TY - CHAP
T1 - Sustainability and life cycle assessment in industrial biotechnology
T2 - a review of current approaches and future needs
AU - Fröhling, Magnus
AU - Hiete, Michael
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - The development and implementation of industrial biotechnology (IB) is associated with high expectations for reductions of environmental impacts and risks, particularly in terms of climate change and fossil resource depletion, positive socioeconomic effects, hopes for new competitive products and processes, and development in rural areas. However, not all products and processes are really advantageous with regard to sustainability criteria, and not all are economically successful and accepted by stakeholders. Sustainability and life cycle assessment can play an important role to assess IB products and processes, often accompanying development processes from the early stages onwards. Such assessments can identify key factors regarding sustainability criteria, enable a determination of both product and process performance, or aid in prospectively estimating such performance and its consequences. Thus, development processes, investment decisions, policymaking, and the communication with stakeholders can be supported. This contribution reviews the field of sustainability and life cycle assessment in IB. We explore relevant literature from a methodical and application perspective and categorise suitable methodologies, methods, and tools. We characterise IB from an assessment perspective and indicate challenges, discuss approaches to address these, and identify possible fields of future research. Thus, students, researchers, and practitioners in the field of IB will obtain an up-to-date overview, references to relevant fields of literature, and guidance for own studies in this important and fast-emerging topic.
AB - The development and implementation of industrial biotechnology (IB) is associated with high expectations for reductions of environmental impacts and risks, particularly in terms of climate change and fossil resource depletion, positive socioeconomic effects, hopes for new competitive products and processes, and development in rural areas. However, not all products and processes are really advantageous with regard to sustainability criteria, and not all are economically successful and accepted by stakeholders. Sustainability and life cycle assessment can play an important role to assess IB products and processes, often accompanying development processes from the early stages onwards. Such assessments can identify key factors regarding sustainability criteria, enable a determination of both product and process performance, or aid in prospectively estimating such performance and its consequences. Thus, development processes, investment decisions, policymaking, and the communication with stakeholders can be supported. This contribution reviews the field of sustainability and life cycle assessment in IB. We explore relevant literature from a methodical and application perspective and categorise suitable methodologies, methods, and tools. We characterise IB from an assessment perspective and indicate challenges, discuss approaches to address these, and identify possible fields of future research. Thus, students, researchers, and practitioners in the field of IB will obtain an up-to-date overview, references to relevant fields of literature, and guidance for own studies in this important and fast-emerging topic.
KW - Bioeconomy
KW - Biogenic resource
KW - Consequential assessment
KW - Prospective assessment
KW - Renewable raw material
KW - Streamlined assessment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85086682597&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/10_2020_122
DO - 10.1007/10_2020_122
M3 - Chapter
C2 - 32227251
AN - SCOPUS:85086682597
T3 - Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology
SP - 143
EP - 203
BT - Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology
PB - Springer
ER -