dc.contributor.author |
Goga, T
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Harding, Kevin
|
|
dc.contributor.author |
Russo, Valentina
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|
dc.contributor.author |
Von Blottnitz, H
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|
dc.date.accessioned |
2022-10-03T06:38:31Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2022-10-03T06:38:31Z |
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dc.date.issued |
2022-08 |
|
dc.identifier.citation |
Goga, T., Harding, K., Russo, V. & Von Blottnitz, H. 2022. What material flow analysis and life cycle assessment reveal about plastic polymer production and recycling in South Africa. <i>South African Journal of Science, 118.</i> http://hdl.handle.net/10204/12491 |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.issn |
1996-7489 |
|
dc.identifier.issn |
0038-2353 |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2022/12522
|
|
dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/10204/12491
|
|
dc.description.abstract |
Global production and consumption of plastics have increased significantly in recent years. The environmental impacts associated with this trend have received growing attention internationally with single-use plastic packaging responsible for most plastic pollution. Locally, the SA Plastics Pact, the Industry Master Plan, and the National Waste Management Strategy all aim to transform the current linear sector model into a circular system by setting targets for increased collection and recycling rates and recycled content. However, the associated impacts of implementing such circular interventions have not yet been assessed across the plastics life cycle. Industrial ecology tools, material flow analysis and life cycle assessment, are used to generate mass-based indicators as well as indicators of climate damage in the form of the global warming potential. The carbon footprint of the South African plastics value chain from cradle to grave was estimated at 17.9 Mt CO2eq emissions in 2018, with 52% of these due to the local coal-based monomer production process. The end-of-life stage lacks proper waste collection for a third of the population, but contributes only 2% to the total greenhouse gas emissions, with recycling having a minimal environmental impact. Future projections of plastics production, use, disposal, and recycling for 2025 show that increasing mechanical recycling rates to achieve stated targets would start to have a significant effect on virgin polymer demand (in the order of several billion rands of sales annually) but would also reduce waste disposal by 28% relative to baseline growth and 18% below values calculated for 2018. |
en_US |
dc.format |
Fulltext |
en_US |
dc.language.iso |
en |
en_US |
dc.relation.uri |
http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0038-23532022000500004 |
en_US |
dc.source |
South African Journal of Science, 118 |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Plastics |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Material flow analysis |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Life Cycle Assessment |
en_US |
dc.subject |
Recycling |
en_US |
dc.title |
What material flow analysis and life cycle assessment reveal about plastic polymer production and recycling in South Africa |
en_US |
dc.type |
Article |
en_US |
dc.description.pages |
5 |
en_US |
dc.description.note |
© 2022. The Author(s). Published under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence. |
en_US |
dc.description.cluster |
Smart Places |
en_US |
dc.description.impactarea |
Sustainable Econs and Waste |
en_US |
dc.identifier.apacitation |
Goga, T., Harding, K., Russo, V., & Von Blottnitz, H. (2022). What material flow analysis and life cycle assessment reveal about plastic polymer production and recycling in South Africa. <i>South African Journal of Science, 118</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/10204/12491 |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.chicagocitation |
Goga, T, Kevin Harding, Valentino Russo, and H Von Blottnitz "What material flow analysis and life cycle assessment reveal about plastic polymer production and recycling in South Africa." <i>South African Journal of Science, 118</i> (2022) http://hdl.handle.net/10204/12491 |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.vancouvercitation |
Goga T, Harding K, Russo V, Von Blottnitz H. What material flow analysis and life cycle assessment reveal about plastic polymer production and recycling in South Africa. South African Journal of Science, 118. 2022; http://hdl.handle.net/10204/12491. |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.ris |
TY - Article
AU - Goga, T
AU - Harding, Kevin
AU - Russo, Valentino
AU - Von Blottnitz, H
AB - Global production and consumption of plastics have increased significantly in recent years. The environmental impacts associated with this trend have received growing attention internationally with single-use plastic packaging responsible for most plastic pollution. Locally, the SA Plastics Pact, the Industry Master Plan, and the National Waste Management Strategy all aim to transform the current linear sector model into a circular system by setting targets for increased collection and recycling rates and recycled content. However, the associated impacts of implementing such circular interventions have not yet been assessed across the plastics life cycle. Industrial ecology tools, material flow analysis and life cycle assessment, are used to generate mass-based indicators as well as indicators of climate damage in the form of the global warming potential. The carbon footprint of the South African plastics value chain from cradle to grave was estimated at 17.9 Mt CO2eq emissions in 2018, with 52% of these due to the local coal-based monomer production process. The end-of-life stage lacks proper waste collection for a third of the population, but contributes only 2% to the total greenhouse gas emissions, with recycling having a minimal environmental impact. Future projections of plastics production, use, disposal, and recycling for 2025 show that increasing mechanical recycling rates to achieve stated targets would start to have a significant effect on virgin polymer demand (in the order of several billion rands of sales annually) but would also reduce waste disposal by 28% relative to baseline growth and 18% below values calculated for 2018.
DA - 2022-08
DB - ResearchSpace
DO - 10.17159/sajs.2022/12522
DP - CSIR
J1 - South African Journal of Science, 118
KW - Plastics
KW - Material flow analysis
KW - Life Cycle Assessment
KW - Recycling
LK - https://researchspace.csir.co.za
PY - 2022
SM - 1996-7489
SM - 0038-2353
T1 - What material flow analysis and life cycle assessment reveal about plastic polymer production and recycling in South Africa
TI - What material flow analysis and life cycle assessment reveal about plastic polymer production and recycling in South Africa
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10204/12491
ER - |
en_ZA |
dc.identifier.worklist |
26032 |
en_US |