Assessing the circularity potential of plastics with a substitutability approach: A case study in Argentina
Resource depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, and pollution associated with production, consumption, and disposal of plastics demand solutions. Material circularity is presented as a key strategy to address this problem. However, a comprehensive study of these systems is needed to determine whether...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Spanish |
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Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Revista U.D.C.A Actualidad & Divulgación Científica |
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| Online Access: | https://revistas.udca.edu.co/index.php/ruadc/article/view/2631 |
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| author | Maria Agustina Zapata Fernando Arce Bastias Bárbara Civit Pablo Arena |
| author_facet | Maria Agustina Zapata Fernando Arce Bastias Bárbara Civit Pablo Arena |
| author_sort | Maria Agustina Zapata |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Resource depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, and pollution associated with production, consumption, and disposal of plastics demand solutions. Material circularity is presented as a key strategy to address this problem. However, a comprehensive study of these systems is needed to determine whether it is possible to completely close the material loop. When evaluating plastics recycling as a circularity strategy, it is essential to consider the conservation of mass in the cycle and the conservation of quality. In this sense, substitutability is a concept that measures the ability of the recycled material to replace virgin material. This paper presents the results of the circularity potential of six main types of plastics for five scenarios in Argentina, based on recycling rates and market shares to measure the conservation of quantity and quality in the material cycle. The results show a low circularity potential for all plastics, the best indicator being 13.6 % for HDPE and the worst being 3 % for PS.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-227a25f04b154455ba58219fcfe960cd |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0123-4226 2619-2551 |
| language | Spanish |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista U.D.C.A Actualidad & Divulgación Científica |
| spelling | doaj-art-227a25f04b154455ba58219fcfe960cd2025-08-20T02:13:26ZspaUniversidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y AmbientalesRevista U.D.C.A Actualidad & Divulgación Científica0123-42262619-25512025-02-0128110.31910/rudca.v28.n1.2025.2631Assessing the circularity potential of plastics with a substitutability approach: A case study in ArgentinaMaria Agustina Zapata0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8530-8627Fernando Arce Bastias1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9088-7041Bárbara Civit2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2895-6747Pablo Arena3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1073-8039Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas CONICETUniversidad Tecnológica Nacional; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas CONICETUniversidad Tecnológica Nacional; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas CONICETUniversidad Tecnológica Nacional; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas CONICET Resource depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, and pollution associated with production, consumption, and disposal of plastics demand solutions. Material circularity is presented as a key strategy to address this problem. However, a comprehensive study of these systems is needed to determine whether it is possible to completely close the material loop. When evaluating plastics recycling as a circularity strategy, it is essential to consider the conservation of mass in the cycle and the conservation of quality. In this sense, substitutability is a concept that measures the ability of the recycled material to replace virgin material. This paper presents the results of the circularity potential of six main types of plastics for five scenarios in Argentina, based on recycling rates and market shares to measure the conservation of quantity and quality in the material cycle. The results show a low circularity potential for all plastics, the best indicator being 13.6 % for HDPE and the worst being 3 % for PS. https://revistas.udca.edu.co/index.php/ruadc/article/view/2631Circular economyHigh-density polyethyleneMaterial cyclePlastic materialsPlastic recycling |
| spellingShingle | Maria Agustina Zapata Fernando Arce Bastias Bárbara Civit Pablo Arena Assessing the circularity potential of plastics with a substitutability approach: A case study in Argentina Revista U.D.C.A Actualidad & Divulgación Científica Circular economy High-density polyethylene Material cycle Plastic materials Plastic recycling |
| title | Assessing the circularity potential of plastics with a substitutability approach: A case study in Argentina |
| title_full | Assessing the circularity potential of plastics with a substitutability approach: A case study in Argentina |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the circularity potential of plastics with a substitutability approach: A case study in Argentina |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the circularity potential of plastics with a substitutability approach: A case study in Argentina |
| title_short | Assessing the circularity potential of plastics with a substitutability approach: A case study in Argentina |
| title_sort | assessing the circularity potential of plastics with a substitutability approach a case study in argentina |
| topic | Circular economy High-density polyethylene Material cycle Plastic materials Plastic recycling |
| url | https://revistas.udca.edu.co/index.php/ruadc/article/view/2631 |
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