Maintenance and safety of deteriorating systems: a life-cycle perspective

Face masks are currently considered key equipment to protect people against the COVID-19 pandemic. The demand for such devices is considerable, as is the amount of plastic waste generated after their use (approximately 1.6 million tons/day since the outbreak). Even if the sanitary emergency must have the maximum priority, environmental concerns require investigation to find possible mitigation solutions. The aim of this work is to develop an eco-design actions guide that supports the design of dedicated masks, in a manner to reduce the negative impacts of these devices on the environment during the pandemic period. Toward this aim, an environmental assessment based on life cycle assessment and circularity assessment (material circularity indicator) of different types of masks have been carried out on (i) a 3D-printed mask with changeable filters, (ii) a surgical mask, (iii) an FFP2 mask with valve, (iv) an FFP2 mask without valve, and (v) a washable mask. Results highlight how reusable masks (i.e., 3D-printed masks and washable masks) are the most sustainable from a life cycle perspective, drastically reducing the environmental impacts in all categories. The outcomes of the analysis provide a framework to derive a set of eco-design guidelines which have been used to design a new device that couples protection requirements against the virus and environmental sustainability.

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Marine biomass for a circular blue‐green bioeconomy?: A life cycle perspective on closing nitrogen and phosphorus land‐marine loops

Journal of Industrial Ecology ◽

10.1111/jiec.13177 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jean‐Baptiste E. Thomas ◽

Rajib Sinha ◽

Åsa Strand ◽

Tore Söderqvist ◽

Johanna Stadmark ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽

Life Cycle Perspective ◽

Marine Biomass

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

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13031036 ◽

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.

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