Circular economy initiatives are no guarantee for increased plastic circularity: A framework for the systematic comparison of initiatives

Abstract

Plastic plays a prominent role within circular economy, with many stakeholders promoting initiatives to increase plastic circularity during the manufacturing, use and end-of-life phases. Despite well-meant intentions, many initiatives are characterized by a lack of compliance with basic circular economy principles, implementation barriers, and limited effects on the intended long-term plastic circularity. This study provides a systematic evaluation framework for comparison of plastic initiatives, based on 17 criteria addressing key aspects of plastic circularity. A three-level likelihood ranking approach is applied to analyse the impact of 54 initiatives targeting plastic circularity in a European context. It was found that relatively few of these initiatives were readily implementable without considerable investments, e.g. in new waste management and recycling technologies, and changes in plastic production and product design. The results clearly suggest that current suggestions for circular economy initiatives targeting plastic may have limited effect and not lead to the intended impacts without the support of new regulations and change in plastic demand and consumption. The study stresses the importance of synergies and cooperation between stakeholders across the value chain to reach plastic circularity. The framework offers a consistent basis for decision-makers to identify critical barriers and enablers in relation to plastic circularity characteristics, but the approach may also be applied to other topic areas.