Interdependence in rare earth element supply between China and the United States helps stabilize global supply chains

Rare earth elements (REEs) are vital to the development of low-carbon technologies. There are rising concerns in the United States and elsewhere about REE supply chain stability and risks given the unvalidated perception in the heavy reliance of China, by far the largest REE supplier. However, the relationship between key countries at...

Reassessing tin circularity and criticality

Tin is an important metal for society with a high risk of supply disruptions. It is, therefore, classified as a critical material in many parts of the world. An exception is the European Union, for which tin was classified as a non-critical material in 2023. However, there are many discrepancies in the literature regarding the definitions and...

Revealing the management of municipal textile waste and citizen practices: The case of Catalonia

Although the number of studies assessing the textile sector is increasing, only a few focus on its waste management. This study aims to shed light on current textile waste disposal practices and account for their environmental impact. To do so, a combination of citizen surveying and environmental quantitative tools, such as material flow...

Characterizing IT asset disposition flows for the circular economy: A case study on export for reuse from Ireland

Understanding flows of resource-rich electrical and electronic equipment throughout its life cycle is increasingly important in the development of global circular economies, reflected by heavy legislative focuses on waste prevention and resource use efficiency. This research facilitates broader material flow analysis by characterizing flows...

Toward a low-carbon and circular building sector: Building strategies and urbanization pathways for the Netherlands

Buildings are an important part of society's environmental impacts, both in the construction and in the use phase. As the energy performance of buildings improve, construction materials become more important as a cause of environmental impact. Less attention has been given to those materials. We explore, as an alternative for conventional...

Mapping the flat glass value-chain: a material flow analysis and energy balance of UK production

Glass is one of the UK’s eight energy-intensive industries. As such, it is under scrutiny to decouple growth in production from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Recycled glass, also known as cullet, requires less energy to melt than primary raw materials in new glass production. The use of cullet thus reduces the energy intensity per unit of...

Circular material flow in the intensive care unit—environmental effects and identification of hotspots

Purpose: The healthcare sector is responsible for 6–7% of CO₂ emissions. The intensive care unit (ICU) contributes to these CO₂ emissions and a shift from a linear system to a circular system is needed. The aim of our research was to perform a material flow analysis (MFA) in an academic ICU. Secondary aims were to obtain...

Environmental design guidelines for circular building components based on LCA and MFA: Lessons from the circular kitchen and renovation façade

The transition towards a Circular Economy (CE) in the built environment is vital to reduce environmental impacts, resource consumption and waste generation. The built environment can be made circular by replacing building components with more circular ones. There are many circular design options for building components and knowledge about...

Environmental design guidelines for circular building components: The case of the circular building structure

Transitioning to a circular built environment can reduce the environmental impacts, resource consumption and waste generation emanating from buildings. However, there are many options to design circular building components, and limited knowledge on which options lead to the best environmental performance. Few guidelines exist and they build...

A refined waste flow mapping method: Addressing the material and spatial dimensions of waste flows in the urban territory through big data: the case of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area

Fundamental changes in the societal use of biophysical resources are required for a sustainable transformation. Current (urban) metabolism research traces flows of energy and materials and products to capture resource use along value<br/>chains from resource extraction to production and consumption and the discharge of wastes and emissions....

Mitigation potential of sanitation infrastructure on groundwater contamination by nitrate in maputo

In Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, nitrate concentrations above 250 mg L??1 in groundwater have been reported. This happens due to the widespread use of latrines and septic tanks that allow for constant infiltration of its content into the soil and eventually to groundwater sources, a situation that is widespread in the Global South and...

Material flow analysis (MFA) as a tool to improve ship recycling

The ship owner's decision to select a recycling yard for dismantling and recycling an end-of-life ship is primarily influenced by the price offered for purchasing the ship. The recycling yards offering ‘green’ recycling services generally quote lower prices than other yards due to the higher cost of dismantling a ship by following international...