Determination of circular economy targets based on absolute sustainability: A case study on plastics

Abstract

Plastic production significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, making up around 4.5% of total emissions. As plastic consumption is expected to rise, it’s crucial to address the environmental impact of this industry urgently. Circular economy strategies, like recycling, are proposed solutions to reduce plastic’s carbon footprint. However, these strategies lack specific carbon footprint targets for plastics used in various applications. This study focuses on plastics in the automotive industry, establishing specific carbon footprint goals for plastics used in passenger cars. It also examines mechanical recycling’s role and the share of secondary plastics in meeting these absolute targets. The analysis of mechanical recycling technology reveals that even with 100% recycled plastics, the carbon footprint targets aren’t achieved due to high process energy consumption. Investigating grid emission factors, results show that meeting targets requires emission factors lower than 0.13 kgCO2-eq./kWh. Despite successful scenarios, it’s presently infeasible to use 100% recycled plastics in passenger car production. This necessitates the need to further improve plastic recycling technologies and increase the share of secondary plastics used in passenger car production.