Dr. Rene Benders explains his longtime research

The last four decades several methods have been developed and used to determine the environmental impact of consumption: Life Cycle analysis (LCA), Input-Output (OI)analysis and the ecological footprint. At IREES we developed another one about thirty years ago: a hybrid method, combining LCA and IO analysis. This hybrid method is implemented in the software package EAP (Environmental Analysis Program).

Recently this method and EAP got a new boost because the circular economy became a hot topic in the Netherlands and EAP is suitable to come up with analyses with the needed level of detail. A project was carried out, ordered by the Ministry of Infrastructure and water management, to  calculate the environmental load of Dutch household consumption. The goal is to develop a tool with which the energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and several other emissions as well as land use of households are determined. Besides this the tool should be able to give a good indication of the material use present in the consumption items. The tool must be able to determine the total environmental pressure of households but also be able to perform on a detail level. In a second project we zoomed in on the food consumptions and ways to be reduces the impact by the consumer by adjusting their habits and shopping behavior.

The graphic below displays the Global Warming Potential (GWP) emissions average household 2017