Reducing and recovering waste are the premises of circular economy, that requires the awareness of the flows to be recovered and of the available waste management solutions. It is also relevant to understand the impacts associated with circular strategies to avoid the “circular economy rebound effect”. This condition arises when the environmental benefits of recovering value from waste are offset by the negative impacts of circular practices, for instance if the impact of waste transportation is higher than the benefits of waste recovery. This study addresses these elements by creating a tool with a comprehensive view on waste management, with the objective of offering visibility on waste flows and providing an overview of the transportation and management impacts associated with their recovery. This instrument also responds to the call of scholars to provide methods for the circular economy rebound effect at microeconomic level. The tool is built on a thorough assessment of GHG and IPCC protocols, to determine relevant waste management alternatives and related emission parameters. The developed calculation methodology can determine emissions with a customizable combination of primary and proxy data, enabling the effective use of the tool in case of missing data and encouraging data collection. Companies can employ the tool to map waste produced in each node of their supply chain and assess the related emissions considering the distance to the waste recovery plant and the consequent treatment. The tool represents a decision-making instrument that allows the development of what-if simulation scenarios (e.g., choosing an alternative treatment destination for waste management). The tool is validated with data from an Italian retailer, considering waste generated in distribution centres. The results show the ease of application of the tool and offer insights on how it can represent adequate support in the development of sustainable circular supply chains.
Towards a sustainable circular economy: a tool for carbon footprint assessment of waste management options
S. Viscardi;C. Colicchia;E. Taddei;
2023-01-01
Abstract
Reducing and recovering waste are the premises of circular economy, that requires the awareness of the flows to be recovered and of the available waste management solutions. It is also relevant to understand the impacts associated with circular strategies to avoid the “circular economy rebound effect”. This condition arises when the environmental benefits of recovering value from waste are offset by the negative impacts of circular practices, for instance if the impact of waste transportation is higher than the benefits of waste recovery. This study addresses these elements by creating a tool with a comprehensive view on waste management, with the objective of offering visibility on waste flows and providing an overview of the transportation and management impacts associated with their recovery. This instrument also responds to the call of scholars to provide methods for the circular economy rebound effect at microeconomic level. The tool is built on a thorough assessment of GHG and IPCC protocols, to determine relevant waste management alternatives and related emission parameters. The developed calculation methodology can determine emissions with a customizable combination of primary and proxy data, enabling the effective use of the tool in case of missing data and encouraging data collection. Companies can employ the tool to map waste produced in each node of their supply chain and assess the related emissions considering the distance to the waste recovery plant and the consequent treatment. The tool represents a decision-making instrument that allows the development of what-if simulation scenarios (e.g., choosing an alternative treatment destination for waste management). The tool is validated with data from an Italian retailer, considering waste generated in distribution centres. The results show the ease of application of the tool and offer insights on how it can represent adequate support in the development of sustainable circular supply chains.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
