IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/inecol/v22y2018i5p1050-1065.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Transdisciplinary Development of a Life Cycle–Based Approach to Measure and Communicate Waste Prevention Effects in Local Authorities

Author

Listed:
  • Petra Hutner
  • Christoph Helbig
  • Dennis Stindt
  • Andrea Thorenz
  • Axel Tuma

Abstract

Although waste prevention was promoted as the first priority for all EU member states in 2008, the actual implementation of activities has thus far been hesitant. Empirical evidence indicates that the reasons for this neglect include the limited measurability of waste prevention effects and the consequential lack of awareness, motivation, and incentive systems. Our research aims to quantify waste prevention and its environmental impacts and, ultimately, to motivate the efficient implementation of waste prevention concepts by a target‐group‐specific communication of the results. Embedded in a transdisciplinary research setting in close cooperation with practitioners, we develop a life cycle–based approach to calculate the effects of waste prevention in local authorities. This approach features an activity‐based analysis that facilitates the assessment of both reduction of waste generated and the related environmental effects. The methodology of life cycle assessment, used to calculate environmental impacts, is adapted to the specific requirements and constitutes an essential step in our measurement approach. Finally, we demonstrate the application of this approach. Five activities deriving from real‐world case studies are assessed. These case studies simulate the implementation of waste prevention in a mid‐sized German city. We are able to reveal potential waste reduction of 74% and potential reduction of other environmental impacts ranging from 28% to 62% of the targeted material streams.

Suggested Citation

  • Petra Hutner & Christoph Helbig & Dennis Stindt & Andrea Thorenz & Axel Tuma, 2018. "Transdisciplinary Development of a Life Cycle–Based Approach to Measure and Communicate Waste Prevention Effects in Local Authorities," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 22(5), pages 1050-1065, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:inecol:v:22:y:2018:i:5:p:1050-1065
    DOI: 10.1111/jiec.12781
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12781
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/jiec.12781?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Willi Haas & Fridolin Krausmann & Dominik Wiedenhofer & Markus Heinz, 2015. "How Circular is the Global Economy?: An Assessment of Material Flows, Waste Production, and Recycling in the European Union and the World in 2005," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 19(5), pages 765-777, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Junming Zhu, 2020. "Suggested use? On evidence‐based decision‐making in industrial ecology and beyond," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 24(5), pages 943-950, October.
    2. Thomas Fruergaard Astrup & Kostyantyn Pivnenko & Marie Kampmann Eriksen & Alessio Boldrin, 2018. "Life Cycle Assessment of Waste Management: Are We Addressing the Key Challenges Ahead of Us?," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 22(5), pages 1000-1004, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Millar, Neal & McLaughlin, Eoin & Börger, Tobias, 2019. "The Circular Economy: Swings and Roundabouts?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 11-19.
    2. Colin M. Rose & Julia A. Stegemann, 2018. "From Waste Management to Component Management in the Construction Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-21, January.
    3. Piciu Gabriela-Cornelia, 2021. "Ways To Accelerate The Circular Economy," Annals - Economy Series, Constantin Brancusi University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 5, pages 129-134, October.
    4. Concepción Garcés-Ayerbe & Pilar Rivera-Torres & Inés Suárez-Perales & Dante I. Leyva-de la Hiz, 2019. "Is It Possible to Change from a Linear to a Circular Economy? An Overview of Opportunities and Barriers for European Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Companies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-15, March.
    5. Chembessi Chedrak & Gohoungodji Paulin & Juste Rajaonson, 2023. "“A fine wine, better with age”: Circular economy historical roots and influential publications: A bibliometric analysis using Reference Publication Year Spectroscopy (RPYS)," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(6), pages 1593-1612, December.
    6. Andreea Loredana Bîrgovan & Elena Simina Lakatos & Andrea Szilagyi & Lucian Ionel Cioca & Roxana Lavinia Pacurariu & George Ciobanu & Elena Cristina Rada, 2022. "How Should We Measure? A Review of Circular Cities Indicators," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-16, April.
    7. Lucas Becerra & Sebastián Carenzo & Paula Juarez, 2020. "When Circular Economy Meets Inclusive Development. Insights from Urban Recycling and Rural Water Access in Argentina," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-21, November.
    8. Tony Addison & Alan R. Roe, 2024. "Extractive industries: imperatives, opportunities, and dilemmas in the net-zero transition," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2024-26, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    9. Korhonen, Jouni & Honkasalo, Antero & Seppälä, Jyri, 2018. "Circular Economy: The Concept and its Limitations," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 37-46.
    10. Dominik Noll & Christian Lauk & Willi Haas & Simron Jit Singh & Panos Petridis & Dominik Wiedenhofer, 2022. "The sociometabolic transition of a small Greek island: Assessing stock dynamics, resource flows, and material circularity from 1929 to 2019," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(2), pages 577-591, April.
    11. Luo, Anran & Rodríguez, Fabricio & Leipold, Sina, 2020. "Explaining the political gridlock behind international Circular Economy: Chinese and European perspectives on the Waste Ban," SocArXiv uyw5g, Center for Open Science.
    12. Henrique Oliveira & Víctor Moutinho, 2021. "Renewable Energy, Economic Growth and Economic Development Nexus: A Bibliometric Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-28, July.
    13. Dafermos, Yannis & Nikolaidi, Maria & Galanis, Giorgos, 2017. "A stock-flow-fund ecological macroeconomic model," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 191-207.
    14. Arru, Brunella & Furesi, Roberto & Pulina, Pietro & Sau, Paola & Madau, Fabio A., 2022. "The Circular Economy in the Agri-food system: A Performance Measurement of European Countries," Economia agro-alimentare / Food Economy, Italian Society of Agri-food Economics/Società Italiana di Economia Agro-Alimentare (SIEA), vol. 24(2), September.
    15. Pilar Buil & Olga Roger-Loppacher & Rejina M. Selvam & Vanessa Prieto-Sandoval, 2017. "The Involvement of Future Generations in the Circular Economy Paradigm: An Empirical Analysis on Aluminium Packaging Recycling in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-13, December.
    16. Miatto, Alessio & Schandl, Heinz & Tanikawa, Hiroki, 2017. "How important are realistic building lifespan assumptions for material stock and demolition waste accounts?," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 143-154.
    17. Enrico Sciubba, 2019. "The Exergy Footprint as a Sustainability Indicator: An Application to the Neanderthal–Sapiens Competition in the Late Pleistocene," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-20, September.
    18. Hervé Corvellec & Alison F. Stowell & Nils Johansson, 2022. "Critiques of the circular economy," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(2), pages 421-432, April.
    19. Bhavesh Kumar & Love Kumar & Avinash Kumar & Ramna Kumari & Uroosa Tagar & Claudio Sassanelli, 2024. "Green finance in circular economy: a literature review," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(7), pages 16419-16459, July.
    20. Carlo Bellavite Pellegrini & Laura Pellegrini & Claudia Cannas, 2021. "Circular Economy Approach: The benefits of a new business model for European Firms," DISCE - Quaderni del Dipartimento di Politica Economica dipe0018, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimenti e Istituti di Scienze Economiche (DISCE).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:inecol:v:22:y:2018:i:5:p:1050-1065. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1088-1980 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.