1,720,975 research outputs found
Development and testing of a framework for sustainable nanotechnology
No full textThe goal of this PhD project is to develop and test a framework for sustainable nanotechnology. The following specific objectives can be spelled out:
1. Review the needs of stakeholders in addressing the complex risks associated with nano-enabled products through the lifecycle, including industry, regulators and the insurance sector a) in the literature and b) by a user elicitation process;
2. Develop a) a conceptual decision framework for sustainable nanotechnology based on TBL and stakeholders’ needs b) a methodology implementing such a framework;
3. Apply the methodology to commercially available nano-enabled products to assess their sustainability
Sustainable nanotechnology: Defining, measuring and teaching
No full textThe complexity of nanomaterials themselves as well as the enabling nature of nanotechnology
in general results in significant difficulties in defining and measuring sustainability
associated with emerging materials and products. Defining metrics of environmental, societal,
and economic impacts and integrating them into a multi-criteria decision analysis model is
one way to assess the sustainability of nanoproducts and processes through an applicationfocused
top-down approach. Given the current high level of uncertainty in many aspects of
nanotechnology and the unknown trajectory of a field still in its infancy, it is important to
teach nanotechnology in a contextual setting where discussions of uncertainty and variability
are strongly encouraged. Sustainability should be linked to technology management processes
to capture evolving technology and understanding of its benefits and risks
Supporting Decision Making for Sustainable Nanotechnology
Get PDFUnderstanding how stakeholders manage risks associated with nanomaterials is a key input to the design of strategies and tools to achieve safe and sustainable nanomanufacturing. The paper presents some results of a study aiming firstly to inform the development of a software decision support tool. Further, we seek also to understand existing tools used by stakeholders as a source of capabilities and potential adaptation into decision support framework and tools. Central research questions of this study are: How is collective decision-making on risk management and sustainable nanomaterials organised? Which aspects are taken into account in this collective decision-making? And what role can a decision support tool play in such decision-making? The paper analyses 13 responses to a questionnaire survey held among participants in a meeting in October 2013 and a series of 27 semi-structured telephone interviews conducted from January until April 2014 with decision-makers from mainly European industry and regulators involved in risk management and sustainable manufacturing of nanomaterials. Findings from the study on the social organisation of collective decision-making, aspects taken into account in decisions and potential role of decision support tools are presented
Organisational Risk Management of Nanomaterials Using SUNDS - The Contribution of CENARIOS®
No full textThe CENARIOS®-Standard is the first certifiable risk management system (RMS) and monitoring system designed specifically for the needs of companies concerned with nanomaterials. The rapidly evolving field of nanotechnology is characterised by a high level of uncertainty in environmental health and safety research, economic and social impacts, as well as the risk perception of the technology. Companies dealing with nanotechnology can better address this uncertainty by embedding practices like risk monitoring, risk analysis, risk communication, and crisis management into their organisational culture. Monitoring developments in the fields of toxicology, occupational safety and health, as well as societal and perception risk constitute a fundamental part of the CENARIOS® RMS. As part of the project SUN (Sustainable Nanotechnologies), a questionnaire based on the CENARIOS® Certification Standard is being implemented as a stand-alone module and is linked to the SUN Decision Support System (SUNDS). As risk management in SUNDS Tier 2 is quantitatively linked to risk assessment results, organisational risk management—an essential component in addressing complex and uncertain risks that cannot be evaluated quantitatively—is assessed using a separate web-based questionnaire. The module covers a representative selection of the specific requirements stipulated in the certification standard and thereby enables interested enterprises to assess their level of fulfilment (in terms of the exigencies of the certification standard) in an independent and inexpensive manner. The stand-alone module provides a simple and low-threshold means to evaluate the status of a company’s organisational risk management for nanomaterials. Existing gaps that need to be addressed in order to comply with the CENARIOS® certification standard are highlighted. If corresponding action is taken, the CENARIOS® stand-alone module may thus contribute to enhancing the safety of facilities and firms producing, processing, or handling nanomaterials
Review of Decision Analytic Tools for Sustainable Nanotechnology
No full textNanotechnology innovation is hampered by data gaps and knowledge limitations in evaluating the risks and impacts of nano-enabled products. “Sustainable nanotechnology” is a growing concept in the literature, which calls for a comprehensive evaluation of the risks and impacts of nanotechnology at an early stage of nano-enabled product life cycle. ‘One such method to frame sustainable nanotechnology is the triple bottom line (TBL) approach, which comprises the environmental, economic, and societal “pillars” that contribute to the overall sustainability of a nano-enabled product. For the context of nanotechnology, risk analysis (RA), life cycle assessment (LCA), and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) are frequently called upon to support sustainable nanotechnology governance. This paper provides a systematic review of these tools in the context of sustainable nanotechnology. The results indicate a growing number of applications for these tools with LCA contributing to the environmental and economic pillars, and RA contributing to the environmental pillar. MCDA provides the structural scaffold and mathematical techniques necessary to integrate RA and LCA within the TBL, and also provides the means to address uncertainty of early-stage nanotechnology assessment. Using these tools, integrated sustainability assessment could provide a viable means for industry and regulators to make near-term decisions about complex nanotechnology problems
Collective decision making on risk management and sustainable manufacturing of nanomaterials and the role of decision support tools
Get PDFComparing mental models of prospective users of the sustainable nanotechnology decision support system
Get PDFMental modelling analysis can be a valuable tool in understanding and bridging cognitive values in multi-stakeholders' communities. It is especially true in situation of emerging risks where significant uncertainty and competing objectives could result in significant difference in stakeholder perspective on the use of new materials and technologies. This paper presents a mental modelling study performed among prospective users of an innovative decision support system for safe and sustainable development of nano-enabled products. These users included representatives of industry and regulators, as well as several insurance specialists and researchers. We present methodology and tools for comparing stakeholder views and objectives in the context of developing a decision support system
Assessing the social impacts of nano-enabled products through the life cycle: the case of nano-enabled biocidal paint
No full textPurpose: Assessment of the social aspects of sustainability of products is a topic of significant interest to companies, and several methodologies have been proposed in the recent years. The significant environmental health and safety concerns about nano-enabled products calls for the early establishment of a clear benefit-risk framework in order to decide which novel products should be developed further. This paper proposes a method to assess the social impacts of nano-enabled products through the life cycle that is (a) quantitative, (b) integrates performance and attitudinal dimensions of social impacts and (c) considers the overall and stakeholder balance of benefits and costs. Social life cycle assessment (s-LCA) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) are integrated to address this need, and the method is illustrated on a case study of a nano-enabled product. Methods: The s-LCA framework comprises 15 indicators to characterize the social context of the product manufacture placed within the classification structure of benefit/cost and worker/community. The methodology includes four steps: (a) normalization of company level data on the social indicator to country level data for the year, (b) nested weighting at stakeholder and indicator level and its integration with normalized scores to create social indicator scores, (c) aggregation of social indicator scores into benefit score, cost score and net benefit scores as per the s-LCA framework and (d) classification of social indicator scores and aggregated scores as low/medium/high based on benchmarks created using employment and value-added proxies. Results and discussion: A prospective production scenario involving novel product, a nano-copper oxide (n-CuO)-based paint with biocidal functionality, is assessed with respect to its social impacts. The method was applied to 12 indicators at the company level. Classification of social indicator scores and aggregated scores showed that the n-CuO paint has high net benefits. Conclusions: The framework and method offer a flexible structure that can be revised and extended as more knowledge and data on social impacts of nano-enabled products becomes available. The proposed method is being implemented in the social impact assessment sub-module of the SUN Decision Support (SUNDS) software system. Companies seeking to improve the social footprint of their products can also use the proposed method to consider relevant social impacts to achieve this goal
Five Things to Know About the Higgs Boson
No full text8-13The LHC experiment stands out for being one of its kind and the most talked about in recent memory. Besides, there is plenty for India also to be proud about in this groundbreaking experiment
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