Environmentally friendly | EPFL Graph Search

Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that claim reduced, minimal, or no harm upon ecosystems or the environment. Companies use these ambiguous terms to promote goods and services, sometimes with additional, more specific certifications, such as ecolabels. Their overuse can be referred to as greenwashing. To ensure the successful meeting of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) companies are advised to employ environmental friendly processes in their production. Specifically, Sustainable Development Goal 12 measures 11 targets and 13 indicators "to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns". The International Organization for Standardization has developed ISO 14020 and ISO 14024 to establish principles and procedures for environmental labels and declarations that certifiers a

Effects of different soil amendments on phytoremediation from a cadmium and DDTs co-contaminated soil by Sedum alfredii (Cd hyperaccumulator) co-cropped with Ricinus communis (DDT accumulator)

Pauline Grandjean

Soil pollution is a major environmental problem actually in China and in the world. It increases environmental risks and can affect humans through the food chain. Like solutions to clean-up the soils are generally expensive and can have side effects on environment, phytoremediation, an environmental friendly technology is a good alternative to traditional remediation. Nevertheless, some improvements must be done to increase its efficiency and make it economically viable. The goal of this work is to study two strategies respectful of the environment to improve the efficiency of phytoremediation: the co-cropping and the addition of amendments. Two Chinese species, Sedum alfredii (hyperaccumulator of cadmium) and Ricinus communis (accumulator of DDT) were co-cropped in pots with a soil contaminated by cadmium and DDT, in which different amendments (rapeseed waste, pig manure, a bio-surfactant: tea saponin, one of its by-product, and sulfur) were added to observe if they increase the efficiency of the phytoremediation. Bacteria were also used to improve DDT degradation. If the ricinus grew fast and easily, sedum biomass was very low and seems not suitable for co-cropping in these conditions. The rapeseed waste inhibit the growth of plants, suggesting that the dose was probably to high. Other amendments allowed a relatively similar growth with sensitively the best for tea saponin and microbes do not affect significantly the biomass. After determined in laboratory that tea saponin enhance the desorption of DDT and Cd in soil, an other pot experiment was started with Ricinus communis in soil amended with different concentrations of saponin to see if it also improve the phytoremediation. In the future, if the addition of amendments can enhance the phytoremediation as expected, analysis of parameters such as the quantity of nutrients or pollutants bioavailable or the structure of dissolve organic matter (DOM) might be done to see if they can explain this phenomenon. Further analysis in field conditions and with optimal concentrations of amendments are needed to determine if and in which conditions these strategies can be applicable at large scale.

2011

Comparative bioaccumulation of trace elements between Nautilus pompilius and Nautilus macromphalus (Cephalopoda: Nautiloidea) from Vanuatu and New Caledonia

Julien Boucher

The concentrations of 16 trace elements were investigated and compared for the first time in the digestive and excreting tissues of two Nautilus species (Cephalopoda: Nautiloidea) from two geologically contrasted areas: (1) N. macromphalus from New Caledonia, a region characterized by its richness in nickel ores and its lack of tectonic activities and (2) N. pompilius from the Vanuatu archipelago showing high volcanic and tectonic activities. In both Nautilus species, results clearly highlighted that the digestive gland played a key role in the bioaccumulation and storage of Ag, Cd, Ce, Co, Cu, Fe, La, Nd, V, and Zn whereas As, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Se were accumulated in a greater extent in the excreting tissues (i.e. pericardial and renal appendages). Despite contrasting environments, no significant difference (p

2009

Benefits and Scepticism of Ecolabels as Accountability Mechanism

Joana Maria Comas Marti, Ralf Seifert

Environmental labelling is an accountability mechanism for firms to satisfy growing demands to prove that value chains are sustainably managed. Although the large variety of ecolabels available today can be interpreted as a sign of their success, it is overwhelming both firms and consumers. In this research, we conducted a broad survey (with over 1,000 responses) and interviewed practitioners to study managers’ perspectives on ecolabelling. We present an overview of the benefits, as perceived by practitioners, which motivate the adoption of ecolabels by firms, as well as the sources’ scepticism that question the overall effectiveness of environmental labels.

Emerald2012

Effects of different soil amendments on phytoremediation from a cadmium and DDTs co-contaminated soil by Sedum alfredii (Cd hyperaccumulator) co-cropped with Ricinus communis (DDT accumulator)

Pauline Grandjean

2011