Refine
Year of Publication
Document Type
- Report (27)
- Part of a Book (18)
- Contribution to Periodical (15)
- Conference Object (7)
- Working Paper (5)
- Peer-Reviewed Article (4)
- Book (1)
Virtual dematerialisation!?
(2002)
This report focuses on the contribution of ICT to improvements in resource efficiency and transport intensity at the macro, meso and micro levels. It presents the research on environmental effects of e-business and e-work.
The research strand explored the implication of ICT and its applications from the micro- (case study), meso- (different e-business types) and macro-level (macro-economic and policy level).
The "macro-analysis-module" aimed at quantifying the potential contribution of e-business and ICT to dematerialisation and resource productivity. The analysis followed a top-down approach complementary to the case study based microanalyses. It compromised the analysis of energy-use and selected material flows (CO(2)) of three EU Member States to determine whether there is any macro-level evidence of dematerialization and increased resource productivity resulting from e-business and ICT.
From a micro and meso level perspective, the research object has been the provision of new IT based applications instead of "traditional" products, services and customs (e-commerce and telework). The research quantified the resource- and transport efficiency of e-business in different case studies and identified key factors determining the impact on resource- and transport efficiency.
Eine Steigerung der Ressourceneffizienz ist - wie auch die Förderung der Internetnutzung - politisches Ziel in Europa. Offen ist aber, welchen Beitrag eine verstärkte Nutzung neuer internetgestützter Dienstleistungsangebote wie E-commerce zur Entkopplung von Wachstum und Ressourcenverbrauch leisten kann. Erste Hinweise gibt ein laufendes Forschungsprojekt zum Online-Banking.
Towards sustainable production and consumption : preparedness for product service system concept
(2004)
Economic performance of a country is generally being measured through GDP (Gross Domestic Product), a variable that has also become the de facto universal metric for "standards of living". However, GDP does not properly account for social and environmental costs and benefits. It is also difficult to achieve sustainable decision-making aiming at sustainable progress and well-being if welfare is being considered from a purely financial point of view. The study highlights the benefits and some of the shortcomings of GDP. It serves as a helpful and practicable instrument for monetary and fiscal policies. The real problem presumably is that GDP growth is too often confused with (sustainable) welfare growth in people's minds. While there certainly is a correlation between the two, this study shows that this is a highly conditional correlation, void of substantial causality for GDP levels observable in the European Union. In order to be able to assess people's well-being and general sustainable development in the sense of sustainability, an alternative instrument going beyond GDP is necessary. Using so called SWOT analyses, several alternative progress indicators have been assessed in the context of this study. On the one hand it was analysed how far ecological and social factors can be integrated in the GDP measurements. Thereby difficulties arose then trying to monetise these factors. As a further possibility indicators were analysed which are to replace GDP as a whole. The category supplementing GDP seems to be the most realistic and acceptable option for going beyond GDP. Within this approach, GDP is being complemented with additional environmental and/or social information. In order to make this kind of solution feasible the study claims the establishment of an overarching and transparent indicator system for improving economic decision-making in support of sustainable development.
Towards a set of indicators on sustainable consumption and production (SCP) for EEA reporting
(2010)
The environmental impacts of mobile computing : a case study with HP ; final report ; Digital Europe
(2003)
This report includes the results and calculations of the HP case study within the Digital Europe project. This case study investigates the environmental effects of mobile computing devices as an element of the growing ICT infrastructure for applications such as ecommerce, egovernment and telework. Specifically, the resource intensity of a notebook computer and a handheld device will be analysed and discussed.