Impact on environment

The aim of the assessment of the effects of agricultural products on the environment is to evaluate their impact on environment sustainability [24], especially in terms of food consumption patterns [25]. As stated by [26], the system sustainability can be evaluated on the basis of inputs and outputs and their conversion to C02e. [27] states that the measurement of GHG emissions suffers from certain inaccuracy. The reason for this error is that emissions in agriculture are influenced by complex biological processes with a wide range of variables. 

OcCC (2007) Climate Change and Switzerland 2050 - Expected impacts on environment, society and economy. OcCC/ProClim, Bern, p 168... 

Solvent new 100% new product ca. 50% new product necessary Impact on environment due to production and transport is reduced... 

Dudek, M., L. Wolska, and J. Namiesnik. 2005. Assessment of the life cycle—multiphase analysis of the product impact on environment. Ecol. Tech. 13 66-75. 

Replace Finding substitute experiences with fewer or no impacts on environments and settings, e.g. using photography rather than extractive souveniring to record one s experience... 

El Bassan, N., Energy Plant Species Their Use and Impact on Environment and Development, James James, London, 1998. 

Fear of negative impact on environment and human heaith, e.g., ailergies... 

Management Product stewardship and supply-chain leadership programs Accountability and transparency Product and service development Employees impact on environment... 

Farooque, N.A. (1994). Transhumance in the Central Himalaya A case study of its impacts on environment [Ph.D thesis], HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal, India. 

We could add that sustainable chemistry is not synonymous with green chemistry, for example, of a chemistry having a lower impact on environment and human health, but goes beyond the latter concepts, seeing chemistry as part of an integrated vision where chemistry, sustainability and innovation are three key components for the future of our society [4, 5]. 

The progressive increase in the size of chemical plants (due to scale economy) and concentration of many plants in the same locations (due to the integration of chemical production and need of common utilities, services, etc.), which led to an amplification of local impact on environment. 

However, global competiveness and market should be considered. This is the real barrier for a more sustainable industrial chemistry. Therefore, the real step forward could derive only when the product value of chemical compounds also includes components related to the process of production, its impact on environment and safety of operations. We live in a global world, not only economically but also environmentally, where the impact of industrial production and human activities is no longer on a local scale. The value of products should thus not be related only to the local cost of production, which hides part of the effective costs (for the environment, for example, or for society, when risk is too high). It is thus necessary to adopt transparent procedures where cost is not only determined from the market but also includes the production procedures. This concept of traceability of chemical products is one of the concepts around which the new REACH legislation was built. The next section discusses in more detail this legislation, because it is an important component for the sustainability of chemistry and industrial chemical production not only inside Europe. 

Including the method of production and its impact on environment and health on the trading cost of chemical products will be a relevant boost to the introduction of new advanced processes/technologies and thus for innovation and sustainability. 

The initial chapters have evidenced the need to analyze in a quantitative way the impact on environment and society of chemical processes, technologies and products, in order to compare on more correct bases the alternative possibilities and their sustainability ( greenness ). This is a challenging task, but a necessary step forward, because metering the beneficial effect of a novel chemistry, process or product is the first step to account for chemical sustainability, for example, to measure the benefit for society and environment of the new developments in chemistry. 

There are also a series of specific indicators regarding the impact on environment. Each of these indicators, developed by IChemE [47], focuses on a particular environmental problem. The amount of the substance emitted is multiplied by its potency factor (PF), which expresses the specific contribution of substance to the environmental problem in question, per kg emitted. Potency factors are expressed in kg of a reference substance. All indicators are expressed in environmental burden per unit value added. Similar indicators have been developed by the Center for Waste Reduction Technologies [59] and the European Environment Agency [60] ... 

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