Wiki for Sustainability (Part 2)

22.03.2022 - It is the buzzword of our time. "Sustainability" encompasses a wide range of topics that can hardly be summarised in their entirety. Nevertheless, Steinbeis Papier is attempting to describe the most important terms and is creating a wiki for sustainability.

Native species

What do the corncrake, the tree frog and the common violet have in common? They are all native species in Germany. However, thanks to global trade and international networking, it is not as easy to determine who belongs to this club as it might seem at first glance. According to the definition of the Federal Nature Conservation Act, these "native species" also include new arrivals that have been introduced by humans. The only condition is that they must establish themselves in Germany over several generations without human intervention. Accordingly, 600 introduced plants (neophytes) and over 260 animals (neozoa) are now considered native. In some places, this may lead to an increase in biodiversity. Critical voices, however, warn of possible negative effects. For example, if the newcomers occupy the same ecological niches as native species, a battle for resources will ensue. If the invasive species are better adapted, they may even displace the native species completely. The latter die out and biodiversity decreases1⁽ see also A for species extinction).

Good to know: Some organisms have such dramatic effects on their new home that they are now on a warning list.

Wood-free paper

Wood-free paper sounds good: no trees had to be felled to make this paper - right? Not quite, because not every term that sounds sustainable actually is. "Wood-free" does not refer to whether or not trees were felled to produce the paper, but to the production process used. Wood-free papers are made from pulp, and the raw material for pulp production is wood. You can find detailed information on this in our article "Deceptive wood-free packaging".

Humus

It is not for nothing that humus (not to be confused with delicious hummus) is considered the living part of the soil. This 10 to 30 centimetre high upper soil layer forms a central habitat for the diverse world of soil organisms. They decompose the litter (e.g. leaves, needles and twigs) and make the nutrients it contains available for the next generation of plants. Healthy plants (and food) can only grow in nutrient-rich soil. However, the humus content depends on external environmental influences and human utilisation. If, for example, the topsoil is not protected or is heavily utilised due to intensive land use, this leads to a reduction in humus content in the long term. We can easily counteract this in our own garden: recycled kitchen waste ensures fertile beds after composting (see also Warm up to WormUp)^.2

Innovation

Some people use the term innovation almost synonymously with sustainability. The truth is: Sustainable innovations can help and serve as a driver for sustainable change. Ecological and social issues are not subordinated to economic success in sustainable innovations, but are treated equally. Nevertheless, they can support and accelerate, but only through a fundamental rethink of circular production methods can challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity and global food supply be overcome.

Investments

Where to put the savings? This question, which is already difficult due to low interest rates and turbulent world events, is not getting any easier in the context of the urgent need for sustainable change. But there seems to be light at the end of the investment tunnel: the range of alternative investment opportunities for those who not only want to increase their money, but also actively contribute to a better world, is becoming ever broader. The idea behind these so-called "ethical investments" is that everyone can influence economic processes through targeted and selected investments. Taken together, the hope is that this will lead to socially responsible and ecologically sustainable change^.3 In this article, you can read about what you should look out for in "ethical investments".

IPCC

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an institution of the United Nations. On its behalf, experts worldwide regularly summarise the current state of knowledge on climate change and evaluate it from a scientific perspective. The IPCC provides a basis for science-based political decisions by highlighting different options for action and their implications, but without proposing specific solutions or making recommendations for action. The recently published report is an urgent wake-up call: "Climate change is a threat to human well-being and the health of the planet. Any further delay in concerted global action will miss a short and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a future worth living," said marine biologist Hans-Otto Pörtner, who chairs one of the IPCC working groups.

Jobs

Sustainable issues do not stop at the world of work. There is now a demand for jobs that are more than just occupational therapy and a source of income. Identification with personal values has become more important and so have the demands on companies to fulfil their social obligations. What's more: "If you work in certain industries or companies, you have to be able to face a lot of criticism," says our former apprentice Leif Dombrowski in an interview in 2021. Steinbeis Papier is therefore proud to welcome 14 apprentices again this year.

Jute bag

40 years ago, it made a career for itself as a symbol of an entire movement, today it is being celebrated again as an it-piece: the jute bag. GEPA launched the original on the German market with the slogan "Jute instead of plastic". It was seen as the epitome of an alternative lifestyle - jute as a symbol of sustainability as opposed to plastic as the material of a wasteful, throwaway society. The topic could hardly be more topical. More and more unpackaged shops are opening their doors, plastic bags are being banned in the retail sector and sustainable innovations (see also I for innovations) are opening up new ways of doing away with existing plastic packaging.

Good to know: For a reusable jute or cotton bag to be more environmentally friendly all round than a plastic bag, it needs to be reused around 30 times, according to the German Environmental Aid organisation. Fair trade organic products that are as natural as possible are the most environmentally friendly^.4

Youth

The study "Future? Young people ask!" conducted by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and the Federal Environment Agency analysed the opinions of young people aged 14 to 22 on the environment and climate in 2019. The survey also looked at their concerns, their commitment and which environmental and climate protection measures are important to them. The result? 80 per cent of respondents are aware of Fridays for Future, and a quarter have already gone on strike for the climate on a Friday. Individuals, industry and the German government were named as the three most important players in environmental and climate protection. A minority rate the current efforts as only sufficient. To secure their future, it is high time to act - as the IPCC report recently showed (see also I for IPCC). Our trainees assess the situation in a very similar way, as they explained in an interview in 2021.

Climate neutrality

More and more companies, cities and countries have recognised the signs of the times and are striving for climate neutrality. Their aim is to achieve a balance between carbon emissions and the absorption of carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks^.5 A popular means of reducing emissions and achieving climate neutrality is to offset emissions by saving greenhouse gases elsewhere. However, it would be more sustainable to adapt production processes and the raw materials used so that not so many emissions are produced in the first place^.6 Critical voices also criticise the focus on carbon in the efforts made to date. Other greenhouse gases, such as methane, which is even more harmful, are usually left out of the equation^.7

Good to know: climate-neutral is good, climate-positive is better. This means that at least twice the amount of climate protection certificates are purchased, thus offsetting the emissions caused.

Power plants with combined heat and power generation

As the name suggests, combined heat and power generation utilises the steam generated in the power plant as a source of power and heat. The power is converted into electricity in the form of mechanical energy and the heat is used to heat public and private buildings^.8 By utilising the released energy efficiently, resources and emissions can be saved and a contribution made to climate protection^.9

Good to know: Steinbeis Papier is supplied from the Steinbeis Energie combined heat and power plant. The power plant covers 100 per cent of the paper mill's thermal requirements and 50 per cent of its electrical requirements.

Circular economy

Current production systems are still primarily linear systems. This means that only a small proportion is fed back into a resource cycle. The vast majority of raw materials currently become unusable during production or during waste utilisation. For the sustainable use of resources, it is therefore important to think and operate in cycles that are as efficient as possible^.10 Read also C for Cradle to Cradle.

Good to know: "From the cycle for the cycle" is also the thinking at Steinbeis Papier. You can find out more about the integrated production cycles at Steinbeis here.

Agriculture

Growing food in harmony with nature - this is the essence of agriculture that is sustainably managed and passed on over generations. Sustainable agriculture conserves available natural resources such as water, soil and nutrients, respects the flora and fauna of the respective ecosystem and ensures the economic viability of farmers. However, increasing industrialisation through monocultures and the use of pesticides and fertilisers is diametrically opposed to these practices. Read more on the topic here.

Supply chains

Coffee from Brazil, paving stones from India and raw materials for mobile phone batteries from the Congo. Supply chains are networks of different manufacturers, dealers and means of transport that deliver raw materials and individual parts for different products and transport them to the end customer. In our globally active world, supply chains are sometimes very long, which harbours problems. For example, production is relocated to emerging and developing countries because it is cheaper there. While profits increase, human rights (see also M for human rights) and the planet suffer. Therefore, the shorter and more transparent the supply chains, the more sustainable (for people and the environment) the products are at the end of the day.

Good to know: 79 million children worldwide are affected by exploitative child labour. To counteract this, the Supply Chain Act will come into force in Germany from 2023. This will oblige companies with more than 3,000 employees to fully investigate their supply chains for human rights violations^.11

LOHAS and LOVOS

Spurred on by the debate on climate protection, the LOHAS movement (short for "Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability") emerged around the turn of the millennium. Their aim is to improve the situation on the global market through sustainable consumption of organic products that are as fair as possible and to encourage companies to act more transparently and sustainably^.12 LOVOS (short for "Lifestyle of Voluntary Simplicity") form a subgroup of LOHAS. They voluntarily opt for a reduced and minimalist lifestyle. They consume very critically and want to lead a self-determined life, for example through self-sufficiency^.13