JUNE 13th and 14th 2024, Politecnico di Torino
The school will be held in Politecnico di Torino, Department of Applied Sciences and Technology (DISAT) – Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 10129 Torino TO, Italia
SCHOOL PROGRAMME
THURSADY, JUNE 13th 2024
9.00 – 11.00 Sustainability metrics in the European Union
The lecture will examine the different sustainability metrics and standards currently developing especially in the European Union’s context.
Chiara Ravetti (Politecnico di Torino) Her research and teaching focus on issues related to sustainability: green innovation, sustainable management and development, circular economy, climate change and energy transitions.
11.00 – 11.30 > COFFEE BREAK
11.30 – 12.30 Polymer synthesis for a circular economy in EU
The lecture will face the question: Which is the role played by the synthesis of new polymers from renewable resources in the current scenario of the plastic economy?
Paola Fabbri (University of Bologna) She offers a solid background in polymer chemistry and plastics processing, development of tailored plastic formulations targeted to specific industrial applications, polymer characterizations and recycling technologies.
12.30 – 14.00 > LUNCH BREAK
14.00 – 17.00 LCA fundamentals
The lecture will examine Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a methodology to understand the environmental impacts and resource use implications of production and consumption systems.
Giovanni Andrea Blengini (POLITO) A senior researcher at the EC-JRC, he engaged in projects and activities in support of EC raw materials policies, critical raw materials and circular economy. Targeted to enhance the EU Raw Materials Knowledge Base, including Life Cycle data availability, coherence and quality.
17.00 – 17.30 Doctoral Network Ecomates
Giancarlo Cicero (Politecnico di Torino)
FRIDAY, JUNE 14th 2024
9.00 – 11.00 EU regulation and ecodesign for radiation curable products
The presentation aims to provide an informative overview regarding upcoming regulations derived from the Green Deal and their impact on radiation curable products.
Christina Haaf-Klein Hubbert (BASF SE – Badische Anilin- und Soda Fabrik) Her areas of focus include the Green Deal, the resulting Chemical Strategy for Sustainability with Safe and Sustainable by Design Chemicals, as well as Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation relating to UV-curable coatings and ink systems.
11.00 – 11.30 > COFFEE BREAK
11.30 – 12.30 MSCA Green Charter
The speech will face a path that goes through the Paris Agreement and the subsequent COPs and arrives at the European Green Deal.
Sara Rollino (Politecnico di Torino) Research Manager Administrator at Politecnico di Torino. Her daily job aims to support research proposal preparation and submission under National and European funding programmes.
Paola Biglia (Politecnico di Torino) head of the Sustainability Division of the university, a support structure for the Politecnico di Torino’s Green Team, she coordinates the organizational secretariat of the Italian Network of Universities for Sustainable Development.
12.30 – 14.00 > LUNCH BREAK
14.00 – 17.00 LCA practical with case study
During this session, participants could engage in discussions about study settings, including system boundaries, functional units, types of data to collect, etc. The lesson will also involve a step-by-step demonstration of the procedure to calculate the impact on the global warming potential (GWP) indicator.
Isabella Bianco (Politecnico di Torino) Isabella Bianco is currently Assistant Professor at Politecnico di Torino. She obtained a PhD in Environmental Engineering in 2016. From 2016 onward she has been working on LCA of different processes and products, mainly in the automotive and construction sectors.
Edoardo Albertini (Politecnico di Torino) Edoardo Albertini graduated at University of Bologna, worked at the CNR in Pisa and is currently a 2nd year PhD candidate at Politecnico di Torino.
17.00 – 17.30 Final evaluation
INSIGHTS: speakers and full abstracts
Chiara Ravetti – Politecnico di Torino
Sustainability metrics in the European Union
Chiara Ravetti holds a Master and PhD in International Economics from the University of Geneva, and a BSc in Economics from the University of London. From 2015 to 2018 she was a Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for the Analysis of Resource Rich Economies (OxCarre). Afterwards, she joined the Department of Management and Production Engineering (DIGEP) of Politecnico di Torino with a Swiss National Fund Advanced Mobility Fellowship. Her research and teaching focus on issues related to sustainability: green innovation, sustainable management and development, circular economy, climate change and energy transitions.
THE LECTURE
The lecture will examine the different sustainability metrics and standards currently developing especially in the European Union’s context. We will consider three macro themes:
1. POLICY: The incentives from the policy world to improve sustainability metrics (EU Taxonomy, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, etc.) in relation to LCA methodologies (PEF, OEF) but also beyond. The policy trends also include disclosures and due diligence on social and governance aspects, and not only environmental ones.
2. MAIN PLAYERS: The most relevant actors involved in developing these metrics beyond the policy world and their certification process. For example, we will consider for carbon neutrality the PAS 2060 by Carbon Trust, for net zero the SBTi, for carbon offsets registries such as VERRA and Gold Standard, and broadly all the labels and voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) proliferating around the world.
3. ESG FINANCE: The incentives from ESG finance and financial instruments (e.g. insurance) to demonstrate and improve sustainability metrics; their intersection with policy, for example in the case of the EU Green Bond Standard and other scenarios within sustainable finance.
Paola Fabbri – University of Bologna
Polymer synthesis for a circular economy in EU
Paola Fabbri holds a PhD in Materials Engineering and works as Associate Professor of Materials Science and Technology at the University of Bologna in Italy since 2014. She offers a solid background in polymer chemistry and plastics processing, development of tailored plastic formulations targeted to specific industrial applications, polymer characterizations and recycling technologies. During the last 15 years she almost exclusively dedicated research to bio-based biodegradable plastics, mostly PHAs. She was nominated Senior Consultant and Key Expert for the European Commission – DG RTD – for the BIOSPRI Tender “Study on support to R&I policy in the field of bio-based products” during the years 2016-2018. She is author of more than 100 original research papers published in international peer-reviewed journals, 4 books and 4 patents, and constantly works in collaboration with industrial partners for the development of innovative plastic solutions.
THE LECTURE
This lecture will draw a line starting from the global production and consumption needs in terms of plastic materials by many industrial sectors, going through an enlarged vision of what sustainability means when we suggest the introduction of new polymers in substitution of traditional ones, towards final considerations of the role played by synthetic polymer chemistry versus emerging biotechnological approaches. Valorization of renewable biological resources and bio-waste derived from the agro-food sector enables the sustainable production of highly functional new polymers and additives useful for the plastic industry; many examples will be given of emerging polymers and innovative additives that could enable a faster transition to a circular economy model for the whole plastic sector.
Gian Andrea Blengini – Politecnico di Torino
Fundamentals in LCA
Bio Gian Andrea Blengini received a Msc in Mining Engineering from the Politecnico di Torino, Italy (1994) and a PhD in Earth resources from TU Lisbon, Portugal (2006). Presently an Associate Professor at the Politecnico di Torino (TU Turin, Italy) where he leads the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) research group and lectures on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Resources & Environmental Sustainability at undergraduate, master and postgraduate level. Gian Andrea has been a senior researcher at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission in the Land Resources Unit from October 2013 to October 2021. At the EC-JRC, Gian Andrea engaged in projects and activities (1) in support of EC raw materials policies, critical raw materials and circular economy, and (2) targeted to enhance the EU Raw Materials Knowledge Base, including Life Cycle data availability, coherence and quality.
THE LECTURE
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a methodology to understand the environmental impacts and resource use implications of production and consumption systems. Context, policy implications and basic principles of LCA according to ISO 14040 standards and EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF). LCA data and the EU Platform on LCA. Basics of green communication and green labeling schemes based on LCA.
Christina Haaf-Klein Hubbert – (BASF SE – Badische Anilin- und Soda Fabrik)
EU regulation and ecodesign for radiation curable products
Christina Haaf-Kleinhubbert is currently employed as a Product Steward at BASF SE. Her areas of focus include the Green Deal, the resulting Chemical Strategy for Sustainability with Safe and Sustainable by Design Chemicals, as well as Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation relating to UV-curable coatings and ink systems. Another area of her work involves EU REACH. She studied Chemistry of Heidelberg and wrote her doctoral thesis under the supervision of Prof. Comba at University of Heidelberg and Prof. Karlin at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
THE LECTURE
This presentation aims to provide an informative overview suitable for PhD students regarding upcoming regulations derived from the Green Deal and their impact on radiation curable products. The main focus will be on the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability and its implications, such as the importance of Safe and Sustainable by Design chemicals in research and development. Additionally, the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation will be discussed. The industry perspective will be emphasized, considering not only scientific aspects but also economic considerations. Lastly, some information about BASF SE as a company will be included.
Paola Biglia – (Politecnico di Torino – Sustainability Division)
MSCA Green Charter
Paola Biglia received a Msc in International and diplomatic sciences from Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy (2003) and she started working at the Politecnico di Torino in the coordination and management of research and mobility projects funded by the European Commission. Over time, she attended various specialization courses, gradually getting closer to the themes of sustainable development. Currently, she is the head of the Sustainability Division of the university, a support structure for the Politecnico di Torino’s Green Team, and coordinates the organizational secretariat of the Italian Network of Universities for Sustainable Development, which the Politecnico di Torino has been presiding over since 2019.
Sara Rollino – (Research Manager Administrator)
MSCA Green Charter
Sara is a Research Manager Administrator at Politecnico di Torino. Her daily job aims to support research proposal preparation and submission under National and European funding programmes. Since 2015 she has specialized in individual and career development funding opportunities mainly within Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). She also plays as department advisor for Open Science practices. Before 2015, she worked as sustainability project manager both in Public (Ministry of Environment) and Private (Torino 2006 Organising Committee; SME; Consultancy) work organizations, with a specific focus on Life Cycle Assessment and green labeling.
THE LECTURE
From the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to the MSCA Green Charter: a path that goes through the Paris Agreement and the subsequent COPs and arrives at the European Green Deal.
During the lecture, an overview of the main milestones that have marked European policies over the last decade will be outlined; moreover concrete examples of the impact of these policies on universities and the role they play in the challenge for the green transition will also be presented. A focus on the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) will briefly outline the principles that participants are encouraged to implement in their research activities, with measures designed for researchers, institutions, consortia and in terms of outreach activities, with the ultimate goal of improving the sustainability of research.
Isabella bianco – (Politecnico di Torino)
LCA practical with case study
Isabella Bianco is currently Assistant Professor at Politecnico di Torino. She obtained a PhD in Environmental Engineering in 2016. From 2016 onward she has been working on LCA of different processes and products, mainly in the automotive and construction sectors.
Edoardo Albertini – (Politecnico di Torino)
LCA practical with case study
Edoardo Albertini graduated at University of Bologna, worked at the CNR in Pisa and is currently a 2nd year PhD candidate at Politecnico di Torino.
THE LECTURE
Practical example for developing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies. The lesson will be organized as an interactive session to apply the theoretical concepts learned about LCA. During this session, participants could engage in discussions about study settings, including system boundaries, functional units, types of data to collect, etc. The lesson will also involve a step-by-step demonstration of the procedure to calculate the impact on the global warming potential (GWP) indicator.