Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Evaluation of the environmental impact of a plastic sprayer through life cycle assessment: an industrial case study

Researchers used life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental footprint of manufacturing plastic trigger sprayers. The analysis identified raw material extraction and injection molding as the most environmentally burdensome production stages. The findings can guide manufacturers toward greener design choices for household plastic products.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology
Article Tier 2

Life Cycle Assessment in a Nutshell—Best Practices and Status Quo for the Plastic Sector

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.

2023 Macromolecular Rapid Communications 17 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Frontiers in Sustainability 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Study of the Environmental İmpact of Petroleum Product Waste Generated During Polyethylene Production at the SOCAR Polymer Plant

Researchers analyzed the environmental impact of polyethylene production at the SOCAR Polymer plant, examining the morphological composition of waste generated during synthesis, polymerization, and granulation stages and quantifying emissions of petroleum product waste with implications for microplastic pollution.

2025 The Research Journal of Forest and Ecosystems
Review Tier 2

A critical review on plastic waste life cycle assessment and management: Challenges, research gaps, and future perspectives

This review examines the full environmental impact of plastics from production through disposal, noting that life cycle assessments often produce unexpected results when comparing bio-based and petroleum-based plastics. A major gap exists because microplastic pollution is not yet factored into these environmental assessments, despite growing evidence of its ecological harm.

2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 137 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Sustainability 22 citations
Article Tier 2

The geopolitical economy of Thailand's marine plastic pollution crisis

Researchers examined the geopolitical and economic factors driving Thailand's status as one of the world's largest contributors to ocean plastic pollution, finding that governance failures, economic development pressures, and global plastic supply chains are key structural drivers that environmental management has not adequately addressed.

2020 Asia Pacific Viewpoint 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Polymer prioritization framework: A novel multi-criteria framework for source mapping and characterizing the environmental risk of plastic polymers

Researchers developed a multi-criteria framework for ranking the environmental risk of plastic polymers, finding that polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, and polystyrene posed the highest risk, with packaging and construction sectors as dominant sources.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic 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.

2021 Journal of Industrial Ecology 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Expanding plastics recycling technologies: chemical aspects, technology status and challenges

This review examined the full life cycle of plastics and evaluated options for managing plastic waste, with a focus on chemical recycling technologies. The study suggests that overcoming barriers to industrial chemical recycling could open new opportunities for reducing plastic pollution.

2022 Green Chemistry 511 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessing the environmental footprint of recycled plastic pellets: A life-cycle assessment perspective

This study used life-cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impact of producing recycled plastic pellets from waste polyolefin plastics. While recycling reduced carbon emissions compared to making new plastic, the process still required significant energy, especially when solvent recovery was maximized. The research is relevant to the microplastics problem because it shows that even recycling processes need optimization to truly reduce the environmental footprint of plastic waste.

2023 Environmental Technology & Innovation 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative Analysis of Environmental, Economic, and Social Criteria for Plastic Recycling Technology Selection in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Thailand

This study surveyed stakeholders in four Asian countries about criteria for selecting PET plastic recycling technologies, finding that environmental and economic factors were rated highest. Improving PET recycling capacity is critical for reducing plastic waste that ultimately becomes microplastic pollution.

2023 International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning 2 citations
Article Tier 2

CO2 Emissions from Plastic Consumption Behaviors in Thailand

This paper is not about microplastics; it surveys plastic consumption behavior in Thai households and estimates the resulting CO2 emissions from end-of-life plastic disposal, focusing on climate change implications.

2023 Sustainability 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Resource Intensity Analysis of Producing 21 Types of Plastic in Terms of Mining Activity

Researchers calculated the cradle-to-gate resource intensity of producing 21 types of plastics using total material requirement under a life cycle framework, finding that resource use varies by up to approximately 10 times depending on plastic type. Applying these findings to material flow analyses revealed that natural resource extraction exceeds the direct weight of plastic by more than 20 times, and that a positive correlation generally exists between greenhouse gas emissions and resource use across plastic types.

2024 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Management of Organic Waste and Recycling for Bioplastics: A LCA Approach for the Italian Case Study

Researchers used life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental trade-offs of collecting organic waste for biodegradable plastic production in Italy, finding that the system could reduce fossil resource use but that impacts depended heavily on collection efficiency and the end-of-life pathway chosen.

2021 Sustainability 36 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Sustainability 38 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Journal of Green Economy and Low-Carbon Development
Article Tier 2

Chemical Recycling of Plastic Waste: Comparative Evaluation of Environmental and Economic Performances of Gasification- and Incineration-based Treatment for Lightweight Packaging Waste

Chemical recycling of lightweight plastic packaging waste via gasification was compared to incineration with energy recovery using life cycle assessment and economic analysis, finding that gasification offered some environmental advantages but at higher cost and with significant technology readiness uncertainties. The study provides a comparative evaluation to inform decisions about complementary roles for chemical and mechanical recycling in plastic waste management.

2022 Circular Economy and Sustainability 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Life cycle assessment (LCA) of biodegradable linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) manufactured in India

Researchers conducted a comprehensive life cycle assessment of biodegradable polyethylene film manufactured in India, evaluating environmental impacts from production through disposal. They found that additive production was the most environmentally impactful stage, with significant effects on marine ecosystems, global warming, and human health. The study provides data to help manufacturers and policymakers make more informed decisions about transitioning to biodegradable plastic alternatives.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the EU plastic value chain: A material flow analysis

Researchers conducted a material flow analysis of the EU27 plastic value chain, finding that only 19% of plastics were recycled in 2019, with total losses amounting to 4% of production and significant variation across sectors and polymer types.

2023 Resources Conservation and Recycling 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of carbon emission potential of polyvinyl chloride plastics

Researchers used life cycle assessment to quantify carbon emissions from PVC plastic production and recycling, finding that producing 1 kg of PVC generates 7.83 kg CO2-equivalent, with fossil fuel-derived acetylene as the largest contributor, highlighting opportunities to reduce emissions by substituting raw materials.

2023 E3S Web of Conferences 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Confronting the material and structural leakiness of plastics: insights from multi-sited ethnography in India, Indonesia and the Philippines

Researchers used multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines to challenge OECD frameworks that attribute plastic pollution primarily to mismanaged waste in low- and middle-income countries, arguing that upstream petrochemical production in the Global North is a structurally obscured driver of plastic leakage.

2025 Cambridge Prisms Plastics
Review Tier 2

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.

2025 Environmental Technology Reviews 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Plastics in Modern Life: Benefits, Risks and Environmental Consequences

This review examines the dual role of plastics in modern society — their economic benefits alongside environmental and public health risks — and surveys strategies for more sustainable plastic production and disposal.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)