DF 63

The concept of Circular Economy is gaining popularity in Europe and elsewhere. Both the recycling of waste and a (recycling friendly) eco-design are components of a Circular Economy. How can LCA support the creation of a Circular Economy and ensure a positive balance of efforts and benefits? How shall substituted materials and products be accounted for, who can claim the benefit, and how is resource quality taken into consideration? How can waste and resources be managed to minimize environmental impacts? How can products be designed in an eco-friendly manner to close material cycles?

The 3rd forum will give the floor to representatives from industry, authorities, academics, and organisa-tions to present new applications and approaches of LCA in combination with various other environmental assessment tools (e.g. MFA, LCA and/or mathemati-cal optimization) to manage wastes and resources sustainably and to support decision-making towards a circular economy. A focus will be laid on factors relevant for the benefits of the circular economy, such as waste and resource quality aspects and their influence on the recycling system, as well as product quality. Finally, examples of LCA applications for eco-design, waste management and systemic analyses across sectors will be shown.