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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Exploring the EU plastic value chain: A material flow analysis
ClearPlastic packaging flows in Europe: A hybrid input‐output approach
Researchers modeled plastic packaging material flows across the EU using a hybrid input-output approach, mapping supply chains by polymer type, packaging form, and application category to reveal that packaging represents a major fraction of plastic consumption with significant gaps in end-of-life recycling infrastructure.
Complexities of the global plastics supply chain revealed in a trade-linked material flow analysis
A global analysis of the 2022 plastics supply chain found that 437 million tonnes of plastics were traded worldwide, with only 9% recycled while 34% was incinerated and 40% went to landfills. The study reveals how plastic production is concentrated in oil-rich countries while waste often ends up in lower-income nations, highlighting the scale of plastic pollution that ultimately breaks down into microplastics affecting human health.
Quantification of plastic recovery by the informal waste sector through a probabilistic approach
Researchers used material flow analysis with Monte Carlo simulations to estimate plastic waste management in Chennai, India, finding that the informal waste sector recovers 13–20% of the city's plastic while at least 51% of total plastic waste is mismanaged — with recyclable polymers achieving far higher recovery rates than non-recyclable ones.
The U.S. plastics recycling economy :
This NIST report analyzes the current state of US plastics recycling, comparing state and international recycling programs, examining incentives and barriers for different stakeholders, and evaluating the potential of chemical recycling to supplement mechanical recycling.
Mapping of global plastic value chain and plastic losses to the environment: with a particular focus on marine environment
This report maps the global plastic value chain from production through use to waste management, estimating that millions of tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year, with significant regional variation in management capacity. The analysis provides the economic and waste management context needed to understand why plastic pollution — and the resulting microplastic problem — continues to grow globally.
The rate of use of the Circular Economy in individual sectors
Not relevant to microplastics — this paper reviews the adoption of circular economy principles across industrial sectors within the European Union policy framework, without specific focus on plastic pollution.
Plastic Waste: Challenges and Opportunities to Mitigate Pollution and Effective Management
Researchers reviewed plastic waste generation and management strategies globally, identifying lack of technical skills, inadequate recycling infrastructure, and poor regulatory awareness as the main barriers to addressing the ~400 million tons of plastic produced annually.
Global Material Flow of Macro‐ and Microplastics to Support a Circular Economy
Researchers developed a global material flow analysis of macro- and microplastics to identify where intervention efforts can best support a circular economy. The study found that current plastic waste reduction initiatives are often misaligned with the most impactful leverage points in the plastic material cycle.
The road to sustainable use and waste management of plastics in Portugal
Researchers assessed Portugal's plastic production, consumption, waste management, and beach litter levels relative to EU targets, finding that current recycling rates (34%) fall below EU averages (42%) and recommending expanded pyrolysis, gasification, and single-use plastic regulations as near-term complements to improved recycling infrastructure.
Recyclable, but not recycled—an indicator to quantify the environmental impacts of plastic waste disposal
This study developed an indicator to quantify the environmental impact of plastic products that are technically recyclable but are not actually recycled in practice, addressing the gap between theoretical recycling potential and real-world recovery rates. The indicator enables more accurate life cycle assessments of plastic product sustainability.
An Integrated Analysis of Plastic Packaging Value Chain: Identifying Barriers and Enablers for a Circular Economy
Researchers analyzed the full plastic packaging value chain to identify barriers and enablers for transitioning to a circular economy, tracing the evolution of circular economy concepts and quantifying the environmental impacts associated with exponential plastic waste growth. The study provides an integrated framework mapping opportunities for intervention across production, use, collection, and recycling stages.
Rethinking plastic recycling: A comparison between North America and Europe
Researchers compared plastic recycling rates and infrastructure between North America and the European Union, arguing that higher EU landfill and incineration costs create economic incentives for recycling that have driven greater industrial innovation and cleaner polymer streams — while both regions continue to rely on opaque offshore export as a de facto disposal method.
Analysis of Plastic Waste Processing Methods
This review summarizes global plastic waste production and recycling trends, arguing that the recycling industry must scale up urgently to address growing environmental contamination. Current recycling rates remain far below what is needed to prevent plastic pollution from continuing to accumulate.
Recycling of Plastics as a Strategy to Reduce Life Cycle GHG Emission, Microplastics and Resource Depletion
This study quantified the environmental benefits of recycling widely consumed plastic polymers, demonstrating that increased plastic recycling significantly reduces life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic pollution, and resource depletion.
Accelerating Plastic Circularity: A Critical Assessment of the Pathways and Processes to Circular Plastics
A critical assessment of plastic circularity pathways found that today only 9% of global plastic waste is recycled, with current circularity routes economically unviable, and argues that improving product design and collection and sorting system effectiveness are the most impactful levers for progress.
The Evolutionary Trend and Impact of Global Plastic Waste Trade Network
Analysis of the global plastic waste trade network from 1988 to 2017 found that recent national import bans have reshaped trade flows, with waste being redirected from China to other developing nations rather than reducing overall plastic waste generation.
Developing Traceability Systems for Effective Circular Economy of Plastic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
This meta-analysis pools data from multiple studies on traceability systems that track plastic through its lifecycle, from production to recycling. Better tracking of plastics could reduce waste and microplastic pollution by improving recycling quality and keeping more plastic out of the environment.
Are Reliable and Emerging Technologies Available for Plastic Recycling in a Circular Economy?
This review examines the current landscape of plastic recycling technologies -- including mechanical, thermal, chemical, and biological depolymerization methods such as pyrolysis -- evaluating their readiness for circular economy integration. It concludes that while recycling rates remain below 10% globally, emerging technologies offer pathways toward closed-loop plastic supply chains, though full-scale implementation requires further development and performance assessment.
Bio-based plastics in a circular economy: A review of recovery pathways and implications for product design
Researchers reviewed how bio-based plastics — made from renewable plant sources — can be recovered and recycled at end-of-life, finding that the feasibility of eight different recovery methods depends heavily not just on plastic chemistry but on how products are designed, and offering guidance for designers to improve recyclability.
Advancing plastic release modeling: updating emission flows and extending the system boundary from Switzerland to Europe
Researchers updated a Swiss plastic release model and extended its geographic scope to the European scale by integrating improved emission pathway data from recent studies and incorporating previously excluded plastic release sources. The revised model offers higher-resolution estimates of plastic flows across European countries, enabling better-informed policy decisions on reducing plastic emissions to the environment.
Advancing plastic release modeling: updating emission flows and extending the system boundary from Switzerland to Europe
Researchers updated and geographically extended a plastic release model originally developed for Switzerland to cover the full European scale, incorporating improved parameterisation of emission pathways based on recent empirical studies and expanding the system boundary to include previously unmodelled sources. The revised model provides more accurate estimates of plastic flows from products and waste streams into environmental compartments across Europe.
Harmonisation and development of plastic statistics in the Nordics
Researchers identified 37 key plastic-related data points and evaluated their availability and comparability across Nordic countries, finding that plastic statistics remain fragmented and difficult to compare, and assessed the costs and benefits of improving data collection and harmonisation to support effective plastic pollution policy.
Plastic waste as a challenge for sustainable development and circularity in the European Union
This review examines the plastic waste crisis in the European Union, evaluating gaps between recycling policy ambitions and actual outcomes. It argues that without major improvements in waste management infrastructure and circular economy practices, plastics will continue to fragment into microplastics and contaminate European ecosystems.
Plastic waste recycling: existing Indian scenario and future opportunities
Researchers mapped plastic waste recycling infrastructure across Indian states, finding that PP and PE are most commonly reprocessed, and outlined key opportunities in mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and waste-to-energy approaches—along with AI and blockchain tools—needed to build a circular plastic economy in India.