turash/funding/application_documents/ENVIRONMENTAL_IMPACT_ASSESSMENT_SUMMARY.md

# Environmental Impact Assessment - Funding Application Summary

## Quick Reference for Funding Applications

This document provides a concise summary of Turash platform's environmental impact for funding applications (DBU, EIT programs, Horizon Europe, etc.).

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## Executive Summary

**Turash industrial symbiosis platform delivers significant environmental benefits aligned with EU Green Deal objectives and circular economy initiatives.**

### Key Environmental Metrics

| Metric | Year 1 | Year 3 | Cumulative (3 years) |
|--------|--------|--------|---------------------|
| **CO₂ Emissions Avoided** | 100,000 t | 1,200,000 t | 1,800,000 t |
| **Waste Heat Recovered** | 500 GWh | 6,000 GWh | 9,000 GWh |
| **Waste Diverted** | 50,000 t | 600,000 t | 900,000 t |
| **Water Reused** | 2.5 M m³ | 30 M m³ | 45 M m³ |
| **Material Circularity** | 15% | 35% | - |
| **Businesses Engaged** | 500 | 5,000 | - |

**Impact Equivalent**: 1.8M t CO₂ = **390,000 cars off the road** (3-year cumulative)

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## 1. CO₂ Emissions Reduction

### Calculation Methodology

**Primary Impact: Waste Heat Recovery**
- **Formula**: CO₂ Avoided = Heat Recovered (MWh) × Grid Emission Factor (0.3 t CO₂/MWh) × Efficiency Factor (0.9)
- **Year 1**: 500 GWh → **100,000 t CO₂ avoided** (conservative estimate, 70% utilization)
- **Standards**: GHG Protocol-compliant, ISO 14064 alignment

**Additional Impacts**:
- **Material Reuse**: 75,000 t CO₂/year (Year 1) via avoided virgin material production
- **Water Reuse**: 750 t CO₂/year (Year 1) via reduced treatment energy

### Verification & Compliance
- ✅ **GHG Protocol** compliant
- ✅ **ISO 14064** aligned
- ✅ **CSRD** reporting ready
- ✅ **EU Taxonomy** circular economy criteria met

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## 2. Circular Economy Impact

### DBU #DBUcirconomy Alignment

✅ **Closing Material Loops**:
- Waste-to-resource exchanges enabled
- Material circularity: 15% → 35% (Year 1-3)
- By-product valorization

✅ **Resource-Efficient Design**:
- Optimized matching algorithms
- 5-10% process efficiency improvements
- Reduced transport distances (spatial optimization)

✅ **New Circular Business Models**:
- Platform-enabled circular economy marketplace
- Resource exchange vs. traditional procurement/disposal
- Facilitates circular business model innovation

### Measurability Plan
- **Real-time tracking**: Platform-integrated CO₂, waste, water calculations
- **Monthly reporting**: Business-level impact reports
- **Quarterly aggregate**: Platform-wide environmental metrics
- **Annual assessment**: Comprehensive impact report (optional third-party verification)

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## 3. Waste Reduction

### Waste Diversion from Landfill

**Year 1-3 Projections**:
- **Year 1**: 50,000 t waste × 15% diversion = **7,500 t diverted**
- **Year 3**: 600,000 t waste × 35% diversion = **210,000 t diverted**

**Environmental Benefits**:
- **Landfill methane avoidance**: Significant reduction in landfill emissions
- **Material productivity**: €2,000-5,000 per ton material value creation
- **Resource efficiency**: 20-30% resource cost reduction per business

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## 4. Water Conservation

### Water Reuse Impact

**Year 1-3 Scaling**:
- **Year 1**: 2.5 M m³ reused (500 businesses × 10% reuse rate)
- **Year 3**: 30 M m³ reused (5,000 businesses × 35% reuse rate)

**Energy & CO₂ Savings**:
- **Treatment Energy**: 1.0 kWh/m³ average
- **Energy Saved**: 250 MWh (Year 1) → 30,000 MWh (Year 3)
- **CO₂ Impact**: 75 t CO₂ (Year 1) → 9,000 t CO₂ (Year 3)

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## 5. EU Green Deal Alignment

### Climate Targets Support

**EU Green Deal**: 55% emissions reduction by 2030, climate neutrality by 2050

**Turash Platform Contribution**:
- **1.8M t CO₂** avoided (3-year cumulative)
- **Scaling Path**: Platform can scale to 10-15M t CO₂/year by 2030 with 50,000 businesses
- **Industrial Focus**: Addresses 1.2B t CO₂ from European industry annually

### Circular Economy Action Plan

**EU Targets**: 50% circularity by 2030, 50% waste reduction

**Platform Alignment**:
- **Material Circularity**: 15% → 35% (accelerating toward 50% target)
- **Waste Diversion**: Enabling waste-to-resource conversion
- **Resource Efficiency**: 20-30% resource cost reduction

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## 6. Sustainability Metrics & KPIs

### Platform-Level KPIs

- **Material Circularity Rate**: 15% → 25% → 35% (Year 1-3)
- **Waste Diversion Rate**: 15% → 25% → 35%
- **Resource Efficiency Index**: +20% → +35% improvement
- **Carbon Intensity**: 0.5 → 0.3 t CO₂/€ revenue (platform users)

### Per-Business Impact

- **CO₂ Reduction**: 200 t CO₂/year average (Year 1)
- **Cost Savings**: €100k/year average
- **Resource Efficiency**: 20-30% reduction in procurement costs
- **Waste Reduction**: 100 t/year diverted from landfill

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## 7. Key Assumptions & Conservative Estimates

### Methodology Assumptions

1. **Utilization Rate**: 70% of matched resources successfully implemented
2. **Grid Emission Factor**: 0.3 t CO₂/MWh (EU average)
3. **Conversion Efficiency**: 90% for heat exchangers
4. **Data Quality**: Year 1 uses estimated data; improves to measured in Year 2-3
5. **Scaling**: Linear scaling (500 → 2,000 → 5,000 businesses)

### Conservative Approach

- **Year 1 CO₂**: 100,000 t (conservative, accounting for 70% utilization)
- **Maximum Potential**: 135,000 t (if 100% utilization)
- **Realistic Target**: 100,000 t (accounting for implementation barriers)

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## 8. Verification & Reporting

### Platform-Integrated Verification

**Automated Tracking**:
- Real-time CO₂ calculations per resource exchange
- Automated waste diversion tracking
- Water reuse impact calculations

**Data Sources**:
- IoT sensors (measured data, ±5% precision)
- ERP/SCADA integration (automated ingestion)
- Manual entry with quality scoring (estimated data)

### Reporting Framework

- **Business Reports**: Monthly CO₂ savings, cost savings, match success
- **Platform Reports**: Quarterly aggregate environmental impact
- **Public Reporting**: Annual comprehensive assessment (optional third-party verification)

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## 9. References & Standards

**Regulatory Compliance**:
- ✅ GHG Protocol (Corporate Standard, Scope 3)
- ✅ ISO 14064 (Greenhouse Gas Accounting)
- ✅ CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive)
- ✅ EU Taxonomy (Circular Economy Technical Criteria)

**Methodology Sources**:
- European Environment Agency (EEA): Grid emission factors
- EU Circular Economy Action Plan: Material circularity metrics
- EU Green Deal: Climate targets and objectives
- DBU #DBUcirconomy Initiative: Circular economy focus areas

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## 10. Application-Ready Statements

### For DBU Applications

"Turash platform directly aligns with DBU #DBUcirconomy initiative through:
- **Closing material loops**: Enabling waste-to-resource exchanges with 15-35% circularity rate
- **Resource-efficient design**: Optimized matching algorithms reducing resource waste by 20-30%
- **New circular business models**: Platform-enabled circular economy marketplace
- **Measurable environmental benefits**: 100,000 t CO₂ avoided (Year 1), comprehensive measurability plan
- **Innovation & exemplary nature**: First scalable multi-resource industrial symbiosis platform
- **Practical implementation**: Berlin pilot with 50+ businesses, real-world deployment focus"

### For EIT Programs

"Turash delivers significant environmental impact aligned with EIT Climate-KIC and EIT RawMaterials objectives:
- **Climate Innovation**: 1.8M t CO₂ avoided (3-year cumulative), supporting EU Green Deal 55% emissions reduction target
- **Circular Economy**: Material circularity 15-35%, waste diversion, resource efficiency improvements
- **Scalability**: 500 → 5,000 businesses scaling path, EU-wide expansion potential
- **Innovation**: Graph-based matching algorithm, real-time platform capabilities
- **Market Validation**: Berlin pilot demonstrating real-world impact"

### For Horizon Europe / LIFE Programme

"Turash platform addresses Horizon Europe Green Deal objectives:
- **Industrial Decarbonization**: 1.2B t CO₂ from European industry annually - platform addresses 5-10% potential reduction
- **Circular Economy**: EU 50% circularity target by 2030 - platform accelerates progress (15-35% Year 1-3)
- **Digital Innovation**: Graph-based matching, IoT integration, real-time capabilities
- **Collaborative R&D**: Platform enables research-industry partnerships, data sharing for circular economy research
- **Scalable Impact**: 500 → 5,000 → 50,000 businesses scaling path, EU-wide deployment potential"

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## 11. Calculation Quick Reference

### CO₂ Emission Factors

| Source | Emission Factor (t CO₂/MWh) |
|--------|------------------------------|
| EU Grid Average | 0.30 |
| Natural Gas | 0.20 |
| Coal | 0.35 |
| **Used in Calculations** | **0.30** |

### Material Production Factors

| Material | Production (t CO₂/t) |
|---------|---------------------|
| Steel | 2.0 |
| Concrete | 0.3 |
| Plastics | 2.5 |
| **Average (Blended)** | **1.5** |

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*For detailed calculations and methodology, see `concept/impact/ENVIRONMENTAL_IMPACT_ASSESSMENT.md`*

*Last Updated: November 2025*