Michael den Herder , Sally Westaway , Lisa Arguile , Rowan Dumper-Pollard , Robert Borek , Tomasz Żyłowski , Alina Syp , Andrea Pisanelli , Claudia Consalvo , Marco Ciolfi , Deborah Lorenzoni , Mignon Șandor , Adrian Gliga , Hilde Wustenberghs , Alba Alonso-Adame , Rosario Michel-Villarreal , Timokleia Orfanidou , Nicola Noble , Valerie Holzner , Nicklas Riekötter , Laurence Smith
{"title":"Evaluating the sustainability and leverage potential of innovative organic farming systems","authors":"Michael den Herder , Sally Westaway , Lisa Arguile , Rowan Dumper-Pollard , Robert Borek , Tomasz Żyłowski , Alina Syp , Andrea Pisanelli , Claudia Consalvo , Marco Ciolfi , Deborah Lorenzoni , Mignon Șandor , Adrian Gliga , Hilde Wustenberghs , Alba Alonso-Adame , Rosario Michel-Villarreal , Timokleia Orfanidou , Nicola Noble , Valerie Holzner , Nicklas Riekötter , Laurence Smith","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.021","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.021","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Modern agriculture has advanced food security but at an environmental cost. Organic farming and agroforestry have been proposed as alternatives, however, evaluating their sustainability is challenging due to heterogeneity of the sector, a relatively small number of sustainability assessments carried out and lack of user-friendly assessment tools. Holistic sustainability analyses, including ecosystem services provided by farms, are essential to evaluate food and farming systems and inform policies.</div><div>In this study, we aim to identify key characteristics of innovative organic case study farms and evaluate how innovative organic farms compare across multiple dimensions of sustainability. In addition, the study aims to identify key leverage points within these farming systems and evaluate how these influence sustainability performance in environmental, economic, social and governance domains. Farm performance was evaluated using the Public Goods tool which is a sustainability assessment tool for evaluating different aspects of sustainability at the farm level.</div><div>The findings from eight organic farming case studies showed good sustainability performance in most of the examined sustainability aspects, with areas for improvement in energy, carbon, and water management. The farms scored highly in farm business resilience, system diversity, social capital and soil management. There was a strong positive relationship between “farm business resilience” (e.g. sources of farm income, satisfaction with farming system) and “social capital” (e.g. training of farm workers and community involvement) suggesting a possible relationship between financial and economic factors and social wellbeing.</div><div>In addition, all case study farms demonstrated a clear objective for their operations and a strong vision for enhancing sustainability. This was reflected in their high scores for the leverage point categories of ‘design’ and ‘intent’. To achieve their objectives, farmers proactively sought knowledge to guide system design decisions. They also engaged in knowledge sharing, social and community engagement through networks, and direct marketing to inform and ‘reconnect’ peers with food and farming systems, while reducing reliance on long supply chains.</div><div>Future research and rural policy should work together and focus on how to operationalize holistic sustainability assessment and key leverage points to make farms and rural communities more sustainable and resilient to both expected and unexpected challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"57 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144253856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Simin Xu , Yunan Peng , Kejia Yan , Mengyao Han , Bo Zhang
{"title":"Opportunities to mitigate process-related greenhouse gas emissions in global trade networks","authors":"Simin Xu , Yunan Peng , Kejia Yan , Mengyao Han , Bo Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.016","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with industrial processes has garnered global attention; however, the inherently productive nature of these processes and the complexity of industrial products pose substantial challenges to identifying viable pathways for decarbonization within related industrial sectors. To enhance understanding of the links between international trade and process-related GHG emissions, this study uses a consumption perspective to improve GHG accounting and emission reduction in production and consumption, providing a comprehensive understanding of GHG emissions from industrial processes associated with global trade networks. The results indicate that the largest share of total industrial process-related embodied emissions was attributed to chemical-related processes, accounting for 34.73 %, followed by product uses as substitutes for ozone depleting substances-related (PUSODS-related) emissions at 21.96 % and cement-related emissions at 19.31 %. The chemical industry was the largest source of N<sub>2</sub>O emissions, within which the embodied emission flows within this Asia-Africa-oriented Cluster are significantly higher than those within the Europe-oriented Cluster. In the PUSODS-related process emissions network, the Americas-oriented Cluster comprises fewer economies while recording significant internal embodied emissions, reaching 34.18 Mt CO<sub>2</sub>-eq. Given the critical role of industrial processes in F-gases emissions, the United States, Canada, and Mexico have introduced fluorine legislation to restrict the import and export of PUSODS-related products, which can effectively reduce F-gases emissions. By implementing targeted emission reduction policies and fostering coordinated reductions within trade clusters, this study presents effective approaches to achieving global GHG reductions associated with industrial processes, expanding the feasibility and scope of regional emission reductions within the process-related GHG emissions in global trade network.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"57 ","pages":"Pages 375-387"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144231703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ahsan Farooq , Anders Bjørn , Michael Hauschild , Nattapong Puttanapong , Shabbir H. Gheewala
{"title":"A planetary boundaries-based assessment of waste-to-energy technologies for sustainable waste management in Thailand","authors":"Ahsan Farooq , Anders Bjørn , Michael Hauschild , Nattapong Puttanapong , Shabbir H. Gheewala","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.018","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.018","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid increase in global electricity demand and municipal solid waste (MSW) generation presents significant environmental challenges. Waste-to-Energy (WtE) technologies provide a promising solution by converting MSW into electricity, reducing reliance on fossil fuels. In this study, an absolute environmental sustainability assessment (AESA) is performed by using a Planetary Boundaries-based Life Cycle Assessment (PB-LCA) approach for three WtE technologies: anaerobic digestion (WtE-AD), incineration (WtE-In), and a hybrid of incineration and anaerobic digestion (WtE-Hyb), for MSW management in Thailand. Allocation methods for estimating the share of safe operating spaces were based on equal per capita at the national level and final consumption expenditure at the power sector level, respectively. Results of the AESA indicate that WtE-Hyb is the best-performing option among those considered, exerting the least pressure on planetary boundaries. Climate change was the most transgressed impact category, with WtE-AD, WtE-In, and WtE-Hyb emitting 520 kg CO₂ eq, 391 kg CO₂ eq, and 280 kg CO₂ eq, respectively, per tonne of MSW processed for electricity production. These emissions exceeded the estimated allowable limits by 8700%, 8400%, and 3100% for the three WtE options, respectively. Despite transgressing six boundaries, WtE-Hyb had the lowest pressure in five of them, except for freshwater eutrophication, where it exerted the second-highest pressure. In contrast, WtE-In transgressed the most boundaries (a total of 10) and exerted the highest pressure across all categories. The policy recommendations based on PB-LCA-based AESA results suggest stricter emissions controls, financial incentives, and public engagement to achieve sustainable waste management in Thailand.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"57 ","pages":"Pages 153-166"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144168560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Asterios Papageorgiou, Anna Björklund, Rajib Sinha
{"title":"A novel assessment framework for circular urban areas with its application to a Swedish municipality","authors":"Asterios Papageorgiou, Anna Björklund, Rajib Sinha","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As local authorities worldwide increasingly embrace the circular economy (CE) concept, it is crucial to equip decision-makers with the necessary tools to design and monitor effective urban-level circular strategies. With this study, we introduce a novel framework for assessing the urban metabolism and circularity of urban areas to support decision-making within the CE context. The framework integrates a structured dashboard of 27 CE indicators with the urban metabolic life cycle assessment approach (UM-LCA), which couples Material and Energy Flow Analysis (MEFA) with Life Cycle Assessment. We developed this framework building on insights from two prior studies, where we explored the utility of MEFA and UM-LCA as decision-support tools within the CE context, and by identifying CE indicators in the literature based on the RACER (Relevant, Acceptable, Credible, Easy, Robust) criteria. To demonstrate the applicability and utility of the framework and examine its strengths and weaknesses, we applied the framework to the Umeå urban area in Sweden. The application of the framework provided a detailed quantitative analysis of material and energy flows and environmental impacts per sector within the urban area, indicating key sectors in terms of resource use, waste generation and environmental performance. It also provided a comprehensive evaluation of Umeå's current level of CE development, highlighting areas of strength and improvement, and offered a prospective assessment of the environmental implications of potential future circular strategies. Overall, the framework proved to be a valuable tool for generating detailed insights into material and energy flows, environmental impacts and circularity, which can be particularly useful for the design, monitoring and evaluation of urban-level circular strategies. However, the application also revealed some weaknesses of the framework, including its significant data demands, complexity and limited capacity to capture social and economic aspects, suggesting areas for further research to fully unlock its potential as a decision-support tool.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"57 ","pages":"Pages 121-137"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144168561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Waste-to-X: Quantifying the enviro-economic performance of chemical production via municipal solid waste gasification","authors":"Ben Lyons, Andrea Bernardi, Benoît Chachuat","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Inadequate waste disposal methods currently employed around the globe are leading to substantial damage to both local human populations and the surrounding environment. Simultaneously, the chemical sector is facing pressure to shift from an unsustainable linear economy model and towards a more circular one. Municipal solid waste (MSW) gasification is a technology which is garnering increased attention as it offers a unified solution to both these issues. In this work, the economic and environmental performance of MSW gasification coupled with three chemical manufacturing routes (methanol, olefins via methanol-to-olefins, and ethanol) were compared to landfilling and incineration as a waste disposal method. Detailed process simulation is coupled with the monetisation of endpoint environmental impacts to determine the enviro-economic cost (EEC) of waste processing. Despite the high capital expenditure for all of the gasification routes, the break-even gate fees are competitive with both landfilling and incineration if the CO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> produced is recovered and sent to storage (CCS). However, if the CO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> is recycled and utilised (CCU), the break-even gate fees are significantly greater due to a higher green H<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> demand. Both methanol and MTO routes offer significant reductions in environmental impacts due to offsetting fossil-based chemical manufacturing. All gasification routes have predicted EECs lower than both landfilling and incineration, with methanol coupled with CCS resulting in the lowest overall EEC at −£0.21/kg<sub>MSW</sub>. Methanol production with CCU via MSW gasification is likely to be the most feasible option in the short term as it does not rely on the existence of CO<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> pipeline infrastructure, but it would still need policy support via higher landfilling and carbon taxes. Overall, this work highlights the potential environmental benefit in coupling chemical manufacture with MSW gasification.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"57 ","pages":"Pages 167-182"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144168559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lucas Baun Eegholm, Rasmus Bøhling Dybdahl, Anders Bjørn
{"title":"Conversion factors for linking life cycle assessment with the planetary boundaries framework for improved representation of biodiversity impacts in the building sector and beyond","authors":"Lucas Baun Eegholm, Rasmus Bøhling Dybdahl, Anders Bjørn","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The intersection of climate change and biodiversity loss poses a significant threat to the well-being of current and future generations. Existing regulations dictate methods for measuring the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from buildings, including specific performance thresholds. Such a narrow focus on reducing GHG emissions neglects impacts on other key planetary boundaries (PB), such as biosphere integrity, and could even lead to an increase in these non-climate impacts. Existing environmental indicators for biosphere integrity, such as the Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII), are not directly operational in LCA, making it difficult to define regulations on environmental disclosures for actors in the building sector and related threshold values. Current LCIA methods used in other sectors aggregate midpoint indicators, such as climate change and land use, into damage to the endpoint indicator ecosystem quality. This endpoint indicator is for example measured in the unit potentially disappeared fraction of species integrated over time (PDF.yr). While this only captures some aspects of biosphere integrity, this paper argues that endpoint damage indicators can be used as a proxy. This study aims to bridge the gap between the PB for biosphere integrity and current LCIA methods by developing a set of conversion factors for three common LCIA methods: ReCiPe 2016, Impact World+ (IW+) and LC-IMPACT, and comparing to one LCIA method with an existing PB link: PB-LCIA. This is accomplished by defining a relationship between the units BII and PDF, based on different land use types defined in the original GLOBIO model underlying the PB. The conversion factors were used to translate the BII boundary value (90 %) to a corresponding boundary value for the respective PDF-based endpoint units of the LCIA indicators of the three methods. Through case studies of five Danish buildings, the results show that the impact on biosphere integrity through the proposed conversion factors highly depends on the chosen LCIA method, with LC-IMPACT systematically estimating the highest impacts. ReCiPe and IW+ show similar results, with ReCiPe estimating 48–63 % and IW+ 55–74 % of LC-IMPACT impacts. Using PB-LCIA results in the lowest level of transgressions of the allocated PB compared to the three other methods, and it demonstrates a greater distinction in results between materials in wood and concrete, indicating higher sensitivity to material choice. In some cases, the disagreement between LCIA methods led to uncertainty on whether the ecosystem damage impacts were below or above the allocated thresholds. Further, a contribution analysis of the life cycle impacts showed that the LCIA methods even identify different hotspots within the case studies. This highlights the need for future research to better understand the reasons for these disagreements across LCIA methods for the development of consistent and robust conversion factors. Still, our study represents an in","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"57 ","pages":"Pages 306-318"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144223524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michelle Gian, Svetlana V. Obydenkova, Yvonne van der Meer
{"title":"Key aspects in the social dimension of sustainability for assessment and reporting","authors":"Michelle Gian, Svetlana V. Obydenkova, Yvonne van der Meer","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of various social sustainability frameworks, such as GRI and SA8000, has presented challenges for practitioners, including non-governmental organizations, businesses, and academics, as they must navigate overlapping standards, inconsistent terminology, and unclear definitions when assessing and reporting social aspects. Additionally, the lack of focus on the broader value chain perspective further complicates these challenges. This study uses a mixed-method approach, combining word frequency and contextual analysis with thematic analysis to identify key aspects embedded in social sustainability assessment and reporting tools (SARTs) from a value chain perspective. The findings result in a baseline framework that supports more consistent and comprehensive social sustainability assessment and reporting (SAR), and can be applied regardless of sector, product, or context. This baseline helps practitioners navigate the fragmented landscape of existing tools. While not all key aspects may be universally applicable depending on the specific purpose or scope of reporting, the framework provides a foundational reference for more holistic and adaptable social SAR.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"57 ","pages":"Pages 183-197"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144185201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Isuri Amarasinghe , Rodney A. Stewart , Oz Sahin , Tingting Liu
{"title":"Enhancing construction material circularity: An integrated participatory systems model","authors":"Isuri Amarasinghe , Rodney A. Stewart , Oz Sahin , Tingting Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The construction sector significantly contributes to resource depletion and waste generation due to its reliance on linear economic systems. While material circularity presents a solution by reintegrating materials into supply chains, existing research lacks a comprehensive analysis of the dynamic interdependencies among circularity practices, key drivers, enabling factors, and governance mechanisms. This study aims to develop a decision-support model that uncovers hidden systemic interactions among circularity variables. Employing an integrated participatory systems modelling approach, the research combines two analytical methods: cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC), which identifies key system variables and evaluates their driving and dependency relationships, and causal loop diagram (CLD), which visualises the feedback loops and interconnections among variables. Expert interviews were conducted during MICMAC analysis and CLD development to identify the relationships between variables and validate the proposed model. MICMAC analysis highlights end-of-life circularity solutions, circular material sourcing, and circular planning as the most dependent variables, while expert involvement, environmental regulations, and government funding emerge as the most influential variables. The CLD analysis reveals the feedback mechanisms and causal linkages, offering a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics that shape material circularity in the construction sector. Overall, the study advances both theoretical and practical understanding of material circularity in construction by offering a transferable decision-support model, actionable strategies across the building lifecycle, and policy recommendations, thereby laying a foundation for future research and system-based modelling in diverse socio-economic contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"57 ","pages":"Pages 106-120"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144168557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nikolai Kazantsev , Ahmet Onur Agca , Orsolya-Anna Mate , Kamran Chatha , Jan Godsell
{"title":"Strategic shame management – Leveraging individual footprints to nudge sustainable development goal 12","authors":"Nikolai Kazantsev , Ahmet Onur Agca , Orsolya-Anna Mate , Kamran Chatha , Jan Godsell","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.04.018","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.04.018","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the pursuit of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG12) – ‘Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns’ - a significant challenge persists: the misalignment between consumer demand for environmentally harmful products and the need for sustainable manufacturing practices. Through seven workshops with consumers, manufacturers, and academics, we explore innovative solutions using systems thinking. Our key finding reveals that calculating individual ecological footprints can catalyse change by triggering guilt in consumers and shame in manufacturers. We propose a three-stage model for policymakers to nudge gradual yet structural changes towards SDG12 by implementing rankings targeting the most polluting supply chains. This research offers theoretical insights into emotion-driven sustainability efforts and practical guidance for industry leaders to align consumer behaviour and manufacturing practices with global sustainability goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"57 ","pages":"Pages 95-105"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144125047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Berfin Bayram , Kathrin Greiff , Lion Gerlich , Anna Luthin , Linda Hildebrand , Marzia Traverso
{"title":"Environmental and economic implications of selective demolition and advanced recycling of construction waste","authors":"Berfin Bayram , Kathrin Greiff , Lion Gerlich , Anna Luthin , Linda Hildebrand , Marzia Traverso","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.05.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Selective demolition and high-quality recycling of construction and demolition waste are crucial for the implementation of a circular economy in the built environment. To investigate this further, we conducted a case study on a building to assess the environmental and economic potential of selective demolition and advanced recycling. Two demolition strategies (highly and partially selective) were assessed, in combination with four mineral waste recycling scenarios that differ in plant type (mobile or stationary) and recycling technique (conventional or advanced). Highly selective demolition resulted in lower environmental impacts across most categories. The global warming potential results range between −33.8 and − 15.1 kg CO<sub>2</sub>-eq/m<sup>2</sup>, with the highly selective options performing substantially better, considering the avoided impacts. The environmental differences between mineral waste recycling options were minor in most impact categories, although two exceptions occur in terrestrial ecotoxicity and ionizing radiation categories. Also, different impact methods for mineral resources lead to different outcomes, depending on whether the construction aggregates are considered within characterization factors. From an economic perspective, the difference between highly selective demolition and partially selective options is rather smaller due to higher labor costs and low market conditions for higher quality recycled aggregates. Estimates of material flows through detailed modelling of selective demolition and different options for recycling of mineral waste are essential in the context of the circular economy. The availability of primary data for detailed modelling is crucial together with the inclusion of different impact assessment methods for resource indicators and critical interpretation through sensitivity analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"57 ","pages":"Pages 61-79"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144098476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}