Environmental impacts of circular economy practices for plastic products in Europe

Learnings from life cycle assessment studies

verfasst von
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.

Organisationseinheit(en)
Institut für Kunststoff- und Kreislauftechnik
Typ
Konferenzaufsatz in Fachzeitschrift
Journal
Procedia CIRP
Band
122
Seiten
312-317
Anzahl der Seiten
6
ISSN
2212-8271
Publikationsdatum
2024
Publikationsstatus
Veröffentlicht
Peer-reviewed
Ja
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
Steuerungs- und Systemtechnik, Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen und Fertigungstechnik
Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung
SDG 7 – Erschwingliche und saubere Energie, SDG 8 – Anständige Arbeitsbedingungen und wirtschaftliches Wachstum, SDG 12 – Verantwortungsvoller Konsum und Produktion
Elektronische Version(en)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2024.01.046 (Zugang: Offen)