Event

On May 14, 2020 Stefan Pauliuk will be a virtual guest at Fraunhofer ISI. The lecture “Resource efficiency and climate change mitigation – A Prospective Industrial Ecology Assessment“ will start at 13:00.

Abstract

Energy efficiency is a prominent and well established emissions mitigation strategy, but the same cannot be said for material efficiency, which includes measures such as product lightweighting, lifetime extension, more intense use, and different value retention services such as remanufacturing and reuse. Industrial ecology research has shown that the energy, material, and emissions savings potential of material efficiency can be substantial. In this talk, I report first estimates of the material efficiency potential of the G7 countries, China, and India, as well as the link between material ef ficiency and climate change mitigation.

The time span of the assessment is 2015-2060, and it covers material efficiency in passenger vehicles and residential buildings. The climate-relevant bulk materials concrete, steel, timber, aluminium, and plastics are included.

Next to estimating the potential benefits of material efficiency regarding carbon emissions reduction, I also present the concept and first results of linking macro-level material demand scenarios to high resolution mining supply scenarios for the case of copper.

Biography

Stefan Pauliuk, PhD
Assistant professor for sustainable energy and material flow
management

Stefan Pauliuk is an expert for method development to assess sustainable development strategies. His work includes supply chain analysis, scenario modelling for sustainable material futures, life cycle assessment of renewable energy supply and conversion, and indicator development for resource efficiency and circular economy strategies. Together with colleagues, he estimates current in-use stocks of the climate-relevant bulk materials and develops scenarios for material efficiency in the different material cycles. These scenarios show the substantial greenhouse gas emissions mitigation potential of material efficiency.

He studies the link between the transition to renewable energies, costs, and the material cycles from a life cycle perspective. He is assistant professor for sustainable material and energy flow management at the Faculty for Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Germany, where he leads the research group »Industrial Ecology Freiburg«.