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As a result of the pandemic and the new tax on the use of plastics in the EU, the consumption of cellulose has increased, especially for cardboard boxes as e-commerce packaging. Due to this high demand, the price of cellulose is rising considerably. It is also worth considering that in order to avoid problems with breakage during product mobility, overpackaging and the generation of more waste is a problem to be taken into account. Nature has shown us that it can optimise resources and energy, finding a balance between form, matter and function without generating waste, and building resilient, collaborative, creative and sensory models together. In fact, artists such as Leonardo da Vinci or naturalist as Ernst Haeckel already devoted themselves to observing and studying nature as a turning point in their designs and paintings. Focusing on materials, scientists such as Lynn Margulis, Janine Benyus or Stefano Mancuso have demonstrated the variety and different reproduction processes in natural ecosystems, as well as the interdependent relationship between them. And even new methodologies go beyond sustainability, and there is already talk of regenerative culture and systemic design. In other words, achieving transformative innovation through a more holistic vision and in collaboration with different entities. Following these considerations, our approach is to apply these natural systems to e-commerce packaging, obtaining a greater variety of biomaterials. For this reason we present different proposals for materials based on cellulose, one of the most abundant and renewable biopolymers on earth. We will also analyse the differences between cellulose extracted from vegetable fibre and cellulose generated from bacteria. Their properties provide us with flexibility, strength, toughness, among others, and allow us to rethink the different production processes to adapt them to each type of product and avoid generating overpackaging, This publication is part of the project PID2020- 114070RB-I00 (CELLECOPROD), financed by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::13 - Acció per al Clima, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::12 - Producció i Consum Responsables, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::11 - Ciutats i Comunitats Sostenibles, Postprint (published version)

Com a dissenyadors podem aportar una visió més holística a l’hora de repensar en nous materials i processos de producció pel packaging d’e-commerce. És per aquesta raó que l’estudi de la natura i la relació amb ella ens ajuden a pensar en una cultura regenerativa i de co-disseny per així assolir noves propostes innovadores i més integrades en el sistema pel benefici de tots. En aquest article farem un repàs de la visió racionalista i així com des d’una perspectiva més conscient i irracional, i com aprendre de la natura ens aporta noves relacions i enteniments més profunds tant de reconeguts científics, com també de la nostra pròpia experiència del dia a dia amb ella. No tan sols per a què sigui més sostenible, sinó anar més enllà i que ens ajudi a desenvolupar sistemes cíclics que s'integrin als sistemes biològics. A partir d'aquí, es pot argumentar el tipus de materials que hem d'utilitzar i la manera com els hem de treballar per optimitzar-ne la compatibilitat amb sistemes més complexos., As designers we can bring a more holistic vision when rethinking new materials and production processes for e-commerce packaging. For this reason, the study of nature and the relationship with it help us to think in a regenerative and codesign culture in order to achieve new innovative and more integrated proposals in the system for the benefit of all. In this paper we will take a look at the rationalist view as well as from a more conscious and irrational perspective, and how learning from nature brings us new relationships and deeper understandings both from recognised scientists, as well as from our own day-today experience with it. Not just to make it more sustainable, but to go further and help us develop cyclical systems that integrate with biological systems. From here, a case can be made for the type of materials we should use and how we should work with them to optimise their compatibility with more complex systems.

Si analizamos la evolución de la humanidad, la revolución industrial nos marcó un antes y un después en la sociedad, y también en el sistema de producción, pasando de la artesanía a la escala industrial, con todas sus consecuencias, siendo cada vez menos sostenibles. La industrialización ha permitido una eficiencia en los procesos de producción para mejorar en la rapidez y economizar los productos para llegar a más personas. Aunque esta democratización ha sido en detrimento del exceso de productos, de la sostenibilidad y la repetición constante de las formas que ha limitado la creatividad. Las tecnologías disponibles en la actualidad permiten encontrar nuevas alternativas para aumentar la creatividad de manera más sostenible y consciente a la hora de concebir productos y su producción. En este artículo analizaremos de dónde venimos, la iniciativa en romper con las formas hasta ahora conocidas, y en repensar nuevos materiales y procesos de producción para el packaging e-commerce. Con ello, se intentará evitar caer en las premisas antes descritas, aunque somos conscientes que somos humanos y la perfección no existe, Postprint (published version)

This article aims to provide in-depth insight into how consumers perceive recycled materials in comparison with natural raw materials at both the perceptual and attitudinal levels. To this end, we combined classic self-reported measures of sensory aspects, preferences, environmental attitudes, and consumption habits together with physiological measures of cognitive–emotional processing. Three different materials—two recycled materials, M2 and M3, and one raw material, M1—were chosen for inspection through three different sensory conditions, which we refer to as channels —visual, tactile, and visuo-tactile. The assignation of materials to sensory channels was counterbalanced so that each participant evaluated only one of the materials per channel. Although participants in general were not very accurate in discriminating between the materials, self-reported sensory evaluations showed that M3 (a recycled material that is made to look non-recycled), was clearly less liked. Meanwhile, the psychophysiological analyses revealed higher levels of electrodermal activity for the tactile evaluations of both recycled materials (M2 and M3). Finally, the results from the attitudes and habits evaluations indicate that the participants had positive environmental attitudes yet poor consumption habits. Altogether, these results suggest that some sensorial properties differ between recycled materials and natural raw materials and that there is a chance to improve and implement new consumption habits. The implications of these results are further discussed both in terms of suggestions for designers and methodological recommendations for researchers., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Si analizamos la evolución de la humanidad, la revolución industrial nos marcó un antes y un después en la sociedad, y también en el sistema de producción, pasando de la artesanía a la escala industrial, con todas sus consecuencias, siendo cada vez menos sostenibles. La industrialización ha permitido una eficiencia en los procesos de producción para mejorar en la rapidez y economizar los productos para llegar a más personas. Aunque esta democratización ha sido en detrimento del exceso de productos, de la sostenibilidad y la repetición constante de las formas que ha limitado la creatividad. Las tecnologías disponibles en la actualidad permiten encontrar nuevas alternativas para aumentar la creatividad de manera más sostenible y consciente a la hora de concebir productos y su producción. En este artículo analizaremos de dónde venimos, la iniciativa en romper con las formas hasta ahora conocidas, y en repensar nuevos materiales y procesos de producción para el packaging e-commerce. Con ello, se intentará evitar caer en las premisas antes descritas, aunque somos conscientes que somos humanos y la perfección no existe

El e-commerce está generando un incremento exponencial de ingresos para las empresas, pero también está provocando un impacto ambiental importante, es decir se generan más residuos y una elevada huella de carbono como consecuencia de todos los trayectos. Este artículo presenta un breve análisis de la problemática, además de entender la evolución del packaging, desde finales del s. XIX, conocido como la época moderna del packaging, y la evolución de los materiales hasta la actualidad. El objetivo es saber escoger los materiales más adecuados, entender y reflexionar sobre la evolución de la logística y la tecnología, de manera que la producción y la forma del packaging permitan una alternativa a la existente. El propósito es aportar soluciones más adecuadas a este actual servicio, sin perder sus funciones principales como el de proteger y comunicar. Todo ello, debe pensarse desde la visión del diseño y la sostenibilidad pensando en la economía circular y las 5R, Postprint (published version)

Online purchasing, and hence e-commerce packaging production and use, have grown steadily in recent years, and so has their environmental impact as a result. This paper reviews the evolution of packaging over the last century through a compilation of scientific literature on e-commerce packaging focusing on its environmental side. The primary aims were to identify research gaps in e-commerce packaging and to propose new research lines aimed at reducing its environmental impact. A systematic search of abstracts was conducted to identify articles dealing with sustainability in e-commerce packaging in order to better understand changes in materials and formats, identify problems such as oversizing and allow prospective readers to become acquainted with the latest innovations in materials, sustainability and logistics. Based on existing research, packaging materials and technology evolved rapidly until the 1990s. Later, however, it has become increasingly difficult to further reduce their cost and environmental impact. Also, some packaging products continue to be made from non-renewable materials and thus restrict growth of e-commerce. Further research is needed with a view to producing new packages from renewable sources such as cellulose-containing materials, which are widely available in nature, or from recycled cellulose-based materials such as cartonboard. Improving distribution processes with new, more effective tools could additionally help alleviate the environmental impact of packaging. Similarly, new production processes such as additive manufacturing and 3D printing might help optimize package volume and shape, thereby facilitating more sustainable production through, for example, reduced CO2 emissions. Currently available technology can be useful to rethink the whole e-commerce packaging paradigm, which has changed very little over the past few decades, Postprint (author's final draft)

Food security in cities is an increasing concern due to the impact of climate change and the concentration of world population in cities. Urban agriculture (UA) aims at enhancing food production in urban areas, providing potential environmental advantages by reducing food transport, packaging and waste generation. Among UA alternatives, rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) are greenhouses built on top of urban roofs, in which mainly soil-less agriculture systems are used to produce food. When RTGs are integrated into the metabolism of their buildings, they exchange CO2, energy and water to improve their performance. This alternative is called integrated RTG (i-RTG). This chapter analyses the use of i-RTGs to improve buildings and cities’ metabolism and its particular application in the area of Barcelona. This analysis aims to define a new agricultural system from a technological and sustainability approach focusing on Mediterranean cities. Our research is based on the development and results of the Fertilecity project. A particular experimental analysis was conducted at ICTA’s i-RTG lab located near Barcelona. The main factors of interest are architectural and engineering requirements, urban integration, CO2 emissions management, energy consumption, food production, social integration and rainwater harvesting. This analysis has used different methods such as life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC) and semi-quantitative assessments. Multiple integrated results were obtained both at the building and city scale. For example, we proved that the i-RTG and its flow exchanges with the building could help to save heating energy, waste generation, water consumption and CO2 emissions., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

Vertical farming is emerging as an effective measure to grow food in buildings and can increase food production in urban areas in a more sustainable manner. This study presents a comprehensive environmental assessment of food production in an integrated rooftop greenhouse (i-RTG) – an innovative vertical farm consisting of a rooftop greenhouse connected to a building – and considers rainwater, residual heat (energy), residual air (CO2) and food from an industrial ecology perspective. This synergistic connection preserves resources and improves conditions in the greenhouse and the building. The goal of the study is to show the feasibility of the system and to calculate the environmental impacts from its whole life cycle, from infrastructure to end of life, by comparing these impacts with those of conventional production. The results show that the system is feasible and produced 30.2¿kg/m2 of tomato over 15.5 months. The synergy with the building allows the cultivation of winter-fall crops without supplying heating and maintained an average temperature 8¿°C higher than that outdoors. Moreover, rainwater was used to irrigate the crops, reducing consumption from the water supply network by 80–90%. The environmental assessment showed that the operation of the i-RTG has more impacts than the infrastructure (structure of the greenhouse, rainwater harvesting system and equipment) due to the use of fertilisers, which account for 25% of the impacts in four of the six impact categories studied. Regarding the infrastructure, the greenhouse structure and rainwater harvesting system of the building have substantial environmental impacts (over 30% in four of the six impact categories). Comparison with a conventional greenhouse demonstrates that the i-RTG has a better environmental performance, showing between 50 and 75% lower impacts in five of the six impact categories (for instance, 0.58¿kg of CO2 equivalent per kg of tomato vs. 1.7¿kg), mainly due to the reduced packaging and t, Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

L'agricultura urbana (AU) consisteix en el desenvolupament d'activitats agrícoles dins i al voltant de les ciutats. Actualment, aquestes pràctiques estan creixent en tot el món per fer front al creixement de la població (tant a les zones urbanes com a nivell planetari), reduir les conseqüències ambientals de proporcionar aliments a les ciutats i augmentar-ne l'autosuficiència alimentaria. Un dels espais lliures amb gran disponibilitat, i d'interès per les practicants de l'AU, són les cobertes dels edificis. En concret, les cobertes de les naus industrial podrien ser d'interès per la instal·lació de cultius intensius amb objectius comercials, com els hivernacles en coberta. Els hivernacles en coberta poden ser connectats amb l'edifici sobre el qual estan instal·lats, amb la finalitat de generar un intercanvi de fluxos (aigua, energia i CO2) entre els dos sistemes. Aquestes estratègies poden ser de gran interès per reduir els impactes ambientals dels hivernacles en coberta, obtingudes principalment per la reducció de les distancies de transport dels aliments, l'atenuació de les pèrdues d'aliments durant el seu transport i la reutilització del packaging pel transport. No obstant això, no s'han detectat millores ambientals en la resta d'etapes de cicle de vida; per tant, sembla ser que encara manca realitzar una recerca més profunda sobre aquests aspectes. La present tesis doctoral pretén cobrir aquest àmbit de recerca a través d'intentar donar resposta a les següents preguntes: ·Pot un sistema passiu fet amb materials de canvi de fase substituir els sistemes convencionals de calefacció agrícoles i reduir la petjada de carboni dels hivernacles en coberta? ·Pot l'aire residual dels edificis ser utilitzat per l'enriquiment carbònic dels hivernacles en coberta? ·Es possible millorar la precisió del càlcul de la petjada de carboni dels hivernacles en coberta? ·És la creació de subproductes, a partir dels residus agrícoles, una estratègia per fixar el CO2 capturat pels culti, La agricultura urbana (AU) consiste en el desarrollo de actividades agrícolas dentro y en los extrarradios de las ciudades. En la actualidad, estas prácticas están creciendo para hacer frente al crecimiento de la población (tanto en las zonas urbanas como a nivel planetario), reducir las consecuencias ambientales de proporcionar alimentos a las ciudades y aumentar su autosuficiencia alimentaria. Uno de los espacios libres con gran disponibilidad, y de interés para las practicantes de la AU, son las cubiertas de los edificios. Las cubiertas de las naves industriales podrían ser de interés para la instalación de cultivos intensivos con fines comerciales, como son los invernaderos en cubierta. Los invernaderos en cuberita pueden ser conectados con el edificio sobre el cual están instalados, con la finalidad de generar un intercambio de flujos (agua, energía y CO2) entre los dos sistemas. Estas estrategias pueden ser de gran interés para mitigar los impactos ambientales de los invernaderos en cubierta, principalmente debido a la reducción de las distancias de transporte de los alimentos, la atenuación de las pérdidas de alimentos durante su transporte y la reutilización del packaging para el transporte. Sin embargo, no se han detectado mejoras ambientales en el resto de las etapas de ciclo de vida. La presente tesis pretende cubrir este vacio a través de intentar dar respuesta a las siguientes preguntas: • ¿Puede un sistema pasivo hecho con materiales de cambio de fase substituir los sistemas convencionales de calefacción agrícolas y reducir la huella de carbono de los invernaderos en cubierta? • ¿Puede el aire residual de los edificios ser utilizado para el enriquecimiento carbónico de los invernaderos en cubierta? • ¿Es posible mejorar la precisión del cálculo de la huella de carbono de los invernaderos en cubierta? • ¿Es la creación de subproductos, a partir de residuos agrícolas, una estrategia para fijar el CO2 capturado por los cultivos de los invernaderos en cubi, Urban agriculture (UA) consist of farming operations taking place in and around cities. At present, these practices are growing all around the world to face the increasing world and urban population, reduce the environmental implications of feeding urban areas and increase food self-sufficiency in cities. An interesting vacant space for UA practitioners is the roof of buildings. The roof of industrial buildings may be of great interest for the installation of intensive crops for commercial purposes, such as rooftop greenhouse (RTGs). RTGs can be connected with the building they are placed on to exchange water, heat or CO2 flows. These types of RTGs are named integrated RTGs (i-RTGs). i-RTGs, for example, can use the rainwater harvested by the building to irrigate crops, take advantage of the thermal inertia of the building to warm crops without using heating systems or use the residual air of the building, with high CO2 concentration due to human respiration or other processes, to increase the CO2 concentration of crops. These strategies are of great interest to mitigate the environmental burdens of i-RTGs. In comparison with conventional decentralized agriculture, previous studies show that i-RTGs could reduce the environmental implications of feeding cities. Benefits are mainly obtained due to reduced food transportation distances, minimized food losses during transportation and improved packaging logistics which allows its reutilization. However, no advantages were detected for the other life cycle stages; therefore, further research is still lacking in this area. This doctoral thesis aims to fill this gap by addressing the following research questions: • Can passive systems made with phase change materials (PCMs) replace conventional heating in greenhouses and reduce the carbon footprint of i-RTGs? • Can the residual air of a building be used for CO2 enrichment in i-RTGs? • Could the GHG emissions of i-RTGs be calculated with more accuracy? • Is the creation of

A sustainable and secure food supply within a low-carbon and resilient infrastructure is encapsulated in several of The United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals. The integration of urban agriculture in buildings can offer improved efficiencies; in recognition of this, the first south European example of a fully integrated rooftop greenhouse (iRTG) was designed and incorporated into the ICTA-ICP building by the Autonomous University of Barcelona. This design seeks to interchange heat, CO2 and rainwater between the building and its rooftop greenhouse. Average air temperatures for 2015 in the iRTG were 16.5 °C (winter) and 25.79 °C (summer), making the iRTG an ideal growing environment. Using detailed thermophysical fabric properties, 2015 site-specific weather data, exact control strategies and dynamic soil temperatures, the iRTG was modelled in EnergyPlus to assess the performance of an equivalent ‘freestanding’ greenhouse. The validated result shows that the thermal interchange between the iRTG and the ICTA-ICP building has considerable moderating effects on the iRTG’s indoor climate; since average hourly temperatures in an equivalent freestanding greenhouse would have been 4.1 °C colder in winter and 4.4 °C warmer in summer under the 2015 climatic conditions. The simulation results demonstrate that the iRTG case study recycled 43.78 MWh of thermal energy (or 341.93 kWh/m2/yr) from the main building in 2015. Assuming 100% energy conversion efficiency, compared to freestanding greenhouses heated with oil, gas or biomass systems, the iRTG delivered an equivalent carbon savings of 113.8, 82.4 or 5.5 kg CO2(eq)/m2/yr, respectively, and economic savings of 19.63, 15.88 or 17.33 €/m2/yr, respectively. Under similar climatic conditions, this symbiosis between buildings and urban agriculture makes an iRTG an efficient resource-management model and supports the promotion of a new typology or concept of buildings with a nexus or symbiosis between energy efficiency and, Postprint (published version)

World tomato production is in the increase, generating large amounts of organic agricultural waste, which are currently incinerated or composted, releasing CO2 into the atmosphere. Organic waste is not only produced from conventional but also urban agricultural practices due recently gained popularity. An alternative to current waste management practices and carbon sequestration opportunity is the production of biochar (thermally converted biomass) from tomato plant residues and use as a soil amendment. To address the real contribution of biochar for greenhouse gas mitigation, it is necessary to assess the whole life cycle from the production of the tomato biomass feedstock to the actual distribution and utilisation of the biochar produced in a regional context. This study is the first step to determine the technical and environmental potential of producing biochar from tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum arawak variety) waste biomass and utilisation as a soil amendment. The study includes the characterisation of tomato plant residue as biochar feedstock (cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and metal content); feedstock thermal stability; and the carbon footprint of biochar production under urban agriculture at pilot and small-scale plant, and conventional agriculture at large-scale plant. Tomato plant residue is a potentially suitable biochar feedstock under current European Certification based on its lignin content (19.7%) and low metal concentration. Biomass conversion yields of over 40%, 50% carbon stabilization and low pyrolysis temperature conditions (350–400 °C) would be required for biochar production to sequester carbon under urban pilot scale conditions; while large-scale biochar production from conventional agricultural practices have not the potential to sequestrate carbon because its logistics, which could be improved. Therefore, the diversion of tomato biomass waste residue from incineration or composting to biochar production for use as a soil amendment w, Postprint (published version)

Ancient civilizations had agriculture production in their metropolis but modern urban planning separated agriculture from cities, such as Chandigarh by Le Corbusier. At present, FAO estimates that urban agriculture produces food for a quarter of world’s population, reducing food transport, package and waste impact among others and improving food safety. Meanwhile, city governments and citizens are reinventing their roofs usage in order to take more advantage of them. Rooftop Greenhouses (RTGs) are an interesting option because they increase the scarce green area of the cities, create new agricultural spaces and promote food self-sufficiency in urban areas among other growing interests. RTGs are greenhouses located on the roof of the buildings that usually produce food using soil-less culture systems. These structures as well as the green façades called Vertical Farming (VF) are part of the “building-based Urban Agriculture (UA)”. In this sense, this article presents the first results of the research project Fertilecity, which aims to analyze, from a technological and sustainability approach, a new agricultural production system for Mediterranean urban areas through the integration of greenhouses on the roof of buildings. This innovative system is an integrated RTG (i-RTG) that includes energy, water and CO2 flows in the metabolism of the building. Multidisciplinary experts participate in Fertilecity Project using multiple methods such as Life Cycle Assessment and the Integrated Value Model for Sustainable Assessment (MIVES). Their first results are: a review of the main experiences in UA; an environmental and economic life cycle analysis of implementing Rooftop Greenhouses (RTGs) in Barcelona and the construction of the ICTA Rooftop Greenhouse Lab (RTG-Lab) near Barcelona. This project aims to demonstrate the potential of i-RTGs and quantify their environmental, economic and social benefits, as well as study how they can change the image of our cities., Postprint (published version)

Ancient civilizations had agriculture production in their metropolis but modern urban planning separated agriculture from cities, such as Chandigarh by Le Corbusier. At present, FAO estimates that urban agriculture produces food for a quarter of world’s population, reducing food transport, package and waste impact among others and improving food safety. Meanwhile, city governments and citizens are reinventing their roofs usage in order to take more advantage of them. Rooftop Greenhouses (RTGs) are an interesting option because they increase the scarce green area of the cities, create new agricultural spaces and promote food self-sufficiency in urban areas among other growing interests. RTGs are greenhouses located on the roof of the buildings that usually produce food using soil-less culture systems. These structures as well as the green façades called Vertical Farming (VF) are part of the “building-based Urban Agriculture (UA)”. In this sense, this article presents the first results of the research project Fertilecity, which aims to analyze, from a technological and sustainability approach, a new agricultural production system for Mediterranean urban areas through the integration of greenhouses on the roof of buildings. This innovative system is an integrated RTG (i-RTG) that includes energy, water and CO2 flows in the metabolism of the building. Multidisciplinary experts participate in this Fertilecity Project funded by the Spanish government. The first results of this research are: a review of the main experiences in UA; an environmental and economic life cycle analysis of implementing Rooftop Greenhouses (RTGs) in the Barcelona area; and the construction of the ICTA Rooftop Greenhouse Lab, which is an i-RTG located near Barcelona. This article will explain the objectives of this research project, which aims to demonstrate the potential of i-RTGs and quantify their environmental, economic and social benefits, as well as study how they can change the image of our, Postprint (published version)

Postprint (published version)

The ICTA-ICP Rooftop Greenhouse Lab (RTG-Lab) is a research-oriented RTG situated in the UAB Campus (Bellaterra, Barcelona). In contrast to current RTGs, the RTG-Lab integrates energy, water and CO2 flows into the building’s metabolism. This integrated RTG (i-RTG) is an eco-innovative concept that will enhance the sustainability of both systems involved while producing high-value crops and maintaining indoor comfort in buildings with lower energy inputs. The RTG-Lab, within the Fertilecity project, aims to demonstrate the feasibility of producing vegetables in i-RTGs in the Mediterranean context and to quantify the environmental and economic performance of the metabolic integration between the greenhouse and the building. To do that, experimental crops (lettuce and tomato) in soil-less culture systems (perlite) will start on Fall 2014. Preliminary data of the metabolic integration is described in this contribution. First, the residual heat from the building will be introduced in the greenhouse to maintain crop temperatures. Moreover, the airflow from the building will help the ventilation of the greenhouse in hot episodes. Second, the rainwater collected in the rooftop of the building will be used for the irrigation of the crop, leading into a 100% water self-sufficient crop. Third, the airflow from the building has a higher CO2 concentration than the greenhouse air. This CO2 will be used by the crop when supplied to the greenhouse, as in current CO2-injection techniques in industrial horticulture., Postprint (published version)