Biotechnology for development of sustainable clean technology - Strategies:

Biotechnology for development of sustainable clean technology - Strategies:

Many developed countries started using biotechnology as a means of achieving clean or cleaner industrial products and processes. It compares biotechnological processes with competing means of securing similar goals.

Meaning of Clean technology - All stages of the life cycle of a product or process may adversely affect the environment by using up limited resources of materials and energy or by creating waste. Any substitution or change that reduces consumption of materials and energy and production of waste – including, for example, recycling of materials and energy – may be regarded as more environmentally friendly or ‘‘clean’’. Clean technology may also be equated with reduced risk.

Life Cycle Assessment is one way of comparing the relative cleanliness of a product or process.

Cleaner processes and products mean processes and products that consume less energy and material resources, generate less pollution or waste, or use renewable resources rather than petroleum or coal-based feedstock as feed. There are many reasons why an operator would switch to a cleaner process or product. Some of the more important factors most often mentioned are:

(a) Availability of raw materials;

(b) Cost factors;

(c) Market demands;

(d) Safety and health considerations;

(e) Environmental considerations;

(f) Product liability;

(g) Public image.

Thus, it is the duty of developed countries to appreciate the potential role of biotechnology in clean industrial processes and sets the stage for viewing clean processes in the context of industrial sustainability. The extents to which biotechnological thinking and practices are being introduced into industrial sectors, which have serious environmental impacts, are to be enhanced. The economic competitiveness of biotechnology for clean products and processes in these sectors are the major concerns, which Government / authorities required to be take a note and policy implementation should be in tune with sustainable development.

Scientific and technological innovations across the range of biotechnologies and the opportunities for their adoption, as well as R&D priorities are to be spelt out.

The following few points are to be kept in mind while framing strategies for promotion of biotechnology for development of clean technology, in the context of industrial sustainability:

(a) Global environmental concerns will drive increased emphasis on clean industrial products and processes.

(b) Biotechnology is a powerful enabling technology for achieving clean industrial products and processes that can provide a basis for industrial sustainability.

(c) Measuring the cleanliness of an industrial product or process is essential but complex; Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the best current tool for making this determination.

(d) The main drivers for industrial biotechnological processes are economic (market forces), government policy, and science and technology.

(e) Achieving greater penetration of biotechnology for clean environmental purposes will require joint R&D efforts by government and industry.

(f) For biotechnology to reach its full potential as a basis for clean industrial products and processes, beyond its current applications, additional R&D efforts will be needed.

(g) Because biotechnology, including recombinant DNA technology and its applications, has become increasingly important as a tool for creating value-added products and for developing biocatalysts, there is a strong need for harmonised and responsive regulations and guidelines.

(h) Market forces can provide very powerful incentives for achieving environmental cleanliness objectives.

(i) Government policies to enhance cleanliness of industrial products and processes can be the single most decisive factor in the development and industrial use of clean biotechnological processes.

(j) Communication and education will be necessary to gain penetration of biotechnology for clean products and processes into various industrial sectors.

Energy security and reduction of greenhouse gases for cleaner environment – Most challenging issues of present day:

Energy security and reduction of greenhouse gases for cleaner environment – Most challenging issues of present day:

It has become essential to every nation to access to cheap energy for their smooth functioning and upliftment of their economies. However, the uneven distribution of energy supplies among all the nations and the critical need for energy has led to significant vulnerabilities. Global energy security has become synonym to political stability and good administration.

Political instability of several energy producing countries, the manipulation of energy supplies, the competition over energy sources, attacks on supply infrastructure and accidents and natural disasters are the threat to energy security of any nation. It is also the limited supplies of the most common forms of primary energy, i.e. Oil and Gas that changes perceptions on this topic.

Although plenty of coal, up to about more than 200 years worth, is readily available, almost all over the world, coal is not the fossil fuel of choice for many more advanced countries because of its highly polluting nature. The potential need to change our perception on primary energy sources in the foreseeable future and implementation of new technology, are the solution of the energy security question. Improper planning and ineffective strategies at macro level may lead to higher energy prices, more limited access to sources of energy, competitions and political troubles, which in turn make the threat even larger, as energy plays an important role in the national security of any given country.

One of the leading threats to energy security is the significant increase in energy prices all over the world. Long term measures to increase energy security lies on reducing dependence on any one source of imported energy, increasing the number of sources of energy and suppliers. Greater investment in native renewable energy technologies and energy conservation are envisaged in many of the developed nations. Certainly, every nation’s ultimate goal is to power their entire country with renewable green energy such as solar, wind, and other renewable sources. However, our current technology is not to the point where this would be affordable. Solar and wind do not currently have the energy density to supply us with all the power we need.

Therefore, under the above scenario, on broader sense, two technologies may be very useful and relevant, they are:

(i) Nuclear power, and

(ii) Green-coal power (Clean coal technology).

Nations of developed and emerging economies should think of energy mix of above two technologies in a big way to achieve fair amount of energy security. The raw materials for the above energy mix are present, almost, world over. The cost of power generated by above two technologies and energy mix is also reasonable and within reach of the general population and industries. After all, nuclear power is our one of the best option for clean energy today. In the above energy mix, Hydro-power may also be included, wherever available.

With the huge advances in technology in recent years, any shortcomings we face for the above two mix of energy, can be sorted out easily. Further, dependence on agricultural based biofuel can also be reduced, enhancing chances of availability of more food, thereby reducing poverty.

Sustainable packaging and packaging waste reduction – means to promote cleaner environment:

Sustainable packaging and packaging waste reduction – means to promote cleaner environment:

Packaging is used in business to contain and promote finished products for consumer sales and also to transport them to the point of sale safely. The function of packaging includes protecting products in shipping, offering consumers information, providing a branding billboard and giving us a way to carry things home. The most commonly used packaging materials are paper, fiberboard, plastic, glass, steel and aluminum.

A. A high proportion of waste is actually packaging.

Innovative packaging design can mean that the amount of materials used is reduced and that all packaging can be reused or at least recycled. In other words, it is nothing but creating more ‘sustainable packaging’. Using the minimum and most efficient packaging will increase your competitiveness and save you money, as well as attracting environmentally-aware consumers.

Fortunately, everyone from the retail behemoth Wal-Mart to start-up companies and boutique design shops are beginning to look for ways to reduce the volume of stuff we throw away. However, even the most green-sympathetic designer will quickly find there are no easy answers or quick fixes when it comes to sustainable packaging. Even defining the term poses difficulties.

B. ‘What’s a sustainable package?’ Now, the question becomes not how to do away with packaging, but how to use less of the less-harmful materials. To become more sustainable, designers must consider and improve each step along the entire product journey. Packaging, like any other design problem, will need to be rethought with a sustainable systems approach. Designers should expand and evolve creative processes to include strategies like

(a) optimizing material and energy resources;

(b) sourcing materials that are produced responsibly with environmental best practices, fair labor and trade;

(c) choosing materials that are nontoxic, bio-based and made from renewable resources; and

(d) designing for resources recovery or reintegration back into nature after end use.

C. Sustainability criteria for packaging:

1. Is beneficial, safe and healthy for individuals and communities throughout its lifecycle;

2. Meets market criteria for performance and cost;

3. Is sourced, manufactured, transported and recycled using renewable energy;

4. Maximizes the use of renewable or recycled source materials;

5. Is manufactured using clean production technologies and best practices?

6. Is made from materials healthy in all probable end-of-life scenarios;

7. Is physically designed to optimize materials and energy;

8. Is effectively recovered and utilized in biological and/or industrial cradle-to-cradle cycles.

D. The 5 Rs of creation of sustainable package - Designers dedicated to fostering environmental sustainability—offers some practical advice:

Restore by using materials and supporting firms that reduce or improve our natural capital;

Respect what we have by examining all the impacts that packaging may have;

Reduce the amount of materials, layers of packaging, weight of package, fuel used in transport, etc.;

Reuse something that’s already been made, and make your package easy and desirable to reuse; and

Recover the materials used through recycling, composting or reusing.

One of the most important and simple ways a designer can move beyond conventional packaging solutions is to consider alternative materials. PLA (polyactic acid) is fast becoming the favored alternative to plastic. PLA is made from renewable resources such as corn, and uses fewer fossil fuels and generates fewer greenhouse gases in its production than traditional plastics and some other polymers. PLA can be composted as well. Fortunately, other materials are also coming to commercial viability.

E. The increase in online shopping has meant a rise in goods being delivered direct to customers' homes. This means that more packaging is needed to supply the goods. You can encourage customers to return your packaging to you for reuse by supplying them with a "freepost" return label.

Other ways of improving packaging use are:

(i) Using recycled materials where possible;

(ii) Designing the packaging using the least amount of materials necessary;

(iii) Reusing your own packaging to create new packaging or in other areas of your business.

Fortunately, in developed world a new movement is working to make manufacturers more accountable by pushing them to stop producing anything that can't be resold, recycled or reused. Designers have started increasingly recognizing that doing good for the planet is doing good for themselves.