The paper " Global sensitivity analysis of correlated uncertainties in life cycle assessment" by Aleksandra Kim and co-authors received the Graedel Prize for the best paper by a junior author. Their study presents an enhanced framework for uncertainty and global sensitivity analysis in LCA that accounts for correlated parameters, nonlinear relationships, and real-world variability in data. The authors provide the methodology as open-source software.
The paper "LitChemPlast: An Open Database of Chemicals
Measured in Plastics" by Helene Wiesinger and co-authors received the ES&T
Letters Best Review Article Award. Their study presents the LitChemPlast
database, providing empirical evidence for over 3,500 chemicals found in
plastics from a variety of sectors and waste streams, drawn from 372 studies. It can support exposure assessments, chemical prioritization and
substance flow analysis. Paper: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00355
The paper "Legacy and Emerging Plasticizers and Stabilizers in PVC Floorings and Implications for Recycling" by Helene Wiesinger and co-authors received the 2024 ES&T Best Paper Award. The study shows that 16% of new PVC floorings in Switzerland still contain regulated substances such as DEHP and lead, underscoring the need for transparency and chemical safety in circular economy.
ESD Professor Stephan Pfister and PhD Student Shuntian Wang contributed to a news article by SRF about the CO2 emissions imported to Switzerland. While official territorial emissions in Switzerland are falling, the picture looks different, when supply chains are taken into account: Then, Switzerland has one of the highest climate impacts per capita.