The role of consumption and consumers in zero emission strategies

Throne‐Holst, Harald; Stø, Eivind; Strandbakken, Pål

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2006.07.018

Cited by 33 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…As Hilty puts it: "In general terms, an efficiency strategy must always be accompanied by a sufficiency strategy" [9, p. 72]. Other authors have also argued in favor of such behavioral changes on the consumer side [58][59][60][61]. Also, general awareness of rebound effects should be increased [62], including limitations of the concept, especially at the macro level.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rebound Effects and ICT: A Review of the Literature

Gossart

2014

Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rebound Effects and ICT: A Review of the Literature

Gossart

2014

Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing

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“…Energy-using appliances were among the first for which the use phase has been explicitly modeled, presumably due to the fact that a relatively high share of environmental impact is generated during the use phase, rather than during production phase (Throne-Holst et al 2007). Beyond appliances, a similar conclusion has been drawn for products that consume energy in any form during use or transform chemically during application (Hanssen 1998).…”

Section: Modeling Use Phase In Lca: Overview Of Current Practices Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, it has been argued that, without attending to consumption patterns and behaviors, efforts towards more sustainability will be undermined (Throne-Holst et al 2007;Peattie 2010). For this purpose, in the following we describe specifically how inputs from behavioral science may be valuable for LCA (and ecodesign).…”

Section: Limits In Information Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumers and their behavior: state of the art in behavioral science supporting use phase modeling in LCA and ecodesign

Sorrentino

Woelbert

Sala

2016

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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Purpose Life cycle thinking and assessment require a holistic approach to the evaluation of product supply chains. An assessment from raw material extraction to end of life of any products is based on modeling a wide number of aspects and options, e.g., at technological, geographical, and temporal levels. Since the use phase is one of the most contributing life cycle stages for some products (e.g., appliance, housing, cars), a robust modeling of this stage is fundamental. Several attempts to better modeling use-phase have been performed; however, so far no systematic study is available on how to integrate behavioral science (BS) insights into LCA. This is even more important when the impact of the product under consideration is strongly determined by the use phase relatively to other life cycle stages. The aim of this paper is to explore how behavioral science has been used to date and how BS can contribute towards more robust modeling of use phase in LCA and as basis for a behavior-driven ecodesign. Methods We identified the key areas in which LCA and ecodesign may benefit from integrating insights from behavioral science and developing a conceptual model. Both robust modeling and the design of behavior change interventions rest on a sound understanding of behavior in the specific context of interest though empirical investigation. Hence, we reviewed literature on behavioral science and introduce key drivers of human behavior that are relevant in the context of use phase modeling and ecodesign. We provide examples where these were applied to facilitate the integration of BS elements by practitioners. Results and discussion Consumer's behavior is increasingly recognized as one of the drivers of overall environmental impact of a product, and some examples of use of BS for LCA are available in literature. We suggest that behavioral science can be useful in the context of life cycle assessment in two ways: measuring behavior and assessing potential and means for changing behavior. Specifically, insights and methods from behavioral sciences could be applied for assessing variability of consumer behavior, understanding leverages for behavioral changes, and possible rebound effects. Conclusions This insight may help to model the use phase more accurately, to identify realistic scenarios, and to support behavior-driven eco-innovation.

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“…Consumer choice and behaviour can be highly variable and a major contributor to the environmental impact of typical household activities such as washing, cleaning, cooking and entertainment (Throne-Holst et al 2007). Interactions between consumers and products may have a large effect on the overall results of life cycle assessment (LCA) studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying drivers of variability in life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of consumer products—a case study on laundry washing in Europe

Shahmohammadi

Steinmann

Clavreul

et al. 2017

Int J Life Cycle Assess

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Purpose Variability in consumer behaviour can significantly influence the environmental performance of products and their associated impacts and this is typically not quantified in life cycle assessments. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how consumer behaviour data can be used to understand and quantify the variability in the greenhouse gas emissions from domestic laundry washing across Europe. Methods Data from a pan-European consumer survey of product usage and washing habits was combined with internal company data on product format greenhouse gas (GHG) footprints and in-home measurement of energy consumption of laundry washing as well as literature data to determine the GHG footprint of laundry washing. The variability associated with four laundry detergent product formats and four wash temperature settings in washing machines were quantified on a per wash cycle basis across 23 European countries. The variability in GHG emissions associated with country electricity grid mixes was also taken into account. Monte Carlo methods were used to convert the variability in the input parameters into variability of the life cycle GHG emissions. Rank correlation analysis was used to quantify the importance of the different sources of variability. Results and discussion Both inter-country differences in background electricity mix as well as intra-country variation in consumer behaviour are important for determining the variability in life cycle GHG emissions of laundry detergents. The average GHG emissions related to the laundry washing process in the 23 European countries in 2014 was estimated to be 5 × 10 2 g CO 2 − eq/wash cycle, but varied by a factor of 6.5 between countries. Intra-country variability is between a factor of 3.5 and 5.0 (90% interval). For countries with a mainly fossil-based electricity system, the dominant source of variability in GHG emissions results from consumer choices in the use of washing machines. For countries with a relatively low-carbon electricity mix, variability in life cycle GHG emissions is mainly determined by laundry product-related parameters.Conclusions The combination of rich data sources enabled the quantification of the variability in the life cycle GHG emissions of laundry washing which is driven by a variety of consumer choices, manufacturer choices and infrastructural differences of countries. The improved understanding of the variability needs to be balanced against the cost and challenges of assessing of consumer habits.

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The role of consumption and consumers in zero emission strategies

Cited by 33 publications

References 9 publications

Rebound Effects and ICT: A Review of the Literature

Rebound Effects and ICT: A Review of the Literature

Consumers and their behavior: state of the art in behavioral science supporting use phase modeling in LCA and ecodesign

Quantifying drivers of variability in life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of consumer products—a case study on laundry washing in Europe

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