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True Cost Accounting (TCA) is an essential transparency tool for assessing the environmental and social costs of value chains. This study investigates how methodological choices in TCA shape the assessment of hidden
environmental costs in food systems. It compares leading databases, impact assessment methods, and monetzation approaches to test the robustness of TCA results. The analysis reveals wide variability in outcomes: for example, the external costs of conventional sausages range from € 2.17 to € 22.50 per kilogram depending on the method used for TCA calculation. Yet across all methods, a consistent pattern emerges: Animal-based products entail substantially higher external costs than plant-based alternatives. To translate these findings into practice, the most robust TCA estimate is applied as a harmonized TCA method (h-TCA) during a nationwide campaign with the German retailer PENNY, where nine products were sold in all 2,119 German stores with their environmental costs made visible in store and charged at checkout. The study demonstrates both the methodological challenges and the transformative potential of h-TCA, underscoring the urgent need for a harmonized framework that ensures comparability, transparency, and policy relevance.
Background/Objectives: Every country and territory worldwide is affected by varying degrees of under- and overconsumption of food. A substantial share of the economic burden of unsustainable malnutrition arises from diet-related health impacts, although existing research has largely focused on environmental consequences. Methods: This study addresses this gap by combining cost-of-illness (COI) and True Cost Accounting (TCA) approaches, as well as Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data, to estimate external diet-induced health costs. A comprehensive database covering 204 countries and territories is established, quantifying health costs by disease category and dietary risk factor. Results: The results indicate that USD 1719.94 billion in annual global health costs are attributable to poor diets. This corresponds to an average burden of USD 211.08 per capita per year. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) constitute the largest share of costs, followed by diabetes mellitus (DM). In absolute and per capita terms, the United States contributes disproportionately. Regionally, North America bears 44.36% of the global monetary burden, while Oceania accounts for only 1.22%. The highest per-capita costs occur in North America, Europe, and Oceania. The most influential dietary risk factors are the overconsumption of processed and red meat, and the underconsumption of whole grains. A strong positive correlation is observed between diet-related health costs and national prosperity levels. Conclusions: This framework represents a novel approach to standardized and holistic valuation, providing a robust basis for deriving policy-relevant insights to inform sustainable nutrition strategies and advance the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially the second SDG, zero hunger.
Unhealthy diets shorten life expectancy and impose hidden health costs that are not reflected in food prices. Here, we present a framework that links consumption of specific foods to changes in life expectancy and associated health costs, thereby translating diet-related disease burden into intuitive, product-level metrics. While existing assessments largely focus on healthcare expenditures, our framework integrates both societal costs and the individual burden of premature mortality.
Using Germany as an illustrative case study and data from the Global Burden of Disease study, we estimate current dietary patterns to be associated with an average annual loss of 11.8 days of life expectancy per person, corresponding to approximately 2.6 years over a lifetime. At the product level, red and processed meat intake shortens life expectancy by 1.9 and 1.7 h per kilogram consumed, respectively, whereas the consumption of legumes, whole grains, and fruits is associated with gains in life expectancy of approximately 0.7, 0.5, and 0.4 h. Based on the selected valuation approach, the average German dietary pattern corresponds to annual hidden health costs of €3774 per capita, of which 85% arise from premature mortality. Benchmarking against the Planetary Health Diet indicates that the underconsumption of protective, predominantly plant-based dietary components constitutes a major driver of diet-related health losses.
By translating epidemiological evidence into transparent food-level metrics, the framework supports the assessment and communication of dietary health impacts within sustainable food systems. In the German case study, the findings highlight substitution-based dietary changes as potential leverage points for improving population health and informing nutrition-policy development
True Cost Accounting
(2025)
This book explores the historical and theoretical classification of True Cost Accounting (TCA) and its business-oriented ways of implementation.
Tobias Gaugler, Jennifer Kunz, and Amelie Michalke provide compact and comprehensible insights into TCA, which is one approach used to comprehensively assess actual (human or natural) resource consumption and implement this assessment into companies’ internal controlling. To achieve this goal, the volume locates this approach in existing economic theory and shows its historical roots and progressions. The authors then present different methodological approaches within TCA and highlight how practitioners might implement these approaches in their business. To illustrate the importance of TCA, a number of practical examples that are already present in the market are also featured.
This volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental economics. Further, practitioners in (sustainable) supply chain management, as well as ecological and social accounting and controlling, can use it for inspiration and guidance. Additionally, this book and the inherent ideas will give policymakers in economic and social politics recommendations for action.
Epoxy resins exhibit good mechanical and thermal properties. Most commercially available epoxy resins rely on fossil resources, which is why research is being conducted on the synthesis of bio‐based alternatives. Although many scientists dealt with new bio‐based epoxy resins, there are still only a few publications on new bio‐based amine curing agents. Vanillin is a promising substance for the synthesis of amine curing agents due to its aromatic structure in combination with its potential bio‐origin from lignin. In this article, the synthesis of 3‐amino‐4,5‐dimethoxy‐benzylamine (ADBA) from vanillin and its use as a novel curing agent for epoxy resins is presented. The synthesis comprises four stages: nitration of the aromatic compound vanillin, methylation of the phenolic group, conversion of the aldehyde into an oxime, and hydrogenation to form the diamine. The diamine can be synthesized with a total yield of 51 wt% and a bio‐content of 74 wt%. According to DSC, the new hardener with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) shows a gradual curing reaction due to the presence of an aliphatic and an aromatic amine. Glass transition temperatures (Tg) of 135°C were determined via DMA when using ADBA, which is comparable to that of DGEBA cured with IPDA.
In ariden Regionen können Starkregenereignisse besonders verheerende Folgen haben. Aufgrund der geringen Infiltrationskapazität der trockenen, verschlämmten und/oder hydrophoben Böden kann Regenwasser nicht schnell
genug versickern, was zu extremen Oberflächenabflüssen führt. In vielen sensiblen Einzugsgebieten resultieren diese in Sturzfluten, die unter dem Namen
„Wadi-Fluten“ bekannt sind. Solche plötzlichen Flutereignisse stellen eine erhebliche Gefahr für die lokale Bevölkerung dar und fordern Jahr für Jahr Opfer.
Die unvorhersehbare Natur dieser Ereignisse, gekoppelt mit dem schwierigen
Wassermanagement in trockenen Gebieten, macht die Herausforderung
besonders groß.
Non- to minor destructive end-of-life disassembly is a prerequisite for high-value material recovery and component reuse in the circular economy. Yet companies lack a standardized device-level metric to evaluate whether or to what extent disassembly can be automated, especially for electronic devices with heterogenous connection elements (CoEls). This paper introduces a framework consisting of a Disassembly Capability Maturity Model (DCMM) and a resulting Automation Readiness Index (ARI), a key figure to assess automation feasibility for the disassembly of electronic devices. The DCMM rates products’ CoEl sets with phase-specific indicators on a five-level maturity scale, while the ARI aggregates these ratings into a single device-level score. A case study on two cordless vacuum cleaners validates the approach. The results show that the method is easy to apply in practice, sensitive to subtle design differences, and yields consistent, comparable outcomes. By guiding design teams towards targeted, incremental improvements, the framework supports product developers, while the quantification of automation feasibility and the highlighting of critical structural challenges support disassembly planners. This framework provides a structured basis for both comparing disassemblability as well as introducing Design-for-Disassembly (DfD) principles, thereby advancing towards more circular, automated disassembly practices for electronic products.
Manufacturing companies have a strong impact on climate change due to their immense degree of greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, it is mandatory that these companies take measures to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. A promising measure is the reduction of the carbon footprint caused by single processes within manufacturing process networks. Various approaches to reduce the carbon footprint of single manufacturing processes have already been described in literature. However, there is a scientific need for action when it comes to the systematic reduction of the carbon footprint of queueing systems which are typically an integral element of manufacturing process networks. Therefore, this paper presents a novel approach that aims to assess and reduce the carbon footprint of manufacturing queueing systems systematically. First, a general queueing system is defined and its variables that contribute to the carbon footprint in manufacturing are determined. Subsequently, a mathematical model is designed which enables an abstract description of the interactions of different input variables on the carbon footprint of queueing systems in manufacturing. Afterwards, recommendations to reduce the carbon footprint of queueing systems are developed based on the previous findings. Finally, the approach is validated for a specific manufacturing queueing system with a discrete-event simulation study. The results give foundations for further research on dependencies within manufacturing process networks.
Die Megathemen der „Weltrisikogesellschaft“ (Beck 2007) sind gekennzeichnet
von Komplexität. Angesichts der Herausforderungen und Konsequenzen können existenzielle Fragen nicht einfach mit Ja oder Nein beantwortet werden. Damit globale Entwicklungen wie Klimawandel, Migration, Sicherheit
und Gesundheitsgefahren erfasst, verstanden und bearbeitet werden können, ist eine Reduktion auf wesentliche Daten, Fakten und evidente Aussagen notwendig. Die Unübersichtlichkeit und scheinbare Widersprüchlichkeit sowohl der gesellschaftlichen und individuellen Lebenswelten als auch der wissenschaftlichen Institutionen als potenziellen Anbietern von Lösungen führt zu großer Verunsicherung, bisweilen sogar Angst. Wesentliche Impulsgeber der öffentlichen Kommunikation sind die analogen und digitalen Medienformate. Sie sind gefordert, die Komplexität der Informationen zu minimieren, damit die Akteure aus Politik, Ökonomie und vor allem der Zivilgesellschaft handlungsfähig sind. Allerdings sind die Möglichkeiten zur Reduktion begrenzt.
Path planning of energy-efficient automated guided vehicles material transportation in manufacturing
(2026)
Automated guided vehicles systems (AGVS) are of increasing importance regarding material transportation in manufacturing since companies can benefit from the application of these systems. However, AGVS cause high energy consumption for material transportation. This consumption can vary within material transportation paths due to movements such as turns, which may lead to deceleration and acceleration of the vehicle. Hence, planning energy-efficient paths for AGVS-conducted material transportation processes is of great importance, but it leads to a high planning effort within the companies. This paper describes the development of a novel method that facilitates manufacturing companies to plan energy-efficient paths for AGVS-conducted material transportation processes with low effort. First, relevant requirements for the method are defined. Then, an existing pathfinding algorithm is selected based on the predefined requirements. Afterwards, a general framework for determining optimal paths of AGVS in manufacturing facilities regarding energy consumption is developed prior to the description of a holistic procedure for planning energy-efficient paths in manufacturing. Finally, the method is validated for a sample manufacturing environment.
