Andreas R. Koehler

Oeko-Institut e.V. Institute for Applied Ecology · Sustainable Products and Material Flows

This study aims to provide information about circular economy perspectives in the management of textile products and textile waste in the European Union (EU). The report improves the understanding of current value chains in the manufacturing and retailing of apparel products in the EU and provides a detailed picture of material flows in the EU text...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be deployed for a wide range of applications to promote the goals of the European Green Deal. However, adverse environmental impacts of AI could jeopardise the attainment of these goals. The report describes environmental potentials, clarifies characteristics and causes of environmental risks, and outlines initiativ...

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/enveco/resource_efficiency/pdf/studies/issue_paper_digital_transformation_20191220_final.pdf

Additive Verfahren als Schlüsseltechnologie der Digitalisierung gelten als schneller und kostengünstiger. Unter anderem, weil weniger Ausschuss produziert wird und bei der Herstellung weniger Abfall anfällt. Anhand eines konkreten Fallbeispiels wird in der Studie der Ressourcenverbrauch eines additiven Fertigungsverfahrens mit einem konventionellen...

Additive Fertigungsverfahren (Additive Manufacturing, AM) bieten aufgrund der schichtweisen Generierung von Strukturen eine einzigartige Designfreiheit. Auch die Flexibilität, die Möglichkeit der Funktionsintegration, die Individualisierungsmöglichkeit sowie beschleunigte Innovationszeiten machen die AM zu einer Schlüsseltechnologie der Industrie 4...

free download: --------- https://www.ressource-deutschland.de/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/studien/VDI-ZRE_Studie_Energiespeichertechnologien_bf.pdf ------------- Stationäre Energiespeicher sind ein notwendiger Bestandteil eines zukünftigen Stromversorgungssystems mit hohen Anteilen regenerativer Energien. Eingesetzt in dezentralen industriellen...

free download: --------- https://www.ressource-deutschland.de/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/studien/VDI-ZRE_Studie_Energiespeichertechnologien_2._ueberarb_Auflage_bf.pdf ------------- Stationäre Energiespeicher sind ein notwendiger Bestandteil eines zukünftigen Stromversorgungssystems mit hohen Anteilen regenerativer Energien. Eingesetzt in dezen...

Stationäre Energiespeicher sind ein notwendiger Bestandteil eines zukünftigen Stromversorgungssystems mit hohen Anteilen regenerativer Energien. Eingesetzt in dezentralen industriellen Anwendungen tragen sie zur Steigerung der Ressourceneffizienz und gleichzeitig zur Minimierung der Kosten der Stromversorgung bei. Speicherlösungen für die kurz- bis...

https://www.wbgu.de/fileadmin/user_upload/wbgu/publikationen/hauptgutachten/hg2019/pdf/Expertise_Oekoinstitut.pdf

In this research project, the evaluation basis for resource-efficient software is being researched. To this end, an impact model is being developed that shows the link between the use of software and the energy consumption of hardware as well as the use of hardware. By classifying software products into local applications, remote data storage and p...

In the light of the German energy transition (Energiewende, the transformation of energy systems towards sustainability), the project assesses the need for action in relation to environmental and resource issues that will arise from the use of innovative systems for storing electricity from renewables. It considers energy storage systems in the for...

The objective of the study was to assess the ecological and economic impact of various IT-solutions in public authorities in Germany and to show the potential for resource efficiency. The study found out that an IT -solution based on mini-computer is the best alternative from environment as well as costs perspective. On the other hand, IT-solutions...

T his factsheet intends to inform interested lay persons who engage in the field of risk governance for nanotechnologies, including standardization, labelling, or regulation in a European context. It reviews currently available knowledge on nano-toxicology, in particular exposure assessment and hazard assessment of engineered nanomaterials (ENM). T...

The combination of textile and electronic technologies results in new challenges for sustainable product design. Electronic textiles (e-textiles) feature a seamless integration of textiles with electronics and other high-tech materials. Such products may, if they become mass consumer applications, result in a new kind of waste that could be difficu...

This dissertation explores environmental aspects of smart textiles: products that feature a deep integration or even a fusion of textile and electronic materials. The emerging technology exemplifies a contemporary innovation trend of augmenting the functionality of every-day objects to make them smart. The environ- mental assessment shows tha...

Developed economies have become highly dependent on a range of technology metals with names such as neodymium and terbium. Stakeholders have warned of the impending scarcity of these critical materials. Difficulties in materials supply can affect the high-tech industries as well as the success of sustainable innovation strategies that are based on...

There are warning signs for impending scarcity of certain technology metals that play a critical role in high-tech products. The scarce elements are indispensable for the design of modern technologies with superior performance. Material scarcity can restrain future innovations and presents therefore a serious risk that must be counteracted. However...

The sensing floor is a smart textile application that supports Ambient Assisted Living as it introduces smart functions unobtrusively in the user's daily living environment. The technology is based on textile sensor areas and microelectronic modules, which are integrated invisibly in the textile underlay of carpets or laminates. A Life Cycle Assess...

Electronic textiles are a vanguard of an emerging generation of smart products. They consist of small electronic devices that are seamlessly embedded into clothing and technical textiles. E-textiles provide enhanced functions in a variety of unobtrusive and convenient ways. Like many high-tech products, e-textiles may evolve to become a mass market...

Societal stakeholders are expressing concerns over the increasing scarcity of critical elements on which high-tech industries rely. Geochemical rare elements are indispensable in producing high-tech products such as electronic gadgets and renewable energy technologies. The surge in demand for critical elements presents a risk of exhaustion of avail...

Societal stakeholders are expressing concerns over the increasing scarcity of critical elements on which high-tech industries rely. Geochemical rare elements are indispensable in producing high-tech products such as electronic gadgets and renewable energy technologies. The surge in demand for critical elements presents a risk of exhaustion of avail...

The precautionary principle (PP) aims to anticipate and minimize potentially serious or irreversible risks under conditions of scientific uncertainty. Thus it preserves the potential for future developments. It has been incorporated into many international treaties and pieces of national legislation for environmental protection and sustainable deve...

Nanotechnology (NT) is expected to bring about novel technological designs and materials resulting in a wide spectrum of applications. Experience gained from past innovations shows that new technologies are often accompanied by undesired side-effects. If such side-effects are neglected or underestimated, they may result in damage. In this article w...

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are expected to be applied in a wide range of industrial applications and consumer products. As a consequence of widespread usage and their supposed persistence against degradation, human and environmental exposure to CNT is likely to increase. There are still many open questions regarding the effects of human or ecological e...

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are one of the most promising materials in nanotechnology. The various synthesis, purification and postprocessing methods produce CNTs with diverse physical characteristics, appliable in many fields. Their extensive projected use makes it important to understand their potential harmful effects. Besides showing a notable rang...

Contemporary innovation in the converging technology sectors of electronics and textile aims at augmenting functionality of textiles, making them “smart”. That is, integrating electronic functions such as sensing, data processing, and networking into wearable products. Embedding electronic devices into textiles results in a novel category of produc...

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are one of the most promising materials in nanotechnology. The various synthesis, purification and postprocessing methods produce CNTs with diverse physical characteristics, appliable in many fields. Their extensive projected use makes it important to understand their potential harmful effects. Besides showing a notable rang...

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are expected to be used in a wide range of applications. An interdisciplinary review study of potential side effects of CNT showed that CNT cannot be considered a uniform group of substances and that potential side effects depend on real-life exposure scenarios. We therefore studied possible scenarios of CNT release throughou...

Information technology (IT) is continuously making astounding progress in technical efficiency. The time, space, material and energy needed to provide a unit of IT service have decreased by three orders of magnitude since the first personal computer (PC) was sold. However, it seems difficult for society to translate IT's efficiency progress into pr...

Based on the results of a technology assessment study we show that pervasive computing could amplify already existing problems related to the environment, human health, and society. Power consumption for digital networks, e-waste streams, and exposure to nonionizing radiation may all increase. Furthermore, social sustainability could be threatened...

The present study was prepared for, and in cooperation with, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) in an interdisciplinary collaborative arrangement between IZT — Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA). Over recent years the realization has cau...

Innovative applications of nanotechnology will unfold most successfully if potential side-effects are known in advance. Empa contributes to understanding and minimizing the risks at an early stage of development.

Trends und Entwicklungen in Technologien, Anwendungen und Sicherheit Geleitwort Mit dem Begriff “Revolution“ sollte man vorsichtig und sparsam umgehen. Bei der Entwicklung des Technik-Zukunftsbildes „Pervasive Computing“ bzw. „Ubiquitous Computing“ halten wir es allerdings für angebracht, von einer revolutionären Technik-Perspektive zu sprechen. D...

The vision of Pervasive Computing is built on the assumption that computers will become part of everyday objects, augmenting them with information services and enhanced functionality. This article reports on the approach we have used to assess potential side effects of this development on human health and the environment, and the major risks we ide...

Pervasive Computing will bring about both additional loads on and benefits to the environment. The prevailing assessment of positive and negative effects will de-pend on how effectively energy and waste policy governs the development of ICT infrastructures and applications in the coming years. Although Pervasive Comput-ing is not expected to change...