Integrated environmental-economic circular economy assessment: Application to the case of expanded polystyrene
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Date
2023-10
Publication Type
Journal Article
ETH Bibliography
yes
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Abstract
Circular Economy (CE), despite its great potential, is often challenged for not being sustainable from an environmental, economic and social perspective, or at least not in all dimensions simultaneously. Therefore, assessments that integrate different sustainability dimensions are necessary to facilitate CE implementation, particularly before entire value chains are reconfigured or incentivized to do so. However, integrated CE assessment methods remain scarce, especially at a value-chain level. We aim to bridge this gap by suggesting an approach that evaluates and integrates the environmental and economic impacts of implementing CE at the value-chain level. The approach is based on material flow analysis, life-cycle assessment, life-cycle costing, and scenario development. The application of the approach to the expanded polystyrene (EPS) value chain revealed that EPS recycling can be environmentally and economically beneficial in the long term. The approach was developed to support political and industrial decision-makers seeking to implement a sustainable CE.
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Publication status
published
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Book title
Journal / series
Volume
197
Pages / Article No.
107069
Publisher
Elsevier
Event
Edition / version
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Software
Geographic location
Date collected
Date created
Subject
Circular economy; Life-cycle thinking; Value chain; Environmental assessment; Economic assessment
Organisational unit
03695 - Hoffmann, Volker / Hoffmann, Volker
08740 - Bening, Catharina (Tit.-Prof.) / Bening, Catharina (Tit.-Prof.)
Notes
Funding
172456 - Towards A sustainable CircuLar Economy – Combining a material flow with a business and policy perspective (TACLE) (SNF)