Environmental impacts of circular economy practices for plastic products in Europe

Learnings from life cycle assessment studies

authored by: Meret Jürgens, Hans Josef Endres
Abstract: Plastic production is expected to double within the next 20 years, far exceeding current waste management capacities. Linear economic activities lead to a collision between the overarching ecosystem with limited resources and the ever-growing economy. The alternative concept of a circular economy (CE) has already been promoted by the European Union ever since its first Circular Economy Action Plan back in 2015. However, the life cycle of different plastic products varies greatly in its composition due to the different application possibilities, making it challenging to develop CE strategies for these products. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is applied in many case studies; however, a clear definition and realistic environmental assessment of circular patterns is still under discussion and the application of CE strategies requires different resources and infrastructure, leading to a shift between different environmental impacts. This work aims at contributing to understanding possible trade-offs between different CE strategies for plastic products. 68 LCA studies assessing a shift from linear to circular economy for plastic products in a European context have been reviewed. Environmental impacts of the applied CE strategies have been analysed and learnings on how to implement CE to reduce environmental impacts of plastic products have been presented.
Organisation(s): Institute of Plastics and Circular Economy
Type: Conference article
Journal: Procedia CIRP
Volume: 122
Pages: 312-317
No. of pages: 6
ISSN: 2212-8271
Publication date: 2024
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Control and Systems Engineering, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2024.01.046 (Access: Open)

BibTeX

@article{f30c1e5d13ad438f99b1cea3487f18e1,
title = "Environmental impacts of circular economy practices for plastic products in Europe: Learnings from life cycle assessment studies",
abstract = "Plastic production is expected to double within the next 20 years, far exceeding current waste management capacities. Linear economic activities lead to a collision between the overarching ecosystem with limited resources and the ever-growing economy. The alternative concept of a circular economy (CE) has already been promoted by the European Union ever since its first Circular Economy Action Plan back in 2015. However, the life cycle of different plastic products varies greatly in its composition due to the different application possibilities, making it challenging to develop CE strategies for these products. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is applied in many case studies; however, a clear definition and realistic environmental assessment of circular patterns is still under discussion and the application of CE strategies requires different resources and infrastructure, leading to a shift between different environmental impacts. This work aims at contributing to understanding possible trade-offs between different CE strategies for plastic products. 68 LCA studies assessing a shift from linear to circular economy for plastic products in a European context have been reviewed. Environmental impacts of the applied CE strategies have been analysed and learnings on how to implement CE to reduce environmental impacts of plastic products have been presented.",
keywords = "Circular Economy, Environment, Life Cycle Assessment, Plastic, Recycling, Reuse",
author = "Meret J{\"u}rgens and Endres, {Hans Josef}",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 Elsevier B.V.. All rights reserved.; 31st CIRP Conference on Life Cycle Engineering, LCE 2024 ; Conference date: 19-06-2024 Through 21-06-2024",
year = "2024",
doi = "10.1016/j.procir.2024.01.046",
language = "English",
volume = "122",
pages = "312--317",
journal = "Procedia CIRP",
issn = "2212-8271",
publisher = "Elsevier BV",
}