Social Economic and Environmental Impact

Capabilities

SOCIAL PERCEPTION AND ACCEPTANCE

• Assessment of environmental attitudes and behavior.
• Risk perception.
• Social acceptance of environmental technologies.
• Recording and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data.
• Design of strategic social intervention and communication plans.

PUBLIC POLICIES

• Regulatory proposals
• Regulatory, environmental and gender impact
• Design and evaluation of environmental policies, estrategies and plans
• Public intervention alternatives for the environmental regulation of economic activity 
• Advice on the regulatory framework, control, and authorization of activities
• Innovation policies
• Evaluating the impact of public policies
• Policies to promote the Circular Economy and sustainable public procurement
• Local and regional development policies

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC), Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), LCA-assisted decision-making and Environmental Footprint.

Examples of publications: Large-Scale Commercial-Grade Volatile Fatty Acids Production from Sewage Sludge and Food Waste: A Holistic Environmental Assessment (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ese.2024.100518), Macroalgae as a sustainable biostimulant for crop production according to techno-economic and environmental criteria (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2024.05.019)

• Ecodesign, Eco-efficiency, Responsible Consumption

Examples of publications: Water-energy-food nexus ecolabel for the hotels, restaurants and catering sector (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2024.08.010), Agri-food waste to phenolic compounds: Life cycle and eco-efficiency assessments (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124935)

• Development of circular business models

Examples of projects: Circular Economy and Sustainable Practices to Promote a Well-being Economy in Higher Education (SUSWELL)

• Implementation and application of environmental certifications and standards

Examples of publications: Methodological guide and roadmap to access the compliance of wastewater treatment plants with sustainability and circularity criteria (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2025.123125); Key governance and sustainability indicators for certification systems: Bridging certification and policy frameworks in the bioeconomy (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2025.03.017)

• Circularity indicators

Examples of publications: Boosting the transition to biorefineries in compliance with sustainability and circularity criteria (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2024.113361) 

• Value chains and environmental impact

Examples of publications: Monitoring the bioeconomy: Value chains under the framework of life cycle assessment indicators (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clcb.2024.100072)

• Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) and other methodologies (principles of green chemistry, planetary boundaries,…)Examples of publications: New Environmental Approach Based on a Combination of Planetary Boundaries and Life Cycle Assessment in the Wood-Based Bioadhesive Market (https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c03058); Advancing waste valorization and end-of-life strategies in the bioeconomy through multi-criteria approaches and the safe and sustainable by design framework (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114907)

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

• Analysis of ecosystem-level indicators
• Combining LCA with hydrogeochemical and physical models