Circular strategies depend on context
The circular economy brings together strategies to reduce resource use and prevent losses throughout product life cycles. Reduce, reuse and recycle are useful principles, but they are not a universal recipe. Their effectiveness depends on the product, how it is used, and the real-world conditions for collection, repair, reuse and recycling.
Böckin et al. (2020) examined life cycle assessments and material-flow studies to understand which physical product characteristics influence the effectiveness of resource-efficiency measures. These include durability, frequency of use, energy or auxiliary-material requirements during use, and the functionality that remains at the end of use.
No single measure fits every product
- Durable products: extending service life can be relevant, alongside improvements in production and end-of-life management.
- Active products: where energy or auxiliary materials are consumed during use, reducing that consumption may deliver greater benefits than simply extending product life.
- Infrequently used products: sharing can increase utilisation and avoid additional purchases. Its benefit depends, among other things, on transport and the additional intensity of use.
- Products with remaining functionality: redistribution or reuse by another user can make use of the function that remains.
- Products whose impacts are concentrated in extraction and production: preventing material losses throughout the chain can be particularly important.
It is also important to distinguish consumables, such as food and detergents, from durable goods and disposable packaging. Extending service life is not equally applicable to all of these cases.
How LCA can support decisions
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), together with material-flow analysis, can compare different configurations and identify burden shifting between life-cycle stages. For example, a sharing model may reduce the number of products manufactured but increase travel; recycling may require additional energy and processing.
A strategy should therefore be assessed against the product's function and the whole system, rather than a single stage or indicator. LCA helps determine whether a measure actually improves environmental performance in the context being studied.