Modelling the EU plastic value chain and assessing its environmental impacts: approaches, data sources and hotspots towards a circular plastic value chain

This study developed a comprehensive top-down Material Flow Analysis (MFA) covering the entire value chain across nine economic sectors and focusing on ten specific polymers within the EU27 in 2019. MFA has in fact been employed in the recent years as a key tool for assessing products flows and to unveil hotspots of value chains that could hinder circularity and sustainability. Sector-specific MFAs were computed using sets of Transfer Coefficients (TCs) matrices at the level of sectors and polymers. TCs are defined for each input and output flows of a process along the value chain and serve the purpose of detailing the total amount of a substance that is transferred from a process to another one. The MFA was also linked to a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis, aimed at unveiling the environmental impacts of the whole value chain and at providing methodological guidance on linking LCA with MFA results

Environmental and economic assessment of plastic waste recycling

This study provides a comparative environmental and economic assessment of plastic waste recycling and energy recovery (incineration) technologies, using actual plant data complemented with external information. The recycling technologies include mechanical, physical and chemical recycling. The study concludes that the choice of the preferred management option for plastic waste should be based on three main criteria: i) the maximisation of material recovery while minimising processing impacts (principally related to energy consumption), in line with the waste hierarchy; ii) the specificity of the plastic waste stream and the treatment thereby required (technical feasibility); and iii) the economic feasibility. Preliminary economic data suggests that some chemical recycling technologies may be already economically viable without financial support, whereas others might become so in the medium to long term. As the sectors of physical recycling and chemical recycling are currently experiencing rapid technological developments, the analysis presented in this study should be updated as technologies become more mature, also in view of formulating appropriate and possible policy interventions.JRC.D.3 - Land Resources and Supply Chain Assessment

Modelling plastic product flows and recycling in the EU

The European Commission is supporting initiatives to increase the use of recycled plastics in Europe to 10 million tonnes (Mt) per year by 2025, but there is still a considerable way to go before achieving this goal. Studies estimate that only an amount between 3.5-5.6 Mt of recyclates is currently directed back into products. The objective of the present study is to improve the quality of data and the modelling of plastics mass flows in Europe. This report describes a second iteration of a Plastic Product Mass Flow Model which is based on public data sources and inputs from the Circular Plastics Alliance (CPA), for the reference year 2019. The modelled results for 2019 are in the range of values found in other studies, while providing a dynamic tool for industry players to take forward, update, and improve over time.JRC.B.5 - Circular Economy and Sustainable Industr

Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation: Study on new product priorities

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) recently entered into force with the aim of making sustainable products the norm. In this report, the relevance of a number of product groups and horizontal requirements for potential action under ESPR was evaluated on the basis of several parameters: environmental impacts and improvement potential, market relevance, policy coverage in the EU, cost reflections, and contribution towards an EU Open Strategic Autonomy. As a result of the analysis, eleven final products (Textiles and footwear, Furniture, Tyres, Bed mattresses, Detergents, Paints and varnishes, Lubricants, Cosmetics, Toys, Fishing gears, Absorbent hygiene products), seven intermediate products (Iron and steel, Commodity chemicals, Non-ferrous, non-aluminium metal products, Aluminium, Plastic and polymers, Pulp and paper, Glass) and three horizontal requirements (Durability, Recyclability, Recycled content) are identified as potential priorities for the next steps of preparation of the first ESPR Working Plan. This report represents the JRC’s final analysis of new product priorities for the ESPR. However, the results illustrated are not final decisions: they do not bind the Commission, and are without prejudice to what may ultimately be prioritised for first action under ESPR, included in the first ESPR Working Plan, or undertaken under other EU policy frameworks.JRC.B.5 - Circular Economy and Sustainable Industr

Modeling the EU plastic footprint: Exploring data sources and littering potential

Despite plastic being one of the most used materials globally, information about plastic flows in value chains is generally lacking. The present study aims at estimating the European Union (EU) plastic footprint (including production and consumption flows) by combining different approaches, as well as at estimating marine littering potentials. Plastic flow estimates build on a literature review of studies on material flows analysis to gather available data. The review highlights the lack of complete and homogeneous estimates of EU plastic production and consumption, as well as detailed figures for specific sectors (e.g., fishing, healthcare, electrical and electronic equipment). Data retrieved from literature were compared with estimates based on consumption statistics (i.e., PRODCOM database). Estimates for 2014 based on literature equals to 84 kg/person, whilst results derived from PRODCOM for the 2014 equals to 129 kg/person (with an average of 112 kg/person for the period 2010–2019). Packaging contributes to 27.9% of the overall footprint in the case of the literature-based approach (23.6% in the case of PRODCOM results), which is dominated by three polymers (LDPE, PP and PET). Concerning the marine litter potential, beach litter rates -based on EU beach litter observations and plastic statistics- were in the order of 10000 part per million of the consumed plastic.. This study unveiled that methodological improvements in estimates of the EU plastic footprint together with plastic littering potential, as well as further data gathering, are fundamental steps for fulfilling the EU ambitions to assess and reduce the environmental impacts of plastics.JRC.D.3 - Land Resource