Many retailers now only offer paper or canvas carrier bags. Plastic bags cost money or are abolished immediately. Yet the practical disadvantages of the paper bag are hard to overlook. Their load-bearing capacity is comparatively low - they tear easily when loaded with a few bottles or cans. Placed on the wet road, the ground softens in a short time. It is difficult to fold for a jacket pocket because of its thickness and lack of pliability. Many people would put up with all this if the paper bag were good for the environment.
Which material is better now?
However, this is by no means the case. On the contrary, paper production requires a great deal of material and energy. During production, shredded wood is converted into pulp in cooking liquor. The material is then treated with water and bleaching agents in several steps, dried, pressed and, depending on the type of paper, further refined. According to the Federal Environment Agency, one ton of paper requires the same amount of energy to produce as one ton of steel.
The Swiss Materials Testing Institute EMPA in St. Gallen determined the environmental impact of the various types of carrier bags. In the life cycle assessment, the paper bag came out second worst. A typical plastic bag made of at least 80 % of recycled material was used for comparison. As a result, a paper bag would have to be used 7.4 times as often as a plastic bag to compensate for its higher resource consumption. Whether it will last that long seems doubtful. Only the cotton bag fared worse in the study published in 2014. It would have to be used 82.4 times as often as a plastic bag to recoup its high production costs.
The comparison shows: In the case of the paper bag, the image is better than the reality. The practical disadvantages for consumers are not offset by any benefit for the environment.
Last year, in addition to the 9400 tons of PET bottles, Migros also collected 2800 tons of milk and other plastic bottles and sent them for recycling. This is a new record. Since the company introduced the expanded plastic bottle collection nationwide in 2013, the total amount of plastic bottles returned by customers has increased by 150 percent. And even in 2016, the increase over the previous year was still 350 tons (+14 percent).
For Heidi Oswald, Project Manager Environment, the steady increase is a sign that separate plastic bottle collection is becoming established: "With the introduction of plastic bottle collection, we redesigned the recycling walls of all branches in a new and uniform way so that it is clear at first glance which bottles go where when they are returned. In addition, we have raised awareness of the expanded plastic bottle collection among our customers directly at the collection points and through our communication channels. These measures have been well received."
The topic of plastics recycling is the subject of controversial debate among experts and in cities and municipalities: How much collection and recycling makes ecological and economic sense? Should every plastic film and every plastic tray, such as meat packaging or yogurt pots, really be collected together with plastic bottles? The "KuRVe" study published in July by the Institute of Environmental and Process Engineering UMTEC at the University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil (HSR) and Carbotech AG examined the environmental benefits and costs of collection and recycling systems for plastics from households in Switzerland. The study was commissioned by eight cantons, various associations and the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).
The study shows that the mixed collection of plastic waste has only a relatively small ecological benefit, but at the same time incurs high costs, namely around 750 francs per ton. According to the study, the costs of disposal in the refuse sack are significantly lower at around 250 francs per ton. The additional environmental benefit achieved is also very low because not everything that is collected in mixed waste can be recycled. There is the difficulty of separating the numerous different types of plastic cleanly from one another. A considerable proportion ends up in incineration, and the promise of comprehensive recycling is usually not fulfilled by mixed collections.
Mixed collection solutions for plastics, which are offered in some municipalities or by private companies, also have a negative impact on the quality of the existing separate collections and thus reduce their ecological benefit: In view of these mixed collections, consumers sometimes no longer understand what can be disposed of where, and therefore also throw other plastic packaging into the pure separate collections of the retail trade.
Using the example of separate PET beverage bottle collection, this means: One percent more foreign matter leads to 300,000 Swiss francs in additional annual costs for the collection system. In summary, it makes more economic and ecological sense to only collect plastic bottles that can be recycled back into new products due to the uniform type of plastic. The aim is therefore to be able to feed as much high-quality recyclate as possible back into industrial production.
Migros is currently investing in a high-quality form of recycling - in closing the material cycle. For example, it is developing solutions for using recycled polyethylene (PE) from its separate plastic bottle collection in its own industrial operations. At Mifa, Switzerland's largest detergent and cleaning agent manufacturer, tests are currently underway to use recycled polyethylene in cleaning agent bottles. One challenge, for example, is the odor of the recycled material. It is difficult to remove the strong odors of lactic acid in milk bottles and perfume in detergent and cleaning agent bottles so that the material can be used again in odor-neutral form for packaging.
(Andreas Renggli is a communications consultant and editor at polarstern.ch)
Brief report of the "KuRVe" study at carbotech.ch and for the Migros Recycling Guide:
Companies are eagerly awaiting the repeatedly postponed appearance of ISO 45001. This new standard is intended to make it possible to re-describe occupational safety management systems that were previously certified in accordance with OHSAS 18001 or followed an EKAS industry solution, and to harmonize them with other management systems (ISO 9001, ISO 14001). The detailed structure of the requirements of the standards is known and in Figure 1 pictured on the right.
But what do standard requirements such as "6.1.2 Identification of hazards and assessment of risks" or "8.1.2 Eliminate hazards; reduce A&GS risks" or "7.4.2 Internal communication" mean? The answer to this question is - depending on the situation - "product sheet", "safety data sheet", "operating or work instructions". These documents, which tend to go unnoticed but are important for the implementation of the management system, provide employees with information on the correct procedure to follow when carrying out dangerous work or handling dangerous goods.
Hazardous work is that which is specified in EKAS Guideline 6508 under Annex I "special hazards". Among them we find a whole series such as construction site work, construction cleaning, assembly work, "work with substances hazardous to health", etc.
The question arises in such work as to how the duty to provide information as an employer is to be implemented, for example at a machine such as a punch or when decanting acids? Is it sufficient to simply provide employees with the operating instructions or the safety data sheet?
If the standard requirement "6.1.3 Determination of legal regulations" is met and the duty to provide information is pursued further, then the EKAS guideline 6512 "Work equipment" comes into contact. This guideline regulates how protection goals for employees are achieved and when instruction or training is required. These are based on the Ordinance on the Prevention of Accidents and Occupational Diseases (VUV) and Ordinance 3 to the Labor Act. There, it is required that the employer ensures that all employees working in his company, including employees from other companies working there, are informed about the hazards that occur during their activities and are instructed about the measures to prevent them.
When implementing these requirements, uncertainty and interpretation begin there - what does "sufficient" mean and what is "appropriate"? Here the legislator gives free room for maneuver and personal responsibility to act according to the state of the art, appropriate to the circumstances and necessary according to experience. So it's a matter of finding out and asking around how the requirements are currently being implemented and ultimately dealing with the following questions:
Whether foundries, construction companies or hospitals, you increasingly see an information sheet in the form of an A4 page, also called operating instructions, in the factories, which gives advice on how to behave in the hazardous area.
An operating instruction for the operation of a machine makes sense; but what about a hazardous substance? Our German neighbor defines this type of instruction quite clearly in TRGS 555 "Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances". Whereby in the conversation about these instructions for chemicals, the word hazardous substance instruction or the so-called compressed safety data sheet tends to come up.
However, drawing up these instructions requires safety-specific expertise. The German regulation "Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances" (TRGS 555) provides good guidance for the content and structure.
It breaks down the instruction into six areas:
The contents for these six points can be taken from the operating instructions according to the Machinery Directive or the EC safety data sheet for hazardous substances.
The important thing here is to supplement this with information specific to the company and the workplace. And this is the main sticking point when there is no experience or uncertainty. But this can be countered with a suitable hazard identification. When creating a hazardous substance instruction, care should be taken to work with symbols and graphics in order to facilitate faster comprehension and to provide good information to employees speaking foreign languages. An example of an operating instruction is given in Figure 3 pictured.
For a chemical, find the appropriate phrases from the MSDS. A suitable suggestion is given in Figure 2 presented. When inserting the sentences, it is important that they are clear, short and concise and in the language used by the employees. Sentences that do not apply can also be omitted, such as: "P102 Must not get into the hands of children.", as there are usually no children in a company.
In the case of instructions for machines, it is important that the person preparing the instructions discusses the work process with the employees and describes the most important work steps and the potential hazards in the instructions. Subsequently, the necessary protective measures and rules of conduct are defined.
If the instructions are drawn up together with the persons concerned, acceptance increases in the majority of cases and hidden weak points are often identified; in addition, employees are made aware of dangerous habitual activities and new persons in the company can be instructed quickly. When drawing up such instructions, it is important to find the right balance and it may be sufficient to list only the most important instructions.
Once the instructions have been created, the question is often asked, "Do I need to post the documents on site in printed form, or is it enough to save them digitally?" Legislation requires that documents must be accessible to personnel at all times. Provided this is implemented by a technical device, such as a computer, there is therefore no problem. However, it should be clarified whether the documents would also have to be available in the event of a power failure, which speaks in favor of a print version.
The safety-related content of instructions for hazardous work is determined by the requirements of the regulations and important instructions provided by the manufacturer. The instructions must contain all information necessary for the safe operation of machines, systems, equipment or for the safe handling of hazardous substances. In this way, the requirements of A&GS management, which often seem somewhat theoretical, are brought to life.
Instruction - Instruction: What is an operating instruction?
According to TRGS 555 Art. 3.1: In contrast to an operating manual, an operating instruction is a document which is intended exclusively to point out hazards and to indicate protective measures. Operating instructions are workplace and activity-related, binding written instructions and rules of conduct issued by the employer to employees for the protection against accident and health hazards as well as fire and explosion hazards and for the protection of the environment during activities involving hazardous substances.
If CO2 emissions continue to rise as forecast, the populations of 18 countries will lose more than five percent of their dietary protein by 2050. This is the conclusion of a study by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have come. This is due to a decline in the nutritional value of rice, wheat and other staple foods. Researchers estimate that an additional 150 million people will be at risk of protein deficiency due to increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere. According to research director Samuel Myers, this study underscores the need for countries at highest risk to actively monitor food quality. Above all, he said, it is necessary to reduce man-made CO2 emissions.
Globally, 76 percent of people get most of their daily protein from plants. To estimate the existing and future risk of protein deficiency, the researchers combined data from experiments in which crops were exposed to high concentrations of CO2 with global nutrition information from the United Nations and data on income inequality and demographics. At elevated CO2 concentrations, the protein content of rice, wheat, barley and potatoes dropped by 7.6 and 7.8, and 14.1 and 6.4 percent, respectively.
Africa and Asia particularly affected
The research findings point to continuing challenges for sub-Saharan Africa. Millions of people there already suffer from protein deficiency. Major problems are expected for South Asia. This includes India, where rice and wheat provide much of the daily protein. India could lose 5.3 percent of the protein in a standard diet. This would put 53 million people at new risk of protein deficiency. The research findings were published in Environmental Health Perspectives published.
Iron deficiency is also on the rise
Myers is co-author of another study. It found that CO2-induced reductions in iron content in staple foods are also likely to exacerbate the world's existing iron deficiency problem. At highest risk globally are 354 million children under five and 1.06 billion women of childbearing age. South Asia and North Africa are particularly affected. In these regions, anemia is already widespread. More than 3.8 percent of dietary iron is expected to be lost due to these CO2 impacts. Myers also co-authored a study back in 2015 that indicated increased CO2 emissions will likely lead to zinc deficiency in about 200 million people.
Source: Press release
The statement was prepared under the auspices of the Swiss Commission for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ACP of the Academy of Sciences.
In particular, the Academies welcome the new provisions on smaller wood-burning appliances (up to 70 kW). These contribute very much to the Swiss particulate matter emissions, especially in winter. The Academies therefore consider the proposed measures to be a necessary minimum.
Similarly, the Academies consider the introduction of the annual limit value for small particulate matter (PM2.5) to be important. The annual average target values for PM2.5 and PM10 proposed by the WHO are based on an international scientific consensus. Limits of PM2.5 are based on epidemiological studies that show clear adverse health effects. Particulate matter is distributed throughout the respiratory tract and the smallest penetrate deep into the lungs. They cause not only local inflammatory reactions, but have systemic consequences, resulting in damage to many organs and especially the cardiovascular system. The lower the exposures, the less the population is affected by these health damages. Moreover, it is known that exposure to PM2.5 can be significantly reduced by regional and national long-term measures.
To the complete Opinion
The multilateral convention CITES protects animals and plants against overexploitation through international trade. Current challenges were discussed at a ten-day meeting in Geneva. The meetings of the Animals Committee were chaired for the first time by Mathias Lörtscher from Switzerland.
According to Lörtscher, the main topic in the animal committee was the more efficient sustainability review, as well as the implementation of a new process with which loopholes in the trade are to be closed. Specifically, the aim is to prevent wild-caught animals from being exported disguised as farmed animals.
If the proportion of breeding animals suddenly increases sharply, if a large number of breeding animals are exported over a certain period of time, or if there is a switch from declared wild catches to breeding animals, the countries must expect questions. "With this new procedure, we can pick out countries that have conspicuous numbers as far as the export of certain animal species is concerned," said Lörtscher, who heads the Species Protection and Third Country Imports Division at the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO). Thus, 22 country/species combinations have been selected for which proof must now be provided to the Animal Committee that the designated number of breeding animals can effectively be produced in the country in question.
According to Lörtscher, protection, knowledge and sustainability should also be deepened for sharks and the various eel species worldwide. For sharks, countries were asked to implement their national action plans. For eel species, the status of populations, the influence of international trade on these species and the contribution that CITES can make to their protection are to be analyzed.
Timber trade
The Plant Committee was mainly concerned with the trade in woods. Here the focus was on the one hand on the sustainability review and on the other hand on the implementation of the decisions of the last Conference of the Parties. The enforcement of the import controls of the newly included rosewoods offers great difficulties for many countries and solutions for these problems were sought. In addition, the topic of trade in orchid extracts, which are used in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, was discussed in depth under the leadership of Switzerland. The FSVO was represented by Ursula Moser, who also represents the European region in the Plant Committee.
CITES
The multilateral convention CITES protects animals and plants against overexploitation through international trade. Endangered species should only be traded to the extent that their natural populations allow. A sustainable, regulated trade is often a more efficient protection than an absolute trade ban. The FSVO is the enforcement authority for CITES in Switzerland.
At the national eWaste Forum in Zurich, Patrick Dümmler and Fabian Schnell from Avenir Suisse presented their analysis on the "Economics of Waste Management and Recycling", which focuses on Switzerland. They examine the question of how recycling systems, in particular separate collections of special materials and appliances, should be designed as optimally as possible. One focus is on the take-back systems for electrical and electronic equipment that have been established in Switzerland for many years. However, environmental policy requirements and the economic incentive systems play the central role in all systems.
Central role of consumers
The more damage caused by improper disposal, the lower the inhibition thresholds must be for consumers to dispose of waste correctly. The effort for the consumer is reduced by the uncomplicated return of used materials to as many collection points as possible with customer-friendly opening hours. On the other hand, however, there are the costs of operating the system. Operating costs should be as low as possible, which is best ensured through competition, for example by allowing private players to compete for a contract through a tender process - but this is still rarely the case today. From the consumer's point of view, therefore, an optimal balance must be found between incentives, transaction costs and operating costs of the system.
However, Avenir Suisse believes it is just as important that consumers should also be held responsible - and that consumer sovereignty should be preserved. According to Dümmel and Schnell, the right incentives must be set before regulatory bans or prohibitions are applied. The proportionality of any sanctions (such as fines) must also be maintained.
Voluntary systems as efficient hubs for recycling
The conclusion of the study was that waste disposal and recycling should be entrusted to private players, and that state-owned companies or even organizations integrated into the administration should be avoided. In Switzerland today, there is obviously no market failure that justifies the state intervening with its own companies.
Avenir Suisse also has recommendations for free riders, i.e. companies that do not participate in a voluntary industry solution: It should be possible to exclude them as far as possible; however, this should not necessarily be at the price of a forced connection to a system. This would create a monopoly, the economic benefit of which is highly questionable.
The systems should also be very close to the manufacturers and importers of the products for another reason. This is the only way to guarantee that technological trends and changes in consumer buying behavior are recognized and responded to as quickly as possible.
It is also important that the systems are free to conclude contracts with third parties for the receipt of the old equipment and for recycling or destruction. This includes, in particular, the possibility of freely setting prices for the services provided by third parties.
Overall, he said, Switzerland is a global leader in the disposal of end-of-life appliances thanks to lean regulation based on systems with an upfront recycling fee, which should not be jeopardized by government intervention.
Urban areas are most affected by heat waves because these regions exhibit an effect known as urban heat island (UHI), which is characterized by higher air temperatures compared to rural environments. Reasons for urban heat islands are dark surfaces, e.g. of roofs and streets, which lead to a higher absorption of solar energy, a lack of evaporative cooling by vegetation, little open space and thus a lack of ventilation and night cooling.
Urban heat islands are known from more than 400 cities around the world, with "excess" temperatures of up to seven degrees, especially at night. Heat waves not only contribute to general malaise and sleepless nights, but can also cause serious illness, exhaustion, heat stroke and even heat-related deaths due to their effects on the human cardiovascular system and respiratory system.
800-1000 additional deaths due to heat
Switzerland experienced pronounced heat waves in 2003 and 2015 - the years with the two hottest summers in more than 150 years. According to a 2016 study by researchers at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basel, these summers were estimated to have increased mortality by 6.9 % and 5.9 %, with 960 and 804 additional deaths, respectively. Overall, approximately 70,000 additional deaths were reported across Europe in the summer of 2003.
Heat waves can be simulated using weather prediction models, but their impact on cities is still not fully understood. That's why Jan Carmeliet, a professor of building physics at ETH Zurich, and Dominik Brunner, an atmospheric scientist at Empa, combined the forecast models with the effects of buildings and roads to better predict local air temperatures in cities. The resulting "heat map" of Zurich shows heat island details with a resolution of up to 250 meters:
UHI effects are most pronounced at night because of the storage of heat by building materials during the day and its release during the night. Gianluca Mussetti, a PhD student at ETH Zurich and Empa, investigated the characteristics of the recent heat wave in Zurich from June 20-24, 2017. During the night of June 21-22, he observed a UHI intensity of nearly six degrees - 1.5 degrees above the UHI intensity of the 2015 heat wave. In addition, Mussetti noted temperature differences between the coolest and warmest locations within the urban heat island of up to three degrees on those days. It is well known that heat waves manifest themselves mainly in local "hotspots" of the respective cities. In Zurich, particularly high nighttime temperatures are seen in the densely built-up city center, with relatively cooler temperatures for areas near the lake, along the Limmat River and on the slopes of the Züriberg, where cool air flows down from higher elevations during the night. In particular, the researchers observed a relationship between urban ventilation and air temperatures: A lack of inner-city air circulation leads to less heat dissipation - and thus to a higher UHI intensity.
Wanted: strategies to alleviate urban heat islands.
With an imminent increase in heat waves in the future, urban dwellers all over the world are at serious risk in terms of their well-being and health. Therefore, studying urban heat islands and developing strategies to mitigate them is becoming increasingly important for many affected countries and cities. However, to be effective, measures to address climate change and strategies to mitigate the UHI effect must be implemented and applied over a longer period of time.
Through future studies, researchers at ETH Zurich and Empa want to gain an even better understanding of the causes of urban heat islands and local hotspots in cities. They also want to develop countermeasures, such as increased use of urban water during heat waves, temporary cooling measures such as intelligent shading or cooling systems under streets and sidewalks.
Homeowners who better insulate the roofs, facades, floors and windows of their buildings are helping to reduce climate-damaging CO2 emissions and energy consumption in Switzerland. In 2016, the Buildings Program, a federal funding program, provided around 93 million Swiss francs in support of such energy-saving renovations to the building envelope (Part A). Around 3.3 million square meters of building envelope area were insulated in the process. Over their lifetime, the subsidized measures reduce CO2 emissions in Switzerland by around 1.5 million tons. They also reduce energy consumption by around 7,200 gigawatt hours.
In parallel, as part of the Buildings Program, the cantons last year provided around 68 million Swiss francs in funding for further measures to optimize the energy efficiency of buildings, including the use of renewable energies, the use of waste heat, the optimization of building technology, and new buildings and renovations to the Minergie standard (Part B). In this way, around 1.35 million tons of CO2 can be avoided in the Swiss building stock in the coming decades and a further 7,200 gigawatt hours of energy can be saved.
Details on the results and impacts of the Buildings Program can be found in the new 2016 Annual Report at the following link:
Annual Report 2016
Promoting energy-efficient renovations
The Buildings Program promotes energy-related renovation measures for buildings. These are responsible for around one third of CO2 emissions and 40 percent of energy consumption in Switzerland. Around 1.5 million houses are either not insulated or hardly insulated at all and are therefore in urgent need of energy renovation. In addition, three quarters of Swiss buildings are still heated by fossil fuels or directly by electricity. With the Building Program, which has been in place since 2010, the federal government and the cantons aim to significantly reduce the energy consumption of the Swiss building stock and CO2 emissions. The Buildings Program is thus an important pillar of Swiss climate and energy policy.
The building program is financed by the CO2 tax and by subsidies from the cantons. Until the end of 2016, the program consisted of a uniform Swiss Part A with measures for the renovation of the building envelope, as well as a Part B with cantonally different additional programs for the promotion of renewable energies, the use of waste heat and the optimization of building technology.
Since January 1, 2017, the cantons have been responsible for both Part A and Part B and, on the basis of the Harmonized Funding Model of the Cantons (HFM 2015), individually determine which measures they fund and under what conditions. This allows them to tailor their support offerings even more specifically to their circumstances.
By approving the revised Energy Act on May 21, 2017, voters laid the foundation for The Buildings Program to continue beyond 2019 and to continue to receive one-third of the revenue from the CO2 levy, but now up to CHF 450 million instead of CHF 300 million.
Text: The Building Program/BFE
The vacation season is a highlight of the year, with Swiss people moving away from home, to destinations near and far. Around the summer vacations, however, many travelers also ask themselves questions about their personal carbon footprint, and how this is influenced by the particular vacation scenario.
The climate protection foundation MyClimate compares the carbon footprint of a trip from Zurich to Nice for a family of four by car, train and plane. While the flight causes almost seven times the CO2 emissions than the train, the latter is almost 1.5 times more expensive and the journey takes twice as long. Car and coach are in between - with the cost of car travel being the cheapest.
With the CO2 calculator from MyClimate, the emissions footprint of travel, but also many other everyday scenarios such as cooking, heating, working or even celebrating can be calculated - and offset in a carbon offset project.
