Pub Date : 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.12.005
M.M. Weber , J.I.J.C. de Koning , A.R. Balkenende
Existing material selection methods seem to offer limited support for addressing substance safety in practice, as the focus remains on intrinsic material properties and less on exposure risk. This hinders Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) efforts that can prevent use and accumulation of substances of concern (SoCs) across product lifecycles in a circular economy. This study reviews 29 sustainable material selection methods to evaluate how they do support substance safety. Results show that substance safety is generally embedded within the broader sustainability realm without explicit risk or lifecycle-based assessment. Of the four steps that can be distinguished in material selection, most methods support the steps ‘Establishing a set of candidates’ and ‘Comparing candidates’ but the steps ‘Formulating selection criteria’ and ‘Choosing suitable candidates’ are often unsupported, leaving critical substance safety trade-offs unaddressed. The importance of mindsets such as systemic thinking and iterative reflection is recognized but underrepresented. The findings highlight the need to adapt existing methods with better guidance and risk integration to advance SSbD in material selection.
{"title":"“Avoid” is not enough – An overview of approaches to substance safety in sustainable material selection methods for product development","authors":"M.M. Weber , J.I.J.C. de Koning , A.R. Balkenende","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.12.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.12.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Existing material selection methods seem to offer limited support for addressing substance safety in practice, as the focus remains on intrinsic material properties and less on exposure risk. This hinders Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) efforts that can prevent use and accumulation of substances of concern (SoCs) across product lifecycles in a circular economy. This study reviews 29 sustainable material selection methods to evaluate how they do support substance safety. Results show that substance safety is generally embedded within the broader sustainability realm without explicit risk or lifecycle-based assessment. Of the four steps that can be distinguished in material selection, most methods support the steps ‘Establishing a set of candidates’ and ‘Comparing candidates’ but the steps ‘Formulating selection criteria’ and ‘Choosing suitable candidates’ are often unsupported, leaving critical substance safety trade-offs unaddressed. The importance of mindsets such as systemic thinking and iterative reflection is recognized but underrepresented. The findings highlight the need to adapt existing methods with better guidance and risk integration to advance SSbD in material selection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"62 ","pages":"Pages 70-83"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145841074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-10DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.12.003
Edoardo Chiarotti , Boris Thurm , Paola Paruta , Gino Baudry , Lohan Schwartzmann , Felix Philipp , Michaël Aklin , Jean-Philippe Bonardi
The European automotive industry is a major consumer of materials, contributing significantly to resource depletion and environmental pressures from raw material extraction and processing. With growing demand for mobility and the rising material intensity of electric vehicles, driven largely by batteries and their critical raw materials, transitioning to a circular economy is essential to reduce the sector’s environmental impact. In this paper we quantify the circularity potential of the EU27 automotive industry using a system-dynamic model of light private vehicles from 2000 to 2050. We simulate circular measures involving both technological improvements (e.g., material efficiency and recycling) and behavioral changes (e.g., car occupancy and modal shifts). We show that, under a business-as-usual scenario, the material demand of the European automotive sector would rise by around 50% by 2050. While circular measures by manufacturers and recyclers can slow this trend, only when combined with behavioral changes can they significantly curb material demand and partially close the loop. We estimate that these combined measures could save around 350 million tonnes of materials by 2050, with the most substantial gains resulting from reduced travel distances, shifts to public transport, and increased ridesharing. The circularity rate – defined as the ratio between material recovery and demand – could increase from 27% today to 80% by 2050. Our findings highlight the need to integrate demand-side measures with supply-side innovations to reduce material consumption and achieve high circularity in the automotive sector.
{"title":"Steering towards circularity: Systemic pathways to a more sustainable use of resources in the EU automotive industry","authors":"Edoardo Chiarotti , Boris Thurm , Paola Paruta , Gino Baudry , Lohan Schwartzmann , Felix Philipp , Michaël Aklin , Jean-Philippe Bonardi","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.12.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.12.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The European automotive industry is a major consumer of materials, contributing significantly to resource depletion and environmental pressures from raw material extraction and processing. With growing demand for mobility and the rising material intensity of electric vehicles, driven largely by batteries and their critical raw materials, transitioning to a circular economy is essential to reduce the sector’s environmental impact. In this paper we quantify the circularity potential of the EU27 automotive industry using a system-dynamic model of light private vehicles from 2000 to 2050. We simulate circular measures involving both technological improvements (e.g., material efficiency and recycling) and behavioral changes (e.g., car occupancy and modal shifts). We show that, under a business-as-usual scenario, the material demand of the European automotive sector would rise by around 50% by 2050. While circular measures by manufacturers and recyclers can slow this trend, only when combined with behavioral changes can they significantly curb material demand and partially close the loop. We estimate that these combined measures could save around 350 million tonnes of materials by 2050, with the most substantial gains resulting from reduced travel distances, shifts to public transport, and increased ridesharing. The circularity rate – defined as the ratio between material recovery and demand – could increase from 27% today to 80% by 2050. Our findings highlight the need to integrate demand-side measures with supply-side innovations to reduce material consumption and achieve high circularity in the automotive sector.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"62 ","pages":"Pages 12-27"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-08DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.12.004
Bao-Jun Tang , Wen Shi , Ru Li , Xi-Lin Cao
With global solar photovoltaic deployment accelerating, effectively managing end-of-life modules is critical for resource sustainability. While many studies estimate regional PV waste, they often overlook the complex interplay of environmental factors and regional differences that determine the true recycling potential. To address this gap, this study introduces an integrated assessment framework—the WARN model, combining Weibull distribution, Market Supply A model, Regional clustering, and Neural network approaches. Applying this framework to China through 2050, our analysis reveals significant provincial disparities in module service lifetime. We project a major wave of decommissioning to peak around 2035, driven by early retirements in provinces like Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. By 2050, China's cumulative scrap capacity is forecast to reach 437.88 GW. This represents a substantial secondary resource stream, yielding an estimated 1.54 million tons of valuable materials, including silicon, silver, aluminum, and copper. These findings quantify the immense resource value locked in retired PV modules and offer crucial insights for designing effective recycling infrastructure and proactive clean energy policies.
{"title":"Assessment of provincial PV recycling potential: Integrating product lifetime distribution and scrap capacity","authors":"Bao-Jun Tang , Wen Shi , Ru Li , Xi-Lin Cao","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.12.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.12.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With global solar photovoltaic deployment accelerating, effectively managing end-of-life modules is critical for resource sustainability. While many studies estimate regional PV waste, they often overlook the complex interplay of environmental factors and regional differences that determine the true recycling potential. To address this gap, this study introduces an integrated assessment framework—the WARN model, combining Weibull distribution, Market Supply A model, Regional clustering, and Neural network approaches. Applying this framework to China through 2050, our analysis reveals significant provincial disparities in module service lifetime. We project a major wave of decommissioning to peak around 2035, driven by early retirements in provinces like Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. By 2050, China's cumulative scrap capacity is forecast to reach 437.88 GW. This represents a substantial secondary resource stream, yielding an estimated 1.54 million tons of valuable materials, including silicon, silver, aluminum, and copper. These findings quantify the immense resource value locked in retired PV modules and offer crucial insights for designing effective recycling infrastructure and proactive clean energy policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"62 ","pages":"Pages 1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145712480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
China's household sector, comprising billions of heterogeneous energy consumers, represents an overlooked yet crucial frontier in the nation's decarbonization efforts. However, establishing effective low carbon-transition strategies for the household sector face tripartite challenges: provincial resource disparities invalidating one-size-fits-all transition strategy, pronounced urban-rural dualistic development characteristics risking energy poverty escalation, and health-threatening pollutant emissions from household energy consumption necessitating synergistic carbon-pollution mitigation. Here, we develop a high-resolution, multi-objective optimization model to identify locally-adapted pathways that synergistically address carbon emission reduction and air quality improvement across all Chinese provinces. Our analysis reveals three critical insights: First, Urban-rural disparities in household energy consumption are more pronounced than inter-provincial inequalities. Urban coal consumption inequality is decreasing due to policy interventions, while rural coal and natural gas consumption disparities are intensified. Second, nationwide household energy consumption will rise 5–10 % by 2030 (cumulative cost: $4.0–4.8 trillion), with transition pace varying dramatically. Hebei and Gansu will demonstrate rapid structural shifts toward clean energy, while Heilongjiang and Sichuan lag, necessitating targeted subsidies and infrastructure upgrades. Third, coal phase-outs will enable substantial emission reductions in SO2 (19.7 % ~ 43.1 %) and PM (14.2 % ~ 35.5 %) by 2030, though carbon emissions may see a slight net increase due to growing household energy demand. These tailored low carbon-transition strategies enable differentiated governance and ensure energy equity by accounting for critical provincial and urban-rural disparities in household energy consumption, thereby paving a fair and efficient pathway to China's carbon neutrality goal.
{"title":"Tailoring low carbon-transition strategies in household sector of China: Addressing spatial, socioeconomic, and environmental complexities","authors":"Xin Cao , Huimei Ren , Mingxuan Wu , Yuhan Zhu , Zongguo Wen","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.12.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.12.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>China's household sector, comprising billions of heterogeneous energy consumers, represents an overlooked yet crucial frontier in the nation's decarbonization efforts. However, establishing effective low carbon-transition strategies for the household sector face tripartite challenges: provincial resource disparities invalidating one-size-fits-all transition strategy, pronounced urban-rural dualistic development characteristics risking energy poverty escalation, and health-threatening pollutant emissions from household energy consumption necessitating synergistic carbon-pollution mitigation. Here, we develop a high-resolution, multi-objective optimization model to identify locally-adapted pathways that synergistically address carbon emission reduction and air quality improvement across all Chinese provinces. Our analysis reveals three critical insights: First, Urban-rural disparities in household energy consumption are more pronounced than inter-provincial inequalities. Urban coal consumption inequality is decreasing due to policy interventions, while rural coal and natural gas consumption disparities are intensified. Second, nationwide household energy consumption will rise 5–10 % by 2030 (cumulative cost: $4.0–4.8 trillion), with transition pace varying dramatically. Hebei and Gansu will demonstrate rapid structural shifts toward clean energy, while Heilongjiang and Sichuan lag, necessitating targeted subsidies and infrastructure upgrades. Third, coal phase-outs will enable substantial emission reductions in SO<sub>2</sub> (19.7 % ~ 43.1 %) and PM (14.2 % ~ 35.5 %) by 2030, though carbon emissions may see a slight net increase due to growing household energy demand. These tailored low carbon-transition strategies enable differentiated governance and ensure energy equity by accounting for critical provincial and urban-rural disparities in household energy consumption, thereby paving a fair and efficient pathway to China's carbon neutrality goal.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"61 ","pages":"Pages 356-366"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145693984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.006
Sara Toniolo , Ivan Russo , Jingzheng Ren , Md. Abdul Moktadir
Emissions from logistics and last-mile delivery represent a growing share of global greenhouse gases, fueled by e-commerce expansion and rising demand for rapid delivery. While decarbonization is essential, existing efforts largely prioritize technological and operational solutions, leaving their broader socio-environmental implications underexplored. This study conducts a systematic literature review to define what decarbonizing last-mile logistics entails and to identify the practices most frequently proposed to reduce emissions. Building on life cycle thinking as an integrative analytical lens, the analysis reveals how these practices, while reducing carbon emissions, may also generate unintended socio-ecological effects through shifting burdens across supply chain stages. To address these side effects, the review integrates the concept of a just transition, reframing decarbonization beyond efficiency and technological gains toward socially equitable and environmentally comprehensive pathways. The findings contribute by (1) mapping patterns of decarbonization practices across disciplines, (2) showing how life cycle thinking uncovers hidden side effects, and (3) advancing just transition as a conceptual and policy framework to guide last-mile logistics toward climate mitigation that is both effective and fair.
{"title":"Decarbonizing last-mile logistics: A life cycle and just transition perspective","authors":"Sara Toniolo , Ivan Russo , Jingzheng Ren , Md. Abdul Moktadir","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Emissions from logistics and last-mile delivery represent a growing share of global greenhouse gases, fueled by e-commerce expansion and rising demand for rapid delivery. While decarbonization is essential, existing efforts largely prioritize technological and operational solutions, leaving their broader socio-environmental implications underexplored. This study conducts a systematic literature review to define what decarbonizing last-mile logistics entails and to identify the practices most frequently proposed to reduce emissions. Building on life cycle thinking as an integrative analytical lens, the analysis reveals how these practices, while reducing carbon emissions, may also generate unintended socio-ecological effects through shifting burdens across supply chain stages. To address these side effects, the review integrates the concept of a just transition, reframing decarbonization beyond efficiency and technological gains toward socially equitable and environmentally comprehensive pathways. The findings contribute by (1) mapping patterns of decarbonization practices across disciplines, (2) showing how life cycle thinking uncovers hidden side effects, and (3) advancing just transition as a conceptual and policy framework to guide last-mile logistics toward climate mitigation that is both effective and fair.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"61 ","pages":"Pages 305-322"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623768","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.007
Rong Hu , Shuhang Mou , Guangqin Li
Public online attention to sustainability issues (POASI) is a key variable driving the social transition toward a sustainable future, acting as an essential link between macro–sustainable development goals and micro-level individual and collective actions. Based on Baidu Index data from 296 cities in China, this study uses the comprehensive weighting method to calculate the level of public online attention. We further employ interpretable machine learning models and the Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) approach to quantify the complex nonlinear associations of various factors with POASI. The results show that POASI in China has generally increased between 2011 and 2023, with the gap between the eastern and western regions gradually narrowing. Average years of education, per capita disposable income, population density, and the industrial upgrading index are identified as the key associated factors. Notably, these factors exhibit significant nonlinear relationships and threshold effects. Based on the thresholds of the major associated factors and the level of public online attention, the cities are classified into four governance categories: high-development zone, development-lagging zone, transformation-imbalance zone, and multi-constrained zone. This research comprehensively investigates the key mechanisms associated with POASI, thereby providing a scientific basis for formulating targeted sustainable development strategies.
{"title":"What unlocks public online attention to sustainability issues? Evidence from China","authors":"Rong Hu , Shuhang Mou , Guangqin Li","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Public online attention to sustainability issues (POASI) is a key variable driving the social transition toward a sustainable future, acting as an essential link between macro–sustainable development goals and micro-level individual and collective actions. Based on Baidu Index data from 296 cities in China, this study uses the comprehensive weighting method to calculate the level of public online attention. We further employ interpretable machine learning models and the Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) approach to quantify the complex nonlinear associations of various factors with POASI. The results show that POASI in China has generally increased between 2011 and 2023, with the gap between the eastern and western regions gradually narrowing. Average years of education, per capita disposable income, population density, and the industrial upgrading index are identified as the key associated factors. Notably, these factors exhibit significant nonlinear relationships and threshold effects. Based on the thresholds of the major associated factors and the level of public online attention, the cities are classified into four governance categories: high-development zone, development-lagging zone, transformation-imbalance zone, and multi-constrained zone. This research comprehensively investigates the key mechanisms associated with POASI, thereby providing a scientific basis for formulating targeted sustainable development strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"61 ","pages":"Pages 323-337"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145693985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.001
Rodoula Ktori , John A. Posada , Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht , Dimitrios Xevgenos
As water research and industry shift towards resource recovery plants, comprehensive assessment methods are needed to capture environmental trade-offs. Existing life cycle assessments (LCA) on desalination often neglect key methodological challenges in multi-product zero-liquid-discharge (ZLD) systems, risking misleading conclusions. This study applies LCA to conventional desalination and with three resource recovery scenarios (integrated desalination and brine treatment) in Cyprus: Sc1) maximum water recovery using waste heat (WH), Sc2) integrated desalination plant with brine treatment using WH, Sc3) electricity-based desalination with chemicals recovery, to assess how key methodological decisions influence the results and decisions. Five impact categories were analysed: climate change, human toxicity, marine ecotoxicity, water depletion, and fossil depletion. Without product substitution, multi-product ZLD systems show higher absolute impacts than SWRO due to increased energy and chemical demands. However, when credits for recovered salts and chemicals are considered, Scenarios 2 and 3 achieve large net reductions compared to conventional production, highlighting the sustainability potential of resource recovery. Results proved highly sensitive to methodological choices: functional unit selection (increase up to 59 %), allocation methods (variation from 54 % to 90 %), while excluding WH altered impacts by up to 89 %, emphasizing the need for transparent reporting to support robust decision-making in desalination design. Sensitivity analysis showed that integrating renewable energy could cut climate change and fossil depletion impacts by up to 99 %, though with trade-offs in marine ecotoxicity and water depletion. Rather than proposing new methods, this work provides critical guidance on applying standardized LCA options to complex systems, offering directly relevant insights for practitioners and policy-makers in sustainable desalination design.
{"title":"LCA methodological choices and environmental impacts performance of an integrated seawater desalination and brine treatment system","authors":"Rodoula Ktori , John A. Posada , Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht , Dimitrios Xevgenos","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As water research and industry shift towards resource recovery plants, comprehensive assessment methods are needed to capture environmental trade-offs. Existing life cycle assessments (LCA) on desalination often neglect key methodological challenges in multi-product zero-liquid-discharge (ZLD) systems, risking misleading conclusions. This study applies LCA to conventional desalination and with three resource recovery scenarios (integrated desalination and brine treatment) in Cyprus: Sc1) maximum water recovery using waste heat (WH), Sc2) integrated desalination plant with brine treatment using WH, Sc3) electricity-based desalination with chemicals recovery, to assess how key methodological decisions influence the results and decisions. Five impact categories were analysed: climate change, human toxicity, marine ecotoxicity, water depletion, and fossil depletion. Without product substitution, multi-product ZLD systems show higher absolute impacts than SWRO due to increased energy and chemical demands. However, when credits for recovered salts and chemicals are considered, Scenarios 2 and 3 achieve large net reductions compared to conventional production, highlighting the sustainability potential of resource recovery. Results proved highly sensitive to methodological choices: functional unit selection (increase up to 59 %), allocation methods (variation from 54 % to 90 %), while excluding WH altered impacts by up to 89 %, emphasizing the need for transparent reporting to support robust decision-making in desalination design. Sensitivity analysis showed that integrating renewable energy could cut climate change and fossil depletion impacts by up to 99 %, though with trade-offs in marine ecotoxicity and water depletion. Rather than proposing new methods, this work provides critical guidance on applying standardized LCA options to complex systems, offering directly relevant insights for practitioners and policy-makers in sustainable desalination design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"61 ","pages":"Pages 338-355"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145693986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-17DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.005
Francis Hanna , Renata Arsenault , Annick Anctil
The clean energy transition is increasing the demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. In 2022, the US passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) aiming to reshore and friendshore the battery supply chain, and to de-risk from dependence on China. The IRA and any follow-on permutations thereof such as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) are expected to impact the source, and consequently, the environmental footprint of battery materials and components. As new policies and regulations reshape the battery supply chain, they could lead to unintended and potentially negative sustainability impacts for new EV batteries if applied indiscriminately. The current study uses life cycle assessment to estimate the environmental footprint of NMC811 cells under different supply chain scenarios. These scenarios reflect offshoring and friendshoring the battery supply chain, reshoring battery manufacturing, and reshoring battery materials production. Further, this study explores paths to reduce the environmental footprint of 100 % US-made batteries using renewable energy sources during production. For the scenarios considered, the results show that offshoring and friendshoring the battery supply chain can lead to the highest and lowest environmental impacts, respectively. Reshoring battery manufacturing and using 1.15 Wp/kWh NMC811 cell produced can reduce the carbon footprint of a US-made 70 kWh NMC811 LIB pack by 2.45 tons CO2-eq and the water consumption by 5584 L. The outcomes of this work inform policymakers on the complex environmental consequences of supply chain decisions and identify pathways to mitigate these environmental consequences through selective material sourcing and implementation of renewable energy sources.
{"title":"Environmental impacts of reshoring and friendshoring the battery supply chain","authors":"Francis Hanna , Renata Arsenault , Annick Anctil","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The clean energy transition is increasing the demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. In 2022, the US passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) aiming to reshore and friendshore the battery supply chain, and to de-risk from dependence on China. The IRA and any follow-on permutations thereof <strong><em>such as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA)</em></strong> are expected to impact the source, and consequently, the environmental footprint of battery materials and components. As new policies and regulations reshape the battery supply chain, they could lead to unintended and potentially negative sustainability impacts for new EV batteries if applied indiscriminately. The current study uses life cycle assessment to estimate the environmental footprint of NMC811 cells under different supply chain scenarios. These scenarios reflect offshoring and friendshoring the battery supply chain, reshoring battery manufacturing, and reshoring battery materials production. Further, this study explores paths to reduce the environmental footprint of 100 % US-made batteries using renewable energy sources during production. For the scenarios considered, the results show that offshoring and friendshoring the battery supply chain can lead to the highest and lowest environmental impacts, respectively. Reshoring battery manufacturing and using 1.15 Wp/kWh NMC811 cell produced can reduce the carbon footprint of a US-made 70 kWh NMC811 LIB pack by 2.45 tons CO<sub>2</sub>-eq and the water consumption by 5584 L. The outcomes of this work inform policymakers on the complex environmental consequences of supply chain decisions and identify pathways to mitigate these environmental consequences through selective material sourcing and implementation of renewable energy sources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"61 ","pages":"Pages 295-304"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-14DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.004
C. Pérez-Hernández , P. Nachtergaele , S. Huysveld , J. Dewulf
The circular bioeconomy integrates the principles of both circular economy and bio-based economy, representing a promising pathway toward a more sustainable economic model. Current approaches to assessing circularity for bio-based product systems present notable limitations, as existing circularity assessment instruments (CAIs) often fail to adequately capture the particular properties of bio-based resource flows. To address these challenges, a comprehensive and systematic literature review was conducted to identify and evaluate CAIs applicable to the assessment of circularity in bio-based products. A total of 86 circularity indicators, indicator sets, and tools were examined based on their methodological scope and depth, including how they address resource flows, system boundaries, and material properties. Additional attention was given to their coverage of sustainability aspects, as well as their practical applicability. The analysis revealed several key gaps: a predominant emphasis on academic applications with limited industrial implementation; insufficient consideration of resource renewability and return to the biosphere; and an unclear distinction between circularity and sustainability aspects. Building on these findings, two contributions are proposed to advance circularity assessment methodologies: (i) a systems diagram conceptualising the circular bioeconomy, and (ii) a list of seven theoretical key elements essential for comprehensive circularity assessment. By synthesising these findings and advocating for the harmonisation of CAIs, this study provides guidance for developing indicators that better capture the different dimensions of the circular bioeconomy, offering a basis for policymaking and industry to deepen their understanding of circularity performance in the bio-based economy.
{"title":"Unravelling circularity assessment for the bio-based economy: A systematic, critical review of indicators and recommendations","authors":"C. Pérez-Hernández , P. Nachtergaele , S. Huysveld , J. Dewulf","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The circular bioeconomy integrates the principles of both circular economy and bio-based economy, representing a promising pathway toward a more sustainable economic model. Current approaches to assessing circularity for bio-based product systems present notable limitations, as existing circularity assessment instruments (CAIs) often fail to adequately capture the particular properties of bio-based resource flows. To address these challenges, a comprehensive and systematic literature review was conducted to identify and evaluate CAIs applicable to the assessment of circularity in bio-based products. A total of 86 circularity indicators, indicator sets, and tools were examined based on their methodological scope and depth, including how they address resource flows, system boundaries, and material properties. Additional attention was given to their coverage of sustainability aspects, as well as their practical applicability. The analysis revealed several key gaps: a predominant emphasis on academic applications with limited industrial implementation; insufficient consideration of resource renewability and return to the biosphere; and an unclear distinction between circularity and sustainability aspects. Building on these findings, two contributions are proposed to advance circularity assessment methodologies: (i) a systems diagram conceptualising the circular bioeconomy, and (ii) a list of seven theoretical key elements essential for comprehensive circularity assessment. By synthesising these findings and advocating for the harmonisation of CAIs, this study provides guidance for developing indicators that better capture the different dimensions of the circular bioeconomy, offering a basis for policymaking and industry to deepen their understanding of circularity performance in the bio-based economy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"61 ","pages":"Pages 277-294"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579616","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-10DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.003
Jan Matuštík , Richard Wood , Jan Weinzettel
Planetary boundaries delimit the safe operating space for humanity to ensure the stability and functioning of the Earth system. Demand-side indicators can help navigate specific pathways and solutions to stay within the boundaries. In recent years, an increasing quantity of scientific work is connecting planetary boundary framing to demand-side analysis, yet there is often a lack of consistency in this research. Here we review relevant literature (including life-cycle assessments and environmental footprint analysis), focusing on the choice and suitability of indicators and methods used. We find a persistent gap between the idealist focus on impacts on earth systems functioning and the actual indicators used. We evaluate the available options, outline current research gaps, and extract lessons on how to better account for Earth system impacts from the demand-side perspective.
{"title":"Operationalizing planetary boundaries through demand-side indicators","authors":"Jan Matuštík , Richard Wood , Jan Weinzettel","doi":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.spc.2025.11.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Planetary boundaries delimit the safe operating space for humanity to ensure the stability and functioning of the Earth system. Demand-side indicators can help navigate specific pathways and solutions to stay within the boundaries. In recent years, an increasing quantity of scientific work is connecting planetary boundary framing to demand-side analysis, yet there is often a lack of consistency in this research. Here we review relevant literature (including life-cycle assessments and environmental footprint analysis), focusing on the choice and suitability of indicators and methods used. We find a persistent gap between the idealist focus on impacts on earth systems functioning and the actual indicators used. We evaluate the available options, outline current research gaps, and extract lessons on how to better account for Earth system impacts from the demand-side perspective.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48619,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Production and Consumption","volume":"61 ","pages":"Pages 181-193"},"PeriodicalIF":9.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145529011","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号