Bastianoni Simone, Goffetti Giulia, Neri Elena, Patrizi Nicoletta, Ruini Anna, Sporchia Fabio, Pulselli Federico M
Ecodynamics Group, Department of Physical Sciences, Earth, Environment, University of Siena, Piazzetta Enzo Tiezzi, 1, 53100 Siena, Italy.
Ecodynamics Group, Department of Physical Sciences, Earth, Environment, University of Siena, Piazzetta Enzo Tiezzi, 1, 53100 Siena, Italy.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Nov 1;897:165245. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165245. Epub 2023 Jun 30.
Many are the definitions of Circular Economy as well as the policies and strategies for its implementation. However, gaps still exist in quantifying the effects of circularity. The existing approaches are usually sector- or product-specific, limited to microscale systems, and/or fail to simultaneously assess the environmental impacts of the studied system. This paper introduces a generally applicable method in which a set of LCA-based indices of circularity are able to detect the effects of circularity/symbiosis strategies on the environmental performance of meso- and macro-systems. These indices quantify the overall system's circularity level by comparing the impacts of a system in which the components interact with each other (with a certain level of circularity) with an equivalent linear system (where no circularity takes place). The method works both on existing and projected systems, being able to track the effects of future circularity policies. This method obviates the limitations and the gaps mentioned above: it applies to meso- and macro-systems, it is not bound to a specific sector, it allows to capture the environmental impacts, and it is sensitive to the temporal dimension. This approach provides a tool to inform managers and policymakers for planning circularity actions and monitor their effectiveness while also capturing the temporal dimension.
关于循环经济的定义以及其实施的政策和战略有很多。然而，在量化循环效应方面仍然存在差距。现有的方法通常是针对特定部门或产品的，局限于微观系统，和/或未能同时评估所研究系统的环境影响。本文介绍了一种普遍适用的方法，其中一组基于生命周期评价的循环指数能够检测循环/共生战略对中观和宏观系统环境绩效的影响。这些指数通过将一个组件相互作用（具有一定循环水平）的系统的影响与一个等效的线性系统（不存在循环）的影响进行比较，来量化整个系统的循环水平。该方法适用于现有系统和预测系统，能够跟踪未来循环政策的影响。这种方法消除了上述局限性和差距：它适用于中观和宏观系统，不局限于特定部门，能够捕捉环境影响，并且对时间维度敏感。这种方法提供了一种工具，可用于告知管理者和政策制定者规划循环行动并监测其有效性，同时还能捕捉时间维度。
