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Longevity and Circularity as Indicators of Eco-Efficient Resource Use in the Circular Economy

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  • Figge, Frank
  • Thorpe, Andrea Stevenson
  • Givry, Philippe
  • Canning, Louise
  • Franklin-Johnson, Elizabeth

Abstract

Natural resources are limited. The circular economy is one of several different concepts that has been useful in the quest to understand how resources can be used most efficiently. It proposes that closing loops and repeatedly using resources has the potential to procure maximum eco-efficiency. To track society's progress towards a circular economy, indicators and measures are needed. The majority of these aim to capture the circularity of resource flows, yet fail to simultaneously consider the length of time for which a resource is in use. More recently, a longevity indicator has been proposed, but similarly, it fails to take into account how many times a resource is used. Both longevity and circularity are needed for sustainable resource use, but to date, no measure that combines both approaches is in use. Based on existing measures we develop and further develop indicators for both circularity and longevity that focus on the contribution that organisations and other resource users make to the sustainability of resource use. By combining both indicators we enhance their explanatory power.

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  • Figge, Frank & Thorpe, Andrea Stevenson & Givry, Philippe & Canning, Louise & Franklin-Johnson, Elizabeth, 2018. "Longevity and Circularity as Indicators of Eco-Efficient Resource Use in the Circular Economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 297-306.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:150:y:2018:i:c:p:297-306
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.04.030
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    Cited by:

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    2. Lafforgue, Gilles & Lorang, Etienne, 2022. "Recycling under environmental, climate and resource constraints," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
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    4. Anna Schulte & Daniel Maga & Nils Thonemann, 2021. "Combining Life Cycle Assessment and Circularity Assessment to Analyze Environmental Impacts of the Medical Remanufacturing of Electrophysiology Catheters," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-22, January.
    5. Gustavo Pineiro-Villaverde & María Teresa García-Álvarez, 2020. "Sustainable Consumption and Production: Exploring the Links with Resources Productivity in the EU-28," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-13, October.
    6. Figge, Frank & Thorpe, Andrea Stevenson & Manzhynski, Siarhei, 2021. "Between you and I: A portfolio theory of the circular economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    7. Elisabeth Viles & Javier Santos & Tamara Fernández Arévalo & Martín Tanco & Florencia Kalemkerian, 2020. "A New Mindset for Circular Economy Strategies: Case Studies of Circularity in the Use of Water," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-12, November.
    8. Purvis, Ben & Genovese, Andrea, 2023. "Better or different? A reflection on the suitability of indicator methods for a just transition to a circular economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
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    11. L. Rocchi & L. Paolotti & C. Cortina & F. F. Fagioli & A. Boggia, 2021. "Measuring circularity: an application of modified Material Circularity Indicator to agricultural systems," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, December.
    12. Hinrika Droege & Andrea Raggi & Tomás B. Ramos, 2021. "Overcoming Current Challenges for Circular Economy Assessment Implementation in Public Sector Organisations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-22, January.
    13. Erik Roos Lindgreen & Roberta Salomone & Tatiana Reyes, 2020. "A Critical Review of Academic Approaches, Methods and Tools to Assess Circular Economy at the Micro Level," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-27, June.
    14. Peter A. Kumble, 2019. "Reflections on Service Learning for a Circular Economy Project in a Guatemalan Neighborhood, Central America," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-23, September.
    15. Michael Saidani & Harrison Kim, 2022. "Nexus Between Life Cycle Assessment, Circularity, and Sustainability Indicators—Part I: a Review," Circular Economy and Sustainability,, Springer.
    16. Figge, Frank & Thorpe, Andrea Stevenson & Good, Jason, 2021. "Us before me: A group level approach to the circular economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    17. van Loon, Marloes P. & Vonk, Wytse J. & Hijbeek, Renske & van Ittersum, Martin K. & ten Berge, Hein F.M., 2023. "Circularity indicators and their relation with nutrient use efficiency in agriculture and food systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).

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