Bio-Based Products in the Automotive Industry: The Need for Ecolabels, Standards, and Regulations
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Rationale for this Article
1.2. Novelty of this Research
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Core Research Elements
2.1.1. Bio-based Automotive Applications
2.1.2. Ecolabels
2.1.3. Formal Standards
2.1.4. Regulatory Framework
2.2. Research Goals and Methodologies
- (a)
- Sustainability criteria: Environmental, social and economic criteria.
- (b)
- Additional criteria: Percentage of bio-based content and fitness for use.
3. Results
3.1. Analysis of the Existing Ecolabels Landscape
3.1.1. Selected Criteria for the Environmental Pillar
Sustainable Sourcing of Biomass
- Greenhouse gas emission saving from the use of biofuels and bioliquids shall be at least 50% compared to fossil fuels (60% for biofuels produced in plants whose operation started after 1 January 2017) (see [37]).
- (Sustainable) biofuels and bioliquids shall not be made from raw material obtained from land with high biodiversity.
- (Sustainable) biofuels and bioliquids shall not be made from raw material obtained from land with high carbon stock (such as wetlands or forests).
Emissions of Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
Toxicity
End-of-Life Criteria
3.1.2. Selected Criteria for the Economic Pillar
Energy Efficiency of the Production Stage
Biomass Utilization Efficiency
Life Cycle Cost
3.1.3. Selected Criteria for the Social Pillar
3.1.4. Additional Criteria Related to Bio-based Characteristics and Performance
Bio-Based Content
Fitness for Use
3.1.5. Life Cycle Assessment
3.2. Results of the Expert Interviews and Related Research in the Automotive Industry
3.2.1. Ecolabels for Bio-Based Automotive Applications
General Considerations
Ecolabel Criteria
Solutions Suggested by Interviewees
3.2.2. Regulatory Measures to Support Bio-based Automotive Applications
3.2.3. Standards to Support Bio-based Automotive Applications
3.3. Reflective Comparison of the Automotive Industry with other Bio-based Products
4. Discussion
4.1. Fulfilment of Our Research Goals and Summary of Findings
4.2. Recommendations
4.3. Outlook
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A. Information on the Ecolabels Analyzed for This Study
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Label: XYZ | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Product categories | Bio-based criteria and indicators | Environmental criteria and indicators | Social criteria and indicators | Economic criteria and indicators | Revision process |
Stakeholder Group | Producers, Retailers etc. | Certification Bodies, Testing Laboratories, Standards Bodies | Procurement | Other (Government, Research) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Interviewees in total | 10 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
Interviewees in the automotive industry specifically | 2 | 2 | - 1 | 2 |
Assessment Criteria | Relevance for Ecolabels 1 | Assessment Criteria | Relevance for Ecolabels | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sustainable biomass/bio-based content | | Fundamental principles and rights at work | | |
CO2 emissions | | Energy requirement during production | | |
Toxicity | | Biomass utilization efficiency | | |
End-of-life options | | Life cycle values | | |
Fitness for use | | Life cycle costs specifically | | |
Corporate social responsibility | | |||
Legend | relevant in > 50% of the interviews | relevant in 50% of the interviews | ||
not relevant in > 50% of the interviews | alternatively, a suggestion for a modification was made |
Element of the RED Directive | Relevance for the Stakeholders | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C1 | C2 | C3 | C4/C5 | C6 | |
Greenhouse gas savings | No | (x) | No (mainly an issue of fuels) | x | (x) |
No use of areas converted from land with previously high carbon stock | No | (x) | No 1 | x | (x) |
No use of raw materials obtained from land with high biodiversity | No | (x) 2 | x | (x) 3 |
Assessment Criteria | Relevance for Ecolabels for the Case Study Products According to Interviews | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Bio-based Car Components 1 | PLA/Food Packaging | Mulch Films | Insulation Materials | |
Sustainable biomass/bio-based content | | | | |
CO2 emissions | | | | |
Toxicity | | | | |
End-of-life options | | | | |
Fitness for use | | | | |
Corporate social responsibility | | | | |
Fundamental principles and rights at work | | | | |
Energy requirement during production | | | | |
Biomass utilization efficiency | | | | |
Life cycle values | | | | |
Life cycle costs specifically | | | | |
Legend | relevant in > 50% of the interviews | relevant in 50% of the interviews | ||
not relevant in > 50% of the interviews | alternatively, a suggestion for a modification was made |
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Wurster, S.; Ladu, L. Bio-Based Products in the Automotive Industry: The Need for Ecolabels, Standards, and Regulations. Sustainability 2020, 12, 1623. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041623
Wurster S, Ladu L. Bio-Based Products in the Automotive Industry: The Need for Ecolabels, Standards, and Regulations. Sustainability. 2020; 12(4):1623. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041623
Chicago/Turabian StyleWurster, Simone, and Luana Ladu. 2020. "Bio-Based Products in the Automotive Industry: The Need for Ecolabels, Standards, and Regulations" Sustainability 12, no. 4: 1623. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041623
APA StyleWurster, S., & Ladu, L. (2020). Bio-Based Products in the Automotive Industry: The Need for Ecolabels, Standards, and Regulations. Sustainability, 12(4), 1623. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041623