PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

SAMT project: identifying best practices for evaluating sustainability in the process industry

2015-06-16
(Press-News.org) The SAMT project of the European Union will work together with leading industrial actors from the cement, oil, metal, water, waste and chemical industries and review the latest scientific developments within the field of sustainability assessment. In the first phase of the project, a total of 90 methods and tools were reviewed. In the second phase, the best performing methods and practices will be tested with real-life case studies.

'The industries can learn from each other by sharing information on their methods and tools to evaluate sustainability. The SAMT project is offering this possibility for process industries operating in different fields by organizing workshops and conducting case studies', says coordinator of the SAMT project Tiina Pajula from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

Most of the process industry sectors are resource and energy intensive by nature. In the European Union's research programme Horizon 2020, process industries share ambitious goals in reduction of fossil-energy intensity, greenhouse gas emissions and intensity in using non-renewable, primary raw materials.

'Sustainability assessment is increasingly important within European projects and society as a whole in order to establish a basis for the environmental impact of manufacturing. As such, it is a core part of the SPIRE vision for the Sustainable Process Industries', emphasizes Søren Bowadt, Programme Officer from European Commission.

For the process industries, sustainability assessment methods are crucial for evaluating and communicating the current state and the achievement of the goals related to resource and energy efficiency. The SAMT project will provide an unbiased, independent review of the life cycle based sustainability assessment methods and tools, and the identified best practices will serve as a benchmark.

'The evaluation methods and tools are improving all the time. Neste is a leading company in production of renewable diesel and a forerunner in circular economy in production of fuels. Therefore it is important for us to thoroughly know all the impacts of our products during their life cycle -- and also the methods in evaluating them', says Pekka Tuovinen, Director in Sustainability from Neste.

'In addition to consistent and innovative solutions, our customers are looking to contribute to a more sustainable future where being environmentally and socially responsible goes hand in hand with running a profitable business. Therefore, BASF has embedded sustainability in its corporate purpose, and linked this ambition directly to business factors', states Peter Saling, Director in Sustainability Methods and Sustainability Strategy of BASF. 'The SAMT project is an interesting platform to learn and discuss other companies' views on this topic as well as an opportunity to exchange good practices', Saling continues.

'The linear growth model linked to linear produce-consume-and-throw consumption practices is close to its end. It is necessary to accelerate the development of a sustainable model, for more long lasting and harmonious growth. For more than ten years, sustainability assessment tools and Life Cycle Assessment approaches are helping SUEZ environnement, its partners and its customers to make more sustainable choices', says Paul-Joël Derian, Senior Vice President Research, Innovation & Performance of SUEZ environnement.

The first open SAMT workshop took place on June 2 at Wuppertal, Germany, where industrial actors and researchers gathered to discuss current best practices and challenges in applying sustainability assessment methods in practice. The second open workshop will be held next year, on February 17 in Bilbao, Spain, to discuss the findings of the industrial case studies.

The project will publish its results including identification of the best practices, cross-sectorial guidance and recommendations for future actions in October 2016.

INFORMATION:

Partners working in the SAMT project are CEMEX Research Group AG, SUEZ environnement, Neste Corporation, Bayer Technology Services GmbH, BASF SE and Norsk Hydro ASA, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie GmbH (Germany) and Tecnalia (Spain). Spanish National Standardization Body (AENOR) acts as an expert for standardization.

SAMT is one of the three projects funded under the SPIRE Public Private Partnership to coordinate studies related to sustainability assessment in the process industries.

SAMT project: http://www.spire2030.eu/samt/

For further information, contact:

Tiina Pajula
tiina.pajula@vtt.fi
Tel: 358-405899013
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

A better way to evaluate conservation policies found by Georgia State researchers

2015-06-16
Protected forested areas in Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia and Thailand have prevented the release of more than 1,000 million additional tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, an economic service provided by nature worth at least $5 billion, according to new research by Georgia State University economist Paul Ferraro with alumnus Merlin M. Hanauer and colleagues. In an article published this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the authors use this finding to show how conservation research methodology is improved by joining its two distinct ...

Vagrant bachelors could save rare bird

2015-06-16
A study conducted by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has revealed the importance of single males in small, threatened populations. Results from a study of endangered New Zealand hihi birds (Notiomystis cincta), published this week in Evolutionary Applications, showed that bachelor males who don't hold breeding territories, known as 'floaters', could help maintain genetic diversity and decrease the likelihood of inbreeding by sneakily fathering chicks. These underestimated individuals are vital to the long-term survival of small populations, such as in the hihi, ...

Slight differences -- new insights into the regulation of disease-associated genes

2015-06-16
Researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in the Helmholtz Association, in collaboration with the National Heart Research Institute Singapore (NHRIS), have gained new insights into the regulation of disease-associated genes. They used a new technique that enables them to observe gene regulation at the level of protein production. They could thus capture more individual gene regulations than with traditional methods that only capture gene expression and transcription (Nature Communications, doi: 10.1038/ncomms8200)*. When a gene is read, ...

Researchers create transparent, stretchable conductors using nano-accordion structure

Researchers create transparent, stretchable conductors using nano-accordion structure
2015-06-16
Researchers from North Carolina State University have created stretchable, transparent conductors that work because of the structures' "nano-accordion" design. The conductors could be used in a wide variety of applications, such as flexible electronics, stretchable displays or wearable sensors. "There are no conductive, transparent and stretchable materials in nature, so we had to create one," says Abhijeet Bagal, a Ph.D. student in mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State and lead author of a paper describing the work. "Our technique uses geometry to stretch ...

Sediment makes it harder for baby Nemo to breathe easy

Sediment makes it harder for baby Nemo to breathe easy
2015-06-16
Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University have discovered that suspended sediment damages fish gills and can increase the rate of disease in fish. "Suspended sediments result from flood plumes, coastal agricultural and industrial development and from dredging operations and are increasing in coastal waters worldwide," says study co-author, Dr Amelia Wenger. "Fish gills are in direct contact with their environment and are the first line of defence in the animal's immune response, which makes them the perfect place ...

Key to quick battery charging time

Key to quick battery charging time
2015-06-16
University of Tokyo researchers have discovered the structure and transport properties of the "intermediate state" in lithium-ion batteries - key to understanding the mechanisms of charge and discharge in rechargeable batteries. These findings may help accelerate battery reaction speed and significantly shorten battery charging time. Although there is strong demand to minimize battery-charging time, the mechanisms of battery charge and discharge reactions have yet to be fully understood. While the existence of an "intermediate state" that accelerates battery charge and ...

Extreme exercise linked to blood poisoning

2015-06-16
Researchers have discovered that extreme exercise can cause intestinal bacteria to leak into the bloodstream, leading to blood poisoning. Experts at Monash University monitored people participating in a range of extreme endurance events, including 24-hour ultra-marathons and multi-stage ultra-marathons, run on consecutive days. "Blood samples taken before and after the events, compared with a control group, proved that exercise over a prolonged period of time causes the gut wall to change, allowing the naturally present bacteria, known as endotoxins, in the gut to ...

Protein discovery fuels redesign of mosquito-based malaria vaccine

2015-06-16
A promising type of vaccine designed to eradicate malaria by blocking parasite transmission could be a step closer, as a result of experts uncovering new information about the targeted protein. The international team of researchers co-led by Dr Natalie Borg from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Monash University, and Dr Rhoel Dinglasan from the Malaria Research Institute at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, USA, focused on a protein in the Anopheles mosquito midgut called AnAPN1. The research, published in the journal ...

Night driving restriction reduces young driver crashes

2015-06-16
Restricting teenagers from driving unsupervised at night, and introducing strict penalties and other licensing requirements, could reduce crashes significantly, according to research. Published in Health Affairs, the study by researchers from Monash University and Harvard Medical School, shows that driving laws that eliminate or deter unsupervised night driving by people younger than 18 achieve substantial reductions in car crashes. Car crashes are the leading cause of death among people aged 15-19 worldwide. In the US, where the study was based, teen drivers experience ...

Speech recognition from brain activity

Speech recognition from brain activity
2015-06-16
This news release is available in German. Speech is produced in the human cerebral cortex. Brain waves associated with speech processes can be directly recorded with electrodes located on the surface of the cortex. It has now been shown for the first time that is possible to reconstruct basic units, words, and complete sentences of continuous speech from these brain waves and to generate the corresponding text. Researchers at KIT and Wadsworth Center, USA present their "Brain-to-Text" system in the scientific journal Frontiers in Neuroscience (doi: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00217). ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

ESMO 2025: VT3989 continues to show promising early results in patients with advanced mesothelioma

Study finds COVID-19 mRNA vaccine sparks immune response to fight cancer

ESMO 2025: mRNA-based COVID vaccines generate improved responses to immunotherapy

Drug combo cuts risk of death in advanced prostate cancer by 40%

ADC improves outcomes for patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer who are ineligible for immune checkpoint inhibitors

Novel treatment combination improves progression-free survival in metastatic, estrogen-receptor-positive HER-2-negative breast cancer

ESMO 2025: Trial results show belzutifan shrinks rare neuroendocrine tumors and improves symptoms in patients

ESMO 2025: Dual targeted therapy shows promise in previously treated advanced kidney cancer patients

New generation of Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) shows unprecedented promise in early-stage disease

Sylvester Cancer Tip Sheet for October 2025

Three science and technology leaders elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Jump Trading CSO Kevin Bowers elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Former Inscripta CEO Sri Kosaraju elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

Citadel’s Jordan Chetty elected to Hertz Foundation Board of Directors

McGill research flags Montreal snow dump, inactive landfills as major methane polluters

A lightweight and rapid bidirectional search algorithm

Eighty-five years of big tree history available in one place for the first time

MIT invents human brain model with six major cell types to enable personalized disease research, drug discovery

Health and economic air quality co-benefits of stringent climate policies

How immune cells deliver their deadly cargo

How the brain becomes a better listener: How focus enhances sound processing

Processed fats found in margarines unlikely to affect heart health

Scientists discover how leukemia cells evade treatment

Sandra Shi MD, MPH, named 2025 STAT Wunderkind

Treating liver disease with microscopic nanoparticles

Chemicals might be hitching a ride on nanoplastics to enter your skin

Pregnant patients with preexisting high cholesterol may have elevated CV risk

UC stroke experts discuss current and future use of AI tools in research and treatment

The Southern Ocean’s low-salinity water locked away CO2 for decades, but...

OHSU researchers develop functional eggs from human skin cells

[Press-News.org] SAMT project: identifying best practices for evaluating sustainability in the process industry