Implementation of LCA in the Circular Economy context: Methodological issues for application in PET packaging

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is nowadays one of the most applied methodologies for evaluating the potential environmental impacts of products and systems related to the plastic packaging sector. Nevertheless, the recent increasing interest on Circular Economy principles introduces challenges in its application, addressing towards adjustments to system boundaries and functional units. This research paper underscores the need for LCA models that are both dynamic, adaptable and capable of capturing both (i) the environmental performances of end-of-life processes and (ii) the quality of the materials obtained from them. To this aim, the main literature is taken as reference to compare chemical and mechanical recycling applied to PET. From the outcomes, the need of considering potential quality degradation resulting from increased recycling and reuse operations applied to the input material is well recognized. The study highlights the potential role of LCA to provide comprehensive information, thereby facilitating comparative assertions and offering valuable insights for informed decision-making and the development of sustainable policies within the plastic packaging industry.