IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i16p12242-d1214679.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Measuring the Circularity and Impact Reduction Potential of Post-Industrial and Post-Consumer Recycled Plastics

Author

Listed:
  • Anna Schulte

    (Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, 46047 Oberhausen, Germany)

  • Benjamin Kampmann

    (Pöppelmann GmbH & Co. KG Kunststoffwerk-Werkzeugbau, 49393 Lohne, Germany)

  • Christina Galafton

    (Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, 46047 Oberhausen, Germany)

Abstract

Post-industrial recycling (PIR) and post-consumer recycling (PCR) are measures used to sustain resources by improving material circularity and sustainability. Currently, circularity is mainly measured as the degree of reutilization of a material from 0 to 100% at the product or company level. This measure fails to assess the resource usage over multiple product life cycles. Therefore, we propose to assess circularity as (i) the frequency of resource use in products (effective circularity, eC), and as (ii) a vehicle to reduce environmental impacts (environmentally efficient circularity, eeC). Additionally, to compare the environmental impacts of using recycled materials from PIR or PCR, we analyze their impact reduction potential (IRP), indicating the environmental benefits of recycling in relation to virgin material submitted to the market. We demonstrate the suggested indicators for a case study material: polypropylene. For this polymer type, the eC ranges between 0.93 and 9.08 uses of the resource, on average, depending on collection, sorting, and recycling rates. Likewise, the eeC ranges between 0.31 and 1.50 uses per kg of CO 2 equivalents emitted. PCR has a higher IRP regarding climate change impacts than PIR in all analyzed scenarios. The results reveal the relevance of PCR and PIR beyond the product life cycle. Finally, we discuss possible embeddings of the indicators in the assessment of climate policy and environmental protection measures, such as strengthening the use of PCR in contrast to PIR materials.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Schulte & Benjamin Kampmann & Christina Galafton, 2023. "Measuring the Circularity and Impact Reduction Potential of Post-Industrial and Post-Consumer Recycled Plastics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-26, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:16:p:12242-:d:1214679
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/16/12242/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/16/12242/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hanna Helander & Anna Petit‐Boix & Sina Leipold & Stefan Bringezu, 2019. "How to monitor environmental pressures of a circular economy: An assessment of indicators," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 23(5), pages 1278-1291, October.
    2. Cris Garcia-Saravia Ortiz-de-Montellano & Yvonne Meer, 2022. "A Theoretical Framework for Circular Processes and Circular Impacts Through a Comprehensive Review of Indicators," Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management, Springer;Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management, vol. 23(2), pages 291-314, June.
    3. Paul Stegmann & Vassilis Daioglou & Marc Londo & Detlef P. Vuuren & Martin Junginger, 2022. "Plastic futures and their CO2 emissions," Nature, Nature, vol. 612(7939), pages 272-276, December.
    4. Juana Camacho-Otero & Casper Boks & Ida Nilstad Pettersen, 2018. "Consumption in the Circular Economy: A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-25, August.
    5. Jorge Martínez Leal & Stéphane Pompidou & Carole Charbuillet & Nicolas Perry, 2020. "Design for and from Recycling: A Circular Ecodesign Approach to Improve the Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-30, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. 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.
    2. Sina Leipold & Anna Petit‐Boix & Anran Luo & Hanna Helander & Machteld Simoens & Weslynne S. Ashton & Callie W. Babbitt & Alba Bala & Catharina R. Bening & Morten Birkved & Fenna Blomsma & Casper Boks, 2023. "Lessons, narratives, and research directions for a sustainable circular economy," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(1), pages 6-18, February.
    3. Katarzyna Pactwa & Justyna Woźniak & Michał Dudek, 2020. "Sustainable Social and Environmental Evaluation of Post-Industrial Facilities in a Closed Loop Perspective in Coal-Mining Areas in Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-16, December.
    4. Farrukh Rafiq & Mohd Adil & Mohd Sadiq, 2022. "Does Contextual Factor Influence Travelers’ Towel Reuse Behavior? Insights from Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-16, May.
    5. Anna Barford & Saffy Rose Ahmad, 2021. "A Call for a Socially Restorative Circular Economy: Waste Pickers in the Recycled Plastics Supply Chain," Circular Economy and Sustainability,, Springer.
    6. Pedro Manuel Sousa & Maria João Moreira & Ana Pinto de Moura & Rui Costa Lima & Luís Miguel Cunha, 2021. "Consumer Perception of the Circular Economy Concept Applied to the Food Domain: An Exploratory Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-20, October.
    7. Christof Falkenberg & Carina Schneeberger & Siegfried Pöchtrager, 2023. "Is Sustainability Reporting Promoting a Circular Economy? Analysis of Companies’ Sustainability Reports in the Agri-Food Sector in the Scope of Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and EU Taxo," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-21, May.
    8. Camila Kolling & José Luis Duarte Ribeiro & Donato Morea & Gianpaolo Iazzolino, 2023. "Corporate social responsibility and circular economy from the perspective of consumers: A cross‐cultural analysis in the cosmetic industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(3), pages 1226-1243, May.
    9. Kutaula, Smirti & Gillani, Alvina & Leonidou, Leonidas C. & Christodoulides, Paul, 2022. "Integrating fair trade with circular economy: Personality traits, consumer engagement, and ethically-minded behavior," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 1087-1102.
    10. Manoela Lawall Radtke & Stefânia Ordovás de Almeida & Lélis Balestrin Espartel, 2022. "What Brought Me Here? Different Consumer Journeys for Practices of Sustainable Disposal through Takeback Programmes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-25, April.
    11. Mikkel Nøjgaard & Cristiano Smaniotto & Søren Askegaard & Ciprian Cimpan & Dmitry Zhilyaev & Henrik Wenzel, 2020. "How the Dead Storage of Consumer Electronics Creates Consumer Value," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-16, July.
    12. Rui Jorge Carreira & José Vasconcelos Ferreira & Ana Luísa Ramos, 2023. "The Consumer’s Role in the Transition to the Circular Economy: A State of the Art Based on a SLR with Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-19, October.
    13. Alejandro Padilla-Rivera & Sara Russo-Garrido & Nicolas Merveille, 2020. "Addressing the Social Aspects of a Circular Economy: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-17, September.
    14. Aschemann-Witzel, Jessica & Stangherlin, Isadora Do Carmo, 2021. "Upcycled by-product use in agri-food systems from a consumer perspective: A review of what we know, and what is missing," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    15. Hampus André & Anna Björklund, 2023. "A framework to open the black box of the use phase in circular economy life cycle assessments: The case of shell jacket reuse," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(4), pages 1137-1150, August.
    16. Mehmet Balcilar & Evrim Toren, 2021. "The Time-Varying Effect of Asset Prices on Turkey’s Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-16, November.
    17. Alberto Bezama & Carlo Ingrao & Sinéad O’Keeffe & Daniela Thrän, 2019. "Resources, Collaborators, and Neighbors: The Three-Pronged Challenge in the Implementation of Bioeconomy Regions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-18, December.
    18. Wen-Kuo Chen & Ching-Torng Lin, 2021. "Interrelationship among CE Adoption Obstacles of Supply Chain in the Textile Sector: Based on the DEMATEL-ISM Approach," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-24, June.
    19. Konstantinos Papageorgiou & Pramod K. Singh & Elpiniki Papageorgiou & Harpalsinh Chudasama & Dionysis Bochtis & George Stamoulis, 2019. "Fuzzy Cognitive Map-Based Sustainable Socio-Economic Development Planning for Rural Communities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-31, December.
    20. Doroteja Vidmar & Marjeta Marolt & Andreja Pucihar, 2021. "Information Technology for Business Sustainability: A Literature Review with Automated Content Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-24, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:16:p:12242-:d:1214679. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.