Ship-source greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could increase by up to 250% from 2012 levels by 2050 owing to increasing global freight volumes. Binding international legal agreements to regulate GHGs, however, are lacking as technical solutions remain expensive and crucial industrial support is absent. In 2003, IMO adopted Resolution A.963 (23) to regulate shipping CO2 emissions via technical, operational, and market-based routes. However, progress has been slow and uncertain; there is no concrete emission reduction target or definitive action plan. Yet, a full-fledged roadmap may not even emerge until 2023. In this policy analysis, we revisit the progress of technical, operational, and market-based routes and the associated controversies. We argue that 1) a performance-based index, though good-intentioned, has loopholes affecting meaningful CO2 emission reductions driven by technical advancements; 2) using slow steaming to cut energy consumption stands out among operational solutions thanks to its immediate and obvious results, but with the already slow speed in practice, this single source has limited emission reduction potential; 3) without a technology-savvy shipping industry, a market-based approach is essentially needed to address the environmental impact. To give shipping a 50:50 chance for contributing fairly and proportionately to keep global warming below 2°C, deep emission reductions should occur soon.
Planning of transport through inland shipping is complex, highly dynamic and very specific. Existing software support is focusing on road transport planning and/or is merely a visual representation of shipments to be manually assigned to particular vessels. As a result inland shipment planning is time-consuming and highly relies on the personal skills of the planner. In this paper we present a business rules based model that aims to further support inland shipping organizations in their shipment planning by identifying the characteristics and constraints that are of interest and the related explicated business rules. The model is derived from transport-related literature, explorative expert interviews and transport management software vendors. The usability and applicability of the model is subsequently successfully empirically tested using identified performance measures through a case study at a major European inland shipping broker
AbstractHistorically, epidemics and plagues are repeatedly reported to have happened since the ancient civilizations (Egypt, Greece, Rome and imperial China). Most known examples of a devastating global pandemics in recent history are the ‘Black Death’ (14th century) and the global influenza (1918-1919), also known as ‘Spanish Flu’, that has killed nearly 50 million people in the world. Even thoughpandemics may vary in their dimensions, length (short vs. long), scope (local/regional, national, global) and severity of effects (minimal effects or maximal effects), they all represent distinct exogenous and endogenous shocks that have far reaching effects on population, health, economy and other societal domains.Currently, the Covid-19 pandemic has relentlessly spreaded around the world, leaving behind destructive marks on health, populations, economies and societies. The Covid-19 could spread quickly around the globe because of the current structure of the global economy, which is highly interconnected through sophisticated global transport networks. An important characteristic of a suchnetworked complex system is it vulnerability to unattended events of systemic risk such as the Covid-19 pandemic for example. These systemic risks cause substantial cascading effects, which lead to extreme outcomes that could permanently alter economic, environmental, and social systems.In this article, we first, present, discuss and analyze the potential impacts of the Covid-19 on global economy, trade and supply chains, by focusing on Europe and/or the Netherlands. Second, we examine the effects of the Covid-19 crisis on the shipping industry and on the hub ports and the policy measures that have been applied by different countries around the world.
The textile industry contributes over 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 20% of the world's wastewater, exceeding emissions from international flights and shipping combined. In the European Union, textile purchases in 2020 resulted in about 270 kg of CO₂ emissions per person, yet only 1% of used clothes are recycled into new garments.To address these challenges, the Textile Hub Groningen (THG) aims to assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and stakeholders in forming circular textile value chains, hence reducing waste. Designing circular value chains is complex due to conflicting interests, lack of shared understanding, knowledge gaps regarding circular design principles and emerging technologies, and inadequate tools for collaborative business model development. The potential key stakeholders in the circular textile value chain find it hard to use existing tools and methods for designing these value chains as they are often abstract, not designed to be used in a collaborative setting that fosters collective sense making, immersive learning and experimentation. Consequently, the idea of circular textile value chain remains abstract and hard to realize.Serious games have been used in the past to learn about, simulate and experiment with complex adaptive systems. In this project we aim to answer the following research:How can serious games be leveraged to design circular textile value chains in the region?The expected outcomes of this project are: • Serious game: Facilitates the design of circular textile value chains• Academic Publication: Publish findings to contribute to scholarly discourse.• Future Funding Preparation: Mobilize partners and prepare proposals for follow-up funding to expand the approach to other domains.By leveraging game-based collaborative circular value chain and business model design experiences, this project aims to overcome barriers in designing viable circular value chains in the textile industry.
The textile industry is responsible for over 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 20% of the world’s wastewater, surpassing the emissions from international flights and shipping combined. In the European Union, textile purchases in 2020 led to around 270 kg of CO₂ emissions per person, yet only 1% of used clothing is recycled into new garments. The municipality of Groningen manages an estimated 950 kilotons of textile waste but is only able to collect, sort, and recycle 250 kilotons. To address these challenges, Textile Hub Groningen (THG) seeks to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and stakeholders in creating circular textile value chains. However, designing circular value chains presents challenges, including conflicting interests, knowledge gaps on circular design principles, and inadequate tools for collaborative business model development. Potential stakeholders often find current tools too abstract and not conducive to collaboration, learning, or experimentation. As a result, circular value chains remain difficult to achieve from the perspective of individual stakeholders. Serious games have been employed to simulate and experiment with complex adaptive systems , . Research shows that well-designed playful learning enhances both learning and motivation, particularly when social elements are integrated . This project aims to answer the following research question: How can serious games be leveraged to design circular textile value chains in the region? The expected outcomes are: 1. Serious Game: Design, test, and deliver a serious game to facilitate the joint design of circular textile value chains. 2. Publications: Extract insights from the game’s design and evaluation, contributing to both academic and practical discussions. 3. Consortium for Follow-up: Mobilize partners and secure funding for future projects in related fields. Through game-based collaborative circular value chain and business model design experiences, this project overcomes barriers in designing viable circular value chains in the textile industry
