Integrating environmental and economic life cycle analysis in product development: a material selection case study

Purpose Achieving sustainability by rethinking products, services and strategies is an enormous challenge currently laid upon the economic sector, in which materials selection plays a critical role. In this context, the present work describes an environmental and economic life cycle analysis of a structural product, comparing two possible material alternatives. The product chosen is a storage tank, presently manufactured in stainless steel (SST) or in a glass fibre reinforced polymer composite (CST). The overall goal of the study is to identify environmental and economic strong and weak points related to the life cycle of the two material alternatives. The consequential win-win or trade-off situations will be identified via a Life Cycle Assessment/Life Cycle Costing (LCA/LCC) integrated model. Methods The LCA/LCC integrated model used consists in applying the LCA methodology to the product system, incorporating, in parallel, its results into the LCC study, namely those of the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) and the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA). Results In both the SST and CST systems the most significant life cycle phase is the raw materials production, in which the most significant environmental burdens correspond to the Fossil fuels and Respiratory inorganics categories. The LCA/LCC integrated analysis shows that the CST has globally a preferable environmental and economic profile, as its impacts are lower than those of the SST in all life cycle stages. Both the internal and external costs are lower, the former resulting mainly from the composite material being significantly less expensive than stainless steel. This therefore represents a full win-win situation. As a consequence, the study clearly indicates that using a thermoset composite material to manufacture storage tanks is environmentally and economically desirable. However, it was also evident that the environmental performance of the CST could be improved by altering its End-of-Life stage. Conclusions The results of the present work provide enlightening insights into the synergies between the environmental and the economic performance of a structural product made with alternative materials. Further, they provide conclusive evidence to support the integration of environmental and economic life cycle analysis in the product development processes of a manufacturing company, or in some cases even in its procurement practices.

Tourism impacts of a portuguese world heritage historic center: residents’ perspectives

The aim of this study is twofold. First, the study analyzes local community perspectives of the importance of the WHS classification of the historic center of Évora. Second, the study analyzes local residents’ perceived tourism impacts on the municipality of Évora. The methodology comprises quantitative research based on a self-administered survey applied to convenience samples of local residents of Évora in the beginning of 2014. The main results reveal that local residents have a strongly positive perception of the WHS designation. With regard to the perceived tourism impacts, a principal component factor analysis delineated three positive and three negative tourism impacts. The comparison of the mean scores of these factors across residents that live near and far from the historic center reveals that the most valued and least valued factors are common to all groups of residents. Nevertheless, in terms of positive impacts, the residents that live near the historic center revealed higher means than the residents that live far from it, whereas in terms of negative impacts, the latter group revealed higher means than former group.

Sigilo da Correspondência e Privatizações

Estamos desde logo a falar de Direitos Fundamentais. De direitos, liberdades e garantias, também, mas não apenas, nos termos do art. 18º da CRP. Numa altura em que o ex-agente da CIA-Central Intelligence Agency e da NSA-National Security Agency, Sr. Snowden, revelou que é possível existir, e que existiu em efectivo, acesso a toda a correspondência privada em vários países do mundo, senão mesmo em todos, nomeadamente aquela que é feita por via electrónica e informática, cumpre recordar algumas notas do ponto de vista dos Direitos Fundamentais e do Direito Constitucional. § We are immediately talking about fundamental rights. Rights, freedoms and guarantees, too, but not only, in accordance with art. 18 of CRP. At a time when former CIA agent-Central Intelligence Agency and the NSA-National Security Agency, Mr. Snowden has revealed that it is possible to exist, and has existed in effective, access to all private correspondence in countries around the world, if not in all, including one that is made by electronic and computerized means, it is recalled some notes from the point of view of fundamental rights and constitutional law.

Inv(f)erno da Universidade de Verão

Despesa em educação é investimento constitucional: art.s 75º e 76º da Constituição. Como referiu o director da Revista Ensino Superior, nº 53, pp. 4-5, ex-presidente do Sindicato Nacional do Ensino Superior, Professor da Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Coimbra, Doutor Paulo Peixoto, o ensino superior tornou-se em grande parte uma “máquina de triturar intelectuais”. A tentativa de impor uma mentalidade única pode provocar a destruição da génese da própria universalidade. § Spending on education is constitutional investment: Articles 75 and 76 of the Constitution. As the director of the Journal of Higher Education, # 53, pp. 4-5, former president of the National Union of Higher Education, Professor of Economics, University of Coimbra, Dr. Paulo Peixoto, higher education has become largely an 'intellectual grinding machine. "The attempt to impose a single mindset may cause the destruction of the very universality genesis.