Sustainable Glossary | De Monchy International

Bio-based
If the product contains any % of material that is composed, in whole or in significant part, of biological
products or renewable domestic agricultural materials (including plant, animal, and marine materials) or
forestry materials OR an intermediate feedstock. For example, bio-based Synthetic C9-C11 alcohol with 6
moles of EO: 10 synthetic carbons (avg), 12 bio-based EO gives 12/22 = 55% bio-based content, formerly
0% .

Biodegradability
Capability of being degraded by biological activity (composability).

Biomass
A renewable organic material that comes from plants and animals. Biomass continues to be an important
fuel in many countries, especially for cooking and heating in developing countries. Nowadays biomass
feedstock is also used with microbiological treatment and thermochemical conversion into valuable
chemical raw materials

Bioplastics
Bioplastics are booming and a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics made from petroleum.
According to the definition of The European Bioplastics Association, bioplastics are either biodegradable ,
bio-based or both.

Carbon emission
Polluting carbon substances released into atmosphere: carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide produced by
motor vehicles and industrial processes and forming pollutants in the atmosphere.

Carbon Footprint
A carbon footprint is an estimate of how much carbon dioxide is produced to support your lifestyle.
Essentially, it measures your impact on the climate based on how much carbon dioxide you produce.
Factors that contribute to your carbon footprint include your travel methods and general home energy
usage. Carbon footprints can also be applied on a larger scale, to companies, businesses, even countries.

Circular Economy
Is a model that aims at reducing the environmental burden through the valorization of every material flow
(even those that are considered waste in a traditional scheme), and it certainly has impacts on each of the
three pillars of sustainability (people, planet, profit).

Climate Change
Climate change refers to any significant change in measures of climate (such as temperature, precipitation,
or wind) lasting for an extended period (decades or longer).

Eco
Eco is an abbreviation for all kind of topics like ecology, the system of relationships between living things,
and with their environment. Eco-friendly means that the product is not harming the environment,
indicating positive, or at least not harmful, effects on living things and of course the abbreviation of our bio
based specialist Erik Colstee

Global Warming
Global warming is an average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth’s surface andin the troposphere, which can contribute to changes in global climate patterns. Global warming can occurfrom a variety of causes, both natural and human induced. In common usage, “global warming” often refersto the warming that can occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases from humanactivities.

Green Products
Green products are products with low environmental impacts. These products have an alternative designwhere less physical resources are required during its life cycle. Green products are typically durable, non‐toxic, made of recycled materials, or minimally packaged.

Organic
USDA Certified Organic foods and farms cannot use most synthetic or petroleum derived pesticides andfertilizers, any irradiation, or sewage sludge. No genetic engineering is allowed. Organic farmers use croprotation, tilling and natural fertilizers, such as compost.

Recycling
Collecting and reprocessing a resource so it can be used again. An example is collecting aluminum cans,melting them down, and using the aluminum to make new cans or other aluminum products.

Renewable Carbon Initiative
Entails all carbon sources that avoid or substitute the use of any additional fossil carbon from thegeosphere. Renewable carbon can come from the biosphere, atmosphere or technosphere – but not fromthe geosphere. Renewable carbon circulates between biosphere, atmosphere or technosphere, creating acarbon circular economy.

Renewable Energy
The term renewable energy generally refers to electricity supplied from renewable energy sources, such aswind and solar power, geothermal, hydropower, and various forms of biomass. These energy sources areconsidered renewable sources because they are continuously replenished on the Earth.

Renewable raw materials
Is a material of plant, animal, or microbial biomass, which are based on the photosynthetic primaryproduction and are used by man outside the food and feed area for material or energy production.

Sustainability
Meeting the needs of the present without diminishing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.Sustainability also means that human practices do not result in the permanent damage, alteration ordepletion of the environment, ecosystems, species or natural resources.

Zero waste/recycling
A set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles sothat all products are re-used.

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