Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 2200046 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| Journal | Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics |
| Volume | 223 |
| Issue number | 13 |
| Publication status | Published - 5 Jul 2022 |
Abstract
The plastic economy, despite offering unique properties in fulfilling the functions of products in different industrial sectors over decades, has so far been mainly linear, that is, “take-make and dispose” with only a small fraction of plastics being recycled worldwide. With ever-increasing circular economy initiatives and the urge to conserve resources and prevent plastic pollution from affecting ecosystems, more emphasis on the resource recovery of plastic products after its use has been made over the last few years. It is necessary for manufacturers to understand the value chain as early as the design phase while manufacturing and distributing plastic products across the world. The current study provides an overview of the status quo of plastic waste management and analyzes the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies of different End-of-Life (EoL) options for plastics. Based on the LCA studies, a preliminary, country-specific Circular Footprint (CF) is calculated and Design for Recycling (DfR) strategies are identified. Results show that the environmental impacts of different EoL options differ significantly for different plastics. The CF highlights the lack of data regarding the composition and recovery of plastics in different countries thus showing the necessity to consider the whole lifecycle when quantifying the environmental impacts of plastics.
Keywords
- circular economy, end-of-life, life cycle assessment, plastics, recycling
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Chemistry(all)
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Materials Science(all)
- Polymers and Plastics
- Chemistry(all)
- Organic Chemistry
- Materials Science(all)
- Materials Chemistry
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 223, No. 13, 2200046, 05.07.2022.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Design for Recycling Strategies Based on the Life Cycle Assessment and End of Life Options of Plastics in a Circular Economy
AU - Venkatachalam, Venkateshwaran
AU - Pohler, Merlin
AU - Spierling, Sebastian
AU - Nickel, Louisa
AU - Barner, Leonie
AU - Endres, Hans Josef
N1 - Funding Information: The authors would like to thank the editor team of this special issue for the ongoing support and the review team for their critical feedback and support. Open access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.
PY - 2022/7/5
Y1 - 2022/7/5
N2 - The plastic economy, despite offering unique properties in fulfilling the functions of products in different industrial sectors over decades, has so far been mainly linear, that is, “take-make and dispose” with only a small fraction of plastics being recycled worldwide. With ever-increasing circular economy initiatives and the urge to conserve resources and prevent plastic pollution from affecting ecosystems, more emphasis on the resource recovery of plastic products after its use has been made over the last few years. It is necessary for manufacturers to understand the value chain as early as the design phase while manufacturing and distributing plastic products across the world. The current study provides an overview of the status quo of plastic waste management and analyzes the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies of different End-of-Life (EoL) options for plastics. Based on the LCA studies, a preliminary, country-specific Circular Footprint (CF) is calculated and Design for Recycling (DfR) strategies are identified. Results show that the environmental impacts of different EoL options differ significantly for different plastics. The CF highlights the lack of data regarding the composition and recovery of plastics in different countries thus showing the necessity to consider the whole lifecycle when quantifying the environmental impacts of plastics.
AB - The plastic economy, despite offering unique properties in fulfilling the functions of products in different industrial sectors over decades, has so far been mainly linear, that is, “take-make and dispose” with only a small fraction of plastics being recycled worldwide. With ever-increasing circular economy initiatives and the urge to conserve resources and prevent plastic pollution from affecting ecosystems, more emphasis on the resource recovery of plastic products after its use has been made over the last few years. It is necessary for manufacturers to understand the value chain as early as the design phase while manufacturing and distributing plastic products across the world. The current study provides an overview of the status quo of plastic waste management and analyzes the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies of different End-of-Life (EoL) options for plastics. Based on the LCA studies, a preliminary, country-specific Circular Footprint (CF) is calculated and Design for Recycling (DfR) strategies are identified. Results show that the environmental impacts of different EoL options differ significantly for different plastics. The CF highlights the lack of data regarding the composition and recovery of plastics in different countries thus showing the necessity to consider the whole lifecycle when quantifying the environmental impacts of plastics.
KW - circular economy
KW - end-of-life
KW - life cycle assessment
KW - plastics
KW - recycling
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85129989855&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/macp.202200046
DO - 10.1002/macp.202200046
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85129989855
VL - 223
JO - Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics
JF - Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics
SN - 1022-1352
IS - 13
M1 - 2200046
ER -