H43R-01:
Is Sustainable Remediation Now a Self-Sustaining Process? an International Progress Report

Thursday, 18 December 2014: 1:40 PM
Jonathan W N Smith, Shell Global Solutions International, Rijswijk, 2288, Netherlands
Abstract:
Sustainable remediation – the consideration of environmental, social and economic factors associated with soil and groundwater risk-management options, to help select the best overall solution - has been a rapidly evolving topic in recent years. The first published reference[1] to ‘sustainable remediation’ was in the title of a 1999 conference paper by Kearney et al., (1999), but activity really accelerated in the middle-late 2000’s, with establishment of a number of collaborative sustainable remediation groups and fora, and increased publication rates in the peer reviewed literature (Fig 1).

Figure 1. Journal paper publications with search term ‘sustainable remediation’ (SCOPUS survey, 17 July 2014)

This presentation will review the international progress of sustainable remediation concept development and application in regulatory and corporate decision-making processes. It will look back at what has already been achieved, provide an update on the latest initiatives and developments, and look forward to what the future of sustainable remediation might look like.

Specifically it will describe:

  • Sustainable remediation frameworks: synergies and international collaboration;
  • Latest guidance and tools developed by the various sustainable remediation organisations (SuRFs), including the SuRF-UK Best Management Practices and Tier 1 Briefcase;
  • Best practice standard development by ASTM and ISO;
  • Regulatory acceptance of sustainable remediation, including incorporation into legislation, and the NICOLE – Common Forum Joint statement on ‘risk-informed and sustainable remediation’ in Europe;
  • Examples of corporate adoption of sustainable remediation principles.

The presentation will conclude with a look forward to a vision of sustainable remediation in 2020.