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PUBLICATIONS

Below you will find our more recent publications related to plastic footprinting, ecodesign and planetary boundaries

Plastic

Plastic

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Plastic Overshoot Day: Report 2023

2023

This comprehensive report offers a thorough assessment of the global impact of plastic pollution. By including identity cards for all countries, this report bridges a crucial knowledge gap and provides valuable insights that can enhance the prioritization research and actions related to marco- and micro-plastic leakage, as well as plastic pollution in general.

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WBCSD Enabling corporate plastics disclosure: Building a corporate accountability system for plastic pollution

2023

This white paper is published ahead of the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-2 in Paris, France, 29 May to 2 June 2023) with the aim to:

- Clarify the metrics that companies should use for plastic pollution accounting purposes, with a focus on the measurement of plastic leakage and circularity.
- Embed these metrics into a comprehensive corporate accountability system for plastic pollution that could help companies comply with the future International Legally Binding Instrument (ILBI) to end plastic pollution currently being negotiated by UN member states.

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Enabling Corporate
Plastics Disclosure

2022

We are publishing this white paper ahead of the start of negotiations on an international legally binding
instrument on plastic pollution (INC-1 in Punta del Este, 28 Nov- 2 Dec, 2022), with the aim to:
• Understand the plastic-related metrics that companies are using (for plastic that is put on the
market and the fate of the plastic waste created) and for what purposes they are using them;
• Open the debate on the harmonization of plastic-related metrics for disclosure purposes – with
the goal to develop a global corporate accountability framework that will allow tracking of
corporate progress on their targets (adjacent to or integrated into country-level reporting)

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Benchmark of
Plastic Hotspotting Methodologies

2022

The purpose of this report is to conduct a
review of the existing methodologies which assess
plastic waste flows and leakage into the environment
and more specifically, plastic leakage into
waterways and entering oceans and seas

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Planet Positive Chemicals

2022

The resulting report is not only
about whether the chemicals system can reach net zero Scope 1-3 but how. The
analysis suggests that the chemicals value chain has multiple pathways to reach
net zero if action is taken soon enough, but each of these pathways present varying
degrees of risk and opportunity

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Plastic Paints the Environment

2022

This report provides a global assessment of the level of plastic paint leakage worldwide.



It is based on the baseline year 2019 with a global paint demand of 52 Mt, that included 19.5 Mt of plastics and distributed across different sectors: Architectural, Marine, Road Marking, General Industrial, Automotive and Industrial Wood and Others.

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WBCSD SPHERE_the packaging sustainability framework

2022

The SPHERE framework
supports decision-makers
in navigating all aspects of
the environmental impact of
packaging design, aiming for
a net-zero and nature positive
future.

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Climate Change and Sustainability: Mediterranean Perspectives

2021

This volume examines the challenges and interlinkages between climate change and sustainable development across the Mediterranean, where the climate crisis is further aggravating pre-existing political, social, economic and environmental fragilities.

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Plastic Pollution Hotspotting and Shaping Action, Regional Results from Eastern
and Southern Africa, the
Mediterranean, and Southeast Asia

2021

This Report showcases the use of the guidance
presented in the UNEP/IUCN National Guidance
for Plastic Pollution Hotspotting and Shaping
Action, in the context of eight pilot sites in Eastern and Southern Africa, the Mediterranean
and Southeast Asia. This
publication compares the three regions and
provides situational analyses in terms of hotspots
and interventions to address plastic pollution.

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Guidelines for Corporate Plastic Stewardship

2021

These Guidelines are the first integrated framework to comprise combined best practices for standardised accounting and reporting of plastic footprints, footprint mitigation methods and commitments to reducing plastic waste and achieving circularity.

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Plastic Leak Guidance

2020

Industry guidance for performing corporate and/or product plastic leakage assessment.
Includes calculation routes and generic data. Full dataset available in the "Data&Tool" section of this website.
This document constitutes the current state of the art for computing plastic footprints and intends to complement the LCA framework with a new plastic leakage indicator.
This work has been realised in partnership with Quantis.

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Evaluating scenarios towards zero plastic pollution

2020

Prospective modelling of plastic leakage by 2040.
Evaluation of plastic leakage mitigation showing that current commitment only allow 7% abatement when more systemic change could yield a 80% abatement of plastic pollution.
This work has been managed by Pew and Systemiq and in conjunctions with 20 other experts - this publication is linked to the full Breaking the Plastic Wave report.

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National Guidance for plastic pollution hotspotting

2020

Guidance for countries and cities on measuring plastic leakage and defining plastic pollution mitigation strategies.
9 tools and modules to guide the process from data-collection to action
Currently being tested in 10 countries in collaboration with Quantis for UNEP and IUCN. The full set of modules and tools is available from the "Data&Tool" section of this website.

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The Mediterranean mare plasticum 2020

2020

Estimation of the stock of plastic accumulated in the Med Sea.
Modelling of the flows of plastic leaking in the Med Sea.
Comparison of both approaches shows that the stock and flow models are consistent.
Plastic leakage drawdown model shows current commitment are insufficient to solve the crisis.
This work has been prepared for the IUCN.

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Breaking thee plastic wave

2020

Prospective modeling of plastic leakage by 2040.
Evaluation of plastic leakage mitigation showing that current commitment only allow 7% abattement when more systemic change could yield a 80% abatement of plastic pollution.
This work has been managed by Pew and Systemiq and in conjunctions with 20 other experts - this publication is linked with the article published in Science Journal.

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The marine plastic footprint

2019

First guidance to compute plastic footprint at product or country level
Case study on the Baltic region.
This document was the starting point for developing the plastic leak project.
This report has been prepared for the IUCN.

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The Challenges of measuring plastic pollution

2019

This report summarises the current scientific gaps and challenge for developing actionable metrics to assess plastic leakage and impacts.

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Plastic fluxes and stocks in lake Geneva

2018

Assessment of plastic leakage in Lake Geneva
First study to compare top-down and bottom-up approaches for plastic leakage modelling
This publication has been prepared in collaboration with the EPFL and ASL.

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Review of plastic footprint methodologies

2018

Review of existing plastic footprint methodologies
Identification of existing gaps and track for action.
This report has been prepared for the IUCN.

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Primary microplastics in the oceans

2017

First global assessment of microplastic leakage in the ocean and regional comparison with leakage from mismanaged waste
This report has been prepared for the IUCN.

Ecodesign

Ecodesign
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What is the carbon footprint of primary care
practices? A retrospective life-cycle analysis
in Switzerland

This article shows that an optimizing structural and organisational aspects of practice work could have a major impact on the
carbon footprint of primary care practices without large-scale changes in medical activities.

2022

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Which strategy for using medical and community masks? A prospective analysis of their environmental impact

This study provides an environmental assessment based on three indicators (GWP 100, UBP and plastic leakage) for different mask type and use strategies.

2021

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Recommandations pour l'écoconceptions des cabinets de médicine de famille

This article describes a research analyses the origin of the greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions for the primary healthcare sector in Switzerland and demonstrates they could be reduced by if applying appropriate eco-design solutions.

2021

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Ecoconception du cabinet de médecine de famille : concepts et vision d’avenir

The article describes the current challenges of applying ecodesign in the medical field and most specifically in the case of healthcare doctors. You can find more information about this research in the "project" section of the website.

2019

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How to Avoid Pigeonholing the Environmental Manager?

The research investigates the role the environmental manager plays to ensure a successful (or not) implementation of ecodesign within an organisation. The article proposes the SEA (Shaping Environmental Action) model to facilitate ecodesign implementation. The model is based on 4 pillars: information, motivation, organisation, and strategy. This model served as the basis for developing the ecodesign maturity meter (See the "tool" section of the website).

2018

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Adopting a life cycle perspective through ISO14001: a game changer

This report is intended as a guidance document to enable the understanding of the full consequences of integrating life cycle thinking within ISO 14001 management systems and of how new opportunities arising from the integration may be seized.

2017

Planetary Boudaries

Planetary Boundaries

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Nature, Finance and Food Systems

The goal of this study was to provide proven strategies
to e-commerce providers on how to effectively
support their customers in the transition towards
healthier and more sustainable food, while at the same
time showing policymakers that a transition towards
more sustainable food systems can be facilitated.

2022

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Are we beyond the limits of our planet? What are the limits of our consumption on the Earth systems? Which countries contributes the most to these impacts?

First global evaluation of the environmental performance of countries with respect to the Planetary Boundaries.
More than 40 distinct countries/regions are considered.
This work has been realized in partnership with UNIGE and UNEP/GRID, on a grant from the Boninchi foundation.

2015

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Environmental limits and Swiss footprints based on Planetary Boundaries

One of the first systematic application of the Planetary Boundaries framework to countries
The developed methodology has now been applied by the European Environmental Agency.
Computed limits, footprints and performances are presented for Switzerland and the World.
This work has been realised in partnership with UNIGE and UNEP/GRID, for the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment.

2015

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National environmental limits and footprints based on the Planetary Boundaries framework: the case of Switzerland

This research proposes an approach to allocate global planetary boundaries to a country and too determine whether the country is operating within these limits in a sustainable manner. The case of Switzerland is developed.

2018

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Is Europe living within the limits of our planet?

What are the main principles to allocate Planetary Boundaries to countries and regions?
What is the EU performance over time with respect to these principles?
This background report is the core of the join EEA/FOEN publication.

2020

Infographics

Visit the gallery of our work and click to open the full graphic

Infogaphics

2022

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reCIRCLE BOXes: What is their impact
compared to single use
containers?

The alarming projections of climate change call for a drastic reduction of our carbon footprint, not only collectively through societal change but also individually through informed daily life choices. We analysed the environmental impact of a Swiss reCIRCLE BOX compared to several single-use takeaway containers.

Download

2021

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Environmental impact of COVID19 masks

The new coronavirus outbreak made the usage of masks compulsory worldwide, but their ecological impact is a concern. We analyzed the current situation and identified the best action strategies for the population to reduce the environmental impact of masks usage.

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2021

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Environmental impact of medical practices in Switzerland

Reduction of the primary
care practice carbon footprint could contribute to decreasing global carbon emissions. This
study analyse the origin of the CO2 emission for the primary healthcare sector in Switzerland
and proposes solutions to reduce them by a factor 10.

Download

2018

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Plastic in the Léman

50 tons of plastic enters the lake Léman every year, where do they come from? Where do they go?

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