Procedure for emergetic assessment in urban river de-pollution.

Using emergetic indicators to evaluate complex processes such as the de-pollution of urban rivers aims to contribute to better use and preservation of the resources, besides the valuation of ecosystem services provided by the water body. Within this context, we conducted a bibliometric and systematic review that shows the lack of emergetic indicators in urban river de-pollution. Thus, this work aims to propose an emergetic assessment procedure to evaluate the de-pollution process of urban rivers that allows technicians, academics, and revitalization process managers of urban rivers to improve the monitoring and decision-making directly related to the process, concluding that an emergetic assessment procedure contributes to theory to create new scientific analyses applied to urban revitalization and nature preservation processes. The emergetic assessment procedure contributes to society by improving the disposal of public resources and the effective maintenance of urban rivers that provide ecosystem services to all stakeholders (residents, grantors, and sanitation companies). In practice, the use of the emergetic assessment contributes to the monitoring from the first stages of the clean-up process, demonstrating the sustainability of the process for the adequacy of resources and maintenance of the water body that shall be cleaned.

Assessment of the Eco-Efficiency of the Circular Economy in the Recovery of Cellulose from the Shredding of Textile Waste.

There is a growing demand for the adoption of cyclical processes in the fashion industry. The trends point to the reuse of cellulose from cotton fibres, obtained from industrial waste, as a substitute to the former linear processes of manufacturing, sale, use, and discarding. This study sets up to explore and assess the economic and environmental gains from the mechanical shredding of cellulose in cotton fabrics in a textile company, identifying the circularity associated with the adoption of such methods. The study resorted to a case study methodology building on interviews and observation. For the environmental estimations, the study employed the material intensity factor tool, and for the economic evaluation the study uses the return on investment. The study also offers an estimation of the circularity of the processes that were implemented. The adoption of the mechanical shredding for cotton cellulose generated economic gains of US$11,798,662.98 and a reduction in the environmental impact that amounts to 31,335,767,040.26 kg including the following different compartments: biotic, abiotic, water, air, and erosion. The findings suggest the existence of opportunities for the circular economy in the textile sector of about 99.69%, dissociated to the use of mechanical recycling, while limited by the consumption of electrical energy and lubricants in the recycling process, leading the way to a circular economy.

Assessment of the environmental impact and economic benefits of the adoption of cleaner production in a Brazilian metal finishing industry.

The Metal Finishing Industry (MFI) use water and several chemicals in its production chain, which generatesboth liquid and solid hazardous waste. The present study evaluatesthe economic and environmental advantages of implementing cleaner production (CP) in a Brazilian MFI specialized in chrome and zinc. For the economic assessment, we adopted the measures of return on investment and internal rate of return. In order to measure the environmental impact, we used the Mass Intensity Factor. A case study methodology was adopted, with datacollectedthrough observation and semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that the adoption of CPin this sector encourages the deployment of a Rising Cascades System in Counterflow (RCSC) to minimize water consumption through the reuse and segregation of hazardous solid waste (sludge). The sludge generated may be sold as a byproduct for the production of ceramics. We identifiedopportunities to reduce costs by minimizing waste, although this does require investment. However, the return on such investments mayenable the implementation of CP. The reduction in environmental impact on the ecosystem was significant, with large reductions in hazardous components contained in the sludge being dumped in the environment. The results may guide the development of public policies in Brazil, particularly in the adoption of CP in MFI to disseminate environmental education and increase governmental control.

The environmental performance of SMEs in the Brazilian textile industry and the relationship with their financial performance.

Currently, the concern with the environment is increasing and organizations seek solutions to preserve nature and at the same time earn higher profits or competitiveness. For this, they make frequent use of structured procedures in order to reduce their costs and expenses. However, it has not been always considered the environmental performance related to the financial performance of these processes. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between environmental performance measured by eco-efficiency level with the financial performance of small and medium textile manufacturing companies. This study was done through a survey conducted in the interest of research companies in the state of Paraná in Brazil, where financial and environmental performance indicators were measured. The data analysis and validation of the hypotheses proposed, to some extent showed a surprising result because the larger the size of the company, the worst its environmental performance measured by their eco-efficiency level. On the other hand, it was not possible to identify a statistically significant relationship between environmental and financial performances of the companies surveyed. Therefore, it is concluded that this study is in line with those authors who claim not to be possible to establish a direct relationship between environmental and financial performances of companies, in opposition of another group of authors who claim contrariwise.