From the archives: Biobased Product Tool
October 27, 2009
Integrating sustainability criteria into decision-making
Bio-based products, those made from biological products or renewable domestic agricultural materials, have recently emerged as a means to reduce fossil fuel consumption and U.S. dependence on foreign oil. In March 2006, Five Winds created a directional tool called the "Sustainability Assessment Framework and Tool" (SAFT) to help decision-makers and researchers incorporate sustainability criteria into research and development and investment decisions for new biobased products and technologies.
Prepared for Environment Canada and Canadian Biomass Innovation Network (CBIN), SAFT facilitates a cross-discipline team to ask "the right questions" and to flag potential issues with a biobased product or technology early in the innovation process. "SAFT is unique in that it gives people guidance on how to conduct a broader based assessment of products, whereas most of tools today are just about environmental issues," said Kevin Brady, a director of Five Winds. Click here to learn more about the SAFT process and assessment.
