A few years ago, the magic company Pixar® showed us the story about the robot named WALL-E, who was designed to clean up an abandoned, waste-covered Earth far in the future, exactly in the year 2800. What we don’t know is if WALL-E knew the benefits of recycling, that is, the importance of giving a second life cycle to things and, above all, if he knew that all the collected plastics should put into the specific recycling bins. Maybe someone should have told WALL-E plastics are valuable materials characterized by an interesting potential to be recycled many times, without losing value or their functional properties.
Plastic production became widespread in the 50s and it has grown exponentially during recent years (Plastics Europe, 2015). Furthermore, according to Spanish web AEMA, about a third of the current plastic production corresponds to disposable containers that are thrown away after a year of use approximately.
“An efficient Europe resources” is one of the seven flagship initiatives as part of the Europe 2020 strategy, and, to use the post-consumer plastics resources effectively involves to be able to recycle them, whether:
Chemical recycling, that refers to operations that aim to chemically degrade the collected plastics waste into its monomers or other basic chemicals. The output may be reused for polymerisation into new plastics, or
Mechanical recycling, that refers to operations that aim to recover plastics waste via mechanical processes, like grinding, washing, separating, drying, re-granulating and compounding, producing recycled plastics ready to be used again.
And why is so important to promote these actions? Take a look at the following data, extracted from the new report about the future of plastics published by the World Economic Forum last January:
The best research currently available estimates that there are over 150 million tonnes of plastics in the ocean today.
Plastics production has increased twenty-fold in the past half-century and is expected to triple again in the next 30 years, achieving 1,124 Mt.
The plastics waste represents more than the 12 % of the total municipal solid waste, compared with 1 % in 1960.
After a short first-use cycle, 95 % of plastic packaging material value is lost to the economy.
If product components manufactured were reused and no waste was produced, € 625 million would be saved.
If all consumed water bottles in the US in a week were line up, they would do five laps around the planet.
While we are walking towards a future scenario in which the need for virgin plastic is progressively reduced, we should put more effort into R&D and optimizing new recycling techniques, improving their success rates.
We have already talked about the importance of awareness and the individual responsibility in our previous posts, therefore to learn about recycling and reusing, even in our homes, could be a good starting point for that. And what a better way to begin than by our children.
With this purpose and in collaboration with the Valladolid City Council, we have organized an event aimed at children on April 24, in the framework of the project LIFE COLRECEPS, with the aim of raising awareness about recycling, specifically about the plastic named expanded polystyrene (EPS), more known as styrofoam.
A sustainable polystyrene sculpture is going to be created during the event, in the form of mosaic, from a few pieces of styrofoam painted for the occasion by children participating… even they will be able to get a prize!
The aim is to show that technologies, such as the one that is being carried out in LIFE COLRECEPES, could enable infinite recovery for plastics and do not have to end up in landfills.
Follow us on our social networks to know more details about the event… and see you there!
At a time when the technologies are present in all areas of people lives, ICT accessibility is essential to ensure equal opportunities for all people in the use and access to resources, products and services.
In Spain, according to the report on Spanish Disability Strategy, 8.5% of the population claims to have a disability.
Take into account this data, the tendency to create rules and standards for companies to offer accesible products can convert it, not just a social good, but also a market opportunity.
Large companies place and begin to direct their projects towards disability. In this March, Microsoft has addressed an informative day focused on the “European Accessibility Standard and its impact on the ICT industry.”
On this day, experts from national associations and public and private entities have gathered with Alex Li, an expert on accessibility and analyst standards in Microsoft.
Together, they have analyzed the implications of this standard, its implementation in the Spanish government and the creation of mechanisms to ensure its compliance.
The European Accessibility Standard was approved in February 2014 and has been adapted in Spain from the European standard EN 301 549: “Accessibility requirements suitable for procurement of ICT products and services in Europe accessibility“.
With this standard it describes the functional requirements in order to ensure ICT products and services are accessible to all people. In addition, the European standard describes the test procedures and the evaluation methodology of each.
Although being aware of the importance of the rule and its contribution to fundamental rights, it is not mandatory, so it urges both administration and private companies to take responsibility for its implementation in the ICT industry.
The involvement of the administration is to include accessibility in tenders and their hiring criteria and ensuring compliance. The private enterprises by offering products with accessibility integrated from the beginning of design.
The most remarkable points of the conclusions of the conference can be summarized as follows:
• “The standard will bring the technology to a greater number of people “(Alex Li – Microsoft) • “Design for all should be incorporated as standard”. (Miguel Ángel Valero -CEAPAT) • “The standard establishes minimums. The responsibility for implementation is for everyone”. (Loïc Marínez – Equipo redactor de la norma) • “The integration of accessibility is also a moral obligation” (Miguel Ángel Valero – CEAPAT) • “Accessible design is a market opportunity that companies must seize” (Jesús Hernández – Fundación ONCE)
As for open debates, highlights the reference to the accessibility warranty and certification of the product. On the one hand, there are those who believe that there should be an external certification to ensure accessibility of products. On the other hand, those who believe that every company must self-certify its product.
Another open debate is the one that refers to surveillance the administration of the standard compliance. Li supports the idea of sanction for breach of contract. For this, in the contract or bid should be clearly included the accessibility of the product or service.
In addition, if accessibility guidelines are included among the criteria for public procurement, the companies that will offer it have competitive advantage over the rest, and the administration has in his hand ensure accessibility of the product.
We have before us the possibility to avoid future sanctions, the market opportunity and satisfaction of creating and selling socially inclusive products.
Entomophagy. This is the name we use to call insect consumption by humans. It is estimated that more than 2.000 million people worldwide include insects in their daily diet, but until now, those palates are not European. Among the most consumed insects are beetles, caterpillars, bees, wasps and ants. I do not want to be bearer of bad news but, a few months ago with the publication of Regulation (UE) 2015/2283, legislative barriers, which do not allow this in Europe, have disappeared, so like in “Poltergeist”… they are already here!
Until now, a novel food has been all kind of food or ingredient that had not been used to human consumption in the EU before 15 May 1997. In the context of Regulation 258/1997, it has been authorized food with fungi or algae (microalgae oils rich in DHA), foods produced with new technologies (fruit juices under high pressure), typical food consumed outside EU (chia seeds), etc. The procedures for authorization of a new food were a real demonstration of human perseverance and tenacity, because, being optimistic, we would be talking about processes of at least three or four years. Despite of this fact, from 1997 to 2015 there have been about 180 requests for authorization in Europe, and now approximately 90 new ingredients have been allowed.
Of course, it is not curious that the category of insect was not included in a regulation published almost 20 years ago as novel food. In fact, as these ingredients were not covered by the legislation, it seemed that they did not exist, as today in Linkedin: if you are not, do not exist. This situation is the reflection of a reality that we live daily: the gap between technological progress and legal aspects causes conflict situations that end up limiting research and development of new foods. With the new regulation, it is expected that companies can commercialize more easily innovative food market in the EU, while maintaining a high level of food safety. To this end, it has simplified the process for authorization of a new food and provisions have been introduced on the confidentiality of the information and data protection after approval.
According to the FAO, there are a lot of advantages in the insect consumption by humans, like we can see in the next board:
But I can’t finish yet. Please, someone has to tell FAO that insects could be good for us but they give us a horrible revulsion. Probably, I am not the only one who almost has a heart attack when I feel an insect over me, so imagine what would happen if I have one of this in my dish. I am aware of the display to create this culture of entomophagy in the following years. I imagine the best chefs creating recipes and menus to delight us with new flavors of insects, or the food industry launching tasty and nutritious snacks for kids’ lunch with these little animals, or your mother’s answer (chef channel follower) when your father asks her… Mary, what’s for dinner?…
The biggest obstacles are not the technology barriers but the psychological and organizational barriers.
In the previous post, we explained the three steps (Reduce, Recover and Replace) through which a factory can reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases associated with its energy consumption.
Let’s suppose that Peter is a newly hired young engineer in a factory as Energy Responsible to reduce factory emissions and improve their corporate image, following the proposed steps of the REEMAIN project.
Peter, our new energy manager, logically begins with the first step: reduce, which is the easiest one be carried out, at least with respect to disconnecting the machinesthat are not being used. These gestures allow the factory to save energy and money at the same time. They will not usually cause tensions within the organizational structure of a factory. Using a cyclist simile, “this road is flat and with the tailwind”.
However, the next step sooner or later will analyze the different energy settings of the production systems in search of an energy settings alternative that reduces energy consumption and here, returning to cyclist similes, is where “the road becomes an uphill road”.
Wage incentives and bonuses for production managers are usually based mainly in the fulfillment of the planned production. This fact generates an internal pressure from up to bottom within the organization of the factory so that nothing impedes the achievement of the actual production figures. Then, once the production figures are assured, the next parameter to optimize, in terms of incentives and bonuses, is the economic cost of this production. But usually this cost, will be studied and evaluated in an aggregated or global way.
For example, casting thermal processes, usually specify a possible range of working temperatures. The minimum working temperature is that which ensures that the molten metal will not solidify prematurely under nominal operating conditions. The maximum temperature is fixed by the characteristics of the machinery itself and the product. Very occasionally, production stops due to incidentals, the molten metal is cooled slightly and this issue causes the so called “cold shut” defects, with the consequent rejection of the pieces produced, and therefore, the failure to achieve the production targets. How this problem is avoided in most cases? Opting for the easiest solution, this is, to raise the temperature of the molten metalpermanently to have bigger margins against eventual stops, whether or not they finally occur.
Another practical example is the operation of the compressed air systems of the factories. Again, to avoid problems of lack of supply and the corresponding “reprimand”, maintenance chiefs set the power of the compressors to full power permanently whether or not the factory is working under full production regime.
The above examples are intended to show the fact that sometimes the energy settings of the processes are oversized with the consequent increase in energy consumption. This is because, the factory workers and managers involved in the production and maintenance perceive that do not oversizing might harm other indicators such as compliance with production planning and the total planned cost. As long as these two key performance indicators or KPIs are exclusively the only or main criteria for evaluating the performance of production workers and maintenance, there will always be internal resistance to the implementation of the changes necessary to achieve a cleaner production.
In the past, other secondary indicators, not considered important as job safety or respect for labor rights, gained importance and also became key indicators when assessing the performance of a factory. There are already companies like Google (Google Green Initiative) or IKEA (People and Planet Positive initiative) that have undertaken internal restructuring with the sole aim to reduce associated emissions even at the cost of worsening any of the economic KPIs.
In the next post, we will talk about practical examples of green manufacturing.
3D printing is here to stay. When a new technology is so widespread that no longer catches the attention it is that its implementation is complete. More and more people have a plastic 3D printer at home and many of us know someone who has bought one or it has been built by pieces. It was only a matter of time before this technology would give the jump to other sectors. Although the construction sector usually adopts this type of technological developments rather late, in this case there are already several projects trying to bring the additive manufacturing (as is also known 3D printing) to construction.
What is wanted, among other things, it is to face the new architectural designs that are increasingly complex, industrialize certain construction processes which, today, are almost artisanal and improve sustainability using recycled materials for printing.
Such systems pose major challenges such as the development of new building materials that allow their proper implementation. Usually, the addition of other materials or compounds that improve the properties (or achieve the desired properties) in setting times, strength and insulation is used.
One of the first projects in relation to additive manufacturing in construction is called “Contour Crafting“, led by Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis of the University of Southern California. And now there are many research centresand universities focused on these issues as AMRG University of Loughborough considered a world reference or IAAC in Spain.
They have also appeared commercial developments such as the case of a Chinese company that manufactured homes, offices and entire buildings using these techniques. The specific case of this company seems to respond to marketing strategies (which seems to be taking effect) because a good position in these technologies can open important markets.
In any case, there are many interesting initiatives such as WASP, an Italian project for sustainable buildings in disadvantaged areas, the construction of a steel bridge in Amsterdam, or NASA contest for construction of buildings on the moon or Mars using these techniques, the winner of which proposed the use of ice as raw material.
In the light of these developments it is easy to see that the additive manufacturing construction offers some advantages hard to match with other methods such as complexity in designs that can be obtained, the accuracy and repeatability of certain construction procedures. It is undeniable that industrialization is increasingly integrated into many building processes and 3D printing sure to have your niche in the construction sector.
As always with new technologies, certain optimistic sectors are saying that the additive manufacturing will be the majority system used in all industries but certainly there are currently no universal manufacturing technologies (beyond certain methods such as mass production). The current manufacturing processesare highly specialized and uses the most appropriate technologies in each case it seems complicated than a single technology is able to replace almost all existing. Therefore, and being realistic, we must find the most suitable application field for 3D printing in construction.
In this regard, CARTIF participates in a major national research project related to 3D printing in construction. This project focuses on the application of 3D printing technologies in construction in those areas where it is considered that can be especially useful: the manufacture of prefabricated modules and rehabilitation of facades. It does not seek a universal technology to serve in all areas of construction, but to reach the market with a product that offers a viable alternative to other existing technologies (i.e. realistic and sustainable applications). And without forgetting that all progress made in this field (whether by R & D or marketing strategies) will impact in the future, for the benefit of the whole society because what it is pursued, is to build better, faster, cheaper and in a more sustainable way.
Shopping centres have been invented in the 1920’s in the United States and represent the modern version of a historical market place with their collection of independent retail stores, services, and parking area.
Over the whole of Europe there are thousands of retail outlets standing for almost 30% of the non-residential building stock, varying among other criteria in their functions, forms and sizes. Currently, more than 6 million companies are acting in the retail sector while around 30 million Europeans works in commerce.
New types of shopping centres emerge which meet public and retail needs, but the new types do not replace existing shopping formats, they instead add to the range of shopping facilities which already exist.
According to the International Council for Shopping centres (ICSC), a shopping centre is a scheme that is planned, built and managed as a single entity, comprising units and communal areas, with a minimum gross leasable area (GLA) of 5,000 square meters.
Shopping centres are sometimes perceived as icons of a consumerist society, because of their high energy demand, high CO2 emissions and waste. Therefore sustainability of the retail sector may significantly contribute to reach the long-term environmental and energy goals of the EU. Shopping centres are of particular interest due to their structural complexity, due to the high potential of energy savings and carbon emissions reduction, as well as due to their importance and influence in shopping tendencies and lifestyle.
While in the residential buildings, energy is mainly consumed by heating, domestic hot water and appliances, in the shopping centres, energy is used in a variety of ways, store lighting, ventilation, heating and air-conditioning, food refrigeration and others. However, the composition of the energy consumption varies from one retailer to another. Non-food retailers, have a different share of energy use compared to food retailers. For example, the electricity consumption of appliances in electronics stores is higher than in other kind of shops, which are more dependent on lighting, such as furniture or clothes shops.
The majority of European shopping centres are already built, but there is a still huge potential for energy savings, offering the possibility in many aspects to improve the technical systems, such as lighting and ventilation, or the building envelope, and monitoring systems. There are, however a number of major barriers to achieve the desired energy reductions and not all of these may be solved by the installation of new technical solutions. Pleasing customers is of primary importance in shopping centres, because customers provide the necessary profits, however customers are not demanding directly energy uses reductions in shopping centres, but demand among other things variety of products and low prices, access by public transport, parking and good location. Nevertheless, customer environmental awareness is increasing, which it is a very important factor to have the approval of the actions associated with energy efficiency by the customers and thus be a more positive factor when choosing where to shop.
There is currently a wide variety of conventional and innovative technologies and energy management systems, with which to renovate the shopping centres from an energy point of view. Thanks to this type of actions, a reduction in the energy consumption of the shopping centres and their corresponding greenhouse gas emissions will be achieved. The Energy Division ofCARTIF, it is currently working on projects aimed at improving energy consumption in buildings, among which are shopping centres (CommONEnergy project), public buildings (BRICKER project) and residential and tertiary sector buildings (INSPIRE project). Through energy modelling and simulation tools, energy audits, instrumentation and control advance strategies, analysis and detailed studies on the incorporation of renewable energies, and our experience of over 15 years, we are able to reduce the economic and environmental cost of energy generation.
In summary, energy sustainability in commercial buildings is not only necessary for the environment, but provides added value to the products offered to potential customers.
