Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes

This contributed volume offers several cases in life cycle assessment (LCA) and implementation of circular economy principles across different industries. LCA is a tool which is utilized to measure the environmental footprints of various products from inception through disposal. Circular economy, a related concept, presents a meaningful alternative to a traditional linear economy as it seeks possible ways to reduce waste, recover resources at the end of a product’s life, and channel them back into production, thus significantly reducing environmental impacts. LCA and CE complement each other, as the former can be used to meaningfully assess possibilities for the latter. The combination of the principles of CE and LCA enable product developers to quantify the environmental performance of various products, processes and supply chain configurations in order to make progress toward sustainability.