Circular Economy and Life Cycle Assessment: Closing the Loop for Sustainable Resource Management

Dear Colleagues,

As a response to the globally increasing environmental pressures and resource constraints, the concept of a circular economy has emerged as a key framework for achieving sustainable resource management. Unlike a traditional linear economy (take-make-dispose), the circular economy seeks to close the loop through promoting a circular model based on the reuse, repair, refurbishment, and recycling of materials and products. This paradigm shift is essential for reducing waste, minimizing environmental impacts, and preserving natural resources for future generations. Life cycle assessments (LCAs) are a critical tool in evaluating the environmental performance of products and processes within the circular economy. By analyzing the entire life cycle—from raw material extraction to production, use, and disposal—LCA provides valuable insights into the sustainability of resource management practices. However, LCA still faces many methodological challenges when assessing circular economy systems. These challenges include accounting for the benefits of recycling and reuse, dealing with data gaps, and developing standardized metrics that accurately reflect circularity principles.

This Special Issue, entitled "Circular Economy and Life Cycle Assessment: Closing the Loop for Sustainable Resource Management," aims to highlight cutting-edge research and innovative methodologies that advance the integration of circular economy principles with life cycle assessments. The contributions in this Issue will underscore the importance of this interdisciplinary approach in achieving sustainable development goals and fostering resilient, resource-efficient systems.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• The development of new LCA methodologies tailored for circular systems.
• The integration of circularity indicators into LCA frameworks.
• Addressing data gaps and uncertainties in circular economy assessments.
• Improving data quality and availability for secondary materials and processes.
• Case studies on the LCA of recycled materials and products.
• LCAs of emerging technologies that support circular economy principles.
• The comparison of different circular economy metrics and their implications for LCA.
• LCAs of end-of-life scenarios for circular products and materials.
• Challenges in modeling closed-loop supply chains and their environmental impacts.
• Assessing the carbon balance and sequestration potential of bio-based materials.
• The application of consequential LCA to inform policy decisions in the circular economy.
• Social and environmental impacts of circular economy practices from an LCA perspective.

I look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Andrea Di Maria
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• circular economy
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• sustainable resource management
• carbon sequestration
• policy decision making