| Title |
Combining industrial ecology tools to assess potential greenhouse gas reductions of a circular economy: Method development and application to Switzerland |
| ID_Doc |
3664 |
| Authors |
Wiprächtiger, M; Haupt, M; Froemelt, A; Klotz, M; Beretta, C; Osterwalder, D; Burg, V; Hellweg, S |
| Title |
Combining industrial ecology tools to assess potential greenhouse gas reductions of a circular economy: Method development and application to Switzerland |
| Year |
2023 |
| Published |
Journal Of Industrial Ecology, 27, 1 |
| DOI |
10.1111/jiec.13364 |
| Abstract |
Industrial ecology (IE) methodologies, such as input/output or material flow analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA), are often used for the environmental evaluation of circular economy strategies. Up to now, an approach that utilizes these methods in a systematic, integrated framework for a holistic assessment of a geographic region's sustainable circular economy potential has been lacking. The approach developed in this study (IE4CE approach) combines IE methodologies to determine the environmental impact mitigation potential of circular economy strategies for a defined geographic region. The approach foresees five steps. First, input/output analysis helps identify sectors with high environmental impacts. Second, a refined analysis is conducted using material flow and LCA. In step 3, circular strategies are used for scenario design and evaluated in step 4. In step 5, the assessment results are compiled and compared across sectors. The approach was applied to a case study of Switzerland, analyzing 8 sectors and more than 30 scenarios in depth. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) from waste incineration, biogas and cement production, food waste prevention in households, hospitality and production, and the increased recycling of plastics had the highest mitigation potential. Most of the scenarios do not influence each other. One exception is the CCS scenarios: waste avoidance scenarios decrease the reduction potential of CCS. A combination of scenarios from different sectors, including their impact on the CCS scenario potential, led to an environmental impact mitigation potential of 11.9 Mt CO2-eq for 2050, which equals 14% of Switzerland's current consumption-based impacts. |
| Author Keywords |
circular economy; industrial ecology; input-output analysis; life cycle assessment; material flow analysis; sustainability |
| Index Keywords |
Index Keywords |
| Document Type |
Other |
| Open Access |
Open Access |
| Source |
Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) |
| EID |
WOS:000904790200001 |
| WoS Category |
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology; Engineering, Environmental; Environmental Sciences |
| Research Area |
Science & Technology - Other Topics; Engineering; Environmental Sciences & Ecology |
| PDF |
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/jiec.13364
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