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DOI | 10.1038/s41893-022-01054-9 |
Towards circular plastics within planetary boundaries | |
Bachmann, Marvin; Zibunas, Christian; Hartmann, Jan; Tulus, Victor; Suh, Sangwon; Guillen-Gosalbez, Gonzalo; Bardow, Andre | |
发表日期 | 2022 |
ISSN | 2398-9629 |
页码 | 14 |
英文摘要 | The rapid growth of plastics production exacerbated the triple planetary crisis of habitat loss, plastic pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Circular strategies have been proposed for plastics to achieve net-zero GHG emissions. However, the implications of such circular strategies on absolute sustainability have not been examined on a planetary scale. This study links a bottom-up model covering both the production and end-of-life treatment of 90% of global plastics to the planetary boundaries framework. Here we show that even a circular, climate-optimal plastics industry combining current recycling technologies with biomass utilization transgresses sustainability thresholds by up to four times. However, improving recycling technologies and recycling rates up to at least 75% in combination with biomass and CO2 utilization in plastics production can lead to a scenario in which plastics comply with their assigned safe operating space in 2030. Although being the key to sustainability and in improving the unquantified effect of novel entities on the biosphere, even enhanced recycling cannot cope with the growth in plastics demand predicted until 2050. Therefore, achieving absolute sustainability of plastics requires a fundamental change in our methods of both producing and using plastics. The sustainability of the net-zero circular strategies of plastics has not been previously examined on a planetary scale. Linking a bottom-up model for the production and end-of-life treatment of plastics to the planetary boundaries framework, this study shows the need to scale up recycling and reconsider how we produce and use plastics. |
学科领域 | Green & Sustainable Science & Technology; Environmental Sciences; Environmental Studies |
语种 | 英语 |
WOS研究方向 | Science & Technology - Other Topics ; Environmental Sciences & Ecology |
WOS记录号 | WOS:000943957300004 |
来源期刊 | NATURE SUSTAINABILITY
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文献类型 | 期刊论文 |
条目标识符 | http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/272802 |
作者单位 | RWTH Aachen University; Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain; ETH Zurich; University of California System; University of California Santa Barbara; Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain; ETH Zurich |
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714 | Bachmann, Marvin,Zibunas, Christian,Hartmann, Jan,et al. Towards circular plastics within planetary boundaries[J],2022:14. |
APA | Bachmann, Marvin.,Zibunas, Christian.,Hartmann, Jan.,Tulus, Victor.,Suh, Sangwon.,...&Bardow, Andre.(2022).Towards circular plastics within planetary boundaries.NATURE SUSTAINABILITY,14. |
MLA | Bachmann, Marvin,et al."Towards circular plastics within planetary boundaries".NATURE SUSTAINABILITY (2022):14. |
条目包含的文件 | 条目无相关文件。 |
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