Analysis of barriers to transitioning from a linear to a circular economy for end of life materials: a case study for waste feathers
File(s)
Published version
OA Location
Author(s)
Dieckmann, Elena
Sheldrick, Leila
Tennant, Mike
Myers, Rupert
Cheeseman, Christopher
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
This research aimed to develop a simple but robust method to identify the key barriers to the transition from a linear to a circular economy (CE) for end of life products or material. Nine top-tier barrier categories have been identified that influence this transition. These relate to the basic material properties and product characteristics, the availability of suitable processing technology, the environmental impacts associated with current linear management, the organizational context, industry and supply chain issues, external drivers, public perception, the regulatory framework and the overall economic viability of the transition. The method provides a novel and rapid way to identify and quantitatively assess the barriers to the development of CE products. This allows mitigation steps to be developed in parallel with new product design. The method has been used to assess the potential barriers to developing a circular economy for waste feathers generated by the UK poultry industry. This showed that transitioning UK waste feathers to circularity faces significant barriers across numerous categories and is not currently economically viable. The assessment method developed provides a novel approach to identifying barriers to circularity and has potential to be applied to a wide range of end of life materials and products.
Date Issued
2020-02-25
Date Acceptance
2020-02-22
Citation
Sustainability, 2020, 12 (5), pp.1725-1725
ISSN
2071-1050
Publisher
MDPI AG
Start Page
1725
End Page
1725
Journal / Book Title
Sustainability
Volume
12
Issue
5
Copyright Statement
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Identifier
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/5/1725
Subjects
12 Built Environment and Design
Publication Status
Published online
Date Publish Online
2020-02-25