Article
Polymer Science
Lynn Trossaert, Matthias De Vel, Ludwig Cardon, Mariya Edeleva
Summary: Sustainability and recyclability are important factors in the plastics industry. This research focuses on developing a thermoformable multilayer food packaging using co-polyesters, which can be recycled in a conventional waste stream. The results show that the multilayer trays have improved thermal stability and transparency compared to pure PETg trays, and they are not deformed under hot-fill conditions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Cristina Moyaert, Yanou Fishel, Lorenz Van Nueten, Oliver Cencic, Helmut Rechberger, Pieter Billen, Philippe Nimmegeers
Summary: This research aims to quantify the recyclability of different types of deli packaging and evaluate the effectiveness of recycling instructions. The use of paperboard packaging may be slightly better than solely plastics on a product-level basis, but a comprehensive analysis of the entire waste stream is needed to fully understand their impact. Recycling instructions for consumers may increase the complexity of waste streams.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zita Markeviciute, Visvaldas Varzinskas
Summary: This article provides a comprehensive review on the integrated approach of bio-based plastic food packaging in a circular economy, focusing on its role in product design, resource management, and end-of-life treatment stages.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Daniel Friedrich
Summary: This paper examines the feasibility and evaluation of WPC packaging in the consumer goods industry. The survey results show that different sectors have a high level of acceptance, but there are differences in certain aspects. The food industry focuses more on the type of plastics and fibers, while the technology industry prioritizes market-related value-adding factors. There is a high interest in recyclability and less interest in compostability. Therefore, WPC producers should develop on a sector-specific basis and increase acceptance through information campaigns.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Chen-Hua Wang, Hsin-Tien Lin
Summary: Packaging accounts for the largest demand in global plastic consumption, with around 60% used for food and beverage packaging. Our study quantified the food packaging generation from major supermarket and convenience store chains in Taipei, Taiwan, and found that 64.99% of the packaging was recycled. Identifying limitations in different stages and designing corresponding strategies is crucial to promote plastic food packaging recycling.
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Felicitas Pellengahr, Ali Ghannadzadeh, Yvonne van der Meer
Summary: End-of-life (EoL) management of plastic packaging is crucial for integrating it into circular economy models. Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are frequently used to determine the environmental sustainability of EoL options for plastic products. However, current studies have identified gaps between real-world scenarios and modeled EoL scenarios, indicating the need for more accurate modeling to guide policy-making and promote the integration of plastic products into a circular economy.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Camila Tavora de Mello Soares, Monica Ek, Emma Ostmark, Mikael Gallstedt, Sigbritt Karlsson
Summary: The future of recycling technologies for MMPP in the next five to ten years presents four possible scenarios, including high-performance material recycling, recycling into hydrocarbons, business as usual, and downcycling. Different technologies will develop unevenly in different parts of the world, with a mix of all scenarios likely in the upcoming years depending on regulations and technology availability.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Salih Cevikarslan, Carsten Gelhard, Jorg Henseler
Summary: This article introduces a customized process for transforming the Dutch plastic packaging system into a circular economy. By using a serious game tool as part of a qualitative research method, various feasible and effective policies were developed, prioritized, and elaborated on to establish a circular plastic packaging value chain in the Netherlands.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Aumber Abbas, Yap Mei Yi, Faisal Saleem, Zhao Jin, Andrei Veksha, Qingyu Yan, Grzegorz Lisak, Tuti Mariana Lim
Summary: The study explores the feasibility of using multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) derived from flexible plastic packaging waste as electrode materials for supercapacitors, showing superior capacitive performance compared to commercial MWCNTs. The functionalized MWCNTs exhibited improved performance among all samples, with double capacitance value and higher electrochemical activity and faster charge transfer, indicating their potential as a superior alternative to commercial MWCNTs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laura Rasines, Guillermo San Miguel, angel Molina-Garcia, Francisco Artes-Hernandez, Eloy Hontoria, Encarna Aguayo
Summary: The aim of this research is to define different scenarios for optimizing the environmental sustainability of the postharvest stage of vegetable products. Various factors such as packaging materials, energy generation technologies, organic waste management, and transportation methods were considered. The analysis revealed that the production of packaging materials and transportation stage had the greatest impact on carbon footprint. The most effective measures to reduce the environmental footprint involved the use of reusable packaging materials, reducing transport distance, utilizing renewable energy, and repurposing organic waste.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Oihane C. Basurko, Gorka Markalain, Maria Mateo, Cristina Pena-Rodriguez, Gurutz Mondragon, Ander Larruskain, Joana Larreta, Nadia Moalla Gil
Summary: The European Commission is addressing the challenge of End-Of-Life (EOL) fishing gear and Abandoned, Lost, or otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG) by focusing on circular economy. They emphasize the need for proper management of EOL fishing gear and request Member States to set collection and treatment targets. However, the implementation of these directives is not widely coordinated. In Spain, 1643 tonnes of EOL fishing gear, mainly nets, are discarded in different ports each year. High-density polyethylene and polyamide 6 are the most common discarded polymers. The management of EOL fishing gear varies depending on the port and involves agreements between local fishers' guilds and waste management companies.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
K. E. K. Vimal, Vernika Agarwal, K. Mathiyazhagan
Summary: The prescribed buyback schemes are considered effective in eliminating landfill of packaging materials as part of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). However, in developing economies, lack of awareness, motivation, concern, and enforcement of rules pose significant challenges in implementing plastic waste buyback schemes. This study identifies and defines 11 barriers through literature review and analyzes their interrelationship using TISM and MICMAC analysis. The study reveals that unclear and unstable policies are the most influential barrier to adopting buyback schemes for used plastic packaging materials.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ben Madden, Melita Jazbec, Nick Florin
Summary: With Australians consuming over 2-billion litres of fresh milk annually, milk bottle packaging is a significant source of plastic packaging waste in Australia. In 2019-20, only 5% of the high-density-polyethylene (HDPE) plastic used in milk bottles was recycled, contributing to overall HDPE packaging waste. A study was conducted to analyze the milk bottle supply and end-of-life management system, and findings showed that improving collection rate and implementing dedicated container collections could significantly increase recycling rates and promote a circular packaging economy.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Martin Skelton, Sophie Huysveld, Steven De Meester, Kevin M. Van Geem, Jo Dewulf
Summary: This study develops a method using statistical entropy with a multi-level material categorization scheme to evaluate the mixing complexity of different types of resources. A case study on plastic packaging products shows a sharp deterioration of material quality after its use phase, with different characteristics observed in chemical and mechanical recycling at the end-of-life treatment stage.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Giuseppe Bonifazi, Ludovica Fiore, Claudia Pelosi, Silvia Serranti
Summary: The degradation of plastic packaging waste in seawater and under simulated solar radiation was evaluated using different spectroscopic techniques. The results showed that different types of plastics exhibited different degradation behaviors, and spectroscopic imaging techniques were effective in monitoring and predicting the aging time of the polymers.
POLYMER DEGRADATION AND STABILITY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Anna Petit-Boix, Eva Sevigne-Itoiz, Lorena Avelina Rojas-Gutierrez, Ademir Paceli Barbassa, Alejandro Josa, Joan Rieradevall, Xavier Gabarrell
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2015)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Eva Sevigne-Itoiz, Caries M. Gasol, Joan Rieradevall, Xavier Gabarrell
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2015)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Eva Sevigne-Itoiz, Carles M. Gasol, Joan Rieradevall, Xavier Gabarrell
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Anna Petit-Boix, Eva Sevigne-Itoiz, Lorena A. Rojas-Gutierrez, Ademir P. Barbassa, Alejandro Josa, Joan Rieradevall, Xavier Gabarrell
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2017)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Caries M. Gasol, Jordi Salvia, Joan Serra, Assumpcio Anton, Eva Sevigne, Joan Rieradevall, Xavier Gabarrell
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2012)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
E. Sevigne-Itoiz, C. Fuentes-Gruenewald, C. M. Gasol, E. Garces, E. Alacid, S. Rossi, J. Rieradevall
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2012)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Ramon Farreny, Jordi Oliver-Sola, Sangara Escuder-Bonilla, Montserrat Roca-Marti, Eva Sevigne, Xavier Gabarrell, Joan Rieradevall
ENERGY AND BUILDINGS
(2012)
Article
Economics
E. Sevigne-Itoiz, C. M. Gasol, R. Farreny, J. Rieradevall, X. Gabarrell
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Assumpcio Anton, Marta Torrellas, Montserrat Nunez, Eva Sevigne, Maria Jose Amores, Pere Munoz, Juan I. Montero
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2014)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Eva Sevigne, Carles M. Gasol, Filippo Brun, Laura Rovira, Josep Maria Pages, Francesc Camps, Joan Rieradevall, Xavier Gabarrell
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2011)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Eva Sevigne-Itoiz, Caries M. Gasol, Joan Rieradevall, Xavier Gabarrell
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2014)
Article
Agronomy
Lorenzo Di Lucia, Eva Sevigne-Itoiz, Steve Peterson, Ausilio Bauen, Raphael Slade
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY BIOENERGY
(2019)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Eva Sevigne-Itoiz, Onesmus Mwabonje, Calliope Panoutsou, Jeremy Woods
Summary: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is crucial in informing the development of a sustainable and circular bioeconomy, but faces challenges in complexity and uncertainty of biobased systems. Stakeholder engagement and multidisciplinary analysis are essential components for emerging LCA methods to address these challenges effectively.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES
(2021)