Environmental Impact Assessment of the Heterogeneity in Consumers’ Usage Behavior: An Agent‐Based Modeling Approach

Mashhadi, Ardeshir Raihanian; Behdad, Sara

doi:10.1111/jiec.12622

Cited by 25 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Sensitivity analysis can be performed to determine (a) which parameters influence the outputs and (b) parameters' contribution to the variability of the outcomes. (Raihanian Mashhadi and Behdad, 2017) carried out a sensitivity analysis that aimed to understand the influence of some input parameters (environmental friendliness, perceived control, habit and network structure) on the overall results (goal (a)). Linear correlations were found between each of these four parameters and the percentage of turned-off decisions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(ii) Twenty-two percent of the studies aimed to better describe the use phase. Since the environmental impact of electrical appliances highly depends on the consumption pattern (e.g., time of use and power management after usage), Mashhadi and Behdad (2017) propose an ABM to simulate consumption patterns according to different user typologies and to further quantify the variability of the resulting LCA. (iii) The last 28%…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Regarding the life cycle steps considered, one-third of the studies only consider the use phase of the product system, either because previous LCAs have shown that the use phase of the product system is the most impactful phase Onat et al, 2017;Vasconcelos et al, 2017), or because the study aims to quantify the environmental impacts that are associated with the heterogeneity of the consumption/usage pattern (Hicks, Theis and Zellner, 2015b; Raihanian Mashhadi and Behdad, 2017;Walzberg et al, 2018).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…For agents with the most advanced cognition, the decision-making process is driven by the combination of several attributes. Environmental awareness is the attribute the most frequently used among the cognitive agents to generate pro-environmental behaviours, as well as the potential spread of a green consciousness Wang, Brême and Moon, 2014b;Hicks, Theis and Zellner, 2015b;Navarrete Gutierrez et al, 2015a;Mashhadi and Behdad, 2017;Susie Ruqun Wu et al, 2017;Walzberg et al, 2018).…”

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confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

To what extent can agent-based modelling enhance a life cycle assessment? Answers based on a literature review

Micolier

Loubet

Taillandier

et al. 2019

Journal of Cleaner Production

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Life cycle assessment (LCA) has proven its worth in modelling the entire value chain associated with the production of goods and services. However, modelling the consumption system, such as the use phase of a product, remains challenging due to uncertainties in the socioeconomic context. Agent-based models (ABMs) can reduce these uncertainties by improving the consumption system modelling in LCA. So far, no systematic study is available on how ABM can contribute towards a behavior-driven modelling in LCA. This paper aims at filing this gap by reviewing all papers coupling both tools. A focus is carried out on 18 case studies which are analysed according to criteria derived from the four phases of LCA international standards. Criteria specific to agent-based models and the coupling of both tools, such as the type and degree of coupling, have also been selected. The results show that ABMs have been coupled to LCA in order to model foreground systems with too many uncertainties arising from a behaviour-driven use phase, local variabilities, emerging technologies, to explore scenarios and to support consequential modelling. Foreground inventory data have been mainly collected from ABM at the use phase. From this review, we identified the potential benefits from ABM at each LCA phase: (i) scenario exploration, (ii) foreground inventory data collection, (iii) temporal and/or spatial dynamics simulation, and (iv) data interpretation and communication. Besides, methodological guidance is provided on how to choose the type and degree of coupling during the goal and scope phase. Finally, challenging LCA areas of research that could benefit from the agent-based approach to include behaviour-driven dynamics at the inventory and impact assessment phase have been identified.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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To what extent can agent-based modelling enhance a life cycle assessment? Answers based on a literature review

Micolier

Loubet

Taillandier

et al. 2019

Journal of Cleaner Production

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“…); eco‐efficient product procurement strategies (Pelton et al. ); and energy‐saving consumer behavior interventions (Raihanian Mashhadi and Behdad ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dematerialization and the Circular Economy: Comparing Strategies to Reduce Material Impacts of the Consumer Electronic Product Ecosystem

Kasulaitis

Babbitt

Krock

2018

J of Industrial Ecology

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Summary The rapid technological evolution and adoption of consumer electronics highlights a growing need for adaptive methodologies to evaluate material consumption at the intersection of technological change and increasing consumption. While dematerialization and the circular economy (CE) have both been proposed to mitigate increasing material consumption, recent research has shown that these methods may be ineffective at achieving net material use reduction: When focused on specific products, these methods neglect the effects of complex interactions among and increasing consumption of consumer electronic products. The research presented here develops and applies a material flow analysis aimed at evaluating an entire “product ecosystem,” thereby including the effects of increasing consumption, product trade‐offs, and technological innovations. Results are then used to evaluate the potential efficacy of “natural” dematerialization (occurring as technology advances or smaller products substitute for larger ones) and CE (closing the loop between secondary material supply and primary material demand). Results show that material consumption by the ecosystem of electronics commonly used by U.S. households peaked in 2000. This consumption relies on increasingly diverse materials, including gold, cobalt, and indium, for whom secondary supply is still negligible, particularly given low recovery rates, often less than 1%. Potential circularity metrics of material “dilution,” “dispersion,” and “demand mismatch” are also evaluated, and indicate that CE approaches aimed at closing the loop on consumer electronic material still face several critical barriers particularly related to design and efficient recycling infrastructure.

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Global Warming Impacts of Residential Electricity Consumption: Agent‐Based Modeling of Rooftop Solar Panel Adoption in Los Angeles County, California

Grant

Hicks

2020

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Solar photovoltaics (PV) are a renewable electricity technology with lower carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2 e) impacts compared to fossil electricity, making it a technology of interest with respect to combatting global climate change. This paper combines agent-based modeling (ABM) with life cycle assessment (LCA) to simulate rooftop solar PV adoption in Los Angeles (LA) County from 2018-2050 and generate CO 2 e impact data at the societal level to compare PV and grid electricity. With respect to solar PV panels, consumer adoption is the "pull" that moves the system and corresponding life cycle CO 2 e impacts forward. ABM is used to evaluate the impact of policies and evolutions in technology regarding the adoption of solar PV. Life cycle assessment is used to quantify the life cycle CO 2 e impacts of solar PV (including raw materials, manufacturing, and use). The results show that scenarios that increase PV adoption also increase the CO 2 e impacts from solar PV use in the short term, due to the raw materials and manufacturing portions of the life cycle. Yet, in the long term, adoption of solar PV may provide CO 2 e impact savings from offsetting grid electricity (although this is dependent on the carbon intensity of the electricity sources). The CO 2 e impacts of solar panels are dominated by the raw materials and manufacturing phases on a product level basis, but the use phase contributes to the majority of environmental impact savings from an adoption and societal-level perspective. Future work may apply the methodology to other locations in the United States to evaluate if solar panels are an advantageous electricity source compared to the environmental impacts of the electricity grid.

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Environmental Impact Assessment of the Heterogeneity in Consumers’ Usage Behavior: An Agent‐Based Modeling Approach

Cited by 25 publications

References 47 publications

To what extent can agent-based modelling enhance a life cycle assessment? Answers based on a literature review

To what extent can agent-based modelling enhance a life cycle assessment? Answers based on a literature review

Dematerialization and the Circular Economy: Comparing Strategies to Reduce Material Impacts of the Consumer Electronic Product Ecosystem

Global Warming Impacts of Residential Electricity Consumption: Agent‐Based Modeling of Rooftop Solar Panel Adoption in Los Angeles County, California

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