| Title |
Advancing environmental assessment of the circular economy: Challenges and opportunities |
| ID_Doc |
729 |
| Authors |
Ravikumar, D; Keoleian, GA; Walzberg, J; Heath, G; Heller, MC |
| Title |
Advancing environmental assessment of the circular economy: Challenges and opportunities |
| Year |
2024 |
| Published |
|
| DOI |
10.1016/j.rcradv.2024.200203 |
| Abstract |
The lifecycle assessment (LCA) framework is widely applied to comprehensively evaluate and improve the environmental performance of a circular economy (CE). The advances and application of LCA has been primarily restricted to evaluate the environmental performance of the CE at a micro-level, wherein the CE is implemented for a single product system. However, the CE can be operationalized at two broader levels: the meso-level (for eco-industrial parks) and the macro-level (for a city, state, or nation). Six methodological challenges emerge when applying LCA to a meso- or macro-level CE and remain unaddressed in the existing literature. This includes: selecting a relevant system boundary and functional unit, addressing data paucity and uncertainty, accounting for stakeholder behavior, assessing the trade-offs from renewable energy (RE) use, accounting for manufacturing and technology evolution, and quantifying displacement and rebound. This article proposes potential solutions and research priorities to address the above challenges. |
| Author Keywords |
Circular economy; Lifecycle assessment; Environmental assessment; Data uncertainty; Meso-level circular economy; Macro -level circular economy |
| Index Keywords |
Index Keywords |
| Document Type |
Other |
| Open Access |
Open Access |
| Source |
Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) |
| EID |
WOS:001170889500001 |
| WoS Category |
Environmental Sciences |
| Research Area |
Environmental Sciences & Ecology |
| PDF |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcradv.2024.200203
|