Implementation of digital technologies for a circular economy and sustainability management in the manufacturing sector
How companies benefit from circular economy
Converting a company to a circular economy is an important step but many business leaders aren't sure what the consequences will be. This article...
Implementation of circular economy strategies in product development
Considering aspects of the circular economy right from the product design stage is the most effective approach a company can take to improve the...
How new policies worldwide advance the Circular Economy
The growing importance of the circular economy and circular business models manifests itself in policies and regulations designed to advance the...
carbon neutrality
carbon footprint
automotive
circular economy
carbon neutral
Challenges
amazon
apple
How the automotive & electronics industry transitions towards the Circular Economy
In addition to activities of legislative bodies, industry itself has set out on a path towards circular economy, sometimes moving at an even faster...
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Implementation of digital technologies for a circular economy and sustainability management in the...
How companies benefit from circular economy
Converting a company to a circular economy is an important step but many business leaders aren't...
Implementation of circular economy strategies in product development
Considering aspects of the circular economy right from the product design stage is the most...
How new policies worldwide advance the Circular Economy
The growing importance of the circular economy and circular business models manifests itself in...
carbon neutrality
carbon footprint
automotive
circular economy
carbon neutral
Challenges
amazon
apple
How the automotive & electronics industry transitions towards the Circular Economy
In addition to activities of legislative bodies, industry itself has set out on a path towards...
Drive business value by data analysis – iPoint CARE
Data analysis for product compliance and sustainability, like Life Cycle Assessment or Product...
Digital Product Passports: Pioneers for Sustainable Economy
Whether climate protection, circular economy, or resource efficiency, without transparent value and...
Digital technologies for sustainable product management in a circular economy
The increased use of digital technologies is considered as a key enabler for a more sustainable and...
Digital battery passports to enable circular battery ecosystems in Europe
The industry driven debate on digital battery passports as enablers of a circular economy has...
The Digital Product Passport – a prerequisite for a Circular Economy
The concept of the circular economy is gaining more and more prominence on the agendas of...
Collect Data for Compliance and Sustainability – iPoint CARE
Data collection is the first step on the road to successful product compliance and sustainability...
iPoint and BASF collaborate on Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) calculation
iPoint and BASF are collaborating on the topic of carbon footprint to drive the standardized...
Sustainability and Compliance Trends Study
The world’s largest sustainability and compliance trends survey entered its fourth round, with over...
Sustainable Product Development in a Circular Economy
The concept of circular economy is of great interest to companies since it provides a framework to...
New SCIP reporting obligations in the Automotive Industry
With SCIP database being open to submission for one year now and data finally being disseminated...
German Government clarifies – SCIP Database has to be used to fulfil reporting obligation
The obligation for EU based entities to report data on SVHC containing products to the SCIP...
Using blockchain to achieve the SDGs and solve social challenges
Insights into the INATBA Blockchain for Social Impact Report
SCIP Dissemination Portal now live
Ever since January 2021, when the reporting of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) in articles...
The Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation: A Spotlight on Finance
A conversation between Joerg Walden of iPoint and Juan Ibañez and Dr. Chris Bayer of Development...
Circular Economy Implementation in Businesses – Cross-sectoral findings
by Lukas Stumpf, Josef-Peter Schöggl, Rupert J. Baumgartner
Sustainability and Compliance Trends 2020 With a Focus on the Automotive Industry
The pandemic crisis heavily influenced the year 2020, which likely also impacted iPoint’s Trends...
Sustainability Reporting Directive
A conversation between Joerg Walden of iPoint and Juan Ibañez and Dr. Chris Bayer of Development...
Discover the iPoint Suite
The iPoint Suite offers solutions for the entire product life cycle – from design to production and...
Meeting SCIP Reporting Requirements in the Electronics Industry
Since 2003, the electronics industry sector has gained experience reporting RoHS (Restriction on...
4 Months of SCIP reporting obligation – what are the experiences so far?
The obligation to report products that are put on the EU market and contain of SVHCs (Substances of...
Case Study: MFCA in Industrial Filter Production – Reducing the Use of Resources in Textile Filter Systems
ifu Hamburg GmbH, member of iPoint Group, HTW Berlin and UKOM jointly supported SMEs in using the ...
Leveling the Pitch: Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence Legislation in the EU
In March 2021, the European Parliament adopted the Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) report on...
Sorgfaltspflicht in der Lieferkette auch in Deutschland: Die bevorstehende Gesetzgebung
Anfang März haben deutsche Ministerien den Regierungsentwurf eines Sorgfaltspflichtengesetzes (aka...
Duty of Care Also in Germany: The Impending Mandatory Due Diligence Legislation
At the beginning of March, German ministries published the government draft of a mandatory supply...
How sustainable is the Circular Economy?
Josef-Peter Schöggl, Lukas Stumpf, Rupert J. Baumgartner
SCIP Database Connector successfully used by our customers
Our software solution is already successfully used by our customers from various industries e.g....
SCIP Database – iPoint Compliance automates the exchange of information
>Free Demo Video – SCIP Database Connector Watch the video to hear about the latest updates on ECHA...
New CO2-pricing in Germany – Significance and consequences for your company
While one could firstly assume that this new CO2-pricing law will only affect one’s Scope 1...
Carbon transparency – an opportunity for companies and the environment
Goals and benefits of carbon transparency The transparency of carbon emissions and the climate...
Maximizing Products’ Sustainability Performance and Circularity with Digitalization – Update on Research Activities
Anything but a standstill is currently happening in the Christian Doppler Laboratory for...
EU Commission not empowered to postpone SCIP
On September 21, 2020, 40 EU and non-EU industry associations asked the European Commission to...
The Green Deal and the Circular Economy
Zero greenhouse gas emissions until 2050 The European Green Deal Communication (COM(2019) 640...
SCIP Database Connector Enterprise & Professional released
Hear about the latest updates on ECHA SCIP database and see a live demo of the officially released...
Digitalization and collaboration – A look into the Future
More than 65% of consumers are worried about climate change, and take social and environmental...
I care, you care, we care: The iPoint CARE principle
Many of our customers say that we’ve simplified the complex processes of digitalizing the...
New IUCLID version by ECHA
ECHA will release the new version of IUCLID (https://iuclid6.echa.europa.eu/) on October 28th. With...
SCIP reporting using IMDS system vs. iPoint SCIP connector
We are all aware that SCIP reporting requires a considerable effort for almost all affected...
From Compliance to Sustainability – The iPoint Suite
iPoint’s software covers a lot of ground. In combination, our software products provide a broad...
Data – the raw material required for good decision making in the transition to a Circular Economy
Properly utilized data is a valuable resource. In our increasingly digital world, most efficiency...
Expanding compliance processes and tools to better manage sustainability
Many companies voluntarily go beyond regulatory requirements, setting higher expectations and...
Blockchain for Sustainability & Social Impact: Help Us Map the Ecosystem!
In the past few years, we’ve seen a plethora of projects and initiatives emerge, focusing on...
End-to-end material lifecycle management is key
When it comes to materials in products, what we call “end of life” is also the “beginning-of-life”....
How does Brexit affect you?
The planned transitional period will run until 31 December 2020. After the end of the transition...
From compliance to sustainability: a natural path to managing material lifecycles
Meeting all local and global regulatory requirements is a must for all companies doing business in...
The current state of material compliance management
Materials and substances used in manufacturing plants need to comply with health, safety, and...
We are living in a material world
Materials and substances are the fundamental building blocks required to produce bigger components,...
SCIP database to be launched in late October – no indication that deadline in January 2021 will be postponed
The European Chemical Agency ECHA informed that during the last week of October, the SCIP database...
Cobalt unmasked – Is cobalt really a sustainable option?
In recent years, the demand for cobalt has steadily increased with the development of the electric...
Mandatory Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence in Europe: Coming to a Country Near You
The European Union plans to introduce legislation requiring companies to undertake human rights and...
Increasing material profitability with MFCA in low-loss production
ifu Hamburg, Member of iPoint Group, and Umwelttechnik BW (State Agency for Environmental...
Maximizing Products’ Sustainability Performance and Circularity with Digitalization – Part 3/3
Continuous meetings with the (industry) partners of the CD-Lab are key to fostering knowledge and...
SCIP FAQ: The Echa SCIP Database
Update 2021: We have update the FAQ – check out what’s new Our SCIP FAQ document provides a summary...
Maximizing Products’ Sustainability Performance and Circularity with Digitalization – Part 2/3
The Christian Doppler Laboratory for Sustainable Product Management is a 7-year project with a...
Maximizing Products’ Sustainability Performance and Circularity with Digitalization – Part 1/3
To support the ambitious Circular Economy Action Plan adopted by the European Union, the...
ECHA Updates SVHC Candidate List: 4 New Substances
On June 25, ECHA added four new candidates to the list of substances of very high concern....
CMRT 6.01 & CRT 2.11 Available and Active on iPoint Conflict Minerals
On May 19, 2020, CMRT 6.01 and CRT 2.11 were released and made available for download. As of June...
Sneak Peek at iPoint’s SCIP Connector
See a live demo of the iPoint Compliance SCIP Connector that automates the creation of SCIP...
Compliance Reporting for Electronics – new challenges driven by the Automotive industry and the EU SCIP database
Chemical compliance reporting for electronics or products with electronics in them involves...
Interview mit “Deutschlands nachhaltigstem Großunternehmen 2020”
Christian Ziegler, Nachhaltigkeitsmanager bei fischer Christian Ziegler ist seit mehr als fünf...
The new EU Regulation of Medical Devices – MDR
Is your company and your supply chain ready to tackle the new EU MDR requirements? Get prepared for...
How The Automotive Sector Can Do MedTech
Due to COVID-19, protective masks and respiratory equipment are in high demand. iPoint Compliance...
ECHA drops one mandatory field for SCIP database reporting
During the last SCIP database workshop on March 17th, 2020, ECHA indicated a change to the...
SCIP database alpha testing and RoHS (2011/65/EU)
In our webinar “How to get ready for ECHA’s SCIP database“ we were excited to be able to give you...
Homeland Security and Your Supply Chain
The US Dept. of Homeland Security is committed to enforcing anti-human trafficking and forced labor...
SCIP Database test version available
On Monday, February 17th, 2020, the long-awaited release of the test version of SCIP database –...
Are menstrual cups a “green lie”?
An LCA comparing menstrual cups and tampons shows that products advertised as particularly...
Can Digitalization help to save costs related to Sustainability & Compliance?
The Sustainability and Compliance Trends Survey 2019 is one of the largest global surveys on...
The Cost of Compliance & Sustainability – How companies’ spending evolved in 2019
The Sustainability and Compliance Trends Survey 2019 is one of the largest global surveys on...
Compliance or Sustainability – What is more important for businesses?
After our successful survey 2018 with more than 450 participants, we decided to carry on with our...
First glimpse at the SCIP database
During last week’s ECHA IT working group meeting iPoint’s experts had the chance to get a first...
How sustainable is a service or a product? Digitalization, IoT and Big Data are providing new possibilities for research
How sustainable is a service or a product? This question is becoming more and more important in...
The Global Medical Device Industry – a spotlight on India and China
Japan has one of the highest geriatric populations in the world and because of that they have a...
Medical Device Industry – Trends in 2020
Several global companies from the Medical Device industry like Becton Dickinson, Roche, Emerson...
Neue CO2-Bepreisung in Deutschland – Bedeutung und Konsequenzen für Ihr Unternehmen
Während man zunächst annehmen könnte, dass diese neue CO₂-Bepreisung nur die eigenen...
Results from the ECHA workshops and new SCIP website launched
Since our last update on the SCIP database, work has progressed further. Not only have we...
Going Beyond IMDS with iPoint Approval
The race to introduce a product to the market is a fierce one; where companies are constantly...
How to provide Life Cycle Information for non-LCA experts
Thanks to automatization and data interfacing, LCA is becoming accessible to any role in an...
Conflict Minerals – Cobalt, EU-3TG and Sanctioned Entities
Why you should establish proactive business practices to manage the shift from conflict minerals...
Enterprise Blockchain 2028
Gartner: Corporate Blockchain Won’t Take Off for Another Decade Hype comes with a placebo effect,...
How Toyota North America ensures the compliance of its products
When Toyota North America decided for iPoint Compliance as the leading solution to manage all their...
iPoint participates in ECHA’s SCIP Database Kick-off meeting
Last week saw the kick-off meeting for stakeholders of the SCIP database held by the European...
How to collect information from your supply chain – Where an industry standard does not exist!
When it comes to collecting information from your supply chain, having certain industry standards,...
Why we built the iPoint Suite
In iPoint’s software solutions, the CARE principle forms the foundation. All our software solutions...
Why we CARE – and YOU CARE ALREADY
Since 2001 customers, ranging from SMEs to Fortune 500 companies, have been using our software...
How to answer the three fundamental questions and evolve your business
It’s obvious that companies need transparency for good decision-making and any management of...
How digitalization and knowledge creates transparency for businesses
We believe in continuous progression with technology. This can be accomplished by making complexity...
Why increasing market dynamics lead to complexity
Today’s companies face high pressure by investors to improve revenue, by regulations to abide by...
Is e-mobility a truly sustainable solution?
E-mobility is a hotly debated issue right now, both in scientific circles and in the media. Some...
Identify risks and achieve anti-human trafficking compliance with eLRT Lite
On Thursday, August 8th, eLRT Lite, a simplified version of the electronic Labour Rights Template,...
Do LCAs reveal green lies?
As life cycle experts know, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a useful tool to either confirm or...
Cobalt Reporting via the iPoint SustainHub
Cobalt is the key element used in batteries of mobile phones, laptops, and electric vehicles and...
4 new substances added to the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC) and important changes in the near future
On July 16, 2019, the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) has published 4 new candidate substances....
How to increase Business Transparency by assessing compliance data – exactly where its needed
Companies currently using SAP® have a vast amount of existing data in their system that can be...
How to use Life Cycle Information to set AND reach your Sustainability Goals
Volvo Cars and iPoint systems act jointly in improving availability of and accessibility to life...
How to build a sustainable car?
What are the challenges for the implementation of Sustainable Product Development in the automotive...
iPoint Provides Pilot Tool For EU LIFE Project AskREACH
iPoint Compliance becomes the pilot tool for the EU Project LIFE AskREACH. In addition, iPoint...
Sind Menstruationstassen eine „grüne Lüge“?
Eine Ökobilanz zum Vergleich von Menstruationstassen und Tampons zeigt, dass als besonders...
How to successfully market your products worldwide – faster
To speed up the development of new products companies need to evaluate data on products, materials...
LCA of lithium-ion batteries – there’s more to it than you think
With the use of electric vehicles on the rise, there’s a lot of buzz about how environmentally...
Achieving transparency starts with digitalization – How blockchain can deliver social, economic and environmental benefits
It is hard to argue that industrialism didn’t improve the world.
Discrepancy of RoHS and REACH – Compliance Changes 2019
ROHS Directive starts to restrict the Phthalates listed in ROHS Annex II. But with regard to REACH...
Exploring efficiency potentials in the recycling industry
Earlier this year, a team of consultants from ifu Hamburg, Member of iPoint Group, held an initial...
German Battery Forum 2019: a round-up of congress highlights
Andreas Genest from ifu Hamburg, Member of iPoint Group, attended the BatterieForum Deutschland...
Remarkable MFCA results in a German foundry
The German family business C&C Bark Metalldruckguss und Formenbau GmbH produces magnesium die casts...
iPoint’s systems always stay up to date with new SVHC entries
On January 15, 2019, the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) has published 6 new entries to the...
MFCA Hamburg – Resource Efficiency Flagships
How will we make Hamburg’s industry more efficient and sustainable? To answer this question, the...
How to bring transparency into the supply chain
More and more people are consuming more consciously and want to know where a product they buy comes...
Will there be a UK REACH?
What will be the challenges Brexit will have to your business on the products and services that you...
The Sustainability & Compliance Trends Survey 2019
The overwhelming response on our Sustainability & Compliance Trends Survey 2018 encouraged us to...
Customized Transparency with iPCA Web
The new web-client of the iPoint Compliance Agent, iPCA Web, enables companies to advance...
Sustainability and Compliance Trends – What Kept Companies Busy in 2018?
At the beginning of 2018, iPoint started to conduct a survey on Sustainability and Compliance...
Envisioning a sustainable future: increasing resource efficiency through digitization
Digitalization and Industry 4.0 loom large on the horizon of manufacturing. For many companies,...
A Compliance Survey Tool that Grows with Your Supply Chain
In November 2018, iPoint launched a new compliance survey app for the SustainHub platform as a...
Sankey Diagram: Tasty Christmas Special
If you wish to delight all of your colleagues with a tasty christmas present, here is a simple...
Material Flow Cost Accounting for strategic business decisions
Material Flow Cost Accounting, or MFCA, is most widely known as an instrument used by manufacturing...
Chocolate efficiently produced: Energy management at Ritter Sport
Ritter Sport, the well-known German producer of chocolate bars in the distinctive, square package,...
SustainHub Roadmap 2019
Free Webinar: Innovative insights and an exclusive outlook on the SustainHub Join Sebastian...
France’s Due Diligence Law – Loi sur le devoir de vigilance
On April 24, 2013, more than 1,000 people in Bangladesh lost their lives when the textiles factory...
Smart Microorganisms at Work: Turning Waste into Bioplastic
How a waste product like pentose wood sugars is transformed into bioplastic and can be used as a...
Blockchain for Circular Supply Chain
Blockchain technology enables us to digitize and streamline the supply chain workflows to improve...
Are you ready for Brexit? Check your Brexit-Readiness
On March 29th 2017, the United Kingdom notified the European Council of its intention to withdraw...
Together, we bring fw: transparency
At iPoint, we bring fw: transparency and places it at the forefront of everything that we do.
New standard ISO 50001 for energy management places increased demands on companies
Recertification of an energy management system according to ISO 50001 has become more demanding –...
Lids against Polio
Poliomyelitis, more commonly referred to as polio, is an illness that has been almost completely...
fw: transparency 2019 – Save the date!
Under the slogan: “Latest Trends in Product Compliance and Sustainability – Integration as a Key to...
Life Cycle Impact Assessment – which are the LCIA indicator sets most widely used by practitioners?
Whenever someone starts his or her first LCA study, one of the questions to be answered is, which...
Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery – how to mitigate financial and reputational risk
According the latest Global Slavery Index (GSI), released in July 2018, it can be estimated that...
The new California Proposition 65 Warning Regulations
The California Proposition 65 is a California Law that came into effect in 1986.
A Sankey Diagram Says More Than 1.000 Pie Charts
What are Sankey diagrams? Engineers and environmental scientists will be able to answer this...
Facing the regulatory challenges of the aftermarket
OEMs and their suppliers are facing multiple regulatory challenges when it comes to the so called...
“Let’s stop re-inventing the wheel with everybody starting from the scratch when creating a material and energy flow model!”
Do you still rerecord, what you thought and expected when you started with your first flow model of...
Ökobilanz von Lithium-Ionen-Batterien – komplexer als man denkt
Mit dem zunehmenden Einsatz von Elektrofahrzeugen gibt es viel Wirbel um ihre...
Effizienzpotenziale erschließen in der Recyclingbranche
Anfang des Jahres begleitete ein Expertenteam der ifu Hamburg GmbH, Member of iPoint Group, einen...
Kongress-Highlights des BatterieForum Deutschland
Andreas Genest von ifu Hamburg, Member of iPoint Group, nahm vom 23. bis 25. Januar am...
Keiner im Betrieb hätte das gedacht: Bemerkenswerte MFCA-Ergebnisse bei C&C Bark
Das Familienunternehmen C & C Bark Metalldruckguss und Formenbau GmbH stellt Magnesiumdruckgüsse...
MFCA-Hamburg – Leuchttürme der Ressourceneffizienz
Wie machen wir die Hamburger Industrie effizienter und nachhaltiger? Um dieser Frage zu begegnen,...
Eine nachhaltige Zukunft im Visier: Ressourceneffizienz steigern durch Digitalisierung
Digitalisierung und Industrie 4.0 stehen in der produzierenden Industrie hoch im Kurs. Für viele...
Materialflusskostenrechnung für strategische Entscheidungen
Die Materialflusskostenrechnung, kurz MFCA, ist bekannt als ein Ansatz, der von produzierenden...
Quadratisch. Praktisch. Effizient. – Energiemanagement bei Ritter Sport
Ritter Sport, der bekannte deutsche Hersteller von Schokoriegeln in der „quadratisch, praktisch,...
Sankey Skyscraping – Visualisierung des enormen Energiebedarfs der Zementproduktion
Welches Produkt wird weltweit am meisten produziert – Stahl, Zement, Kunststoff oder Papier? Hätten...
Clevere Mikroorganismen am Werk: Aus Abfall wird Biokunststoff
So genannte Biokraftstoffe der ersten Generation basieren auf Materialien wie Mais, Zuckerrohr,...
Towards a Digital Circular Economy
Take – make – use – dispose is causing increasingly scarce resources, environmental pollution and...
Neue Norm ISO 50001 zum Energiemanagement stellt erhöhte Anforderungen an Unternehmen
Rezertifizierung des Energiemanagementsystems nach ISO 50001 ist anspruchsvoller geworden – oder...
Welcome to the iPoint Blog!
We are delighted to present you with news and information on the topics and solutions of the iPoint...
Innovation@iPoint
The objective of innovation management is to turn great ideas into financially successful products...
Speed up your REACH Information Request Processes
The new iPoint Compliance Agent (iPCA) REACH Letter module supports you especially in fulfilling...
Carbon Footprints in der Energiebranche: Experteninterview
Dr. Aleksandra Drewko ist Beraterin der EHA Energie-Handels-Gesellschaft mbH & Co. KG. EHA ist ein...
Für die CO2-Bilanz von der Kostenrechnung lernen
Eine Ökobilanz oder Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) ist vereinfacht ausgedrückt eine Aufgabe, die alle...
Thailand‘s pioneer in reducing GHG emissions: Expert interview
I’d like to introduce you to Kularb Kimsri, Vice President at the Global Standard System Centre of...
Twenty Years in the Making: a Review the 20th Umberto User Workshop
A 20th anniversary is often a marked event, so it was fitting that this year’s Umberto User...
Social Life Cycle Analysis: Why Does It Lurk In the Shadow of Environmental LCA?
The term “Life Cycle Analysis” (LCA) is largely assumed to be the technique used for the assessment...
Daten für die Ökobilanz: Kooperation entlang des Produktlebenszyklus
Wann sind Sie und Ihre Zulieferer besonders auf die Kooperation entlang des Lebenszyklus angewiesen?
Data collection for LCAs: collaboration along the product life cycle
Gathering quality data is one of the biggest challenges in producing accurate LCAs. In an interview...
Obtain LCA data from suppliers – Insights from a sustainability consultant
Rebecca LeBlanc is a sustainability consultant at “Strategic Sustainability Consulting” in Boston,...
Beyond the Isolated Approach: How to Better Optimise Resource Efficiency in the Chemical Industry
The importance of resource efficiency within industry has gained significant traction in recent...
How material flow cost accounting reduces food wastage
Everyone agrees that food should not be wasted. Given its huge environmental footprints and the...
Der Weg von Energie- zu Materialeffizienz – Geschäftsführer der Energy Consulting Allgäu im Interview
Wer ist Energy Consulting Allgäu?
Climate protection – cost reduction: Resource efficiency analyses in the chemical industry
Reduced energy consumption, less material usage and consequently lower production costs. These are...
Interview with Matthias Voigtmann, CEO of Energy Consulting Allgäu
Who is Energy Consulting Allgäu?
Materialflusskostenrechnung: Ressourceneffizienz leicht gemacht
Zahlreiche Unternehmen geraten zunehmend unter Druck, wenn es darum geht, die Auswirkungen ihrer...
Product Carbon Footprints at FRoSTA: Expert interview
Urban Buschmann is Head of Sustainability and Process Development at FRoSTA, one of the biggest...
CO2-Fußabdruck für Produkte bei der FRoSTA AG: Experteninterview
Urban Buschmann ist Leiter Nachhaltigkeit und Verfahrensentwicklung bei der FRoSTA AG, einer der...
Energieeffizienz-Netzwerke: Best Practice Beispiel
Bis zum Jahr 2020 sollen in Deutschland etwa 500 regionale und branchenspezifische...
Chancen und Herausforderungen in Energieeffizienz-Netzwerken: Experteninterview
Vera Schürmann ist geschäftsführende Gesellschafterin von Arcanum Energy. Als Dienstleister,...
How Traditional Cost Accounting Methods Resolve Carbon Footprint Issues
Life cycle assessment (LCA), in simplified definition, is a task that uncovers all environmental...
3 Alternative Ideas for Waste Management in Developing Countries
Unlike the global north, most developing countries have difficulties affording sophisticated...
Companies’ Anti-Slavery Performance Improves Globally, New Report Reveals
According to a new benchmarking report, companies’ anti-slavery compliance and actions have...
New: Anti-Slavery Reporting Template eLRT
In November 2016, iPoint launched the electronic Labor Rights Template (eLRT). The free,...
iPoint Joins UN Global Compact
On August 7, 2017, iPoint was officially welcomed as a participant of the United Nations Global...
The new CSR Reporting Directive of the EU
Starting with the fiscal year 2017, large listed entities with more than 500 employees will have to...
Innovation Awards for iPoint
In May 2017, independent research firm Verdantix recognized iPoint’s customer Emerson with an...
Digital Circular Economy – The Digital Revolution of the Circular Economy
In contrast to the linear economy (take, make, use, dispose), the circular economy approach does...
The Life Cycle Perspective in the New ISO 14001:2015 Standard
Following publication of the environmental management standard ISO 14001:2015 on September 15,...
France passes due diligence law
On April 24, 2013, more than 1,000 people in Bangladesh lost their lives when the textiles factory...
Material Flow Cost Accounting provides head start for SMEs
MFCA stands for Material Flow Cost Accounting and helps businesses to increase their material...
Material Flow Cost Accounting: Tips from a consultant
Hiroshi Tachikawa is the managing director at Propharm Japan. He helped numerous companies across...
Materialflusskostenrechnung am größten Textilforschungszentrum Europas
Dr. Jürgen Seibold arbeitet im Zentrum für Management Research der Deutschen Institute für Textil-...
Diese Unternehmen haben durch MFCA Ihre Materialeffizienz gesteigert
Aus internationaler Sicht hat die Materialflusskostenrechnung bisher die größte Verbreitung in...
Endlich sprechen wir über Materialeffizienz
Materialkosten machen im Durchschnitt 40-50 % der Gesamtkosten in produzierenden Unternehmen aus.
LCAs in the telecommunication sector
Andreas Kröhling, Senior Expert for Corporate Responsibility at “Deutsche Telekom AG” recommends...
Interview with “Germany’s most sustainable large-scale enterprise 2014”
Marko Schnarr works for the environmental office at Miele, the well-known manufacturer of household...
Inventive engineers serving the environment
Can environmentally friendly raw materials meet product specifications and be cost effective?
Ökobilanzen beim größten deutschen Telekommunikationsanbieter
Andreas Kröhling, Senior Experte Corporate Responsibility bei der Deutschen Telekom AG, empfiehlt:...
Innovative Ingenieure im Dienst der Umwelt
Können umweltfreundliche Rohmaterialien die Produktanforderungen erfüllen und gleichzeitig...
“Deutschlands nachhaltigstes Großunternehmen 2014” im Interview
Marko Schnarr ist Referent für Ressourceneffizienz, Ökobilanzierung und Ökolabelling beim...
LCA database provider ecoinvent provides exclusive insights
The ecoinvent Centre in Switzerland and thinkstep AG based in Stuttgart, Germany offer background...
LCA Database provider thinkstep AG provides exclusive insights
Thinkstep AG based in Stuttgart, Germany and the ecoinvent Centre based in Switzerland offer...
Tips and expertise shared by three experienced users of LCA Databases
During the preparation of the article on LCA data and LCA databases it was a great experience to...
Datenbank-Anbieter thinkstep AG gibt exklusive Einblicke
Die thinkstep AG aus Stuttgart und das ecoinvent Centre in der Schweiz bieten...
Datenbank-Anbieter ecoinvent gibt exklusive Einblicke
Das ecoinvent Centre in der Schweiz und die thinkstep AG aus Stuttgart bieten...
Success factor for Life Cycle Assessment: data, data, data
When deciding to get started with Life Cycle Assessment you probably have come across the quote:...
Erfolgsfaktor für Ökobilanzen (Life Cycle Assessment, LCA): Daten, Daten und nochmals Daten
Wenn Sie planen, erstmals eine Ökobilanz zu erstellen, war vermutlich die folgende...
How Much is This Really Worth; How to Monetize Environmental Impacts
Managing to engage decision-makers at all levels of a company on sustainability matters is an all...
Material Flow Cost Accounting: Resource Efficiency Made Simple
Many organisations are coming under increasing pressure to minimise the environmental impact of...
Photovoltaking the future.
You might have noticed that the world is currently undergoing an energy transition – from fossil...
Wasting food: a brief guide.
With the human population on this little planet of ours expected to grow to over 9 billion in the...
Enhancing urban mobility: Anyone for bicycle freedom?
As discussed a couple of weeks ago in this blog (here), cycling has long been understood as a...
A taste of Velo-efficiency
I once read that a human being on a bicycle is the most efficient means by which any animal has...
The TTIP: Partnership or legal straitjacket?
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership(TTIP) currently under negotiation between the US...
Unburnable Carbon: Bill McKibben’s frightening math
An article by veteran American environmental campaigner Bill McKibben appearing in Rolling Stone a...
Open source for climate innovation
Nobody is likely to argue with the claim that innovation is at the root of human prosperity. So it...
Resource Efficiency III: The Quarry and the Factory
One of the more frustrating aspects of research is when the data will not conform to ones...
Resource efficiency II: Offshoring resource consumption
Last year the Economist magazine claimed that “While America and Europe are cutting their emissions...
Resource Efficiency: Measuring and Managing Metabolism
Last week’s offering from this blog flew under the banner of “The Circular Economy” – a concept so...
The Circular Economy: Another ‘Industrial Revolution’?
The big boys who meet at the annual World Economic Forum at Davos aren’t really into warm fuzzy...
The greening of construction (Part III): Buildings Ratings tools in international context
In the first article in this series a couple of weeks ago, I suggested that the trend towards...
The greening of construction (Part II): International development of EPDs
Unless you have been living under a rock, or on the wrong side of the digital divide in a slum, you...
The greening of construction (Part I): Overview
In recent years humankind reached a significant milestone when we became a predominantly urban...
From footprints to handprints: clutching at straws?
A couple of years ago TIME magazine rated Handprints among the “10 ideas that are changing your...
A New Development Paradigm?
‘Development’ might be a fuzzy concept, but it is essentially concerned with fostering conditions...
How fashionable is industrial ecology?
Once a year, selected master’s degree students from some of the world’s leading design schools –...
A Disruptive EU? : Environmental Technology Verification Comes to Europe
An innovation with a proven track record is hardly an innovation.
Product environmental footprinting: Harmonization or proliferation of standards?
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a means of determining the environmental impact of a product,...
How to dismantle the resource efficiency black box in chemical industries
“From Sustainability Reporting to Sustainability Management Control” is the title of the 17th...
26 Life-Cycle-Based Business Strategies that Matter
We’ve all heard of the sharing economy. We’re all aware of the need for double decoupling. We all...
Beyond Heavy Oil – 8 Future-Proof Cargo Vessel Technologies
Think global, buy local? The idea of limiting one’s personal consumption to national, regional or...
Chance or Catastrophe? Towards a Constructive Media Coverage of Climate Change
Instead of using the opportunity to promote a low-carbon society, media reports of global warming...
Making an LCA in 1 Hour – How to Get Going with Umberto
SimaPro and GaBi are the most commonly used software tools to conduct a professional life cycle...
The Cow, Black Sheep of Our Climate
Right after driving, flying, heating, and cooling, consuming meat and dairy products weighs the...
Sustainability Triangle? One Pillar Missing!
There is a significant growing concern in several arenas that the three-pillar model of...
Efficiency 2.0 – How to Reveal Hidden Savings Potential with Integrated Energy Management
Adjust all the details, but don’t forget the big picture. That’s the best conclusion you can draw...
From Data to Knowledge: The Power of Elegant Sankey Diagrams
Industry defines the structure of our economy, of our work environment, of our personal mobility,...
Top-Notch Sustainability Practitioner Gathering: Umberto User Workshop in Essen, Sept 11/12, 2013
When the only way to implement a satisfactory future in human development is holistic thinking...
Turning World War II History into a Renewable Present – 3 Striking Sustainable Adaptations from IBA Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany’s second-largest city, saw more than half its building stock destroyed during...
Long-Distance, Low-Impact? Inside Cargo Ship Travelling
As I sail through the English Channel and complete my last miles around the world on a reefer...
First LCA on 3D Printer Sustainability: Green Manufacturing Revolution or Overrated Gadget?
Rapid prototyping, also called 3D printing, is the name of a much praised technological innovation...
How to Get Maximum Greenhouse Gas Reductions in Emerging Economies, Part II: India, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea
Last week, I critically reviewed the term emerging economy and concluded that, given the lack of an...
How to Get Maximum Greenhouse Gas Reductions in Emerging Economies, Part I: Brazil and China
Over the course of the last two decades, most people have realized that in a rapidly changing...
5 Steps towards Maximum Resource Efficiency Part 2: Material Flow Modeling, MFCA and LCA Made Easy
Last week, I introduced you to the first three steps small and medium-sized companies need to take...
5 Steps towards Maximum Resource Efficiency: Material Flow Modeling Made Easy
When calculating and reducing business-related environmental effects, two different approaches are...
A Truly Green Building Sector? Sustainable Housing Challenges in Northern Europe
Throughout its lifespan, a building affects the environment in a multitude of ways. How our house...
5 Clear-Cut Economic Benefits of Sustainability Reporting
Business is not responsible for society. Business is society. Entrepreneur, manager, employee,...
How to Recycle Phosphorus, the Most Least-Known Scarce Resource
Picking up on “sustainable agriculture”, most people think of free range chicken. They imagine...
ISO 14051-Based Material Flow Cost Accounting in a Nutshell
The ISO 14000 series has proved to be handy for quite a while now. Companies and public...
Who’s Happier – The Proactive Lohas or the Spontaneous Hedonist?
The perception that pro-environmental behaviour has negative effects on well-being has made it...
The Truth About the Dragon: China’s Future is Inevitably Green
What if every person in India drove a car? What if all Chinese were to live in their own 3-bedroom...
Discovering All Environmental Effects: How Life Cycle Assessment with LCA Software Works
Environmental effects are extremely complex, that’s why they’re impossible to measure, so let’s not...
Cutting GHG Emissions of Industrial Parks by 35% through Corporate Collaboration
Buy local, drive less, switch to renewable energy – these are just a few of the omnipresent...
How to Invent the Right Institution to Cut Resource Conflicts
Can you resist the impetus coming from a 234 page report that has the promising title “Resource...
From Green to Blue to Gray to Black: The Chromatics of Water Footprints
Because water is the most vital element for life, many contemporary intellectuals expect it to be...
Kyoto’s CO2-Baseline Wrong by 7% – But Today’s GHG Inventories Aren’t All That Bad
Regardless of how China is perceived in the west, in the medium term, the world’s most ambitious...
When Oil Majors Embrace Material Flow Analysis, New Hope for a Sustainable 21st Century Arises
There are manifold approaches to close the apparent gap between a shrinking resource base on the...
337 Opinions on the Most Resource-Efficient Policy Instruments to Embed Ecodesign
Quite a few of the European Commission’s 23,000 civil servants devote themselves to the...
67 Quick-Payoff Measures to Reduce Urban Carbon Emissions
Transforming the energy supply from fossil to renewable sources is a goal that makes sense, but...
100% Renewables? How Germany’s Energy Transition Is Taking Shape
What happens when an entire country decides to phase out nuclear and fossil energy? When this...
Holistic Sustainability Measurement: The Composite 3-Pillar-Index
By the end of the 20th century, a deep conceptual gap had evolved between a destructive economy...
Green Jobs, 80% Renewables in 2020, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Brief season’s greetings from knowtheflow, with a thought that I was delighted to discover in the ...
10 Appropriate Indicators to Measure Green Growth in Industry
Green Growth, Sustainable Growth, Green Economy – All of these concepts require decoupling. A...
The Outweighed Efficiency Gain – 13 Rebound Effects in Detail
According to Tilman Santarius, one essential concept is missing in all the scenarios that lead...
19 Industry Reports – How Global Compact Promotes Efficiency
Energy costs are on the rise. Their increase is so steady that now even the United Nations has...
Do Universities Practice What They Preach? On Academic Sustainability
As I wrote in my articles on the future-proof Bachelor and verbiage-free Masters in sustainability,...
31 Innovations for Maximum Resource Efficiency in Manufacturing
The amount of manufacturing in Germany is vast. To guarantee survival in the global rotation of who...
4 Pressing Questions on the Ozone Hole Recovery
Two months ago, newspapers around the world happily reproduced a news headline from Reuters – the...
Burn or Bury? Analyzing Waste Management Options in Detail
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – the waste imperative is as clear as it can get. What’s less clear,...
5-Fold Increase in Efficiency – Not Delusional at All
Some of my recent articles have circled around an apparent antagonism between different schools of...
“A Balanced Mix of Technologies and Strategies” – The Sustainable Path is a Multi-Lane Highway
When it comes to discussing ways to limit human influence on global warming, the most popular...
Why Environmental Regulation Is Not Scaring Off Industry – On Declining Evidence for Pollution Haven Theory
Some say strict environmental regulations in individual countries are useless, especially from a...
Europe’s 10 Most Verbiage-Free Master Programs in Sustainability
Almost all interdisciplinary study programs introduced to the teaching universe in the past 5 years...
Better, Different, Less – Green Economy Revisited
“Post Growth Economy or Resource Efficiency Revolution – How Should We Face the Limits of Our...
Green Ocean Hunters? The Environmental Effects of Fishing and Aquaculture, Part 2
Last week, in part one of this article, we ended with the tragedy of the commons and the question...
Green Ocean Hunters? The Environmental Effects of Fishing and Aquaculture
Shrimp farms destroy sensitive mangrove forest ecosystems, salmon escape from designated...
Carbon Neutral Online Shopping – How Green are Mail Order Companies?
In the last 150 years, three major trends have changed the way humanity consumes. First,...
LCA, CF, MFCA? What to Expect From Umberto User Workshop Hamburg, Sept 17/18
Sustainability and efficiency: a couple of terms that couldn’t be more misused and greenwashed. A...
Why and How the Manufacturing Industry Should Go 100% Renewable Now
Renewable energy has a positive connotation in society and business, that’s for sure. The Fukushima...
What’s the Greenest 1 L Packaging? Two Powerful LCAs Give the Answer
It was a month ago when I heard the surprising news that milk packaged in cartons has the best...
6 Options to Maintain Current Lifestyles with Far Less Raw Materials: “With Both Eyes Open”
There is this old, ever repeating view of humanity as a counter-productive force when it comes to...
Carbon Neutral World Cup? Green Stadiums? Really?
Fancy pictures of green stadiums have been fast to hit the media since FIFA’s decision to give the...
Integrated Reporting: How Business Can Transform Society through Serious Sustainability Communication
It goes without saying that providing investors and shareholders with financial performance data is...
To Recycle or Not to Recycle – PVC Cable Waste is the Question
Recycling – it’s the magic word when the ill-informed think “environmental friendliness”....
Only 16.7% of Global Energy Consumption Is Renewable – Ways for Industry to Increase This Share
You know studies. You know reports. You know data collections. But you don’t know Ren21? You...
Program Highlights at ACHEMA 2012: What Not to Miss at the Green Processes Industry Conference
Green chemistry is a relatively young science in its own respect. Interest in this subject,...
More Than Ecosystem Dynamics – Understanding the Different Concepts of Resilience
There are these technical terms – complicated words with Latin origins – that experts have used for...
The 8 Most Specific LinkedIn Groups for Industrial Ecology
The social media marketing hype seems to be declining, whereas a seemingly infinite flood of mobile...
A Challenging Task: Promoting Energy Efficiency in Tajikistan
knowtheflow: Marjolaine, you work for the French organization GERES, which deals with promoting...
The Five Most Important Changes for Global Sustainability: Living Planet Report 2012
We live above our limits, the planet does not provide sufficient resources for our consumerist...
7 Measures for Efficient Climate Control on the Factory Floor
How, exactly, can a medium-sized industrial company save on energy without negatively affecting...
To Harvest Green Business, Feed Eco Incentives to the Decision Makers
Incentive-based pay isn’t new; it’s been around for centuries. Ship captains transporting...
Environmentally Harmful Subsidies: Behind the Scenes of a $400 Billion Waste
Ever since the 1980s, during the early years of the environmental movement, there has been a call...
From a cup of coffee to a bowl made of coffee
Currently we are at the Hannover Messe, the world’s largest industrial trade show. We have a booth...
Last Chance for a Powerful Shift – On Quarrels About the EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive
In July 2011, knowtheflow covered the possible failure to reach the EU’s energy efficiency target....
9 Months of Certified Energy Management: ISO 50001 Starts Out
In July 2011, the promising ISO 50001 energy management standard was launched. This certificate...
The OECD Turns Green – Why Saving the Planet Pays Off
Continued degradation and erosion of natural environmental capital is expected to 2050, with the...
Avoiding the Relocation of Emissions – How to Face Carbon Leakage
In the course of the last 20 years, some of the more developed countries achieved a remarkable...
Why SMEs Should Foster, Not Fear the Corporate Carbon Footprint
Most firms are occupied with selling products and meeting payroll and feel they don’t have time or...
“Everybody Should do Their Share” – The Long Road to Sustainability in Turkey
knowtheflow: Prof. Dr. Inci Gökmen, you offer a course named “Sustainable Living and Green...
Post Growth Economy or Resource Efficiency Revolution – How Should We Face the Limits of Our Planet?
Economic growth is a means of producing wealth. No doubt about that. However, there are two central...
What is an Environmental Product Declaration? And What is it Good For?
When talking about product labels that deal with the environment, it is often argued that there is...
What is Carbon Footprinting and Why Does it Facilitate Effective Energy Management?
Costs to the environment, generated throughout your company’s production process, can be assessed...
The Path to a Green Economy – Lessons From Germany
What green economy deals with is the idea of running our businesses in a sustainable way. All of...
What Conclusions Can We Draw From Tesco Dropping its Carbon Footprint Labeling?
A week ago, the Guardian published the news that the Tesco grocery store chain dropped its plan to...
Four Fit-For-Future Bachelor Programs in Europe
Remember the time when you struggled to find the right program of study? Or have you just finished...
Why the Carbon Tax Makes Sense and How to Gain a Competitive Edge From it
Instead of hoping that your lobbyist negotiates another carbon tax exemption for your industry, you...
Stayin’ Alive: Survival Strategies for 2012
If you read these lines, it is more than likely you are still alive. And if you read these lines,...
Brief theoretical guide to Sustainable Production
The Brundtland Report systematically defined the various factors related to society’s new paradigm...
Getting it Straight: Exact Carbon Emissions From One Bottle of Wine
I bet you know how much carbon dioxide your car emits per kilometer. Maybe you are also well...
Celebrate a Carbon Neutral Christmas!
Anyone not noticed it? Yes, of course, it is December – another annual epidemic of Christmas...
ecoinvent – The Swiss Army Knife of LCA Background Databases
Background databases can be very convenient when you assess all of the impacts a product or a...
Terminating the End-of-Pipe Era by Simple Means of Process Optimization
In the course of the last three decades, more and more voices have called for cleaner industry....
Material Flow Based Process Systems Engineering
I have been waiting for this for far too long, but finally it has been written and it deserves your...
Encouraging Ecological Forest Management
The inventor of sustainability, says the legend, was Hans Carl von Carlowitz, a mining...
Exploring the Environmental Effects of Electric Cars
Can you imagine the weight of 1.8 billion tonnes? I can’t. I can only try to put this number in...
3 Precise Perspectives on Corporate Carbon Footprints
As business consultant in the field of sustainability, I would like to share with you three...
Food Footprints: Subjective Consumer Perception vs. Profound LCA Data
Today is World Vegan Day. Vegans are people ethically very consequent. Even more consequent than...
Ecology’s Step Child – We Need Water Footprints!
Assessing environmental effects of human activity is something we become more and more familiar...
Refining Material Flow Analysis: The Arising of Input-Output Economics
We can be proud of the great wealth of reliable, good quality data that are being produced every...
Getting started … success factors for collaboration between Universities and Corporations on sustainability projects
A typical situation: Let’s say his name is Michael, working for a medium sized production company,...
Carbon Neutral Cities (2) – 3 Ways to Assess a City’s Emissions
Two weeks ago, in part one of this article, we got an idea of the measures that are being taken to...
Productivity, Efficiency and Quality
Productivity is probably the main keyword in growth theory. Expressed as a mathematical function it...
4 Alternatives to Waste Disposal – Increasing Your SMB’s Resource Efficiency
It is no secret, that the Earth’s resource base is on a declining track. In the 1970s, the Club of...
Effectively Managing Greenhouse Gases – Worldwide
Do companies have a conscience to fight global warming and manage their greenhouse gas emissions?...
Carbon Neutral Cities – Where? When? How?
The city of Seattle recently announced a new goal for 2050: Achieving complete carbon neutrality....
Celebrations, come on, let’s celebrate and have a good time. And don’t think about tomorrow…?
Do you know what day today is? Yes, it is google’s 13th birthday. But this is not what I want to...
“Just One Indicator, Please”: PUMA’s Environmental Profit and Loss Statement
Recently, the sports brand PUMA released a preliminary version of their “unprecedented” ...
What’s What: Understanding the ISO 14000 Family Of Standards
Back in the year 1987, the International Organization for Standardization introduced a number of...
Kuznets and Kondratieff or Tunneling through the Curve
At the LCM in Berlin I was impressed by the speech of Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker. Within his...
Social Media Users Willing to Pay More when Company is Responsible
Social media users are more ethically and environmentally aware, in relation to their pattern of...
Transparency and Saving Potentials
When I read about “transparency” in the context of sustainability or sustainability management the...
Life Cycle Management 2011 – Personal Field Report
Last week I was at the LCM 2011 in Berlin – the biggest conference of its kind, with nearly 600...
Biomass Lagging Behind Prospering Wind and Solar Markets
The newest Country Attractiveness Index for Renewable Energy, conducted by Ernst & Young, rates...
Energy Efficiency, Policy Problem Child No.1
20% reduction of greenhouse gases until 2020 – We’re on the right track. 20% renewable energy –...
Waste Prevention vs. Recycling – Analyzing Material Flow Accounts
Why should we even bother about recycling, when we could prevent waste in the first place? Well,...
Information and Interaction – Social Media in an “analogue way”: LCM and Umberto User Workshop in Berlin
Two important events upcoming this week: From Sunday 28th August on, the Life Cycle Management...
Key Elements for your Sustainable Social Media Strategy
From a corporate perspective, the relevance of Social Media within a Sustainability Strategy has...