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Next to primary functions, energy-related products have an increasing number of additional functions. This affects the overall environmental footprint, but the question is how? A number of European policy strategies, initiatives and measures, such as the Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan,the Ecodesign Directive and the EU Energy Labelling, aim to ensure that the environmental impact of the overall product is better determined, communicated and finally reduced. A core element of these efforts is the DIN EN 4555x series of standards. However, there is currently no comprehensive and systematic classification of the additional product functions or an approach to assess the associated positive and negative environmental impacts.
Therefore, we present in this study an environmental assessment approach for additional product functions and illustrate its application in the case of fridge-freezers.
A key element of the life-cycle-oriented methodology is an assessment matrix to categorize and evaluate the direct, indirect and systemic impacts of products’ functions. Based on semiquantitative assessments of experts, the matrix provides an indication of how the additional function affects the overall environmental product impact as well as specific product aspects such as durability or reparability. Based on the results experts can discuss and better understand how specific functions can influence various stages of the product life cycle and how intended systemic changes or rebound effects could occur. As part of the approach, a representative survey was conducted to analyze consumers’ knowledge and information needs. Based on the results, recommendations for purchasing decisions and the consumer information were developed. This paper presents the results from the assessment of the additional functions of fridge-freezers.
Pioneering durability in electronics - The role of standardisation in policymaking and vice versa
(2024)
This paper highlights the role of standardisation in enabling greener electronics in the EU. It presents an analysis of the evolving landscape of material efficiency standardization, the majority of which has been undertaken in the framework of the European Ecodesign Directive, soon to be repealed by the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. The impending policy shift will include a very broad extension of product scope, a strengthening of the way in which material efficiency aspects are addressed, and wider potential for product labelling. During the stakeholder consultation process, the European Commission announced that the durability of products would be one of the major topics in the new regulatory approach - hence the specific focus of this paper on durability scoring.
The paper first examines the policy and standardization context, and then provides an overview of material efficiency indexes and scoring systems currently in place or being developed. It highlights where standardization is following policymaking, and where standardization is paving the way for more circular products. Scoring systems and indexes could potentially be used for both (i) setting minimum requirements for products entering the EU market, and (ii) consumer labels on material efficiency aspects such as product durability that could trigger environmentally sustainable purchase decisions. Subsequently, a methodological framework for a comprehensive durability scoring system that could be developed in standards is proposed, and the potential for these to be used as a basis for product legislation is explored. Potential durability criteria are listed, divided into technical, servicerelated and further aspects. Technical aspects include external factors that influence the durability of products such as drop/shock resistance. Service-related aspects include, for example, pre-purchase information provision on battery replaceability or availability of software updates. Other aspects include for example pro.
Übersicht über den Aktuellen Stand der Durchführungsmaßnahmen der EU zur Ökodesign-Richtlinie sowie der delegierten Rechtsakte zum EU Energielabel. Der Fokus liegt auf die Änderungen bzgl. gesetzlicher Anforderungen, die Überwachung durch die Vollzugsbehörden und mögliche diesbezügliche Informationsquellen.
Übersicht über die Umsetzung des EU Green New Deal, des Circular Economy Action Plan sowie der Sustainable Product Initiative. Ebenfalls erfolgt eine Zusammenfassung der Auswirkungen der Änderungen im EU-Produktrecht auf die Revision des geltenden Rechts und das Zusammenspiel zwischen Rechtssetzung und Normung.
Überblick über den Paradigmenwechsel der EU-Rechtsetzung zu Produkten, sowie die Erweiterung des Geltungsbereiches auf Zirkularitätsaspekte (Circular Economy). Der Überblick wird anhand des Beispieles Produktlebensdauer erklärt und die Vorteile eines Zusammenspiels zwischen der Legislative und Normungsarbeit erörtert.
Überblick über die Initiative QI-Digital. Schwerpunkt liegt neben den allgemeinen Zielen und Aktivitäten in verschiedenen Projekten insbesondere auf der Rolle von Datenräumen für die Qualitätsinfrastruktur (QI) und hier insbesondere Labore. Datenräume als Anker einer digitalen QI ermöglichen nicht nur sicheren und souveränen Datenaustausch sondern bieten auch Potential für neue Geschäftsmodelle.
Produktion und Handel in immer komplexeren Wertschöpfungsnetzwerken, die fortschreitende digitale und grüne Transformation sowie technologische Innovationen sind in hohem Maße auf die verlässliche Sicherung und den effizienten Nachweis der Qualität, Sicherheit und Nachhaltigkeit von Waren, Dienstleistungen und Prozessen angewiesen. Unverzichtbar dafür ist eine moderne und leistungsfähige Qualitätsinfrastruktur (QI). Der Artikel stellt die Initiative QI-Digital, ihre Ziele und Aktivitäten für die digitale Transformation der QI vor.
This presentation provides an introduction and intermediate results of the Horizon-Europe STAR4BBS project.It focuses on how to maximize the potential of Sustainability Certification Schemes (SCS) and labels to support a successful transition to a sustainable bio-based economy by assessing their effectiveness, robustness, and credibility.
Barriers to transitioning to a circular bio-based economy: Findings from an industrial perspective
(2024)
The transition from a linear fossil-based to a circular bio-based economy represents an opportunity and a suitable pathway for achieving several sustainable development goals. However, the transition is a complex process since it requires transformative policies, purposeful innovation, access to finance, risk-taking capacity as well as new and sustainable business models and markets. Accordingly, the first step in this transition process is the identification of barriers that are hampering the transition to a sustainable circular bio-based economy. With this motivation in mind, this study reviews grey literature to identify barriers focusing on four critical sectors facing major challenges within the current linear economy and requiring a sustainable transition most urgently: construction, chemicals, plastics, and textile sectors. Employing an adapted STEEP methodology (Social, Technological, Economical, Environmental, Political), a total of 193 different barriers have been identified and clustered under six categories: cultural, technical, economic, environmental, governance, and structural. Regardless of the sector, cultural and structural barriers are identified as the most prominent; the lack of incentives for consumer behaviour change and lack of stakeholder collaboration were the most cited barriers among the literature records. From a value chain perspective, most of the barriers are related to the material processing and product manufacturing stage. Finally, potential solutions, extracted from the grey literature, are proposed to fill the gaps and overcome the identified barriers. Many of the identified barriers are common across the four investigated sectors, indicating the solutions or measures can be applicable in a wider perspective to promote the transition in the right direction.
Technological innovation and digitalization are transforming industries and organizations worldwide. Digital Maturity Models often serve as a reference point to monitor the digitalization progression through prescribed stages. Yet, little is still understood about (i) how a digital maturity model should be designed and deployed in a specific industry setting and (ii) the association between digital maturity and technology adoption. Building on extant literature and extensive interviews with industry experts, we first develop a digital maturity model in the context of the conformity assessment industry (a globally regulated industry responsible for assessing compliance of organizations with standards and regulations). Second, we implement the model and conduct a survey across 1447 organizations in 15 countries. Our findings reveal that the digital transformation journey of the industry progresses along five stages of maturity (with most organizations in the early/ intermediate stages of digital maturity) with distinctive patterns of technical and managerial practices across all stages. Adoption of technologies is (unsurprisingly) associated with higher digital maturity levels - albeit that association does not hold for complex technologies (such as Blockchain) and is impacted by country specifics (measured by the Digital Skills Gap Index). Our study provides insights into digital maturity and the adoption of technologies in an institutional environment that is highly regulated and conservative, in which high integrity of service provision is primary, and digitalization is a secondary focus of organizations.
Standards play a crucial role in the transition to more sustainable production and consumption models by promoting the development of new markets for innovative products. In the case of the bioeconomy, standards are particularly relevant to ensure the sustainability of products and processes. Hence, standards represent an essential strategic tool to foster sustainable development. Furthermore, the standard-setting process brings together different stakeholders, which encourages research and the transfer of knowledge to industrial practice. In particular, scientific publications assist the standardisation process by providing scientific evidence. This study investigates the role of science and regulation in the bioeconomy standardisation process. It first provides a general analysis of bioeconomy-related standards, followed by an analysis of the regulations and publications referenced in the standards. Our analysis discloses a strong use of scientific knowledge in the bioeconomy standardisation process and demonstrates the readiness to integrate novel academic findings into revised versions of the standards. In addition, it reveals that the interaction between science and regulation is an important driver for standardisation activities around the bioeconomy, needed to support sustainable transitions.
What does GD-OES reveal about the aging and manufacturing processes of lithium-ion batteries?
(2024)
Glow-Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GD-OES), a powerful analytical technique, sheds light on the two critical aspects of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs): manufacturing and aging 1, 2. We optimized cell production in manufacturing by adjusting parameters, including cathode doping, electrolyte concentration, and pressing force. GD-OES provided in-depth elemental composition and homogeneity analysis, which is crucial for identifying optimal manufacturing conditions. These findings were validated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, confirming the quality of the manufactured batteries.
Shifting the focus to aging, we use GD-OES for fluorine depth profiling, a key element in understanding polymer and electrolyte degradation. However, fluorine presents analytical challenges. We addressed this by substituting argon with a neon:argon mixture, which significantly enhanced fluorine detection sensitivity. This advancement not only improves accuracy but also holds the potential to guide sustainable and cost-efficient manufacturing strategies.
Through its versatility, GD-OES has proven to be a powerful tool for not only optimizing LIB manufacturing processes but also gaining deeper insights into their aging mechanisms. This research extends beyond academic interest, offering tangible benefits for the industry by translating into improved battery quality, extended lifespan, and overall performance.
The energy demand of private households contributes globally to 36.5% of the total CO2 emissions. To analyze the emissions reduction potential, we conducted a comparative life cycle assessment of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell in a residential application and a conventional system with a stand-alone gas condensing boiler and electricity from a grid mix. The period under review was referred to as the service life of the PEMFC and is assumed to be 10 years (83,038 h of PEMFC). The applicability of this in a single-family house built between 1991 and 2000 under German climatic conditions was investigated. The functional unit is set to the thermal energy demand of 16,244 kWh/a and electricity demand of 4919 kWh/a of a single-family house. The impact assessment method “CML 2001–August 2016” was used in this investigation. The manufacturing phase of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell showed disadvantages, whereby the use phase had significant advantages in most of the environmental impact categories as compared to the conventional energy supply system. Considering the whole life cycle, the advantages from the use phase could outperform the disadvantages from the manufacturing phase in most of the impact categories, except for ADP elements and TETP.
The MBLabs consortium comprises various organizations that operate testing facilities encompassing a broad spectrum of tests relevant to the construction sector, particularly building envelopes. In the future, additional testing facilities will join the METABUILDING platform to offer their services. These services will be integrated in the MBLabs Open Innovation Test Bed and accessible via the METABUILDING platform. The METABUILDING platform is operated by the METABUILDING association.
In Task 8.5 the Quality Assurance system of the MBLabs OITB is developed. The presentation gives an overview regarding the development of this system after 3 years of project execution.
The ongoing digital transformation of the economy and the increasing complexity of networked products and applications are bringing digitalization into the focus of conformity assessment bodies (CABs). The demand for conformity assessment services is rising in tandem with innovations, new technologies, and processes. This poses new challenges for testing and calibration laboratories, inspection and certification bodies, and other CABs. Nevertheless, the emergence of advanced digital technologies and applications also opens up new opportunities for these organizations. This study is the first to comprehensively explore "Digitalization in Conformity Assessment" building on data from an online survey of CABs worldwide (14 countries and West Africa as a region with seven countries).
The European Commission has recently announced two guiding principles for EU product policy: First, product policy shall ensure that the performance of front-runner products in terms of sustainability becomes the norm, and second, the effectiveness of the current Ecodesign legislative framework is going to be significantly improved. Within this paper, already existing front-runner approaches and recent and ongoing product policy-making processes were reviewed. Based on the results, an EU front-runner approach is outlined. The presented approach (i) refers to performance levels of the best products already available on the market, (ii) aggregates information in existing databases, and (iii) works semi-automated. Together, all three attributes have a high potential to facilitate and accelerate the specification of appropriate minimum requirements for products at the EU level. This way, EU policymakers can deliver on the core objectives of the Ecodesign legislative framework much better. The basic mechanism and its legal entrenchment of the approach are illustrated for the energy efficiency of energy-related products. In addition, the Front-Runner Approach can be applied to any product group in the scope of the upcoming Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and to a wide range of product-related minimum requirements, such as durability, reparability, or recycled content. The study’s objective is to suggest a tailor-made and dynamic approach to keep the EU product legislation up to date using innovative technology based on the investigation of current regulations and identify the gap. Experiences from three international case studies suggest that a front-runner approach to setting energy-performance standards can drive innovation and reduce energy consumption via promoting energy-efficient products; transparency about available products is one of the key factors and can be established by a database. The EU front-runner approach comprises extending the existing energy label database (or making use of the digital product passport) and introducing a legislative procedure that triggers changes in the energy efficiency requirements in the specific EU regulations if the database shows that a certain threshold value is reached. Challenges such as limited EU staff capacities and opportunities such as increased dynamic are discussed.
Climate change and the pressure to decarbonize, as well as energy security concerns, have drawn the attention of policymakers and the industry to hydrogen energy. To ad-vance the hydrogen economy at a global scale, research and innovation progress is of significant importance, among others. However, previous studies have provided only lim-ited quantitative evidence of the effects of research and innovation on the formation of a global hydrogen market. Instead, they postulate rather than empirically support this rela-tionship. Therefore, this study analyzes the effects of research and innovation measured by scientific publications, patents, and standards on bilateral hydrogen trade flows for 32 countries between 1995 and 2019 in a gravity model of trade, using regression analyses and Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood (PPML) estimation. The main results of the PPML estimation show that research and innovation progress is indeed associated with increased trade, especially with patenting and (international) standardization enhancing hydrogen export volumes. As policy implications, we derive that increased public R&D funding can help increase the competitiveness of hydrogen energy and boost market growth, along with infrastructure support and harmonized standards and regulations.
Against the backdrop of numerous security breaches and cyber-attacks, organizations need to take measures to secure their data and information. However, the well-known management system standard ISO/IEC 27001 for information security has shown a lower adoption rate – in terms of annual ISO survey data – than was previously expected by scholars and practitioners. Through the lens of Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory, we consider the adoption of ISO/IEC 27001 as a 'preventive innovation' and aim to identify factors that help gain a better understanding of its adoption. Therefore, we conducted a survey among German organizations on the use and impact of management system standards, explicitly distinguishing between organizations that implement ISO/IEC 27001 and those that are additionally certified against this standard. This study provides insights and contributes to an advanced understanding of motives, impacts, barriers, and useful measures to increase adoption of ISO/IEC 27001. Our findings may be useful to organizations considering the adoption of this management system standard, to certification bodies providing certification services, and to policymakers seeking means to improve information security in organizations.
Harmonized and interoperable national Quality Infrastructure (QI) systems are essential for fostering cooperation, promoting mutual trust, and facilitating trade. The true potential of the QI is realized when its elements and actors are seamlessly integrated into a cohesive digital QI ecosystem. Recent developments towards industrial international data spaces enable such an ecosystem but require the integration of QI principles. Recognizing the lack of such a platform, Quality-X aims at setting the stage for the implementation of a QI ecosystem in international data spaces (IDS), GAIA-X and related German and European projects dedicated to secure data sharing. Quality-X is not about the construction of a platform; it is the creation of an inclusive QI ecosystem with harmonized interfaces. Instead of imposing rigid data structures, it prioritizes interoperability. Through the utilization of Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs), Verifiable Credentials, and Identity Hubs, Quality-X seeks seamless interactions across diverse service provider systems.
This white paper introduces the concept and vision of Quality-X and discusses the general prerequisites for integrating QI processes within data spaces. Further on, we introduce existing testbeds, which will serve as an experimental proving ground for exploring various use cases related to the implementation of the vision of a QI-Digital.
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Harmonisierte und interoperable nationale Qualitätsinfrastrukturen (QI) sind für die Förderung der Zusammenarbeit, des gegenseitigen Vertrauens und der Erleichterung des Handels unerlässlich. Das wahre Potenzial der QI kommt zum Tragen, wenn ihre Elemente und Akteure nahtlos in ein kohärentes digitales QI-Ökosystem integriert werden. Die jüngsten Entwicklungen hin zu industriellen internationalen Datenräumen ermöglichen ein solches Ökosystem, erfordern jedoch die Integration von QI-Prinzipien. Angesichts des Fehlens einer solchen Plattform zielt Quality-X darauf ab, die Voraussetzungen für die Umsetzung eines QI-Ökosystems in internationalen Datenräumen (IDS), GAIA-X und verwandten deutschen und europäischen Projekten zum sicheren Datenaustausch zu schaffen. Bei Quality-X geht es nicht um den Aufbau einer Plattform, sondern um die Schaffung eines umfassenden QI-Ökosystems mit harmonisierten Schnittstellen. Anstatt starre Datenstrukturen aufzuerlegen, steht die Interoperabilität im Vordergrund. Durch die Verwendung von dezentralen Identifikatoren (DIDs), überprüfbaren Berechtigungsnachweisen und Identitäts-Hubs strebt Quality-X eine nahtlose Interaktion zwischen verschiedenen Systemen von Dienstleistern an.
Dieses Whitepaper stellt das Konzept und die Vision von Quality-X vor und erörtert die allgemeinen Voraussetzungen für die Integration von QI-Prozessen in Datenräumen. Darüber hinaus stellen wir bestehende Testbeds vor, die als experimentelles Versuchsfeld für die Erforschung verschiedener Anwendungsfälle im Zusammenhang mit der Umsetzung der Vision einer QI-Digital dienen sollen.
Presentation of the doctoral thesis held at the PhD Colloquium of the Chair of Innovation Management, Freie Universität Berlin. Hydrogen has recently come into political and industrial focus due to its potential to advance the transition to a net-zero economy. Despite this recognized potential, the market ramp-up of hydrogen technologies has not yet been realized at large. Therefore, this thesis attempts to investigate how advances in hydrogen research, innovation, and safety link up to market formation using the Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) and Quality Infrastructure (QI) frameworks. Thereupon, the thesis formulates several recommendations for transitioning to a hydrogen economy.
The global trend towards decarbonization and the demand for energy security have put hydrogen energy into the spotlight of industry, politics, and societies. Numerous governments worldwide are adopting policies and strategies to facilitate the transition towards hydrogen-based economies. To assess the determinants of such transition, this study presents a comparative analysis of the technological innovation systems (TISs) for hydrogen technologies in Germany and South Korea, both recognized as global frontrunners in advancing and implementing hydrogen-based solutions. By providing a multidimensional assessment of pathways to the hydrogen economy, our analysis introduces two novel and crucial elements to the TIS analysis: (i) We integrate the concept of ‘quality infrastructure’ given the relevance of safety and quality assurance for technology adoption and social acceptance, and (ii) we emphasize the social perspective within the hydrogen TIS. To this end, we conducted 24 semi-structured expert interviews, applying qualitative open coding to analyze the data. Our results indicate that the hydrogen TISs in both countries have undergone significant developments across various dimensions. However, several barriers still hinder the further realization of a hydrogen economy. Based on our findings, we propose policy implications that can facilitate informed policy decisions for a successful hydrogen transition.
This presentation was held at the 14th International Sustainability Transitions Conference 2023 in Utrecht.
Against the backdrop of the sustainability transition of economies worldwide, decarbonizing road traffic is high on the agenda. This has focused the interest of policymakers and automobile manufacturers on sustainable, zero-emission powertrain technologies. Among these technologies, hydrogen fuel cell (FC) vehicles have a positive climate impact, given that their hydrogen is produced from renewable energy. However, FC vehicles have not yet gained significant market shares. Therefore, based on the technological innovation systems (TIS) approach, this study analyzes how FC vehicles are influenced by EVs and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles as their context structures. To operationalize the technology relations between our focal FC-TIS and its context structures, we use the sum of international publications, patents filed at the European Patent Office, and international ISO and IEC standards as indicators for each technology. Our results show that the FC-TIS is dominated by its context structures, especially regarding commercially relevant patents and international standards. Therefore, we conclude that the FC-TIS is in its formative life-cycle phase and identify the need for intensified patenting and standardization in relation to the competing EVs and ICE vehicles.
The European Commission adopted an EU
Energy Label for smartphones and tablets in June 2023. For the
first time, the EU Energy Label will depict, among energy
efficiency, also a reparability score, battery endurance, battery
lifetime, drop resistance and dust and water ingress protection.
However, does the multitude of parameters bear the risk to
confuse consumers instead of triggering environmentally
sustainable purchase decisions? In a survey in Germany,
consumers were asked to make a choice when the label does not
clearly identify the environmentally better product. Instead,
energy efficiency has to be valued against reparability,
reliability against energy efficiency, and reparability against
reliability. The sustainability lever of the different aspects is not
the same, as e.g. lifetime extension has a much more positive
environmental impact than energy efficiency in case of mobile
devices. Therefore, the question remains, whether consumers
intuitively make the right choice. Results of the survey indicate
that consumers interpret the complex label in the desired
manner and value those aspects higher, which indeed have a
more positive effect on the environment.
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Africa. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2023. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
O3BET Quality Protocols
(2023)
Presentation of the process-oriented approach for the development of the quality protocolls (standard operation procedures and work instructions) for the O3BETs. O3BETs are innovative testing facilities for building envelopes which are developed in the course of the Metabuilding Labs EU Horizon 2020 project.
Sustainable product policy is one pillar of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan. The European Commission is to begin to address recycling, recycled content and repair under the Ecodesign Directive and very likely in the announced European Sustainable Products Regulation. In addition, initiatives on recyclability and other aspects of sustainable products can be observed in France under the Ecomodulation Approach for some electrical and electronic products. Neither the Commission's ambitions nor the Ecomodulation Approach have so far led to a crucially better ecodesign of products.
Therefore, at the EU level, indices for reparability (already developed for smartphones and tablets), recyclability and recycled content of products are being discussed within the Ecodesign legislative framework in an attempt to achieve better ecodesign through advanced consumer purchasing decisions. The product standards requested by the European Commission to assess the recyclability (EN4555) and recycled content (EN4557) of energy-related products have already been published, but are purely based on a mass-based approach. Material-specific aspects such as the environmental impact or the financial, technical and redesign efforts required by manufacturers to facilitate the recycling and use of recycled materials are not addressed. Materials that are easy to recycle and use and have a high recycled content, such as copper, are treated in the same way as plastics that are difficult to recycle and use in products as post-consumer recycled plastics. Including such aspects would be essential to trigger environmentally relevant and significant improvements in product design.
Der Vortrag fasst die Schnittmenge zwischen Normung und Politik bezüglich einer zirkulären Wirtschaft (Circular Economy) zusammen. Es wird an konkreten Schlüsselgremien und praktischen Beispielen gezeigt, wie Circular Economy bereits heute durch Normung gelingen kann und welche Zuarbeit durch die Politik von den Normungsgremien erbeten wird.
The European Commission adopted an EU Energy Label for smartphones and tablets in June 2023. For the first time, the EU Energy Label will depict, among energy efficiency, also a reparability score, battery endurance, battery lifetime, drop resistance and dust and water ingress protection.
However, does the multitude of parameters bear the risk to confuse consumers instead of triggering environmentally sustainable purchase decisions? In a survey in Germany, consumers were asked to make a choice when the label does not clearly identify the environmentally better product. Instead, energy efficiency has to be valued against reparability, reliability against energy efficiency, and reparability against reliability. The sustainability lever of the different aspects is not the same, as e.g. lifetime extension has a much more positive environmental impact than energy efficiency in case of mobile devices. Therefore, the question remains, whether consumers intuitively make the right choice. Results of the survey indicate that consumers interpret the complex label in the desired manner and value those aspects higher, which indeed have a more positive effect on the environment.
Der Vortrag stellt die Arbeiten der BAM in der Initiative QI-Digital vor, in deren Rahmen Lösungen für eine moderne und digitale Qualitätsinfrastruktur entwickelt werden. Schwerpunkt liegt auf dem zentralen Werkzeug Quality-X sowie dem Pilotprojekt "Moderne Qualitätssicherung in der Additiven Fertigung".
The presentation provides an overview and introduction to the need and drivers for the digital transformation of the quality infrastructure (QI). It illustrates the tools and processes that are the fundation of a digital QI and how the initiatve QI-Digital aims at developing accordant solutions. Special emphasis is given to the pilot projects at BAM.
Outer membrane lipopolysaccharides (LPS) play a crucial role in determining attachment behavior and pathogenicity of bacteria. The aim of this study was to develop a simple procedure for anchoring bacterial lipopolysaccharides to polystyrene (PS) microparticles as a model system for in situ attachment studies. By using a swellcapture methodology, commercially available LPS of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (strain ATCC 27316 serotype 10.22) was anchored onto PS microparticles in a proof-of-concept study. A detailed chemical and morphological characterization has proven the success of LPS incorporation. It was shown that the coverage and structure of the LPS film was concentration dependent. The procedure can easily be adapted to LPS of other bacterial strains to generate a synthetic model toolkit for attachment studies.
By tracing sustainability impacts along the supply chain, certification schemes and labels are crucial to unlock the potential of bio-based systems in achieving several SDGs. However, the rapid proliferation of certification schemes and labels led to questioning their effectiveness and robustness and to what extent they deliver important outcomes, in line with sustainability policy priorities. The STAR4BBS project develops indicators and a monitoring system for assessing the effectiveness and robustness of existing certification schemes and labels, applicable to biological feedstock and bio-based materials and products.
Against the backdrop of the sustainability transition of economies worldwide, decarbonizing road traffic is high on the agenda. This has focused the interest of policymakers and automobile manufacturers on sustainable, zero-emission powertrain technologies. Among these technologies, hydrogen fuel cell (FC) vehicles have a positive climate impact, given that their hydrogen is produced from renewable energy. However, FC vehicles have not yet gained significant market shares. Therefore, based on the technological innovation systems (TIS) approach, this study analyzes how FC vehicles are influenced by EVs and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles as their context structures. To operationalize the technology relations between our focal FC-TIS and its context structures, we use the sum of international publications, patents filed at the European Patent Office, and international ISO and IEC standards as indicators for each technology. Our results show that the FC-TIS is dominated by its context structures, especially regarding commercially relevant patents and international standards. Therefore, we conclude that the FC-TIS is in its formative life-cycle phase and identify the need for intensified patenting and standardization in relation to the competing EVs and ICE vehicles.
This presentation was held at the EURAS 2023 Conference in Aachen.
Against the backdrop of the sustainability transition of economies worldwide, decarbonizing road traffic is high on the agenda. This has focused the interest of policymakers and automobile manufacturers on sustainable, zero-emission powertrain technologies. Among these technologies, hydrogen fuel cell (FC) vehicles have a positive climate impact, given that their hydrogen is produced from renewable energy. However, FC vehicles have not yet gained significant market shares. Therefore, based on the technological innovation systems (TIS) approach, this study analyzes how FC vehicles are influenced by EVs and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles as their context structures. To operationalize the technology relations between our focal FC-TIS and its context structures, we use the sum of international publications, patents filed at the European Patent Office, and international ISO and IEC standards as indicators for each technology. Our results show that the FC-TIS is dominated by its context structures, especially regarding commercially relevant patents and international standards. Therefore, we conclude that the FC-TIS is in its formative life-cycle phase and identify the need for intensified patenting and standardization in relation to the competing EVs and ICE vehicles.
This presentation was held at the Eu-SPRI 2023 Conference and provides a comparative analysis of the hydrogen economies in Germany and the Republic of Korea, highlighting similarities and differences. Thereupon, the presentation delves into the requirements for the development of a hydrogen economy, including recommendations for policymaking.
As consequence of the European Green Deal and the European Commission's Circular Economy Action Plan, the product landscape in the EU will undergo fundamental changes. The legal requirements for products are being expanded, not least through the Proposal for an Ecodesign Regulation for Sustainable Products published by the European Commission in 2022. Following the current developments, requirements for the circularity of products will be increased next to the already existing minimum requirements for products’ energy efficiency. Following this development, the lead question has to be: Is the market, in particular small- and medium-sized enterprises, well prepared for this planned green transformation of our economy? The answer is: No, not yet.
What is needed are suitable standards for the implementation of these requirements to reduce additional burdens to an appropriate level and to support fair competition between all market actors concerned. The German Institute for Standardization, the German Commission for Electro-technical, Electronic & Information Technologies and the Association of German Engineers have conducted a review study with the aim of identifying fundamental needs for revising existing standards and for creating new standards - both of which are intended to support and accelerate the transformation of the current economy towards a Circular Economy. More than 700.000 normative documents were analyzed, and the results were discussed and consolidated with more than 1000 experts from manufacturers (organizations), consumer- and environmental organizations as well as from the public sector. As a result, more than 200 gaps in the standardization landscape were identified. In this study, we highlight and analyze the most important needs for standardization activities in the field of electrotechnical-, electronic- and ICT-products. In the discussion with the experts for electrotechnical-, electronic- and ICT products, it has been confirmed that a timely implementation of ambitious political decisions of a circular economy requires a normative basis to ensure its consistency. Furthermore, consensus between experts was that legislation in product regulation would be key and should not be extended to the area of waste legislation. As most important standardization activities accompanying product legislation, the following were identified: (i) creation of a set of indicators enabling a holistic assessment of product circularity, (ii) quality assurance of secondary raw materials and consumers awareness of the product circularity both enabled by appropriate analytics and (iii) clear regulation concerning product liability of repaired, refurbished or remanufactured products. One issue of relevance to all experts concerns the product safety, which must not, under any circumstances, decrease when changing product design to reach a higher degree of circularity. The mentioned and further standardization activities would be essential to kick the can down the circular economy road and are analyzed and summarized in this study.
The individual willingness to pay for sustainable products is significantly influenced by the climate crisis, but is also affected due to additional international crises as the still ongoing pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The better a product labelling is designed, the more likely consumers are to make a well-considered purchase decision at the point-of-sale, which in turn increases the product lifetime of the devices.
The results of this study are based on two consumer surveys with a total of 590 participants. Consumers were asked to make a simulated purchase decision based on the upcoming EU Energy Label for smartphones. Each consumer was presented comparison labels showing different aspects concerning durability (meaning charging cycles, robustness and IP class), repairability, energy efficiency and product price. In addition, there was a question on energy consumption, which was displayed either in Wh/h or in battery endurance per charge in hours.
The analysis of the survey shows a clear ranking of the preferred properties: 1. Durability as best option, Energy efficiency and Repairability as second and third choice. In all categories, a higher price was accepted in favor of a more environmentally friendly product design. When presenting the energy consumption in Wh/h, no reliable distinguishing between higher or lower values was observed. In contrast, higher values were clearly preferred when choosing between different battery runtimes.
Recommendations will be developed for adjustments to the upcoming EU Energy Label for smartphones and other product labels in the future showing circular economy aspects, such as the durability, repairability, recycled content used during production, recyclability or the total footprint of the product.
The presentation provides a comparative analysis of the hydrogen economies in Germany and the Republic of Korea, highlighting similarities and differences. Thereupon, the presentation delves into the requirements for the development of a hydrogen economy, including the political and regulatory framework.
In this work, we employed glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (GD-OES) depth profiling as a fast and semi-quantitative method to investigate the aluminum (Al) current collector degradation in commercial lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) pouch cells with no Al2O3 pretreatment. After battery aging, a heterogeneous deposit was found on the surface of the cathode. Gray hotspot areas within an extensive pale white region were formed. Consistent with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis of micro-cross sections milled via targeted focused ion beam (FIB), an Al-containing layer of approximately 3 µm can be observed using GD-OES. We attribute one main cause of this layer is the degradation of the Al current collector. The nonuniform growth of this layer was investigated by performing GD-OES depth profiling at different in-plane positions. We found that the gray area has a higher mass concentration of Al, probably in metallic form, whereas the white area was probably covered more homogeneously with Al2O3, resulting from the inhomogeneous distribution of the pitting positions on the current collector. Compared to FIB-EDX, GD-OES enables a faster and more convenient depth profile analysis, which allows the more productive characterization of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), and consequently benefits the development of preferable battery materials.
Im Rahmen des Vortrages wurde ein kurzer kurzer Einstieg in die Circular Economy und die Schnittmenge zur Politik, speziell der nationalen und europäischen Rechtssetzung gegeben. Weiter wurde an praktischen Beispielen gezeigt, wie Circular Economy bereits heute durch Normung gelingen kann und wo es Verbesserungsbedarf gibt. Außerdem wurde ein Überblick über bestehende und zukünftige Legislativvorgaben gegeben.
During its 25 years of existence, the Inorganic Analysis Working Group of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance: Metrology in Chemistry and Biology (CCQM IAWG) has achieved much in establishing comparability of measurement results. Impressive work has been done on comparison exercises related to real-world problems in fields such as ecology, food, or health. In more recent attempts, measurements and comparisons were focused on calibration solutions which are the basis of most inorganic chemical measurements. This contribution deals with the question of how to achieve full and transparent SI traceability for the values carried by such solutions. Within this framework, the use of classical primary methods (CPMs) is compared to the use of a primary difference method (PDM). PDM is a method with a dual character, namely a metrological method with a primary character, based on the bundling of many measurement methods for individual impurities, which lead to materials with certified content of the main component. As in classical methods, where small corrections for interferences are accepted, in PDM, many small corrections are bundled. In contrast to classical methods, the PDM is universally applicable to all elements in principle. Both approaches can be used to certify the purity (expressed as mass fraction of the main element) of a high-purity material. This is where the metrological need of National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) for analytical methods meet the challenges of analytical methods. In terms of methods, glow discharge mass spectrometry (GMDS) with sufficient uncertainties for sufficiently small impurity contents is particularly noteworthy for the certification of primary transfer standards (PTS), and isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS), which particularly benefits from PTS (back-spikes) with small uncertainties, is particularly noteworthy for the application. The corresponding relative uncertainty which can be achieved using the PDM is very low (< 10−4). Acting as PTS, they represent the link between the material aspect of the primary calibration solutions and the immaterial world of the International System of Units (SI). The underlying concepts are discussed, the current status of implementation is summarised, and a roadmap of the necessary future activities in inorganic analytical chemistry is sketched. It has to be noted that smaller measurement uncertainties of the purity of high-purity materials not only have a positive effect on chemical measurements, but also trigger new developments and findings in other disciplines such as thermometry or materials science.
Der Vortrag umfasst eine Einsortierung der Circular Economy in der Normung, skizziert die Inhalte der DIN/DKE/VDI-Normungsroadmap Circular Economy bezüglich Digitalisierung, Elektrotechnik und IKT sowie Batterien und zeigt Schnittstellen zur Politik. Zum Schluss zeigt der Vortrag erste Ansätze zur Umsetzung der in der Normungsroadmap beschriebenen Normungsbedarfe.
Energy efficient products often have a higher purchase price than less efficient alternatives. However, the life cycle costs are often lower due to the lower operating costs. From a purely economic point of view, efficient appliances are not only more ecological but often also more economical and, accordingly, should be purchased more frequently than less efficient appliances. However, this is not always the case. Information deficits are one of the major reasons of this discrepancy: the purchase price is visible during the purchasing process, but the follow-up costs are not, at least not in their exact amount. The EU Energy Label can be considered as a solution to close this gap. During the past decades, there has been a discussion on whether it would be better to communicate the monetary costs associated with energy consumption, since their calculation by the consumer is difficult or needs a high level of cognitive effort.
In this study, experiments and field studies on a total of 19 product groups were evaluated with regard to the question of whether the indication of costs instead of physical units affects the decision-making process of the consumer. It has been assessed under which circumstances it might positively influence the purchase decision of the customer, i.e. helping him or her to arrive at a more “energy efficient” decision. Overall, the results indicate that monetary claims possibly exceed the effect of claims on a physical basis when the costs or the differences between the alternatives available seem “relevant” to the consumer.
Eines haben die Krisen dieses Jahrzehnts gemeinsam: Sie motivieren zum Handeln. Bezüglich der Klimakrise wird eine grundlegende Änderung unseres Wirtschaftens als wesentlicher Lösungsweg gesehen. Die aktuell praktizierte lineare Wertschöpfung führte zu Ressourcenknappheit und -abhängigkeit und trug aktiv zur Verstärkung des Klimawandels bei. Wie wir in diesem Jahrzehnt unseren Absprung von gewohnten Produktions-, Konsum- und Verwertungsmustern gestalten, wird entscheidend für die nächsten Jahrzehnte sein. Die Frage, wie bis 2030 die Transformation hin zu einer zirkulären Wirtschaft gelingen kann, wurde u.a. von der Circular Economy Initiative Deutschland beantwortet. Sie nennt zehn Handlungsschwerpunkte, wobei „Standardisierung“ mit an wichtigster Stelle steht. Dieses beruht auf Gegenseitigkeit. Auf der diesjährigen G7 Standardisation High-level Conference wurde Circular Economy zu dem Themabereich mit dem größten Potential für Klimaschutzmaßnahmen gesehen.
In 2022 haben DIN, DKE und VDI mit über 500 Fachexperten aus Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft und Politik an einer Normungsroadmap Circular Economy gearbeitet. Die BAM war in fünf von sieben Schwerpunktthemen beteiligt. Ziel der Roadmap ist es, einen Handlungsrahmen für die Normung und Standardisierung zu schaffen, der die Transformation hin zu einer Circular Economy fördert. Normen und Standards bilden den untergesetzlichen und technischen Rahmen, auf denen eine zirkuläre Wirtschaft aufwachsen kann. Sie definieren Schnittstellen und stellen eine klare Kommunikation zwischen den verschiedenen Phasen des zirkulären Kreislaufes sicher – sie machen einen Kreislauf erst möglich.
In der Präsentation sind die Highlights der Normungsroadmap Circular Economy dargestellt. Die Roadmap liefert einen Überblick über die aktuelle Normungslandschaft sowie die An- und Herausforderungen zu Schwerpunktthemen wie Elektrotechnik, Kunststoffe, Verpackungen, Textilien, Bauwerke, etc. Mit >250 Normungs- und Standardisierungsbedarfen zeigt die Roadmap konkrete Handlungsfelder auf, ebenfalls mit Überschneidungen zum Geschäftsfeld der BAM.
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in North Macedonia. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Croatia. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in the United Kingdom. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
An alternative method for lithium isotope analysis by using high-resolution atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-AAS) is proposed herein. This method is based on monitoring the isotope shift of approximately 15 pm for the electronic transition 22P←22S at around the wavelength of 670.8 nm, which can be measured by state-of-the-art HR-CS-AAS. Isotope analysis can be used for (i) the traceable determination of Li concentration and (ii) isotope amount ratio analysis based on a combination of HR-CS-AAS and spectral data analysis by machine learning (ML).
In the first case, the Li spectra are described as the linear superposition of the contributions of the respective isotopes, each consisting of a spin-orbit doublet, which can be expressed as Gaussian components with constant spectral position and width and different relative intensity, reflecting the isotope ratio in the sample. Precision was further improved by using lanthanum as internal spectral standard. The procedure has been validated using human serum-certified reference materials. The results are metrologically comparable and compatible with the certified values.
In the second case, for isotope amount ratio analysis, a scalable tree boosting ML algorithm (XGBoost) was employed and calibrated using a set of samples with 6Li isotope amount fractions ranging from 0.06 to 0.99 mol mol−1. The training ML model was validated with certified reference materials. The procedure was applied to the isotope amount ratio determination of a set of stock chemicals and a BAM candidate reference material NMC111 (LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2), a Li-battery cathode material. These determinations were compared with those obtained by MC-ICP-MS and found to be metrologically comparable and compatible. The residual bias was −1.8‰, and the precision obtained ranged from 1.9‰ to 6.2‰. This precision was sufficient to resolve naturally occurring variations. The NMC111 cathode candidate reference material was analyzed using high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry with and without matrix purification to assess its suitability for technical applications. The results obtained were metrologically compatible with each other.
Glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GD-OES) is a technique for the analysis of solids such as metals, semiconductors, and ceramics. A low-pressure glow discharge plasma is applied in this system, which ‘sputters’ and promotes the sample atoms to a higher energy state. When the atoms return to their ground state, they emit light with characteristic wavelengths, which a spectrometer can detect. Thus, GD-OES combines the advantages of ICP-OES with solid sampling techniques, which enables it to determine the bulk elemental composition and depth profiles. However, direct solid sampling methods such as glow-discharge spectroscopy require reference materials for calibration due to the strong matrix effect.
Reference materials are essential when the accuracy and reliability of measurement results need to be guaranteed to generate confidence in the analysis. These materials are frequently used to determine measurement uncertainty, validate methods, suitability testing, and quality assurance. In addition, they guarantee that measurement results can be compared to recognized reference values. Unfortunately, the availability of certified reference materials suited to calibrate all elements in different matrix materials is limited. Therefore various calibration strategies and the preparation of traceable matrix-matched calibration standards will be discussed.
Machine learning is an essential component of the growing field of data science. Through statistical methods, algorithms are trained to make classifications or predictions, uncovering key insights within data mining projects. Therefore, it was tried in our work to combine GD-OES with machine learning strategies to establish a new and robust calibration model, which can be used to identify the elemental composition and concentration of metals from a single spectrum. For this purpose, copper reference materials from different manufacturers, which contain various impurity elements, were investigated using GD-OES. The obtained spectra information are evaluated with different algorithms (e.g., gradient boosting and artificial neural networks), and the results are compared and discussed in detail.
Clean technologies play a crucial role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting the climate. Hydrogen is a promising energy carrier and fuel that can be used in many applications. We explore the global hydrogen technological innovation system (TIS) by analyzing the three knowledge and technology transfer channels of publications, patents, and standards. Since the adoption of hydrogen technologies requires trust in their safety,this study specifically also focuses on hydrogen safety. Our results show that general and hydrogen safety research has increased significantly while patenting experienced stagnation. An analysis of the non-patent literature in safety patents shows little recognition of scientific publications. Similarly, publications are underrepresented in the analyzed 75 international hydrogen and fuel cell standards. This limited transfer of knowledge from published research to standards points to the necessity for greater involvement of researchers in standardization. We further derive implications for the hydrogen TIS and recommendations for a better and more impactful alignment of the three transfer channels.
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in New Zealand. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
Various microlevel circular economy indicators for assessing sustainability and, partly, additional sustainability characteristics have been developed, but an integrated solution considering the environmental, social, and economic pillars remains a research gap. Method: Based on a multimethod approach, including surveys and the analysis of existing sustainability assessment methodologies and standards, this paper proposes a concept for a multidimensional circular economy indicator tailored to public procurers. It relies on attractive existing building blocks including: the ecological scarcity method, European and international sustainability standards and indicators,and the STAR-ProBio-IAT concept. Results: This article presents the concept of the composite indicator Triple-C, consisting of 20 elements and aimed at facilitating sustainable circular public procurement. It is intended to be incorporated into software that facilitates sustainable product decisions among public procurers in Germany. Conclusions: We propose a generic indicator concept covering all three (environmental, social, and economic) sustainability pillars. More research and additional standards are needed to develop the Triple-C concept further into product-specific applications.
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in West Africa. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Mexico. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Peru. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
This presentation summarizes major findings from an international study in 16 countries and regions on digital transformation in conformity assessment bodies such as testing and calibration laboratories or certification and inspection bodies. It draws from survey data of 1.476 participants and specifically highlights findings on the digital maturity of the organizations, providing an international comparison.
Der Vortrag stellt die Initiative QI-Digital vor, deren Ziel es ist, Lösungen für eine moderne, digitale Qualitätsinfrastruktur (QI) zu entwickeln. Dabei wird insbesondere auf den das praxisnahe Pilotprojekt der Qualitätssicherung in der additiven Fertigung eingegangen und aufgezeigt, wie digitale QI-Werkzeuge wie Smart Standards, digitale Zertifikate und Kalibrierscheine, eine QI-Cloud und der digitale Produktpass zu einer vernetzten und vertrauenswürdigen Qualitätssicherung beitragen.
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Singapore. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
This study is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
„Made in Germany“ steht für Vertrauen in Qualität und Sicherheit, das auch in der digitalen und grünen Transformation gelten soll. In einer zunehmend digitalisierten Welt muss auch die Qualitätssicherung von Produkten, Prozessen und Dienstleistungen neu gedacht werden. Ziel der Initiative QI-Digital ist es, Lösungen für eine moderne, digitale Qualitätsinfrastruktur (QI) zu schaffen. Im Vortrag wird die Vision einer QI-Digital skizziert, und es werden die nötigen Werkzeuge sowie das Vorgehen der Initiative mithilfe dreier Pilotprojekte dargestellt.
Deutschland befindet sich inmitten eines umfassenden Transformationsprozesses hin zu einer klimaneutralen und nachhaltigen Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. Sowohl das Erreichen der Klimaziele als auch die Anpassung an die Folgen des Klimawandels fordern ein rasches, bestimmtes und gleichzeitiges Handeln in vielen Sektoren und Lebensbereichen.
Normen und Standards können einen wichtigen Beitrag zum Erreichen dieser Ziele leisten. So haben Normungsorganisationen weltweit mit der ISO London Declarationeinen Pakt zur Unterstützung des Klimas geschlossen. Das bestehende Normenwerk muss auf Klimawandel-Tauglichkeit überprüft und eine Überarbeitung angestoßen werden.
Der Klimawandel als Querschnittsthema betrifft alle Wirtschaftszweige, und daher bieten DIN, DKE und VDI mit dieser durch Impulsvorträge eingeleiteten Diskussionsreihe eine Plattform zum Austausch über Normung als Werkzeug zum Thema Klima mit allen Akteuren.
„Getränkekühler optimal einsetzen“: So sparen Sie die Energiekosten und schonen das Klima.
Wussten Sie, dass Sie durch den Einsatz eines effizienten Getränkekühlers (Energieeffizienzklasse B) ca. 114 € pro Jahr sparen im Vergleich zu einem weniger effizienten Gerät (Energieeffizienzklasse D)? Aber nicht immer gibt es die Möglichkeit ein Neugerät anzuschaffen. Oft werden die Kühlgeräte von Getränkeherstellern zur Präsentation ihrer Waren zur Verfügung gestellt. Trotzdem tragen am Ende die Betreiber:innen die Betriebskosten der Geräte.
Aber auch beim Einsatz Ihres weniger effizienten Getränkekühler gibt es verschiedene Möglichkeiten, die Energiekosten zu senken. Beispielsweise kann schon der Einsatz einer Zeitschaltuhr zu einer Stromreduzierung von bis zu 50 Prozent oder auch die richtige Platzierung der Geräte an kühlen Orten ohne Zugluft zu einem geringeren Strombedarf von bis zu 30% führen.
In unserer Checkliste für die Aufstellung und das Betreiben von Getränkekühlgeräten zeigen wir Ihnen einfache Schritte, um den Energieverbrauch schnell zu senken.
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Colombia. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
The study on Colombian CABs is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Spain. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
The study on Spanish CABs is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Brazil. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
The study on Brazilian CABs is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
The COVID-19 pandemic posed new and manifold challenges to organizations and their operations worldwide. Conformity assessment bodies (CABs), such as testing or medical laboratories, certification, and inspection bodies, were also affected by the associated disruptions. Their role in this crisis is highly relevant, as CABs are essential pillars of the quality infrastructure: their activities ensure that products and services meet requirements as defined in standards and regulations, thereby contributing to their safety and reliability. The question arises of how CABs and their operations were affected by the pandemic and how they responded. To this end, we present the results of an international survey of 986 CABs of all types in Germany, the UK, Italy, and New Zealand. Overall, CABs reported, on average, a reduction in demand for their services during the pandemic, facing restrictions in all countries. In addition, the pandemic had an overall negative impact on the CABs’ investment and innovation activities. However, investments in digital infrastructure were increased as a countermeasure, with CABs reporting a higher need for digitalization. The paper highlights and discusses results from in-depth analyses relevant to policymakers and industry alike.
„Made in Germany“ steht für Vertrauen in Qualität und Sicherheit, das auch in der digitalen und grünen Transformation gelten soll. In einer zunehmend digitalisierten Welt muss auch die Qualitätssicherung von Produkten, Prozessen und Dienstleistungen neu gedacht werden. Ziel der Initiative QI-Digital ist es, die bewährte Qualitätsinfrastruktur (QI) noch besser zu machen. Für eine moderne und effiziente Qualitätssicherung. Die zentralen Akteure der deutschen QI haben sich in QI-Digital zusammengeschlossen, um konkrete Lösungen für innovative Anwendungsfälle zu entwickeln. Dabei ist ein ganzheitlicher und praxisbezogener Ansatz wichtig, in dem ein weiter Kreis interessierter Stakeholder aktiv eingebunden wird.
Im Kurzvortrag wird die Initiative, inkl. ihrer Akteure, Ziele, Projekte und Beteiligungsmöglichkeiten vorgestellt.
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in the Netherlands. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
The study on Dutch CABs is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
The global COVID-19 pandemic has brought far-reaching changes for our society. Suddenly, millions of people spent the majority of their time at home - either due to a lock down or by switching from office to working remotely. This paper offers a literature review regarding pandemic-related behavioural changes and a first mapping of likely consequences for EU Ecodesign regulations. These impacts are considered for product groups that are already regulated by EU Ecodesign or are under discussion for future regulation. Furthermore, potential for smart home applications are analysed exemplarily. We identified which behavioural changes have the potential to become established in the long-term. This might need to result in adaptions for regulations under the Ecodesign Directive and EU-Energy Labelling regulations to better reflect the recently appeared usage profiles. It might require different priority settings regarding the product groups to be regulated and communicated to users, due to online shopping proliferation, to be updated. Changed behaviour can be observed in product groups such as ICT, consumer electronics and household appliances. Examples include the increased use of laptops and tablets for digital teaching, use of gaming devices and office equipment in private households (IT, printing and network devices) and changed cooking behaviour. This resulted in increased sales of some product types. Online sales became even more important than in-store sales, which also means that consumers are increasingly informed online about energy efficiency. More do-it-yourself (DIY) home projects result in more frequent - not yet regulated - DIY power tool use and over the long run might stimulate the need for (semi-)professional tools. The changes in behaviour patterns also offer the opportunity to optimize consumption by means of smart homes and smart products. However, the control of networked household appliances requires additional energy for standby states and data exchange. As an illustrative example, we discuss the conflict between higher energy consumption for smart system components and the possible optimization of consumption in private households.
In 2020, the European Commission has announced to propose a Sustainable Product Policy for the EU which shall ensure that the performance of front-runners in sustainability progressively becomes the norm. In addition, the European Commission has re-emphasised the necessity to significantly improve the effectiveness of the current Ecodesign framework for energy-related products.
With this paper, we present an initial outline of a policy approach which we call the “EU frontrunner approach”. The approach aims at installing a regulatory framework which enables a semi-automated, progressive adaptation of ecodesign minimum requirements for products. It builds on performance levels of the best products available on the market by aggregating information in a database.
The “front-runner approach” could first be applied to progressively adapt product-related minimum energy-efficiency requirements. This way it would serve as a starting point to introduce this conceptto the EU policy arena.
While the approach can be applied for energy efficiency, it is neither limited to energy-related products nor to energy-related requirements. It can be applied to the wide range of nonenergy related products within the scope of the upcoming Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) as well as to non-energy-related requirements, such as minimum requirements for durability, reparability, recyclability and recycled content.
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Latvia. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
The study on Latvian CABs is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Germany. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
The study on German CABs is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Ireland. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
The study on Irish CABs is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
Global Status and Trends in Digital Transformation and Conformity Assessment – The Case of Germany
(2022)
This presentation summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment worldwide. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) in Germany conducted in 2022, as well as some first insights from Latin American countries. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
The study on CABs is part of a global project that covers various countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
This report summarizes findings from the first comprehensive study on digitalization in conformity assessment in Italy. The reults are based on data from a survey among conformity assessment bodies (CABs) conducted in 2022. It highlights the digital maturity of the organizations, the motives, benefits and obstacles of digital transformation as well as the actual technology trends.
The study on Italian CABs is part of a global project that covers various other countries (see www.qi-fokus.de).
The Impact of Publications, Patents, and Standards on International Trade - The Case of Hydrogen
(2022)
Hydrogen as a clean energy carrier has received increased attention due to climate change and the need to introduce new, low-emissions technologies to the market. However, the drivers of increased hydrogen use have been barely explored. Therefore, this research paper investigates the impacts of publications, patents, and standards on international hydrogen trade, an established technology diffusion channel. In a fixed-effects (FE) regression model covering 37 countries between 1995 and 2020, we demonstrate that publications, patents, and standards are associated with increased levels of hydrogen exports and imports. Furthermore, we test the technology gap theory and explore the meaning of our empirical results for the hydrogen technological innovation system (TIS). Among others, we show that publications, patents, and standards can contribute to a more developed hydrogen TIS.
Global supply chains rely on the compliance and safety of their products, processes, and facilities. These vital services (often referred to as ‘quality assurance’ or ‘conformity assessment’ services) are provided by Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs). This empirical study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CABs as well as their response to the resulting challenges. Data was gathered through an online survey among all accredited CABs in Germany, which resulted in 555 valid responses. Taking a resilience perspective, we reveal that CABs were hit hard by the disruptions caused by the pandemic, albeit to different degrees, in part due to their type of services, size, and sectors served. Furthermore, we find that contingency plans do not directly cushion order declines (as the main indicator of the economic impact of the pandemic) but rather indirectly through helping CABs respond more quickly, which in turn mitigates their order declines. However, our results show that contingency plans can also have adverse effects if they hinder flexible reaction to the crisis. The findings of our study help managers and policymakers learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and improve the resilience of the conformity assessment sector and quality assurance in the event of future crises.
The services of Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) are essential to provide for trust in and safety of digital products and services by demonstrating that requirements from standards are met. Thus, it is vital that CABs are ready to fulfil their tasks also in the digital transformation, having the necessary capabilities and resources. Our study is the first to comprehensively assess the digital maturity in the CA industry and to provide some insights into the readiness of the industry to support and at the same time benefit from the digital age. To this end, we developed and implemented a digital maturity model tailored to the CA industry. In this paper, we present first results from our survey among 354 accredited CABs in Germany. With our research we contribute to better understand the digital transformation and maturation of CABs along distinctive stages. The findings suggest that the transformation process in the CA industry is just at the beginning, with the majority of CABs still in early stages of digital maturity. Also, only a few of them already exploit the latest digital technologies and applications like artificial intelligence, blockchain or big data analytics. Nevertheless, CABs regard digitalization as a big
opportunity – for themselves and their industry.
The Impact of Publications, Patents, and Standards on International Trade - The Case of Hydrogen
(2022)
Hydrogen as a clean energy carrier has received increased attention due to climate change and the need to introduce new, low-emissions technologies to the market. However, the drivers of increased hydrogen use have been barely explored. Therefore, this research paper investigates the impacts of publications, patents, and standards on international hydrogen trade, an established technology diffusion channel. In a fixed-effects (FE) regression model covering 37 countries between 1995 and 2020, we demonstrate that publications, patents, and standards are associated with increased levels of hydrogen exports and imports. Furthermore, we test the technology gap theory and explore the meaning of our empirical results for the hydrogen technological innovation system (TIS). Among others, we show that publications, patents, and standards can contribute to a more developed hydrogen TIS.
The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) has developed a load-based test method (compensation method) to determine the energy efficency of heat pumps and air conditioners. The method allows for testing with unfixed compressor speed and active control of the unit. Thus, at low part loads the unit under test is allowed to cycle on-off, when the frequency of the compressor drops below its minimum threshold. Therefore, the associated efficiency losses are directly measured and correction calculations as for the current steady state tests become obsolete. In addition, the testing can be performed without the support of the manufacturer by market surveillance authorities, for instance, since no frequency and expansion valve settings are required. To prove that the compensation method is repeatable and reproducible three round robin tests have been organised by BAM.
Digitalisierung in der Konformitätsbewertung - Einblicke aus unserer internationalen QI-FoKuS-Studie
(2022)
Die Präsentation enthält Informationen zur internationalen Studie der BAM zum Thema Digitalisierung in der Konformitätsbewertung, insbesondere erste Ergebnisse aus Deutschland. Sie zeigt u.a. die digitale Reife der teilnehmenden Prüflaboratorien und Zertifizierungsstellen sowie technologische Trends.