scholarly journals Life Cycle Thinking for Sustainable Consumption and Production towards a Circular Economy

2020 ◽  
Vol 202 ◽  
pp. 01003
Author(s):  
Shabbir H. Gheewala
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Current Model ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Product Systems ◽  
Life Cycle Perspective ◽  
Responsible Consumption

The current model of a linear economy with end-of-pipe waste treatment is not sustainable. Cleaner production helps reduce resource use and emissions, but is still not an optimal solution without considering a life cycle perspective. Life cycle-based tools such as life cycle assessment and life cycle costing are useful for identifying optimal environmental and economic options for product systems. SDG 12 dealing with responsible consumption and production is key for sustainability. Developing of a circular economy requires life cycle thinking and life cycle-based tools for assessment. All these issues are discussed along with illustrative examples.

scholarly journals Life cycle assessment and leather production

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Navarro ◽  
Jianhui Wu ◽  
Wei Lin ◽  
Pere Fullana-i-Palmer ◽  
Rita Puig
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Production Process ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Single Step ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Leather Industry ◽  
Life Cycle Perspective ◽  
Production And Consumption

Abstract Leather industry is facing new trends on production and consumption patterns due to society concerns. Circular economy is proposing a transition from the current economic model to a more sustainable one, in which waste is designed out and resources will be reused and recycled as long as possible. In this transition, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an important tool to help decision-making. In the present review, 39 English-written peer-reviewed papers related to LCA and leather have been found, 30 of which were published in the last 6 years, meaning LCA is nowadays an important subject. Papers are presented within 4 types, focused on: 1) the whole leather production process, 2) a single step in the production process (e.g, new technologies for unhairing), 3) waste treatment and recycling, and 4) life cycle thinking with ideas on long-term strategies for leather industries. As discussed in the literature review, leather industry has important challenges to address: increasing sustainability and transparency on the supply chain, and strengthening the beauty of leather. Taking up these challenges from a life cycle perspective will help leather industry flourish in the coming future. Graphical abstract

Sustainable Electronic Product Design

2010 ◽  
pp. 93-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoying Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
System Optimization ◽  
Electronics Industry ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Methodological Development ◽  
Product Systems ◽  
Life Cycle Perspective ◽  
Product Assessment

The ability to concretely and quantitatively measure the environmental performance of a product system is essential to support the establishment of objectives, the selection among alternatives, and continuous improvement in environmental management. Integration of the life cycle perspective into the assessment tools is one of the key challenges. On the basis of an extensive literature review, the authors describe the state-of-the-art of assessment tools available for product systems in the electronics industry. The intent is to enable the informed use of these product assessment tools with life cycle thinking so that a tool is chosen for the optimal application given specific goals. Furthermore, the classification scheme, the business initiatives, the economic, geographical, legislative factors, and the methodological challenges of the emerging industrial practice are thoroughly examined. Through these discussions, the authors hope to facilitate the methodological development that moves beyond discrete product boundaries toward system optimization and standard guidelines that best meet the needs of corporations in a global and societal context.

scholarly journals Design of Consumables in a Resource-Efficient Economy—A Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1036
Author(s):  
Siri Willskytt
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Product Design ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Specific Design ◽  
Design Considerations ◽  
Life Cycle Perspective ◽  
General Product

Consumable products have received less attention in the circular economy (CE), particularly in regard to the design of resource-efficient products. This literature review investigates the extent to which existing design guidelines for resource-efficient products are applicable to consumables. This analysis is divided into two parts. The first investigates the extent to which general product-design guidelines (i.e., applicable to both durables and consumables) are applicable to consumables. This analysis also scrutinizes the type of recommendations presented by the ecodesign and circular product design, to investigate the novel aspects of the CE in product design. The second analysis examines the type of design considerations the literature on product-type specific design guidelines recommends for specific consumables and whether such guidelines are transferable. The analysis of general guidelines showed that, although guidelines are intended to be general and applicable to many types of products, their applicability to consumable products is limited. Less than half of their recommendations can be applied to consumables. The analysis also identified several design considerations that are transferable between product-specific design guidelines. This paper shows the importance of the life-cycle perspective in product design, to maximize the opportunities to improve consumables.

Life Cycle Thinking in a Circular Economy

2020 ◽  
pp. 35-53
Author(s):  
Shabbir H. Gheewala ◽  
Thapat Silalertruksa
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking

Life cycle thinking and the circular economy

2021 ◽  
pp. 216-230
Author(s):  
Octavio Ibarra ◽  
Maria Carolina Ovalle ◽  
Maria Palazzo
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking

scholarly journals Life Cycle Thinking in the Use of Natural Resources

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.J. Koroneos ◽  
Ch. Achillas ◽  
N. Moussiopoulos ◽  
E.A. Nanaki
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Continuous Increase ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Full Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Stages ◽  
Sustainable Consumption And Production

The continuous increase of production and consumption of material in the developed world and the increase of the standard of living of the developing countries leads to the increase of the use of natural resources and the degradation of the environment. Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) is essential to sustainable consumption and production which will impact the use of limited resources. LCT is the process of taking into account in decision making both the resources consumed and the environmental and health pressures associated with the full life cycle of a product. It includes the extraction of resources, production, use, re-use, transport, recycling, and the ultimate waste disposal to provide goods and services and it helps in avoiding shifting the burdens among various life stages of a resource processing. It is important to use the life cycle thinking in analysing products because they may have different environmental impacts at different life cycle stages. It is important to note that some products have very high environmental impacts during the extraction and processing of their original natural resource but they may have minor environmental impacts when they are recycled. A good example is aluminium. The objective of this work is to analyze the importance of the life cycle thinking concept, and show its direct linkage to sustainability.

scholarly journals Studies and Investigation about the Attitude towards Sustainable Production, Consumption and Waste Generation in Line with Circular Economy in Romania

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Lakatos ◽  
Lucian-Ionel Cioca ◽  
Viorel Dan ◽  
Alina Ciomos ◽  
Oana Crisan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
World Population ◽  
Waste Generation ◽  
Consumer Empowerment ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Responsible Consumption ◽  
Sustainable Consumption And Production ◽  
Selective Collection

With a rapidly growing world population and the need to address the issue of consumption of global resource and its associated environmental impacts and other social and economic issues, the demand for a responsible consumption, production and prevention of waste generation become increasingly crucial. With this broad characterization of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), businesses based on circular economy should become the norm. With this goal in mind, an online questionnaire survey was performed on a nationwide scale, to explore consumers’ behaviors and attitudes. It was distributed in all four of Romania’s macro-regions and reached 642 respondents. The purpose of the study has been to better understand consumers’ behavior regarding sustainable consumption and production and examine whether generations play a role in responsible consumer attitudes toward the products. Three generations (X, Y, and Z) have been examined and compared. The results show that what extent those three generation agree with the environment and the benefits of reducing resource consumption, also waste generation, selective collection, recycling and reuse. However, most of them have not adopted and do not intend to adopt consumer patterns based on the circular economy. The findings provide empirical evidence and directions that could help marketers identify their consumer’s characteristics and market segments and develop consumer empowerment strategies on the Romanian market.

scholarly journals Green marketing today – a mix of trust, consumer participation and life cycle thinking

Management ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Lewandowska ◽  
Joanna Witczak ◽  
Przemysław Kurczewski
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Green Marketing ◽  
Marketing Management ◽  
Consumer Participation ◽  
Consumer Trust ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Green Business ◽  
Conceptual Study ◽  
Lca Results

SummaryA transition for a green, circular economy has encouraged companies to use new tools which boost sustainability. The purpose of this article is to discuss the consideration of life cycle thinking in green marketing as realized by companies. This theoretical-conceptual study aims to analyze life cycle assessment (LCA) as a useful tool for assessing green marketing goals. We also intend to highlight the importance of creating consumer trust for green business by displaying the green credentials of the products and activities. The article presents t he virtues and shortcomings of the LCA results relative to marketing management. As a result, the literature presents some gaps in terms of addressing life cycle thinking in marketing management and linking with consumer participation and trust.

THE USE OF LCA TO INTRODUCE LIFE-CYCLE THINKING INTO DECISION-MAKING FOR THE PURCHASE OF MEDICAL DEVICES IN THE NHS

2000 ◽  
Vol 02 (04) ◽  
pp. 453-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
ERICA ISON ◽  
ANNE MILLER
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Medical Devices ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Product Systems ◽  
Personal Opinion

In the NHS, criteria for the selection and purchase of medical devices tend to be restricted to concerns about any risks to patients and/or staff during clinical practice, and the purchase price. In addition, the basis for taking many of these decisions about purchase may be only that of personal opinion, anecdote or limited information. We report on the application of life-cycle assessment (LCA) to a particular medical device — the suction receptacle — as a case-study to determine the potential of LCA to improve the range and quality of information available for decision-making, and act as a framework for a more holistic approach. Using LCA, substantial environmental and economic burdens were found to be associated with the different product systems in use (durable versus disposable devices). We discuss the ways in which various stakeholders in the healthcare sector could use this information, at both a strategic and operational level. We also outline possible future developments of LCA that would support healthcare managers in the drive towards evidence-based decision-making.

Life cycle assessment applied to waste management in Italy: A mini-review of characteristics and methodological perspectives for local assessment

2021 ◽  
pp. 0734242X2110179
Author(s):  
Daniela Camana ◽  
Sara Toniolo ◽  
Alessandro Manzardo ◽  
Mirco Piron ◽  
Antonio Scipioni
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Life Cycle Thinking ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Minimum Requirements

Life cycle assessment (LCA) and related tools are commonly used to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of waste treatment scenarios. This manuscript presents a mini-review of studies published over the last 10 years in Italy and aims to investigate how life cycle thinking tools are applied to assess the environmental sustainability of local-level waste policies. Results reveal that different waste flows, technologies and policies have been investigated independently and in varying detail. Review suggests that boundary selection significantly affects LCA results; integration of different waste systems is therefore crucial to avoid spatial or temporal shifts of environmental impacts. Moreover, the description of methodological characteristics, limitations and transversal aspects of Italian waste management studies allows various stakeholders to assess the reliability of past and future research for waste policy planning and rebound effects prevention. This review also highlights the need to define minimum requirements of transparency and ease of reporting of the studies to private and public stakeholders. Finally, the paper investigates whether using both the organisational LCA and the life cycle sustainability approach for the overall waste management process may be useful to develop a standard method to address multi-functionalities and multiple sites.

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