3D printing has the potential to be more sustainable by producing better products with less resources and impact, but certain key factors must be respected. Life Cycle Assessment is a tool that can evaluate the full environmental impact of 3D printing and identify opportunities for improvement. For 3D printing to be considered sustainable, targets must be set using tools like the IPAT calculator to understand resource needs based on population and affluence increases. The impacts must also be measured across the entire life cycle from manufacturing to disposal.

1. © M. Jutz-Effizienzagentur Schweiz AG
Can
3D
Prin*ng
Go
Green?
producing
be5er
products
with
less
resources
and
impact
Prof.
Maurice
Jutz
Swiss
Centre
for
Efficiency
Ltd

2. 2
Content
• Introduction
• Eco-efficiency and sustainability - key points for the design of new
products and processes
• How much do we have to reduce our resource consumption when
global population reaches 10 billions => IPAT calculator
• Life Cycle Assessment: a powerful tool to evaluate the
environmental impact of products and processes
• What are the most important key factors to be respected in order to
be able to say : ”3-d printing is sustainable”?

3. 3

4. 4
5/3/13 4
Ø Contaminated sites in Switzerland:
2012
• 3% have to be
rehabilitated
• 5 % have to be controlled
• 24% have to be analyzed
in detail

5. 5
Paradoxa
We are becoming more energy efficient and are still
consuming more energy
Technology helps to make things smaller – but needs
for space are increasing
We are producing faster and are more productive – but
still are working more
We know many natural resources are limited but we are
still spoiling them
We know hunger is a huge global problem but over 30%
of the food production ends as waste
5
3.12.12Ressourcen/th

6. 6
2002-2010, NASA 2011
Mother earth is burning

7. 75/3/13
Quelle:
NASA
2008
at day and night

8. 8
London Metall Exchange
(LME): Preisentwicklung
für Cash Buyers Kupfer:
Juli 2000 – Juli 2010
Copper The prices for natural
ressources are rising

9. 9
Global Material Extraction
9"

10. 10
The
demand
for
natural
resources
is
also
rising

11. 115/3/13 11
DDT: a Persistent Organic Pollutant
Abb.:Ch. Simon, DDT, CMV

12. 125/3/13 12

13. 135/3/13 13
Up-concentration
in the food chain:
oersistent
lipophilic
mobile
DDT and its metabolites:
concentration in the tissue of the
respective organisms

14. 14

15. 15
Ecological footprint
source: Global Footprint Network
The Ecological Footprint is an accounting system that tracks, on the demand side
(Footprint), how much land and water area a human population uses to provide all
it takes from nature. This includes the areas for producing the resource it
consumes, the space for accommodating its buildings and roads, and the
ecosystems for absorbing its waste emissions such as carbon dioxide
Source: http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/footprint_basics_overview/

16. 16
mine is: 2.6
16%: food
30%: travelling
19%: lodging
35%: diverse
Check your personal footprint: http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/personal_footprint/
Quelle: COOP
Ecological footprint…
…what is yours??

17. 17
17
Cleantech Masterplan Switzerland
(2011)
The vision is to reduce
Switzerland’s use of resources
to a sustainable level (footprint
1) and so become a leading
business location and centre for
innovation in the cleantech
sector. Switzerland will set a
global example in resource
efficiency and resource
management.

18. 18
Can
3D
Prin*ng
Go
Green?
Is
3D
Prin*ng
sustainable
?
…under
which
condi*ons
can
3D
Prin*ng
become
a
sustainable
technology?
1. seCng
the
target
2. measure
the
impact

19. 19
19
Sustainability
Sustainable development is development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their own needs. It
contains within it two key concepts:
The concept of 'needs', in particular the essential needs
of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should
be given; and
The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology
and social organization on the environment's ability to
meet present and future needs.Source: Brundtland Report of 1987
The drawback to the Brundtland definition is it’s more
inspirational than practical. It’s not precise and
measurable

20. 20
Eco Efficiency
"eco-efficiency is achieved by the delivery of
competitively priced goods and services that satisfy
human needs and..
bring quality of life, while progressively reducing
ecological impacts and resource intensity
throughout the life-cycle…
to a level at least in line with the Earth’s estimated
carrying capacity."
Source: World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
creating more value with less impact

21. 21
21
Source: WBCSD: eco-eficiency learning module

22. 22
© FHNW - 2007 22
Cleaner Production
Clean Technologies
Source: WBCSD: eco-eficiency learning module
How to get there?

23. 23
I
=
PAT
is
the
leFering
of
a
formula
put
forward
to
describe
the
impact
of
human
acKvity
on
the
environment.
I
=
P
×
A
×
T
Human
Impact
(I)
on
the
environment
equals
the
product
of
P=
PopulaKon,
A=
Affluence,
T=
Technology.
This
describes
how
our
growing
populaKon,
affluence,
and
technology
contribute
toward
our
environmental
impact.
• The
variable
P
represents
the
populaKon
of
an
area,
such
as
the
world.
• The
variable
A
stands
for
affluence.
It
represents
the
average
consumpKon
of
each
person
in
the
populaKon.
• The
T
variable
represents
how
resource
intensive
the
producKon
of
affluence
is;
how
much
environmental
impact
is
involved
in
creaKng,
transporKng
and
disposing
of
the
goods,
services
and
ameniKes
used.
The
equaKon
was
developed
in
the
1970s
during
the
course
of
a
debate
between
Barry
Commoner,
Paul
R.
Ehrlich
and
John
Holdren.
(source
Wikipedia)
SeCng
the
target:
IPAT
calculator

24. 24
SeCng
the
target:
IPAT
calculator
I
=
PAT
is
the
leFering
of
a
formula
put
forward
to
describe
the
impact
of
human
acKvity
on
the
environment.
I
=
P
×
A
×
T

25. 25Source: M. Wuest 2012
years from now
population growth
devel. affluence
devel. technology
population growth
devel. affluence
devel. technology
impact

26. Economy
It is well known that the purchase price is just one part.
-
1'000
2'000
3'000
4'000
5'000
6'000
7'000
8'000
Avarage Low High
Mileage
€/Year
Costs of a small passanger car per year
Acquisition
-
1'000
2'000
3'000
4'000
5'000
6'000
7'000
8'000
Avarage Low High
Mileage
€/Year
Costs of a small passanger car per year
Maintenance
Operation
Tax, insurances
Acquisition
For sound decisions the life cycle costs or total costs of owner
ship (TCO) have to be taken into account.
Measure
the
impact:
Life
Cycle
Assessment

27. How about ecology?
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Costs Climate CO2 Eco Indicator
Economy Ecology
Costs & impacts for a small car per year
Maintenance
Operation
Fix costs (taxes resp. roads)
Acquisition and disposal
The impacts in the use phase can be even more important.

28. A global product

29. Figures
To be manufactured, this product needs:
• 12 locations in 5 time zones
• 38 main components
• Approx. 4'500 employees
• 27'880 km of components travelling by ship,
plane, truck and train
A global product

30. The product is an …
electronic
toothbrush of
161 grams

31. The whole life cycle of a product or service
The relevant impacts like:
• toxic emission to the water
• climate change
• reduction of forests
• toxic releases to the air
• reduction of soil fertility
• water pollution
• use of resources .....
For a sound decisions it is important to
take into account:
Life Cycle Analysis LCA is the methodology
fulfilling this tasks

32. Importance of LCA
• Better decision-making for product/
production systems
• Identifies key impacts and life-cycle stages
of system
• Provides a basis for environmental
improvements of system
• Identifies trade offs
• Identifies information gaps

33. LCA framework according
ISO 14'040
• LCA of product or service is
complex, it undergoes
subjectivity
• There was a need in the 90’s
to elaborate a standardized
assessment process
• It was elaborated by Society of
Environmental Toxicology and
Chemistry (SETAC)
• And standardized by
International Standardization
Organization (ISO)
LCA Methodology

34. Environmental impacts of
primary and secondary
aluminium
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
140%
aluminium,
primary
EAA,
at
plant aluminium,
secondary,
from
old
scrap,
at
plant
EAA
2005
relative
environmental
impacts
CED:
non-­‐renewable
GWP
100a
Eco-­‐indicator
99,
(H,A)
ReCiPe
Endpoint
(H,A)
ecological
scarcity
2006
All indicators
show that the
environmental
impacts of
secondary
aluminium is
much lower than
the impacts of
primary
aluminium.
evaluating
recycling

35. 35

36. 36
Summary
Source: A guide to eco-innovation for SMEs and business coaches, European Commission 2013

37. 37
IPAT
calculator
Technology
assessment
Climate change is a fact – but resource efficiency can be sexy

38. 38
Thank you for
your attention