Improving material management to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Abstract

Climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions caused by human actions is probably one of the major global environmental problems that we face today. In order to reduce the risk of climate change and the potential effects thereof, the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4 ) should be reduced. Much greenhouse gases are emitted due to the combustion of fossil fuels. At present, these fuels fulfil about 60% of our global energy needs. Therefore, a more efficient use of fossil energy is generally viewed as an important option to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. A large part of global fossil energy use (about 40%) is consumed in the industrial sector to manufacture materials and products. Not surprisingly, several studies show that options that lead to more efficient use of materials often lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, in current greenhouse gas emission reduction policies, not much attention is paid to more efficient material management as an option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In the introductory chapter, several studies are briefly discussed that focus on the material use of economies over time. The general conclusion of these studies is that for materials the consumption per unit GDP has decreased over the last decades, but that the total consumption of these materials is still growing due to economic growth. In this thesis the focus is on improved material management options that lead to greenhouse gas emission reduction. It aims to contribute to the following question: Which greenhouse gas emission reduction can be achieved potentially, by improved management of materials? The scope is limited in the number of product groups that are studied, the number of greenhouse gases studied and the geographical area. The question that is addressed in this thesis is therefore: Which greenhouse gas emission reduction, especially CO2 , can be achieved potentially in Western Europe or The Netherlands, by improved management of materials in the product groups 'packaging', 'residential buildings', and 'publication paper'