We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Life Cycle Assessment in a Nutshell—Best Practices and Status Quo for the Plastic Sector
Summary
This paper reviewed life cycle assessment (LCA) best practices as applied to the plastics sector, aiming to make LCA methodology more accessible to non-experts and improve environmental decision-making across the plastic value chain.
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an internationally standardized methodology to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of products and technologies and assists in lowering their negative environmental consequences. So far, extensive knowledge of LCA-their application and interpretation-is restricted to experts. However, the importance of LCA is increasing due to its application in business, environmental, and policy decision-making processes. Therefore, general knowledge of LCA is critically important. The current work provides an introduction to LCA for non-experts discussing important steps and aspects and therefore can be used as a starting point for LCA. In addition, a comprehensive checklist for non-experts with important content and formal aspects of LCA is provided. Specific aspects of LCA for the plastics sector along the value chain are also discussed, including their limitations.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
The capabilities and deficiencies of life cycle assessment to address the plastic problem
This review critically evaluates the capabilities and limitations of life cycle assessment (LCA) as a tool for understanding the full environmental impacts of plastics across their supply chain, from production through end-of-life disposal. The authors argue that LCA can contextualize plastic impacts relative to alternative materials and reveal invisible environmental costs throughout the plastic life cycle, while also identifying key deficiencies in current LCA methodology for addressing plastic pollution.
How accurate is plastic end-of-life modeling in LCA? Investigating the main assumptions and deviations for the end-of-life management of plastic packaging
Researchers reviewed 49 life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on plastic packaging disposal and found that most models oversimplify real-world recycling processes and ignore key factors like plastic additives and microplastic generation. These gaps mean current environmental impact estimates for plastic disposal may significantly understate the true ecological costs.
Recommendations for life-cycle assessment of recyclable plastics in a circular economy
This paper examines how life-cycle assessments of plastic recycling are often conducted inconsistently, leading to misleading conclusions about the environmental benefits of recycling. The authors recommend measuring impacts based on the amount of useful recycled product rather than waste processed, and expanding analysis beyond greenhouse gases to include plastic waste leaking into the environment. Better assessment methods could lead to more effective policies for reducing the plastic waste that ultimately becomes microplastic pollution.
Life Cycle Assessment of Selected Single-Use Plastic Products towards Evidence-Based Policy Recommendations in Sri Lanka
Researchers applied life cycle assessment to common single-use plastic products in Sri Lanka, quantifying their environmental impacts across production to disposal and providing evidence-based recommendations to guide national plastic pollution policy.
A comprehensive critical review of Life Cycle Assessment applied to thermoplastic polymers for mechanical and electronic engineering
This review provides the first critical analysis of how life cycle assessment methodology has been applied to technical thermoplastic polymers used in mechanical and electronic engineering. Researchers identified gaps in existing studies and highlighted the formation of microplastics during production, use, and disposal as a critical but often overlooked environmental concern. The study offers practical recommendations for improving future environmental assessments of engineering plastics.