| Title | Recommendations for life-cycle assessment of recyclable plastics in a circular economy |
|---|---|
| ID_Doc | 28975 |
| Authors | Nordahl, SL; Scown, CD |
| Title | Recommendations for life-cycle assessment of recyclable plastics in a circular economy |
| Year | 2024 |
| Published | Chemical Science, 15.0, 25 |
| Abstract | Technologies that enable plastic circularity offer a path to reducing waste generation, improving environmental quality, and reducing reliance on fossil feedstocks. However, life-cycle assessment (LCA) methods commonly applied to these systems fall far short of capturing the full suite of advantages and tradeoffs. This perspective highlights inconsistencies in both the research questions and methodological choices across the growing body of LCA literature for plastics recycling. We assert that conducting LCAs on the basis of tonnes of waste managed vs. tonnes of recycled plastics yields results with fundamentally different conclusions; in most cases, analyses of recyclable plastics should focus on the unit of recycled product yielded. We also offer straightforward paths to better approach LCAs for recycling processes and plastics in a circular economy by rethinking study design (metrics, functional unit, system boundaries, counterfactual scenarios), upstream assumptions (waste feedstock variability, pre-processing requirements), and downstream assumptions (closed-loop vs. open-loop systems, material substitution). Specifically, we recommend expanding to metrics beyond greenhouse gases by including fossil carbon balances, net diversion of waste from landfill, and quantity of avoided plastic waste leakage to the environment. Furthermore, we highlight the role that plastic waste plays as a problematic contaminant in preventing greater diversion of all wastes to recycling, energy recovery, and composting, suggesting that plastics may hold a shared responsibility for the system-wide greenhouse gas emissions that occur when mixed wastes are landfilled. Life-cycle assessment can better capture the impacts of plastics recycling by expanding beyond greenhouse gases to include fossil carbon balances, net diversion of waste from landfill, and avoided release of plastic pollution to the environment. |
| https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2024/sc/d4sc01340a |
Similar Articles
| ID | Score | Article |
|---|---|---|
22726
|
Urgun-Demirtas, M; Benavides, PT; Gracida-Alvarez, UR; Riggio, S Systemic approaches to model plastics circularity(2022) | |
| 6166
|
Miller, SA The capabilities and deficiencies of life cycle assessment to address the plastic problem(2022) | |
| 4615
|
Venkatachalam, V; Pohler, M; Spierling, S; Nickel, L; Barner, L; Endres, HJ Design for Recycling Strategies Based on the Life Cycle Assessment and End of Life Options of Plastics in a Circular Economy(2022)Macromolecular Chemistry And Physics, 223, 13 | |
| 4364
|
Ghosh, T; Avery, G; Bhatt, A; Uekert, T; Walzberg, J; Carpenter, A Towards a circular economy for PET bottle resin using a system dynamics inspired material flow model(2023) | |
| 20115
|
Hahladakis, JN; Iacovidou, E An overview of the challenges and trade-offs in closing the loop of post-consumer plastic waste (PCPW): Focus on recycling(2019) | |
| 21827
|
Klemes, JJ; Fan, YV; Jiang, P Plastics: friends or foes? The circularity and plastic waste footprint(2021)Energy Sources Part A-Recovery Utilization And Environmental Effects, 43.0, 13 | |
| 29250
|
Schulte, A; Kampmann, B; Galafton, C Measuring the Circularity and Impact Reduction Potential of Post-Industrial and Post-Consumer Recycled Plastics(2023)Sustainability, 15.0, 16 | |
| 26501
|
Vlasopoulos, A; Malinauskaite, J; Zabnienska-Góra, A; Jouhara, H Life cycle assessment of plastic waste and energy recovery(2023) | |
| 25707
|
Venkatachalam, V; Spierling, S; Endres, HJ Recyclable, but not recycled-an indicator to quantify the environmental impacts of plastic waste disposal(2024) | |
| 3734
|
Meys, R; Frick, F; Westhues, S; Sternberg, A; Klankermayer, J; Bardow, A Towards a circular economy for plastic packaging wastes - the environmental potential of chemical recycling(2020) |