Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Environmental footprint, Eco-calculators
= project ongoing = completed
BIO Intelligence Service has been a pioneer and a leader in Life Cycle Assessment in Europe since the late 80s. BIO offers a wide range of services in that field. The following selection of recent assignments illustrates some of them.
- Environmental impacts of some raw materials through LCA methods. DG ENTR, 2009
- Assessment of the current status of clothes cleaning techniques in the UK and recommendations for environmentally-friendlier clothes cleaning, Defra, 2008-09
- Eco-calculator: A tool to evaluate environmental impacts of products - This tool illustrates to consumers that any environmentally-friendly behaviour, even if limited, can improve the environmental footprint of a product.
- Eco-simulator for jeans, to raise awareness among young citizens, French Environment and Energy Management Agency ADEME, 2005. The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) has developed an awareness raising spot based on this work.
- In the scope of the Integrated Product Policy (IPP) for the European Union, elaboration and implementation of a macro level LCA methodology to define priorities regarding products and services constituting the European economy, DG ENV, 2002-03 (with an update for ADEME in 2005). Final Report
Official environmental labels (type I)
Since 2003, BIO has been the main advisor for developing EU Ecolabel marketing strategies and establishing and running its EU helpdesk.
Environmental labelling of products (including labels and declarations of type III)
- Pilot project in order to prepare for the compulsory environmental labelling on consumer goods in France in January 2011, ADEME, ANIA and FCD, 2009-10
- BIO designed and produced the first environmental labelling for mobile phones, for Orange in partnership with the WWF. Press release
- BIO designed and produced the first environmental labelling initiative of household consumption products in Europe, for the retailer CASINO. This initiative received wide media coverage including TV and newspapers.
- Eco-profile of water/solvent based road paints according to ISO 14025, Prosign company
- Overview of existing environmental labelling systems worldwide and recommendation for an action plan for Belgian public authorities with a view to deploying environmental labelling for products in Belgium, Federal Ministry for the Environment in Belgium, since 2008 Final Report (in French)
Animal welfare labels
Animal welfare: Are labels the answer? Barriers to buying higher welfare products. Investigation of consumer attitude in relation to animal welfare labels. Defra, 2010
Towards a Greener Retail Sector
To assist the European Commission in preparing its Action Plan on SCP, BIO performed an assessment of the current environmental performance of large retailers in Europe, and developed a methodology for measuring their performance over time. The project covered green practices in terms of products purchase, supply chains management, environmental performance of stores, and consumers' information, DG ENV, 2008.
Sustainable Building
Since the early 90s, BIO Intelligence Service has developed a strong expertise in Green Building (called 'High Environmental Quality' in France) from guidance to architects and builders to impact assessments of construction projects and evaluation of sustainable building policies. BIO also produces or reviews Environmental Product Declaration of building materials and products. Some of our recent assignments include:
- Improving sustainability of buildings and operations of the European Space Agency (ESA), 2008,
- BIO supported the impact assessment of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) as a part of the team led by Ecorys. DG TREN, 2008
- Green Building Assistance to Contracting Authorities: Creation of a building complex including renovation of RATP industrial buildings, building of RATP offices and 14,000 m² of social housing in Paris in accordance with environmental French certification Habitat & Environnement. Contracting authority: RATP, 2008
- Socio-economic and legal analysis of the regulation on the environmental and health labelling of construction products, French Ministry for the Environment, 2008
- Organisational, technical and environmental evaluation of green buildings (residential and tertiary buildings built according to the French High Environmental Quality standard), French Agency for the Environment and Energy ADEME, 2008
- Green Building Assistance to Project Manager: Building of a *** hotel in Paris (Porte des Lilas), a pilot operation to develop a certification methodology for green hotels; Contracting authority: Vinci Immobilier; Project manager: Dominique Perrault Architecture; 2008-11
- Green Building Assistance to Project Manager: Building of a retirement home « Domaine de Charaintru » at Savigny sur Orge (91); Contracting authority: EHPAD du Domaine de Charaintru; Project manager: Naud et Poux architect; 2007-11
- Green Building procedures expert in the project management team for François 1er high school at Fontainebleau (FR); Project authority: Région Île de France; Project manager: Pascal Sirvin Architecture; 2006-10
- Verification of the tool and methodology for developing Environmental Product Declaration for insulation products (mineral wool and rock wool), in accordance with French standard NF P 0101, FILMM Professional organisation of insulation products and mineral wool producers and SPLR Professional organisation of rock wool producers, 2008
- Environmental Product Declaration for paints, in accordance with French standard NF P 0101, UNIKALO, 2008
Biofuels, agroresources
- International bibliographic review of LCA about lignocellulosic products, with a focus on biomass production, ADEME, 2008-09
- State of the art of LCA of second generation biofuels, ADEME, 2008
- Development of a methodology and software to analyse energy consumption and climate change in agriculture at local level, ADEME, 2007-08
- Development of a reference methodology to assess energy, GHG and local atmospheric pollutants linked to biofuels, ADEME, French Ministry for the Environment, French Institute for Petroleum, Office National Interprofessionnel des Grandes Cultures ONIGC, 2007-08 Executive summary (in English, French) Full report (in French). As a follow-up, building up a database about energy, GHG and local atmospheric pollutants linked to 1st generation biofuels
- Analysis of sustainability criteria to be fulfilled by biofuels (in the context of the consultation launched by the EC re. the design of a biofuels sustainability system and certification), ONIGC, 2007-08 Executive summary (in French) Full report (in French)
- Assessment of labelling needs for bio-products, ADEME, 2007 Executive summary (in French)