1 Introduction
Circular Economy (CE) is a concept that has gained some significant traction for
some years, both on the policy and the industrial levels. It helps further structure
Sustainability strategies and initiatives. And it can be described as an organizational
principle which aims at evolving from the current linear economic model—where
resources are extracted, manufactured, consumed and wasted—to an economic
model which values resource efficiency, not only from a today’s perspective, at
every stage of the value chain and enables the biodiversity protection, as well as a
development suitable for the well-being of individuals.
From the definition of a CE strategy to the implementation of action plans, as
well as for the development of new business models in this field, processes, indicators and tools are necessary to support decision-making [1]. Life Cycle
Management (LCM) approaches and expertise are thus suitable to ensure the
Sustainability performance of decision-making. In this discussion panel session, 4
speakers from companies and academia presented some examples of LCM
approaches (e.g. environmental impact assessment methods, eco-design, recycling,
etc.), but also collaborative tools, in support of CE strategy definition and
implementation.
2 A Decision Support Framework for Circular Economy
Implementation in the Packaging Sector
Monia Niero (Technical University of Denmark) presented a decision support
framework for the development of continuous loop packaging systems, which
builds on the combined use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the Cradle to
Cradle
® (C2C) certification program [2]. The C2C design framework [3] inspired
the creation in January 2014 of the Carlsberg Circular Community, i.e. a cooperation platform involving Carlsberg and a selection of global partners with the
ambition to develop packaging products that are optimized for recycling and reuse,
while retaining their quality and value [4]. As a first step of the framework, the
environmentally optimal beverage packaging life cycle scenario is identified, both
in terms of defined use and reuse. Second, the limiting factors for the continuous
use of materials in multiple loops are identified considering the two requirements in
the C2C certification process that address the material level (i.e. “material health”
and “material reutilization” criteria) and the “renewable energy” criterion [5]. Then,
alternative scenarios are built to meet C2C certification criteria, and LCA is used to
quantify the environmental impacts of the resulting improvement strategies, for
example, change in material composition, in order to guide the identification of the
optimal scenario from an eco-efficiency point of view. Finally, the business perspective is addressed by assessing the potential for a green value network business
model for a closed-loop supply [6]. The outcome is a list of prioritized actions
4
S. Zinck et al.
Circular Economy (CE) is a concept that has gained some significant traction for
some years, both on the policy and the industrial levels. It helps further structure
Sustainability strategies and initiatives. And it can be described as an organizational
principle which aims at evolving from the current linear economic model—where
resources are extracted, manufactured, consumed and wasted—to an economic
model which values resource efficiency, not only from a today’s perspective, at
every stage of the value chain and enables the biodiversity protection, as well as a
development suitable for the well-being of individuals.
From the definition of a CE strategy to the implementation of action plans, as
well as for the development of new business models in this field, processes, indicators and tools are necessary to support decision-making [1]. Life Cycle
Management (LCM) approaches and expertise are thus suitable to ensure the
Sustainability performance of decision-making. In this discussion panel session, 4
speakers from companies and academia presented some examples of LCM
approaches (e.g. environmental impact assessment methods, eco-design, recycling,
etc.), but also collaborative tools, in support of CE strategy definition and
implementation.
2 A Decision Support Framework for Circular Economy
Implementation in the Packaging Sector
Monia Niero (Technical University of Denmark) presented a decision support
framework for the development of continuous loop packaging systems, which
builds on the combined use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the Cradle to
Cradle
® (C2C) certification program [2]. The C2C design framework [3] inspired
the creation in January 2014 of the Carlsberg Circular Community, i.e. a cooperation platform involving Carlsberg and a selection of global partners with the
ambition to develop packaging products that are optimized for recycling and reuse,
while retaining their quality and value [4]. As a first step of the framework, the
environmentally optimal beverage packaging life cycle scenario is identified, both
in terms of defined use and reuse. Second, the limiting factors for the continuous
use of materials in multiple loops are identified considering the two requirements in
the C2C certification process that address the material level (i.e. “material health”
and “material reutilization” criteria) and the “renewable energy” criterion [5]. Then,
alternative scenarios are built to meet C2C certification criteria, and LCA is used to
quantify the environmental impacts of the resulting improvement strategies, for
example, change in material composition, in order to guide the identification of the
optimal scenario from an eco-efficiency point of view. Finally, the business perspective is addressed by assessing the potential for a green value network business
model for a closed-loop supply [6]. The outcome is a list of prioritized actions
4
S. Zinck et al.