Accounting for Additive Impacts in Circular Plastic Life Cycles

Heather Logan; Manon Lisiecki; Anders Damgaard

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-66209-6_35

Accounting for Additive Impacts in Circular Plastic Life Cycles

Heather Logan^*
, Manon Lisiecki
, Anders Damgaard

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review

Abstract

This chapter explores the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to the plastic circular economy and the importance of capturing the environmental impacts of plastic additives to facilitate holistic planning of transitions to circular plastics. Through a review of the principal LCA methodologies, we explore which LCA approaches are the most applicable to circular economy planning. We then examine the role of additives in calculating plastic material’s environmental impacts and the challenges in their inclusion. Advocating for a tailored stepwise approach, we outline a path forward for increasing the transparency of additives within LCAs of circular plastics. Furthermore, this approach prioritizes the transition to safe and sustainable material selection for a circular plastics economy, which avoids regrettable substitutions and aligns with both the Planetary Boundaries and the Sustainable Development Goals: Consumption and Production (goal 12), Climate Action (goal 13), Life on Land (goal 14), Life Below Water (goal 15), Good Health and Well-Being (goal 3), as well as Decent Work and Economic Growth (goal 8).

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Springer Handbook of Circular Plastics Economy
Editors	Andrea Buettner, Eckhard Weidner
Number of pages	21
Publisher	Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Publication date	2025
Pages	683-703
Chapter	35
ISBN (Print)	978-3-031-66208-9
ISBN (Electronic)	978-3-031-66209-6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-66209-6_35
Publication status	Published - 2025

Series	Springer Handbooks
Volume	Part F590
ISSN	2522-8692

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
SDG 13 Climate Action

Keywords

Sustainable transition
Circular economy
Life cycle assessment
LCA methodology
Plastic additives
SDG
Planetary boundaries
Regrettable substitution

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10.1007/978-3-031-66209-6_35

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Accounting for Additive Impacts in Circular Plastic Life Cycles. / Logan, Heather; Lisiecki, Manon; Damgaard, Anders.
Springer Handbook of Circular Plastics Economy. ed. / Andrea Buettner; Eckhard Weidner. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025. p. 683-703 (Springer Handbooks, Vol. Part F590).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Book chapter › Research › peer-review

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Accounting for Additive Impacts in Circular Plastic Life Cycles

Abstract

UN SDGs

Keywords

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