| Title | Measuring the environmental sustainability of a circular economy |
|---|---|
| ID_Doc | 421 |
| Authors | Haupt, M; Hellweg, S |
| Title | Measuring the environmental sustainability of a circular economy |
| Year | 2019 |
| Published | |
| Abstract | What gets measured gets managed - this quote by Peter Ducker reveals a pitfall for the targeted transition towards a more sustainable, circular economy. Today, mass-based indicators, such as recycling rates, are used to assess the circularity of individual products, firms and of entire countries. These indicators, however, fail to cover the environmental perspective - one of the most mentioned reasons to move from a linear to a circular economy. Here, we propose a complementary environmental-impact based indicator that measures the environmental value retained through reuse, remanufacturing, repairing or recycling. The indicator extends the focus from end-of-life to the entire life cycle and includes substitution of primary materials. Furthermore, it allows for monitoring the transition towards a circular economy from an environmental and possibly economic and social perspective. We provide three examples that highlight the application of the indicator and also reveal that common beliefs about the environmental performance of the circular economy are sometimes misleading and counter-productive. |
| https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2019.100005 |
Similar Articles
| ID | Score | Article |
|---|---|---|
295
|
Pacurariu, RL; Vatca, SD; Lakatos, ES; Bacali, L; Vlad, M A Critical Review of EU Key Indicators for the Transition to the Circular Economy(2021)International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health, 18, 16 | |
| 1331
|
Kristensen, HS; Mosgaard, MA A review of micro level indicators for a circular economy - moving away from the three dimensions of sustainability?(2020) | |
| 318
|
Voukkali, I; Papamichael, I; Loizia, P; Lekkas, DF; Rodríguez-Espinosa, T; Navarro-Pedreño, J; Zorpas, AA Waste metrics in the framework of circular economy(2023)Waste Management & Research, 41, 12 | |
| 1335
|
Steinmann, ZJN; Huijbregts, MAJ; Reijnders, L How to define the quality of materials in a circular economy?(2019) | |
| 28924
|
Helander, H; Petit-Boix, A; Leipold, S; Bringezu, S How to monitor environmental pressures of a circular economy: An assessment of indicators(2019)Journal Of Industrial Ecology, 23.0, 5 | |
| 3074
|
Harris, S; Martin, M; Diener, D Circularity for circularity's sake? Scoping review of assessment methods for environmental performance in the circular economy.(2021) | |
| 1138
|
Saidani, M; Yannou, B; Leroy, Y; Cluzel, F; Kendall, A A taxonomy of circular economy indicators(2019) | |
| 5610
|
Corona, B; Shen, L; Reike, D; Carreón, JR; Worrell, E Towards sustainable development through the circular economy-A review and critical assessment on current circularity metrics(2019) | |
| 4379
|
De Pascale, A; Arbolino, R; Szopik-Depczynska, K; Limosani, M; Ioppolo, G A systematic review for measuring circular economy: The 61 indicators(2021) | |
| 433
|
Kravchenko, M; McAloone, TC; Pigosso, DCA Implications of developing a tool for sustainability screening of circular economy initiatives(2019) |