The implementation of circular economy (CE) thinking to reduce environmental impacts and resource use has led to the development of innovative recycling technologies and business models. The implications of these technologies and models, however, remain largely unclear. In many CE strategies, there is a high risk of rebound, meaning a situation in which activities aimed at environmental benefits are not realized because of external reasons. A similar risk relates to limited understanding about the behavioral changes required by extensive implementation of circular practices. Using life cycle assessment, we compare the global warming potential (GWP) of five ownership and end-of-life scenarios for creating and using a pair of jeans. The scenarios are as follows: (a) BASE, i.e. basic use with waste disposal; (b) REDUCE, i.e. extended use; (c) REUSE, i.e. re-selling; (d) RECYCLE, i.e. industrial processing into new raw materials; and (e) SHARE, i.e. a rental service. Our results show that the lowest global warming impacts are achieved in the REDUCE scenario, and the second lowest are achieved in the REUSE scenario. The RECYCLE scenario leads to relatively high overall emissions because the replaced emissions from cotton production are relatively low. The use of rental services is likely to increase customers’ mobility, and if that happens in a large scale, then the SHARE scenario has the highest GWP. It was found that many new CE innovations come with a high rebound risk, and existing practices carry similar, yet smaller risks.
The coronavirus disease COVID-19 has spread worldwide since early 2020, and it has impacted mobility emissions due to mobility restrictions and e.g. increased remote work. This creates a good opportunity to assess how mobility emissions have reduced due to COVID-19. This research is based on data related to mobility distances and modes that have been automatically collected by using a mobile phone application in the city of Lahti, Finland. The results show that mobility decreased in total by approximately 40% during the first wave of COVID-19 in spring 2020. The global warming potential decreased at the same time by approximately 36%. In addition, a considerable shift in modal shares could be seen. The relative modal share of passenger cars increased by 6 percentage points while the share of public transport decreased by 18 percentage points. Despite the considerable reduction, further reductions in emissions from mobility are needed to meet the 1.5 degree climate targets in the urban mobility sector. However, further reductions can be reached also by increasingly using renewable mobility energy sources.
Household consumption accounts for 72% of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To obtain consumption-based emissions in accordance with the 1.5-degree target, the carbon footprint of individuals should be reduced to 2.5 t CO2e a-1 by 2030, which means at least a 70% reduction in high-emitting countries. The decrease in consumption-based GHG emissions can be achieved through both technological and behavioural changes. Currently, climate measures are largely dependent on technological efficiency, although behavioural changes are also needed. In this paper, we study how technological actions to decarbonise the energy and mobility sectors affect consumption-based carbon footprints in the years 2010–2030 in a suburb in Finland. Based on the results, emissions from the mobility sector decreased by 50%, and those from the energy sector decreased by 68% in 2010–2030, when only technology development and society-level actions are considered. These emission reductions affected the carbon footprint of an average Finnish suburb by decreasing it by 37%. This study demonstrates that technological actions to decarbonise the energy and mobility sectors do not guarantee adequate emission reduction by 2030 to achieve the 1.5-degree target; therefore, a change in lifestyle and consumption habits is also needed. Further research should take behavioural changes into account when assessing the development of a consumption-based carbon footprint.
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