scholarly journals Life-Cycle Assessment in the Polymeric Sector: A Comprehensive Review of Application Experiences on the Italian Scale

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignazio Blanco ◽  
Carlo Ingrao ◽  
Valentina Siracusa
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Polymeric Materials ◽  
Polymer Science ◽  
Media Campaign ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Main Research

In recent years, a growing media campaign has demonized the use of plastic tout court, as solely responsible for environmental problems. Behind what is now vulgarly called plastic there are actually many applications and uses without which our daily life would be greatly penalized in the most common and routine actions. Our belief, in the role of researchers who have made polymers and their derivatives their main research object, is that sustainable use of polymeric materials is not only possible but is above all necessary. For this reason, in this review which is part of the Special Issue “State-of-the-Art Polymer Science and Technology in Italy”, we offer a rundown of life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies on polymers used in the most important production and commercial sectors carried out in the last few years by Italians researchers.

scholarly journals Introduction to the special issue “Sustainability Issues of Food Processing and Packaging: the Role of Life Cycle Assessment”

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 726-737
Author(s):  
Carlo Ingrao ◽  
Amin Nikkhah ◽  
Jo Dewulf ◽  
Valentina Siracusa ◽  
Sami Ghnimi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Food Processing ◽  
Special Issue

scholarly journals Sustainable Agri-Food Processes and Circular Economy Pathways in a Life Cycle Perspective: State of the Art of Applicative Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2472
Author(s):  
Teodora Stillitano ◽  
Emanuele Spada ◽  
Nathalie Iofrida ◽  
Giacomo Falcone ◽  
Anna Irene De Luca
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Social Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Qualitative Synthesis

This study aims at providing a systematic and critical review on the state of the art of life cycle applications from the circular economy point of view. In particular, the main objective is to understand how researchers adopt life cycle approaches for the measurement of the empirical circular pathways of agri-food systems along with the overall lifespan. To perform the literature review, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol was considered to conduct a review by qualitative synthesis. Specifically, an evaluation matrix has been set up to gather and synthesize research evidence, by classifying papers according to several integrated criteria. The literature search was carried out employing scientific databases. The findings highlight that 52 case studies out of 84 (62% of the total) use stand-alone life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the benefits/impacts of circular economy (CE) strategies. In contrast, only eight studies (9.5%) deal with the life cycle costing (LCC) approach combined with other analyses while no paper deals with the social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) methodology. Global warming potential, eutrophication (for marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems), human toxicity, and ecotoxicity results are the most common LCA indicators applied. Only a few articles deal with the CE assessment through specific indicators. We argue that experts in life cycle methodologies must strive to adopt some key elements to ensure that the results obtained fit perfectly with the measurements of circularity and that these can even be largely based on a common basis.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment and Judgement

NanoEthics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-283
Author(s):  
Christopher Nathan ◽  
Stuart Coles
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Free Inquiry ◽  
Technology Project ◽  
Lively Debate ◽  
Technology Product

AbstractIt has become a standard for researchers carrying out biotechnology projects to do a life cycle assessment (LCA). This is a process for assessing the environmental impact of a technology, product or policy. Doing so is no simple matter, and in the last decades, a rich set of methodologies has developed around LCA. However, the proper methods and meanings of the process remain contested. Preceding the development of the international standard that now governs LCA, there was a lively debate in the academic community about the inclusion of ‘values’ within the process. We revisit this debate and reconsider the way forward for LCA. We set out ways in which those outside of science can provide input into LCAs by informing the value assumptions at stake. At the same time, we will emphasize that the role of those within the scientific community need not (and sometimes, will inevitably not) involve value-free inquiry. We carry out this exploration through a case study of a particular technology project that sought ways to produce industrial and consumer products from algal oils.

The Role of Washing Machines in Life Cycle Assessment Studies

2009 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan M. Cullen ◽  
Julian M. Allwood
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Washing Machines

Including biodiversity in life cycle assessment – State of the art, gaps and research needs

2017 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 88-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Winter ◽  
Annekatrin Lehmann ◽  
Natalia Finogenova ◽  
Matthias Finkbeiner
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Research Needs

Role of the use phase and pavement-vehicle interaction in comparative pavement life cycle assessment as a function of context

2019 ◽  
Vol 230 ◽  
pp. 1156-1164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Xu ◽  
Mehdi Akbarian ◽  
Jeremy Gregory ◽  
Randolph Kirchain
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Use Phase
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