Abstract
Although plastic is one of the most commonly used materials in our everyday life, the current linear economy (‘produce, use and dispose’) engenders high risks to human health in relation to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and environmental pollution. As a response to these challenges, the circular plastic economy is gaining momentum, where the goal is to reduce, reuse and recycle all plastic. The transition to the circular economy should be made across the entire plastics value chain in order to ensure circular design, production, use and waste management. This study examines the current scientific literature in relation to the entire value chain of plastics. This aim of the article is to provide an overview of the existing research (and highlight research gaps) associated with the transition of plastic use to a circular model. The literature was divided into the following categories: 1) design; 2) production; 3) use; 4) end-of-life; and 5) value chain. A high proportion of the literature was found to address the end-of-life phase, suggesting that the other phases are currently neglected. The results have implications that are applicable to multiple phases; in particular, contamination of waste streams and composite materials places significant limitations on the opportunity to recycle and reuse plastic in new products. This calls for changes in the whole value chain, and for trans-sectorial collaboration to ensure systemic transparency. Therefore, future research should take a holistic approach to the transition to circular through careful mapping of implications, stakeholder involvement and collaboration.
Highlights
Plastic is one of the most commonly used materials in our everyday life (Eriksen et al, 2020)
This highlights an important knowledge gap, as most research has been focused on the end-of-life phase, despite increased political and scientific emphasis on the circu lar economy that, ideally, would include recycling as just one aspect of an overall strategy (see, for example, Kirchherr et al (2017), who sug gests a circular-economy typology consisting of nine strategies, where recovery and recycling belong to the least emphasized strategies in a circular economy context)
The circular plastic economy has gained momentum, but there is still an imbalance in the amount of literature addressing the challenges and opportunities that would come with a transition to a circular economy in all the value-chain phases: 1) design, 2) production, 3) use, and 4) endof-life
Summary
Plastic is one of the most commonly used materials in our everyday life (Eriksen et al, 2020). The use of plastic in products and packaging comes with many economic and societal advantages, the extent of its use creates environmental risks related to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and environmental pollution (European Commission, 2018; Hahladakis et al, 2018). In Europe, 31% of all plastic waste is sent to landfill, while 39% is incinerated and, the rate of landfilling is decreasing, incineration rates are increasing, rather than pivoting to wards recycling or reuse (European Commission, 2018). As a response to these negative consequences of the linear plastic value chain and ‘throw-away’ culture, the circular economy is gaining momentum and more countries, businesses and international associations are developing strategies for a transition to the circular economy, targeting increased reuse and recycling of plastic (see, e.g., Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2020; European Commission, 2020)
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