Industry and products

At ifeu, we have been providing support and guidance for corporations, public administrations and private citizens with our research and expert reports on industrial plants and product assessment since the 1980s. We assess the risks and approvability of power plants, waste management facilities and production complexes in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). Our services for industry associations and individual companies include holistic material flow analyses and emission inventories of greenhouse gases and pollutants for a wide range of processes. For individual products, we offer Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) modelling in accordance with ISO standard 14040/44. We further carry out research for national and international clients and serve on standardisation panels (ISO, CEN, DIN), thus supporting the development and advancement of national and international standards and monitoring concepts. Our considerable knowledge and wide range of skills benefit a wide range of international projects for initiation and maintenance of sustainable development, e.g. in China, Rwanda and Vietnam.

Our expertise

We have provided expert consulting for approval procedures of applicants, public authorities and private citizens in almost 100 Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), thus demonstrating our solid professional skills in pollutant distribution modelling and in the assessment of impacts on different environmental safeguard subjects. ifeu carried out the first LCA on beverage packaging, commissioned by the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) in 1995, and has since been a driving force in LCA method development in Germany and on ISO panels. With over 200 LCA studies for a wide range of products, primarily for the packaging industry, we have established an extensive and detailed database on industrial processes (energy production, production processes, recycling systems). Our considerable expertise allows us to provide our clients with the most competent consulting for their diverse individual queries. Most of our LCAs are subject to review and validation by renowned outside reviewers. For our industrial association clients (e.g. PlasticsEurope), we compile eco-profiles for individual products (e.g. PE granules), thus gaining valuable insight into production process data of businesses both within and outside the EU. Our knowledge on individual local conditions has been shaped by a wide range of research studies and developmental aid projects world-wide (e.g. in cooperation with GIZ, BMZ, EU Aid, FAO), which allowed us to gain valuable experience with the implementation of our concepts and solutions in an international context.

Our methodologies

  • LCA in accordance with ISO standards
  • Holistic material flow analysis, e.g. with UMBERTO®
  • Product eco-profiles
  • Corporate carbon footprint modelling
  • Pollutant distribution modelling in air and water
  • Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment

Our key research topics

Raffinerieanlagen der Öl- und Gasindustrie

Basic industry

The industrial sector in Germany is strong, yet it also is associated with considerable environmental impacts. The basic industry in particular supplies the basic raw materials and feedstocks for a great range of production processes.

Moderne Unternehmen in Deutschland

Sustainable Corporations

ifeu has been carrying out Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for a wide range of projects (power plants, waste management facilities, industrial complexes) since the mid-1980s. Methodology and models are tailored to the individual case and query, e.g. distribution calculation, environmental burden pathway model. Our services for industry associations and individual companies include holistic material flow analyses and emission inventories of greenhouse gases and pollutants for a wide range of processes.

Gießkanne

Product evaluation

ifeu evaluates products and services using the integrated cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment approach, along with other methods such as the Product Carbon Footprint.

Ein Einkaufswagen in einem Produktgang im Supermarkt.

Packaging

ifeu undertakes multiple studies involving a scientific approach to investigating the environmental effects of a wide range of products (drinks, food, other consumable goods and industrial commodities) made from a diverse range of materials (glass, plastic, metal, and regrowable resources).

Ecoprofiles

An Eco-profile is a Life Cycle Assessment with a reduced number of life cycle phases under investigation: the environmental impacts of the supply chain "from cradle to (factory) gate" are focused on.

Contact

Benedikt Kauertz

Dipl. Ing. Spatial and Environmental Planning
Scientific Director
+49 (0)6221 4767 57
benedikt.kauertz@ifeu.de

Andreas Detzel

Dipl. Biology
Scientific and Managing Director
+49 (0)6221 4767 0
andreas.detzel@ifeu.de