Showing 1–20 of 163
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Towards an ambitious Industrial Carbon Management for the EU – A Call for Speedy and Coherent Implementation of Policy Measures (PDF)
NewMarkets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health
3 Pages
2 Downloads2 Downloads
2024-07
FREE
2
DownloadsThe Renewable Carbon Initiative’s position paper emphasizes the need for a comprehensive industrial carbon management strategy in the EU that goes beyond CO2 emissions to include all carbon sources, promoting the use of renewable carbon from biomass, CCU, and recycling. It calls for the establishment of a regulatory framework with specific sub-targets and incentives by 2025 to accelerate the adoption of circular carbon technologies and reduce dependence on fossil feedstocks. The paper argues that recognising carbon as a raw material is essential for achieving sustainable carbon cycles and meeting the EU’s climate neutrality goals by 2050.
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Joint Statement PEF TAB – biogenic carbon modelling (PDF)
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health
4 Pages
18 Downloads18 Downloads
2024-06
FREE
18
DownloadsThe RCI along with the organisations APAG Oleochemicals Europe, Bio-based Industries Consortium, BioChem Europe, EuropaBio, GO!PHA, IKT Kunststofftechnik Stuttgart and Plastics Europe submitted this Joint Statement to the members of the Technical Advisory Boyard of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF TAB). The purpose of this submission is to address the ongoing discussions on carbon modelling in the EF, which have been frequently discussed in recent PEF TAB meetings. With this joint statement we advocate for enabling -1/+1 accounting of biogenic and atmospheric carbon in the LCA methodology.
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Renewable Materials Conference 2024 (Proceedings, PDF)
NewMarkets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health, Technology
2024-06
200 € ex. tax
Plus 19% MwSt.Press
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cartThe proceedings of the Renewable Materials Conference 2024 (11-13 June 2024, https://renewable-materials.eu) contain all released presentations, the conference journal, and the press release of the three winners of the Innovation Award “Renewable Material of the Year 2024″.
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Mass Balance & Attribution With Fuel-use Excluded (PNG)
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health, Technology
1 Page
29 Downloads29 Downloads
2024-06
FREE
29
DownloadsThe graphic shows the approach of mass balance and attribution with fuel-use excluded which allows to track the fossil and recycled share of feedstock. The recycled content can be attributed to products after deducting lossess and proess energy during production and, if applicable, produced energy carriers (fuel-use excluded). This approach ensures that a transparent amount of fossil feedstock is replaced by recycled feedstock in the production process and that only recycled feedstock that actually ends up in products can be attributed.
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Ein Plädoyer für Carbon Capture and Utilisation – Carbon Capture and Utilisation ist viel mehr als nur eine Technologie zur Entnahme von Kohlenstoffdioxid (PDF)
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health
4 Pages
35 Downloads35 Downloads
2024-06
FREE
35
DownloadsZur Eindämmung des Klimawandels ist eine drastische Reduzierung fossiler Kohlenstoffemissionen erforderlich. Während Energie- und Verkehrssysteme dekarbonisiert werden können, benötigen Chemie- und Werkstoffsektoren Kohlenstoff als Rohstoff. Diese Sektoren sollten auf erneuerbaren Kohlenstoff aus Biomasse, CCU und Recycling umsteigen, wie von der Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) gefördert.
CCU bietet zahlreiche Vorteile, darunter die Defossilisierung der Industrie und die Reduzierung der Treibhausgasemissionen.
Trotz ihrer Bedeutung wird CCU politisch noch nicht ausreichend anerkannt. Eine stärkere Unterstützung und der Einsatz erneuerbarer Energien sind notwendig, um CCU als Schlüssel- technologie für eine nachhaltige Zukunft zu etablieren.
Weitere Informationen:
https://www.chemanager-online.com/news/ein-plaedoyer-fuer-carbon-capture-and-utilisation
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Call for Member States to support an EU Sustainable Carbon Policy Package as a part of a future green EU Industrial Deal (PDF)
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health
2 Pages
75 Downloads75 Downloads
2024-05
FREE
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DownloadsThe signatories of this proposal urge Member States to support the EU Sustainable Carbon Policy Package for the 2024-2029 term of the European Commission.
The Netherlands, the Czech Republic, France, and Ireland are advocating for an EU Sustainable Carbon Policy Package to transition the chemicals sector from fossil carbon to sustainable sources. This proposal, to be discussed at the Competitiveness Council on May 24, aims to enhance EU competitiveness, achieve climate targets, and secure raw material supplies by developing sustainable carbon markets and promoting innovative technologies. The initiative aligns with the Antwerp Declaration, the Enrico Letta Report, and the European Council Conclusions, and seeks to support job creation, industry growth, and climate neutrality.
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Bio-based and Biodegradable Plastics Industries in China – Short Version (PDF)
NewMarkets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health
14 Pages
257 Downloads257 Downloads
2024-05
FREE
257
DownloadsChina has emerged as a global leader in strategic technologies such as 5G, renewable energy, and electric vehicles in the past two decades. This dominance may leave European companies impressed and concerned about competition while also sparking curiosity about China’s leapfrogging advancement in these areas.
Paving the way to a net-zero chemical industry in 2060, using renewable biomass to produce bio-based chemicals has been one of the promising transitional solutions for the global chemical industry. As China and Europe strive to follow this path, a similar question may exist within the European chemical industry: What is the status of the bio-based industry in China? Can China and Europe find a cooperative and win-win way to develop this industry?
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Bio-based and Biodegradable Plastics Industries in China (PDF)
NewMarkets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health
71 Pages
2024-05
1,500 € – 8,000 € ex. tax
Plus 19% MwSt.Press
release Select
licenceChina has emerged as a global leader in strategic technologies such as 5G, renewable energy, and electric vehicles in the past two decades. This dominance may leave European companies impressed and concerned about competition while also sparking curiosity about China’s leapfrogging advancement in these areas.
Paving the way to a net-zero chemical industry in 2060, using renewable biomass to produce bio-based chemicals has been one of the promising transitional solutions for the global chemical industry. As China and Europe strive to follow this path, a similar question may exist within the European chemical industry: What is the status of the bio-based industry in China? Can China and Europe find a cooperative and win-win way to develop this industry?
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CO2-based Fuels and Chemicals Conference 2024 (Proceedings, PDF)
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health, Technology
2024-05
150 € ex. tax
Plus 19% MwSt.Press
release Add to
cartThe proceedings of the CO2-based Fuels and Chemicals Conference 2024 (17-18 April 2024, https://co2-chemistry.eu) contain all released presentations, the conference journal, and the press release of the three winners of the Innovation Award “Best CO2 Utilisation 2024″.
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Cellulose Fibres Conference 2024 (Proceedings, PDF)
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health, Technology
2024-04
150 € ex. tax
Plus 19% MwSt.Press
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cartThe conference covered the entire value chain, from lignocellulose, chemical pulp, cellulose fibres such as rayon, viscose, modal or lyocell and new developments to a wide range of applications:
Textiles from renewable fibres, non-wovens such as wet wipes as well as new areas such as composites, hygiene, packaging or nanocellulose in the food industry. The conference offered deep insights into the promising future of cellulose fibres, which perfectly fits the current trends of circular economy, recycling and sustainable carbon cycles.The Cellulose Fibres Conference Proceedings (https://cellulose-fibres.eu, 13-14 March 2024, Cologne, hybrid) include all released conference presentations, the conference journal, sponsor documents, a Fiber2Fashion Knowledgepaper and the conference press release.
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Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) Webinar slides – February 2024 (PDF)
Policy, Sustainability & Health
61 Pages
1450 Downloads1450 Downloads
2024-02
FREE
Free Shipping1450
DownloadsThis document contains a generic set of slides to introduce the concept of renewable carbon and the Renewable Carbon Initiative. The focus of this webinar was the latest scientific background report: “Non-level Playing Field for Renewable Materials vs. Fossil in Life Cycle Assessments – Critical aspects of the JRC Plastics LCA methodology and its policy implications”.
In addition, three RCI member companies shared their expertise on renewable carbon, defossilisation and sustainable carbon cycles.
AllocNow (speaker: Daniel Bochnitschek) talked about how the increasing demand for sustainable and low carbon products is driving the need for specific and comprehensive information on product carbon footprints. AllocNow discussed why standardisation of sustainability accounting methodologies is critical and how a data-driven approach can help create transparency at scale.
Econic Technologies Ltd. (speaker: Liz Manning) spoke about the opportunities and challenges of quantifying the sustainability impact of key products in complex manufacturing supply chains.
SCS Global Services (speakers: Miguel Ruiz and Jéssica Marcon Bressanin) highlighted its certification activities, focusing on biofuels and circular materials schemes, as well as greenhouse gas accounting methodologies.
More information at https://renewable-carbon-initiative.com/media/library
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RCI’s Internal Survey: „How to enable the transition from fossil to renewable carbon in the chemical and material sector“ (January 2024)
Policy, Sustainability & Health
3 Pages
385 Downloads385 Downloads
2024-01
FREE
385
DownloadsIn a comprehensive member survey in summer 2023, the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) has collected ideas and opinions on what is needed to enable the transition from fossil to renewable carbon in Europe. The feedback paints a clear picture and is a call to action.
The European chemicals and materials sector is under pressure. RCI members, representing a wide range of these sectors, see many common elements in the key challenges and how to address them. High energy and raw material prices, as well as the need to defossilise carbon demand to meet CO2 emission targets, particularly in so-called “Scope 3” emissions, are some of the issues frequently raised.
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986 Downloads
2024-01
FREE
986
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Nora and her flyphone on renewable carbon (Comic)
Policy, Sustainability & Health
2 Pages
540 Downloads540 Downloads
2024-01
FREE
540
Downloads -
RCI’s scientific background report: “Non-level playing field for renewable materials vs. fossil in Life Cycle Assessments” (January 2024)
NewPolicy, Sustainability & Health
44 Pages
1044 Downloads1044 Downloads
2024-01
FREE
1044
DownloadsCritical aspects of the JRC Plastics LCA methodology and its policy implications
This RCI Scientific Background Report was mainly motivated by a study published by JRC in 2021 with the title: “LCA of alternative feedstocks for plastic products”, commonly referred to as the JRC Plastics LCA Method (Nessi et al. 2021).
Alternative feedstocks refer to the same three feedstocks that RCI defines as renewable carbon: biomass, CO2 utilisation and recycling. The study describes a methodology developed by the JRC to compare the environmental performance of alternative feedstocks with fossil-based plastic products. However, the methodology has also been subject to criticism from various stakeholders, mainly from the bio-based sector, eliciting responses from the JRC.
This RCI report is mainly aiming to provide additional context to highlight issues that might arise with implementation of the JRC Plastics LCA methodology, and dives deeper into five aspects:
- The fossil footprint is likely underestimated, not transparent and lacks regional differentiation
- Renewable feedstocks are more cirtically evaluated than fossil feedstocks
- Methodological inconsistency and different regulatory support between energy and material use of renewable feedstocks
- Biogenic/Atmospheric carbon uptake cannot be transparently visualised at factory in PEF / JRC Plastics LCA methodologies
- The methodology should acknowledge the wider interface of sustainability assessment, policy design and landscape
The report contains several recommendations to remedy the above-mentioned aspects.
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Advanced Recycling Conference 2023 (Proceedings)
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health, Technology
2023-12
150 € ex. tax
Plus 19% MwSt.Press
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cartThe proceedings of the Advanced Recycling Conference 2023 (28-29 November, https://advanced-recycling.eu) contain conference presentations, the conference journal, sponsor documents and the press release. Download of the conference journal incl. the program.
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The Green-Claims-Directive – Was Unternehmen wissen sollten (PNG)
Policy, Sustainability & Health
1 Page
99 Downloads99 Downloads
2023-12
FREE
99
DownloadsBisher 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 -
The Green-Claims-Directive – What Companies Need to Know (PNG)
Policy, Sustainability & Health
1 Page
314 Downloads314 Downloads
2023-12
FREE
314
DownloadsSo 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
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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
657 Downloads657 Downloads
2023-11
FREE
657
DownloadsPromoting 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:
- The climate wins – Bio-based materials are part of the solution to achieve climate change mitigation.
- Land productivity wins – The competition between applications is not for the type of crop grown, but for the land.
- The environment wins – due to increased resource efficiency and productivity of food and feed crops.
- Farmers win – because they have more options for selling stock to different markets.
- Market stability wins – due to increased global availability of food and feed crops.
- Feed security wins – due to the high value of the protein-rich co-products of food and feed crops.
- Food security wins – due to the increased overall availability of edible crops that can be stored and flexibly distributed.
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RCI’s scientific background report: “Case studies based on peer-reviewed Life Cycle Assessments – Carbon footprints of different carbon-based chemicals and materials” (November 2023)
Sustainability & Health
39 Pages
1545 Downloads1545 Downloads
2023-11
FREE
1545
DownloadsIn this brochure, the RCI (https://renewable-carbon-initiative.com) presents five peer-reviewed LCA case studies – representing the highest possible scientific standard – that examine the carbon footprint of materials and products made from renewable carbon. These case studies are on products from RCI member companies Avantium (NL), BASF (DE), IFF (US), Lenzing (AT), Neste (FI) and all LCAs have been peer-reviewed by external experts. The LCAs have been summarised by experts of nova-Institutes sustainability team.
The case studies visualise that there are not only competitive materials and products made of renewable carbon already on the market, but that they also come with significantly lower carbon footprints ranging from 30–90%.
A key aspect of replacing fossil carbon with renewable carbon is the gained circularity of carbon. The less additional fossil carbon is added to our above-ground cycle of atmosphere, biosphere and technosphere, the smaller will be the amount of carbon emissions that have to be balanced out with expensive atmospheric removal and underground storage of carbon.
It is essential to recognise that the carbon footprint of renewable carbon-based materials is not automatically close to zero for two primary reasons:
- Fossil energy in the value chain
- Ongoing innovation and optimisation
All in all, the here presented materials and products show reduced carbon footprints already today, which lowers the remaining emissions gap so that less CO2 needs to be removed from the atmosphere in the future. At the same time, these materials and products still have significant potential to further reduce emissions in the future.