Beyond emission limits: a scenario-based integration of best available techniques and life cycle assessment

Abstract Under contemporary conditions of increasingly stringent environmental regulation and the transition toward a circular economy, industry requires analytical tools capable not only of confirming compliance with Best Available Techniques (BAT) criteria but also of critically rethinking the mechanisms of their practical implementation. The standard BAT framework is characterised by methodological limitations: its application is hindered by high technological variability, insufficient consideration of spatial factors, and the absence of flexible scenario-based models necessary for assessing the environmental implications of technological modifications. This article introduces ParaBAT, an original methodology developed as an innovative approach aimed at expanding the analytical capabilities of existing BAT instruments. The proposed method integrates energy and material flow analysis with spatial - dynamic scenario modelling, enabling the assessment of technologies not as static systems but as entities sensitive to local contextual conditions, industrial structural changes, and regulatory policies.