Abstract
The circular economy model offers great opportunities to companies, as it not only allows them to capture additional value from their products and materials, but also reduce the fluctuations of price-related risks and material supply. These risks are present in all kind of businesses not based on the circular economy. The circular economy also enables economic growth without the need for more resources. This is because each unit has a higher value as a result of recycling and reuse of products and materials after use. Following this circular economics framework, the Polytechnic University of Madrid (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, UPM) has adopted strategies aimed at improving the circularity of products. In particular, this article provides the result of obtaining recycled PLA filament from waste originating from university 3D FFF (fused filament fabrication) printers and waste generated by “Coronamakers” in the production of visors and parts for PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment) during the lockdown period of COVID-19 in Spain. This filament is used in the production of 3D printed parts that university students use in their classes, so the circular loop is closed. The obtained score of Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) of this material has been calculated, indicating its high level of circularity.
Highlights
The set of metrics that establishes how effective a company is in making its way from “linear”to “circular” is still under development
The Circularity Indicators Project (CIP) [1] aims to develop indicators that will identify how well a product performs in the context of a circular economy
Decision-making models are used based on circular economy indicators and can be suitable for other purposes such as internal reporting, procurement decisions and the evaluation/scoring of companies
Summary
The set of metrics that establishes how effective a company is in making its way from “linear”to “circular” is still under development. The Circularity Indicators Project (CIP) [1] aims to develop indicators that will identify how well a product performs in the context of a circular economy. The methodology covers all the scene in the life cycle of the product such as material flows and a variety of complementary indicators (additional impacts and risks) that make it possible to estimate the degree of progress in this transition in terms of products and materials. The most significant indicator is called Material Circularity Indicator (MCI). This indicator measures how restorative and regenerative the material flows of a product or company are. Decision-making models are used based on circular economy indicators and can be suitable for other purposes such as internal reporting, procurement decisions and the evaluation/scoring of companies
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