Quantifying biodiversity footprints of Dutch economic sectors: A global supply-chain analysis
Economic sectors contribute to biodiversity loss through environmental pressures, such as land use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, both directly via their production processes and indirectly via…
Quantifying Biodiversity Losses Due to Human Consumption: A Global-Scale Footprint Analysis
It is increasingly recognized that human consumption leads to considerable losses of biodiversity. This study systematically quantifies these losses in relation to land use and greenhouse gas (GHG)…
The picture of Africa’s increasing dependence on imports and large-scale agricultural expansion to keep up its food supply needs nuancing. Domestic production increase was the dominant factor for food…
From Planetary Boundaries to national fair shares of the global safe operating space — How can the scales be bridged?
The planetary boundaries’ concept proposes quantitative precautionary boundaries for nine critical earth-system processes, including climate and biodiversity. Crossing the boundaries could generate…
How could sustainable trade contribute to the conservation of natural capital? The effects of certifying tropical resource production on ecosystem services
PBL has conducted a study into the possibilities of improving the management of natural capital through sustainable trade chains, in the regions that produce soya, palm oil, cacao and wood. Certified…
Facility arrangements and the environmental performance of disposable and reusable cups
This paper integrates two complementary life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies aimed at advicing facility managers on the sustainable use of disposable or reusable cups. Study-1 compares three disposable…
Beyond Cockpit-ism: Four Insights to Enhance the Transformative Potential of the Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals need to go beyond the cockpit and address not only governments, but also other potential agents of change such as business, cities, citizens and civil society.
Sustainability of international Dutch supply chains: Progress, effects and perspectives
Imported natural resources and products, such as coffee, timber, palm oil, cacao, fish and soya, increasingly more often carry a sustainability label, based on the certification of production…
Costs and Benefits of Nitrogen for Europe and Implications for Mitigation
Cost-benefit analysis can be used to provide guidance for emerging policy priorities in reducing nitrogen (N) pollution. The results support the priority for further reduction in NH 3 and NO x…
The price of protein: Review of land use and carbon footprints from Life cycle assessments of animal food products and their substitutes
Sources of protein in our diet, such as meat, dairy products and seafood can have significant environmental impacts. There are however very large differences between products, both in land requirement…