1 Feasibility of the circular economy and plastic pollution
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Francesco Abate
Abstract
The last years have seen a general rise in individual awareness on the environmental issues that our society is about to face. The almost total scientific agreement over Global Warming and the day-by-day growing evidences of plastic pollution have fed requests worldwide to public institutions to take actively part in a radical change in today conception of the global economy. This work retraces the steps that led to the recognition of the unsustainability of the current economic model and depicts the Circular Economy (CE) as a structured and promising approach to achieve a more sustainable development. Key principles of CE are extensively illustrated, along with examples of their practical implementation. Plastics is the class of materials that, more than others, is undergoing to severe popular blame for its environmental impact. Bioplastics are commonly seen as a promising alternative to fossil based ones that perfectly fits within the CE approach. However if and how their use can lead to real environmental benefits has not been cleared yet. Here we investigate this issue, providing a review of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies relative to biobased and biodegradable polymers. What emerges is the need of a stronger standardization for LCAs to be truly comparable and significant. Apart of this, it appears clear that the mere substitution of a material with another, when not accompanied by a radical shift in the consumption model, can not be a final answer to the environmental question. Finally, the current status of public policies regarding plastic pollution is discussed. If the European Union appears to be quite active on the topic, the same cannot be said for most of the extra-EU countries and a lot of work is still to be done in order to drew up a sustainable future.
Abstract
The last years have seen a general rise in individual awareness on the environmental issues that our society is about to face. The almost total scientific agreement over Global Warming and the day-by-day growing evidences of plastic pollution have fed requests worldwide to public institutions to take actively part in a radical change in today conception of the global economy. This work retraces the steps that led to the recognition of the unsustainability of the current economic model and depicts the Circular Economy (CE) as a structured and promising approach to achieve a more sustainable development. Key principles of CE are extensively illustrated, along with examples of their practical implementation. Plastics is the class of materials that, more than others, is undergoing to severe popular blame for its environmental impact. Bioplastics are commonly seen as a promising alternative to fossil based ones that perfectly fits within the CE approach. However if and how their use can lead to real environmental benefits has not been cleared yet. Here we investigate this issue, providing a review of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies relative to biobased and biodegradable polymers. What emerges is the need of a stronger standardization for LCAs to be truly comparable and significant. Apart of this, it appears clear that the mere substitution of a material with another, when not accompanied by a radical shift in the consumption model, can not be a final answer to the environmental question. Finally, the current status of public policies regarding plastic pollution is discussed. If the European Union appears to be quite active on the topic, the same cannot be said for most of the extra-EU countries and a lot of work is still to be done in order to drew up a sustainable future.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Contents VII
- List of contributors IX
- 1 Feasibility of the circular economy and plastic pollution 1
- 2 Impact of plastics on marine environments: from macro- to microplastic pollution 23
- 3 Plastics from bacteria (polyhydroxyalkanoates) 39
- 4 Marine biopolymers: alginate and chitosan 73
- 5 Terrestrial biopolymers: cellulose, starch, lignin 93
- 6 Biobased thermosetting materials 109
- 7 Polyester-based biodegradable polymers for commodities 135
- 8 Biobased functional additives for polymers 173
- 9 Biobased structural additives for polymers 193
- 10 Additive manufacturing for biodegradable polymers 235
- Index 253
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Contents VII
- List of contributors IX
- 1 Feasibility of the circular economy and plastic pollution 1
- 2 Impact of plastics on marine environments: from macro- to microplastic pollution 23
- 3 Plastics from bacteria (polyhydroxyalkanoates) 39
- 4 Marine biopolymers: alginate and chitosan 73
- 5 Terrestrial biopolymers: cellulose, starch, lignin 93
- 6 Biobased thermosetting materials 109
- 7 Polyester-based biodegradable polymers for commodities 135
- 8 Biobased functional additives for polymers 173
- 9 Biobased structural additives for polymers 193
- 10 Additive manufacturing for biodegradable polymers 235
- Index 253
