{"title":"Advancing circular economy of pallets: A comprehensive evaluation framework","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107874","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The pursuit of sustainable development highlights the circular economy (CE) as a viable approach. Pallets, transporting over 80% of global trade, lack CE performance (CEP) evaluation, hindering sustainability efforts in logistics. This study develops a comprehensive framework comprising 17 indices across the pallet lifecycle to evaluate CEP in China, based on literature review, field studies, and integration of material flow analysis and life cycle assessment. Results reveal significant variation in CEP across pallet types. Wooden pallets generate substantial waste, with a high waste-to-weight ratio of 58.60%, due to inefficient processing. Plastic pallets exhibit high material efficiency (99.88%), but face environmental challenges due to non-renewable resources reliance. Steel pallets demonstrate exemplary waste management but are underutilised. Paper pallets need better durability and fly ash pallets have environmental concerns due to adjuvants. The proposed framework offers an effective tool for promoting sustainability in logistic carrier industries, with applicability extending beyond pallets.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":21153,"journal":{"name":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":11.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Resources Conservation and Recycling","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344924004671","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The pursuit of sustainable development highlights the circular economy (CE) as a viable approach. Pallets, transporting over 80% of global trade, lack CE performance (CEP) evaluation, hindering sustainability efforts in logistics. This study develops a comprehensive framework comprising 17 indices across the pallet lifecycle to evaluate CEP in China, based on literature review, field studies, and integration of material flow analysis and life cycle assessment. Results reveal significant variation in CEP across pallet types. Wooden pallets generate substantial waste, with a high waste-to-weight ratio of 58.60%, due to inefficient processing. Plastic pallets exhibit high material efficiency (99.88%), but face environmental challenges due to non-renewable resources reliance. Steel pallets demonstrate exemplary waste management but are underutilised. Paper pallets need better durability and fly ash pallets have environmental concerns due to adjuvants. The proposed framework offers an effective tool for promoting sustainability in logistic carrier industries, with applicability extending beyond pallets.
期刊介绍:
The journal Resources, Conservation & Recycling welcomes contributions from research, which consider sustainable management and conservation of resources. The journal prioritizes understanding the transformation processes crucial for transitioning toward more sustainable production and consumption systems. It highlights technological, economic, institutional, and policy aspects related to specific resource management practices such as conservation, recycling, and resource substitution, as well as broader strategies like improving resource productivity and restructuring production and consumption patterns.
Contributions may address regional, national, or international scales and can range from individual resources or technologies to entire sectors or systems. Authors are encouraged to explore scientific and methodological issues alongside practical, environmental, and economic implications. However, manuscripts focusing solely on laboratory experiments without discussing their broader implications will not be considered for publication in the journal.