Our circular economy research program aims to enable a more sustainable use of resources through an improved (re)circulation of matter in the economy.
Our three-pronged approach will not only combine LCA with other tools and perspectives, but it will also contribute substantial methodological improvements to LCA in terms of its treatment of matter, and relate these mass flows to absolute resource availability.
RESEARCH THEMES
- Offer technology-specific guidance while taking into account economy-wide trends in the analysis of potential circularity initiatives at various scales (industry, locality, globally), a novel, integrated modelling framework will be developed. This framework will bring together the strengths of LCA, material flow analysis (MFA), environmentally extended input-output analysis (EEIO), and operations research.
- Characterize the different types of resources and qualify the sustainability of their use, advanced circularity and resources indicators will be devised. These indicators will reflect with maximum clarity and coherence the different stakeholder perspectives on the question of resources, and will be contrasted with current criticality, circularity, and resource depletion indicator
- Analyze logistical obstacles to independent (local or industry-specific) circularity initiatives, and what mechanisms can be put in place to overcome these obstacles and reach a higher system-wide levels of circularity.
