The marine plastic footprint

Boucher, Juilien; Billard, Guillaume; Simeone, E.; Sousa, J.

doi:10.2305/iucn.ch.2020.01.en

Cited by 41 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…PL measures the quantity of plastic ultimately released into the ocean or into the other compartments (freshwater, soils and other terrestrial environments) including both microplastics and macroplastics. 25 Plastic leakage is a result of both loss and release and can be simply described by the following equation:…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Which strategy for using medical and community masks? A prospective analysis of their environmental impact

Bouchet¹,

Boucher

Schutzbach

et al. 2021

BMJ Open

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IntroductionThe use of personal protective equipment, especially medical masks, increased dramatically during the COVID-19 crisis. Medical masks are made of synthetic materials, mainly polypropylene, and a majority of them are produced in China and imported to the European market. The urgency of the need has so far prevailed over environmental considerations.ObjectiveAssess the environmental impact of different strategies for the use of face mask.MethodA prospective analysis was conducted to assess the environmental impact of different strategies for the use of medical and community masks. Eight scenarios, differentiating the typologies of masks and the modes of reuse are compared using three environmental impact indicators: the Global Warming Potential (GWP100), the ecological scarcity (UBP method, from German ‘Umweltbelastungpunkte’) and the plastic leakage (PL). This study attempts to provide clear recommendations that consider both the environmental impact and the protective effectiveness of face masks used in the community.ResultsThe environmental impact of single-use masks is the most unfavourable, with a GWP of 0.4–1.3 kg CO2 eq., depending on the transport scenario, and a PL of 1.8 g, for a 1 month protection against COVID-19. The use of home-made cotton masks and prolonged use of medical masks through wait-and-reuse are the scenarios with the lowest impact.ConclusionThe use of medical masks with a wait and reuse strategy seems to be the most appropriate when considering both environmental impact and effectiveness. Our results also highlight the need to develop procedures and the legal/operational framework to extend the use of protective equipment during a pandemic.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…28 A recent study focusing on masks articulates a littering rate of 3% worldwide. We used a 2% littering rate, 25 yielding a leakage rate of 2% to all compartments of the environment for the scope of this study.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Which strategy for using medical and community masks? A prospective analysis of their environmental impact

Bouchet¹,

Boucher

Schutzbach

et al. 2021

BMJ Open

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“…The emission factor of fuel oil is based on IPCC (2006) 120 . Polymerization in suspension was assumed with a steam consumption of 2.5 GJ/ t PVC, 130 being generated by a fuel oil boiler with an efficiency of 85%, while electricity consumption was based on Comanita et al 130 . (0.9 GJ/ t PVC).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Achieving negative emissions in plastics life cycles through the conversion of biomass feedstock

Souza

Zotin

Rochedo

et al. 2020

Biofuels Bioprod Bioref

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Plastics are one of the fastest‐growing groups of bulk materials in the world. Yet, a third of plastic waste ends up as terrestrial or marine pollution. As a strategy to lower the carbon footprint of plastics, this study aimed to test the hypothesis that using plastics in long‐term applications would bring an environmental advantage due to the reduction of plastic pollution, the achievement of negative CO2 emissions (NETs) by bio‐based plastics, and demand reduction for emission‐intensive construction materials, such as iron, aluminium, wood, and cement. Cradle‐to‐grave life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and expanded polystyrene (EPS) were performed for four ethylene production routes. For the final disposal, this study assessed incineration; incineration with energy recovery; recycling; and the orientation of plastics for replacing emission‐intensive material construction (long‐term applications). Findings show that using plastics as long‐lifetime materials could lead to NETs, particularly in the cases of bio‐based HDPE, bio‐based PET, and bio‐based EPS. Hence, an opportunity arises, by producing plastics for long‐term applications, to reduce both the carbon footprint and the plastic waste generation that may enter the marine environment. © 2020 Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

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“…In 2015, 79% of all historical plastic waste ever produced was dumped in a landfill or leaked into our natural environment (Geyer et al 2017), including our soil, air, and water. In 2020, it was estimated that 12 Mt of plastics is leaked into our marine environment every year (Boucher et al 2020). Suppose no interventions are introduced to reduce plastic waste and its leakage drastically, it is estimated that our oceans would have more plastics than fishes by 2050 (by weight) (World Economic Forum et al 2016).…”

Section: Associated Impact From Its End-of-lifementioning

confidence: 99%

Single-Use Plastics in the Food Services Industry: Can It Be Sustainable?

Tan

Tiwari²,

Ramakrishna

2021

Mater Circ Econ

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The topic of single-use plastic (SUP) has attracted considerable global attention. Even though it has been investigated extensively by the research community, there is no existing literature that succinctly reviews the progress and developments of its uses, associated impacts, viable alternatives, and end-of-life scenarios through the lens of the food services industry (FSI). Through our review, we attempted to answer the question if the use of SUP foodware in the FSI can be more sustainable, and if possible, participate in the circular economy. We have determined that it is technologically possible for disposable foodware to achieve circularity using bio-based biodegradable foodware materials, organic recycling, and industrial symbiosis. All three components need to be operated and utilized simultaneously for any disposable foodware to be truly circular. However, we found the adoption rate of these technologies to be relatively low, and we discussed the reasons for our findings in detail. We proposed using policy action as an intervention mechanism to mitigate this situation and encourage greater adoption.

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The marine plastic footprint

Cited by 41 publications

References 33 publications

Which strategy for using medical and community masks? A prospective analysis of their environmental impact

Which strategy for using medical and community masks? A prospective analysis of their environmental impact

Achieving negative emissions in plastics life cycles through the conversion of biomass feedstock

Single-Use Plastics in the Food Services Industry: Can It Be Sustainable?

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