Know your impact: tools to determine footprint can provice insight to reduce it
Yards, equipment manufacturers, designers and material suppliers work on the development of ever more sustainable boats and yachts. In the quest for zero impact on the natural environment, new materials are developed together with new ways to generate and store energy.
Critical thinking poses the question: does the new material or energy source really reduce our yacht’s environmental impact? The comprehensive answer to that question comes from a life cycle assessment (LCA): studying all of the consecutive stages from the sourcing of raw material through transport and processing to creating the final product, counting all the energy used and emissions generated.
A complete LCA then considers the pollution or environmental impact during the use of the yacht and the energy needed to dismantle it at the end of it’s lifetime to recycle the materials included. This is a complicated and time consuming process. Pioneers in the use of LCA have paved the path to doing it and specific tools for the marine industry have been created.
Marine Impact Lab
During the Marine Impact Lab, a workshop on November 17, the day before Metstrade show, practical methods are presented to determine the impact of different choices in the design, product development and production stages of a boat or marine product. In four sessions over the day, cases will be presented of boat launches where the development team worked with LCA.Marine Shift 360
One of them being Williams Jet Tenders, who present their achievements developing the Evene line of tenders, for which they used MarineShift360’s lifecycle modelling. The result was a 21 percent reduction of operational waste. Other users of Marine shift 360 that share their experiences are Starboard windsurf manufacturer, who designed a concept version of the Olympic windsurf board using lower-impact materials, developing a board with 19 per cent lower emissions overall. Third to mention is North Sails, who invested in solar energy to save over 600 tonnes of carbon emissions every year.Toolbox
An other tool for yards and product manufacturer is Toolbox by the company Foxall Munro. step-by-step free templates for global users to self-audit and customise their sustainability processes. One distinctive group of users of the Toolbox is the Association of National Olympic Committees, that use it when organising events and implement comprehensive sustainability strategies for all the companies, contributors, stakeholders and athletes involved.Future Proof
The last session of the Marine Impact Lab is an open discussion, to allow all participants to share their experiences, ask questions about practical implementation and inspire. Consultancy agencies Foxall Munro and Marine Futures organise the Lab. “The marine industry needs to reduce impact and build future-proof businesses,” says Marine Future director Ollie Taylor. “There are proven tools that help achieve this. What’s been missing is a space to bring people together to collaborate, share ideas and inspiration, and turn that potential into real progress. That’s why we created the Marine Impact Lab, to help drive the industry forward, together.”Eco Impact Calculator
Another tool is presented at the Metstrade show floor in the Construction Materials Zone. This is the Eco Impact Calculator as it is created by the European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA). This tool for the composites industry makes it possible to calculate a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) or eco-footprint of a product or set of materials. This tool is designed for ease of use, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises without in-house LCA specialists. It can also be used by students, consultants and large-scale OEMs. The Eco Impact Calculator can be used for free by companies who register. The result will be an eco impact report, generated online.Circular
EuCIA is one of the hosts of the Round Table Sessions at the Construction Materials Zone. This ‘zone’ in the Metstrade show is co-organisaed by JEC (Journées Européennes de Compposites – the show organiser and industry body that organises composites show all over the gobe). The Round Table Session with EuCIA willfocus on creating a circular production and recycling system for composites. The industry association will guide participant through the particulars of current regulations and best practices.
Innovations
A second Round Table Session in the Construction Materials Zone will address the future innovations of composites and new initiatives at all levels of the sector. “JEC participates at Metstrade to showcase the benefits of composite materials for the leisure marine sector,” sais Eric Pierrejean, CEO of JEC. “Our goal is to raise awareness of how composites can contribute to lighter, stronger, and more sustainable solutions.”Recycle with 3D printing
Circularity clearly manifests in the Royal 3D stand at the Next Gen Zone. The 3D printing company will demonstrate how advanced 3D printing can transform recycled materials into functional and even more advanced products. Large scale implementation of the use of recycled plastics for next stage manufacture in 3D printing can seriously contribute to establishing circular production processes in the leisure marine industry.Expertise
“This year, our collaboration with JEC has intensified,” Metstrade show director Niels Klarenbeek explains. “They bring expertise about composites to our show to share with the leisure marine industry. In return, we bring the experts within this industry to their Paris show. With JEC, new exhibitors come to Amsterdam. Sme of these companies are new to the marine sector. It is great to welcome innovators from the composite industry to our show.
