire need to combat world hunger, the authors of the paper argue that using food and feed crops for chemicals and materials will not necessarily exacerbate food insecurity, and in fact has the potential to cause multiple benefits for local and global food security, climate mitigation and other factors:

    1. The climate wins – Bio-based materials are part of the solution to achieve climate change mitigation.
    2. Land productivity wins – The competition between applications is not for the type of crop grown, but for the land.
    3. The environment wins – due to increased resource efficiency and productivity of food and feed crops.
    4. Farmers win – because they have more options for selling stock to different markets.
    5. Market stability wins – due to increased global availability of food and feed crops.
    6. Feed security wins – due to the high value of the protein-rich co-products of food and feed crops.
    7. Food security wins – due to the increased overall availability of edible crops that can be stored and flexibly distributed.
  • explorative scenario carbon embedded in chemicals and derived materials (png)

    Explorative Scenario – Carbon Embedded in Chemicals and Derived Materials (PNG)

    Markets & Economy, Policy

    1 Page
    1155 Downloads

    2023-10

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    Figure from the RCI Carbon Flows Report 2023
    The nova October 2023 update shows a steady increase in the share of bio-based chemicals from 8% in 2020 to 20% in 2050. CO2-based chemicals require a lot of investment to become relevant after 2030, with strong growth between 2040 and 2050. The recycling of virgin fossil chemicals and plastics dominates the recycling sector until 2035. After 2035, bio-based, CO2-based and recyclates increasingly dominate the recycling sector.
  • overview of ccu / sdg assessment (png)

    Overview of CCU / SDG Assessment (PNG)

    Policy, Sustainability & Health

    1 Page
    193 Downloads

    2023-10

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  • rci position paper on comprehensive carbon management (pdf)

    RCI’s position paper: “Comprehensive carbon management“ (October 2023)

    Policy

    3 Pages
    357 Downloads

    2023-10

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    This position paper describes that our understanding that new thinking and terminology are required to achieve climate targets and secure a sustainable carbon supply

    Comprehensive carbon management goes beyond CO2 emissions, capture and long-term storage, to which it is often reduced to. It decouples the whole industry from fossil feedstock, eliminates the use of fossil carbon wherever possible and allocates renewable carbon (from biomass, CO2 and recycling) as efficiently and effectively as possible where carbon use is unavoidable. The aim is to achieve the lowest possible CO2 emissions, reducing the need for Carbon Dioxide Removal to achieve net zero, and to provide a secure supply of renewable carbon to all dependent industries such as chemicals and materials. Only when carbon is recognised as a raw material in carbon management strategies can truly sustainable carbon cycles be achieved. With a proper comprehensive carbon management, the carbon-reliant material and energy sectors will be defossilised and the remaining energy sector will be decarbonised. And only for the remaining share of truly unavoidable emissions, carbon dioxide removal and carbon capture and storage should come into play.

  • joint letter: carbon capture and utilisation (ccu) should be recognised as a strategic net zero technology in the eu net zero industry act (pdf)

    Joint Letter: Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) should be recognised as a Strategic Net Zero Technology in the EU Net Zero Industry Act (PDF)

    Policy

    2 Pages
    77 Downloads

    2023-10

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    A co-signed letter with CO2 Value Europe, Cefic – European Chemical Industry Council, the European Cement Association (CEMBUREAU), The Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants (CEWEP), UPEI – the Voice of Europe’s Independent Fuel Suppliers, eFuel Alliance, Eurogas, The European Steel Association (EUROFER), FuelsEurope, Methanol Institute and the European Confederation of Fuel Distributors (ECFD) that calls on Members of the EU Parliament and EU Member States to take position to include CCU technologies as part – along with CCS – of the list of strategic net-zero technologies in the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA).

     

  • rci carbon flows report: compilation of supply and demand of fossil and renewable carbon on a global and european level (pdf)

    RCI’s scientific background report: “RCI carbon flows report – Compilation of supply and demand of fossil and renewable carbon on a global and European level” (Oct. 2023)

    Policy, Sustainability & Health

    92 Pages
    3251 Downloads

    2023-10

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    The Carbon Flows report is a compilation of supply and demand of fossil and renewable carbon on a global and European level. It provides a comprehensive understanding of today’s carbon flows and what it means to replace fossil carbon with renewable carbon in the materials and chemicals sectors. It’s main intent is to provide a uniform and transparent data basis for a future carbon management that can be used and shared by industry, associations, policy-makers, science and alike.

    In the last five years, the mindset around carbon has changed fundamentally. Of course, there is no way around the fact that the rising concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere pose an existential threat to life on Earth. But at the same time, carbon is the main component of our food, the basis of all organic chemicals and plastics, and the backbone of life on Earth.
    In the chemicals and plastics sectors in particular, almost 90% of the carbon used as feedstock is fossil carbon. This fossil carbon must be replaced by renewable carbon from recycling, biomass and CO2 by 2050 to avoid a further influx of fossil carbon into our technosphere and atmosphere.

    This report provides a comprehensive, detailed and updated carbon flow data basis that significantly surpasses previous publications, containing more than 35 figures and tables with corresponding descriptions of methodology, source material and data. All data have been corroborated as best as currently possible by scientific publications, feedback from experts and additional research. Remaining gaps and differences are transparently depicted and explained as well as possible.

    The nova experts assessed data from a multitude of sources. A wide range of data on material flow are used to compile a comprehensive inventory of carbon stocks and flows. The sectors covered include all applications of organic carbon from fossil resources and biomass production, from raw materials through utilisation to final end-of-life. This includes use of carbon for feed and food, for materials, for energy and for fuels. A special focus is put on the carbon demand in the chemical and plastic industry today and tomorrow, with several figures specifically zooming into this sector and including scenarios for a full defossilisation by 2050.

    The Carbon Flows report is designed to be a living document that we would like to update every one to two years if possible. This also means that we look forward to your feedback, additional input, new data and suggestions from any interested party. Please directly contact the main author of the study for this: ferdinand.kaehler@nova-institut.de

    DOI No.: https://doi.org/10.52548/KCTT1279

     

  • renewable carbon as a guiding principle for sustainable carbon cycles (pdf)

    RCI’s scientific background report: “Renewable carbon as a guiding principle for sustainable carbon cycles (Update)” (September 2023)

    Policy, Sustainability & Health

    51 Pages
    1226 Downloads

    2023-09

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    Why It Is Right and Necessary To Choose Renewable Carbon as a Guiding Principle for Sustainable Development in the Chemicals and Materials Sectors

    The Scientific Background Report on “Renewable Carbon as a Guiding Principle for Sustainable Carbon Cycles – Why It Is Right and Necessary To Choose Renewable Carbon as a Guiding Principle for Sustainable Development in the Chemicals and Materials Sectors“ was RCI’s first major publication and forms the basis for the concept and strategy of the RCI. Together with input from all members, the RCI has worked on an updated version – In this second edition, the following main changes have been implemented:

    • New IPCC data on greenhouse gas emissions from the 6th Assessment Report (published March 2022) have been integrated.
    • To establish proper data baselines, entirely novel carbon flows data have been integrated.
    • The initial eleven policy recommendations were further sharpened, fine-tuned and concretised through lots of feedback from talks with politicians, NGOs, industrial actors, the bio-based, CO2-based and recycling sector, energy experts and many other stakeholders. Further political demands resulted from these discussions as well as recently published RCI position papers and consultations, which are now also integrated into the paper.

    To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change, the inflow of fossil carbon must be reduced quickly and in high volumes. The EU has started pushing for decarbonisation in energy and transport sectors, but has largely ignored chemical and material industries. These sectors require carbon-based feedstocks and cannot be “decarbonised,” so tackling embedded carbon in these industries is crucial. This paper proposes an approach to minimize environmental impact and maximize the reduction of GHG emissions.

     

    DOI No.: https://doi.org/10.52548/CXFS7519

  • the renewable carbon initiative’s position on the commission proposal for a green claims directive (gcd) – towards science based substantiation of claims and accurate biogenic carbon accounting (pdf)

    RCI’s position paper: “Commission proposal for a Green Claims Directive (GCD) – Towards science-based substantiation of claims and accurate biogenic carbon accounting” (September 2023)

    Policy

    3 Pages
    165 Downloads

    2023-09

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    Towards science-based substantiation of claims and accurate biogenic carbon accounting

    The Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) wholeheartedly endorses the Green Claims Directive’s (GCD) mission to provide consumers and businesses with reliable, comparable, and verifiable information to facilitate sustainable choices.

    In our position paper, we emphasise three aspects that, in our view, require additional attention to maximise the impact of the GCD and support products and solutions derived from non-fossil, renewable-carbon-based feedstock from biomass, CCU or recycling.

    1. Science-Based Life-Cycle Assessment Methodologies: RCI welcomes the acceptance of several life-cycle assessment methods for substantiating environmental claims but emphasises the practical importance of maintaining flexibility in the upcoming trilogue negotiations. We also call for clarification on how to determine if an environmental impact is considered “significant.”

    2. Differentiated Biogenic Carbon Accounting Methodology: The RCI advocates for enabling the possibility to better reflect uptake of atmospheric CO2 via biogenic carbon (and principally any process that captures CO2 from the atmosphere) in product assessments. In general, biogenic carbon in LCA is neither credited with carbon uptake through biomass at the beginning nor with the emissions (e.g. from incineration) at end of life. While this is from a proper LCA point-of-view valid and recommended, it leads to issues for stakeholders reporting their biogenic product’s carbon footprint at factory gate, because the uptake of atmospheric carbon cannot be shown and the conceptual advantage over fossil products gets lost. At the same time, we are aware of misleading “carbon negative” claims and argue that only full cradle-to-grave LCAs should qualify for such B2C claims.

    3. Ensuring a Reliable Verification Mechanism: Recognising the need for mandated verification of environmental claims before B2C communication, RCI acknowledges the potential challenges posed by these resource-intensive processes. We want to stress the importance of an effective approach and an extended transition period to enable authorities, verifiers, and the industry to smoothly adapt to these processes and mitigate potential delays in communicating claims for innovative products.
    tation.

  • 23 08 18 renewable carbon initiative (rci) manifesto for the next european commission (2024 2029) thumbnail

    RCI’s position paper: “RCI’s manifesto for the next European Commission (2024-2029)” (August 2023)

    Policy

    3 Pages
    243 Downloads

    2023-08

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    The RCI Manifesto highlights key issues for the new European Commission (2024 – 2029) to take up and focus on.

    The key messages are:

    1. Ensure that carbon embedded in chemicals and materials is given more political attention as an important factor for material-related emissions. Renewable carbon derived from biomass, direct CO2 utilisation, and recycling must become a guiding principle for policies and targets regulating chemicals and materials.
    2. Make a stepwise phaseout of fossil carbon from below the ground for chemicals and materials by 2050 an explicit objective.
    3. Translate the 20% non-fossil carbon target for chemicals and plastics by 2030 from the Sustainable Carbon Cycles Communication into binding legislation and ensure implementation through concrete policy measures.
    4. Establish a ‘Carbon Management Regulation’ to incentivise companies to replace fossil carbon from below the ground with renewable alternatives.
    5. Promote bio- and CO2-based[1] or -attributed content in parallel to recycled content in product-related regulation.
    6. Deploy Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) as a key strategic net-zero technology to provide sustainable and circular carbon.
    7. Support the transformation of existing chemical infrastructure from fossil to renewable carbon and support the transformation of biofuels plants into chemical suppliers without discriminating against existing production from renewable feedstock (including primary biomass).

    [1] The use of the term CCU generally refers to the utilisation of carbon dioxide (CO2), but can also include industrial carbon monoxide (CO) sources prior to flaring or other conversions to CO2 before release to the atmosphere. In the US, CO2 and CO are grouped together as “carbon oxides” for purposes of Section 45Q CCUS tax credits. In this report, “CO2 utilisation” is meant to also include other carbon oxides.

     

    Call for Signature

    The RCI manifesto outlines 7 core recommendations directed towards the forthcoming European Commission, aimed at translating the vision of ending the use of fossil feedstock into reality.

    Voice your support for the RCI manifesto for the next European Commission (2024–2029) now!

     

     

  • consumption of embedded carbon in the global chemical industry (png)

    Consumption of Embedded Carbon in the Global Chemical Industry (PNG)

    Markets & Economy, Policy

    1 Page
    137 Downloads

    2023-07

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    Figure from the RCI Carbon Flows Report 2023

  • global supply for embedded carbon in chemicals and derived materials by type of feedstock tn

    Global Supply for Embedded Carbon in Chemicals and Derived Materials by Type of Feedstock (PNG)

    Markets & Economy, Policy

    1 Page
    176 Downloads

    2023-07

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    Figure from the RCI Carbon Flows Report 2023

  • consumption of embedded carbon for global chemicals and derived materials by end user application tn

    Consumption of Embedded Carbon for Global Chemicals and Derived Materials by End-user Application (PNG)

    Markets & Economy, Policy

    1 Page
    122 Downloads

    2023-07

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    Figure from the RCI Carbon Flows Report 2023

  • consumption of embedded carbon for global polymers tn

    Consumption of Embedded Carbon for Global Chemicals and Derived Materials by Carbon Feedstock (PNG)

    Markets & Economy, Policy

    1 Page
    117 Downloads

    2023-07

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    Figure from the RCI Carbon Flows Report 2023

  • consumption of embedded carbon for global polymers (png)

    Consumption of Embedded Carbon for Global Polymers (PNG)

    Markets & Economy, Policy

    1 Page
    130 Downloads

    2023-07

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    Figure from the RCI Carbon Flows Report 2023

  • consumption of embedded carbon for global chemicals and derived materials by carbon feedstock tn

    Carbon Demand for Embedded Carbon in the EU-27 Chemical Industry (PNG)

    Markets & Economy, Policy

    1 Page
    148 Downloads

    2023-07

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    Figure from the RCI Carbon Flows Report 2023

  • 23 06 21 fig 03 02 explorative scenario carbon embedded in the heavy oil fraction

    Explorative Scenario – Carbon Embedded in the Heavy Oil Fraction. (PNG)

    Markets & Economy, Policy

    1 Page
    55 Downloads

    2023-07

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    Figure from the RCI Carbon Flows Report 2023

  • global demand for carbon embedded in materials and chemicals tn

    Global Demand for Carbon Embedded in Materials and Chemicals (PNG)

    Markets & Economy, Policy

    1 Page
    259 Downloads

    2023-07

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    Figure from the RCI Carbon Flows Report 2023

  • Renewable Carbon Initiative - Cover

    Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) Shapes the Future of the Chemicals and Materials Sector

    Markets & Economy, Policy

    3 Pages
    136 Downloads

    2023-07

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    From international brands to leading chemical and bioeconomy companies to innovative start-ups for CO2 utilisation, companies are collaborating to guide a smart transition from fossil carbon to renewable carbon. The Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) (www.renewable-carbon-initiative.com) was created after observing the struggles of the chemical and material industriesin facing the enormous challenges to meet the climate goals set by the European Union and the sustainability expectations held by societies around the globe. It was clear that the industry has to go beyond using renewable energy and also consider their raw materials. Because decarbonisation is not an option for the chemical and material sector, as it is entirely based on the use of carbon, an alternative strategy is required: defossilisation through renewable carbon – carbon from above the ground: biomass, CO2 and recycling.